Arlan MarttilaWelcome to Division I! After months and months of planning and preparation, Merrimack’s program is off the ground. The debut may not be the stuff of fairy tales, but it certainly wasn’t disastrous either. The Warriors’ inaugural game drew an announced crowd of 1,781 as they hosted St. Cloud State. The home team provided plenty … Read more
Minnesota State Mavericks USCHO prediction: Eighth Coaches’ prediction: Eighth Last season: Eighth (3-32-1, 1-26-1-0 WCHA) The names That Minnesota State landed with a thud in the WCHA’s basement wasn’t that difficult to predict; the Mavericks were just too young to compete in the rough and tumble league. They’ll have new direction as they start the … Read more
St. Cloud State Huskies USCHO prediction: Seventh Coaches’ prediction: Seventh Last season: Seventh (8-28-1, 5-22-1-1 WCHA) The names His first season at St. Cloud State was a learning experience for both coach Eric Rud and his players. “Last year was just a year where we knew we would struggle with wins and losses and tried … Read more
Ohio State Buckeyes USCHO prediction: Sixth Coaches’ prediction: Sixth Last season: Sixth (17-6-3, 12-13-3-1 WCHA) The names In March, Bemidji State became the sixth different WCHA team to play in the league’s championship game. Ohio State has been there — back in the conference’s second year of competition. That was so long ago that the … Read more
Bemidji State Beavers USCHO prediction: Fifth Coaches’ prediction: Fourth Last season: Fifth (21-17-1, 13-4-1-1 WCHA) The names Bemidji State wasn’t exactly a Cinderella team in coach Jim Scanlan’s first season, but it was as close to being one as the league had to offer. After setting a new benchmark for the program in wins with … Read more
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs USCHO prediction: Fourth Coaches’ prediction: Fifth Last season: Fourth (20-12-5, 14-10-4-2 WCHA) The names Maura Crowell makes the transition from being Katey Stone’s top assistant at Harvard to the second coach in Minnesota-Duluth history. “Being a head coach in the WCHA is an unbelievable opportunity,” Crowell said. “Hands down, that was the number … Read more
North Dakota USCHO prediction: Third Coaches’ prediction: Third Last season: Third (22-12-3, 16-9-3 WCHA) The names “We’ve kind of been on the PairWise bubble for two years; it’s no fun,” coach Brian Idalski said. “The real challenge is when we started, it was a Big Three. Now, it’s become a Big Two. The challenge for … Read more
Wisconsin Badgers USCHO prediction: Second Coaches’ prediction: Second Last season: Second (29-7-4, 19-6-3-1 WCHA) The names After a drought of three years without a tournament crown, Wisconsin was able to claim a trophy at the WCHA Final Face-Off in March. “It was definitely an exciting time for us,” coach Mark Johnson said. “As any coach … Read more
Minnesota Golden Gophers USCHO prediction: First Coaches’ prediction: First Last season: First (34-3-4, 22-2-4-2 WCHA) The names Coach Brad Frost has the Minnesota roster in such good shape that last season it was able to shake off the disappointment of the NCAA title game defeat in 2014 and the loss of star Amanda Kessel to … Read more
Though Wisconsin will mount a stiff challenge, the WCHA still looks to belong to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Union Dutchwomen USCHO prediction: 12th Coaches’ prediction: 11th Last season: 11th (4-22-8, 1-16-5 ECAC) The names Coach Claudia Asano Barcomb says this is the most talented group of seniors she has seen at Union as she enters her ninth season. As juniors, Kathryn Tomaselli and Jessica Kaminsky gave her two players with at least 20 … Read more
Rensselaer Engineers USCHO prediction: 11th Coaches’ prediction: 10th Last season: Ninth (7-23-4, 5-16-1 ECAC) The names Two years ago, Rensselaer got off to a 6-5-1 start in ECAC play, only to go winless over the final 10 games. Last year, the Engineers started slowly and were never really in the hunt. Two different routes led … Read more
Brown Bears USCHO prediction: 10th Coaches’ prediction: 12th Last season: 12th (5-23-1, 2-19-1 ECAC) The names This season, the most important name is new coach Bob Kenneally. “The team that I’m inheriting here has some skilled players,” he said. “I think what they were lacking was confidence, so right now, we’re trying to change that … Read more
Colgate Raiders USCHO prediction: Ninth Coaches’ prediction: Ninth Last season: 10th (7-25-2, 4-16-2 ECAC) The names Now in his fourth season at Colgate, coach Greg Fargo is in the process of trying to reshape the roster to fit his style. “[We have] 15 first or second-year players out of our 22-person roster,” he said. “So … Read more
Yale Bulldogs USCHO prediction: Eighth Coaches’ prediction: Eighth Last season: Seventh (15-15-1, 12-10-0 ECAC) The names This figures to be a key season in the evolution of the Yale program. The Bulldogs have thrust themselves back into the playoff mix with consecutive seventh-place finishes. Now, they have to deal with the graduation of one of … Read more
Dartmouth Big Green USCHO prediction: Seventh Coaches’ prediction: Seventh Last season: Eighth (13-15-2, 9-11-2 ECAC) The names Dartmouth’s senior class is a big reason why its coach is optimistic about the upcoming season. “We’ve got six players in our senior class and they’ve all contributed significantly, one way or the other — on the ice, … Read more
St. Lawrence Saints USCHO prediction: Sixth Coaches’ prediction: Fifth Last season: Fourth (tie) (19-12-5, 13-5-4 ECAC) The names I like St. Lawrence, so I’m not sure why for the second year in a row I’m picking the Saints to finish below where the league’s coaches placed them. Actually I do know why — Carmen MacDonald. … Read more
Princeton Tigers USCHO prediction: Fifth Coaches’ prediction: Sixth Last season: Sixth (15-14-2, 13-8-1 ECAC) The names Princeton coach Jeff Kampersal likes what he saw last season from his returning players. “We competed hard, and we’re hoping to carry that into this year,” he said. It all starts in net. “Kimberly Newell, who has been an … Read more
Cornell Big Red USCHO prediction: Fourth Coaches’ prediction: Fourth Last season: Fourth (tie) (19-11-3, 14-6-2 ECAC) The names This season begins a new era in Ithaca, N.Y. For the first time since Cornell began advancing to the NCAA tournament, the roster doesn’t include anyone with Frozen Four experience. This promises to be a different type … Read more
Quinnipiac Bobcats USCHO prediction: Third Coaches’ prediction: Third Last season: Third (26-9-3, 15-5-2 ECAC) The names “For us, it’s a pretty exciting time,” coach Cassandra Turner said. “Our group, yet again, is coming off our best season in our program’s history with 26 wins last year, making it to the NCAA tournament for the first … Read more