Arlan MarttilaEarly-season contests often provide insight into which team is farther along, but it is difficult to conclude much along those lines after Minnesota’s 2-1 victory over Wisconsin in the Gophers’ home and WCHA openers. “I’m really proud of the team and how they responded in the third,” Minnesota coach Brad Frost said. “We’re young and … Read more
The 2014 NCAA National Collegiate Frozen Four will be held at High Point Solutions Arena at the TD Bank Sports Center, home to Quinnipiac hockey. Bobcats coach Rick Seeley and his team are very aware of that fact. “Anything can happen, but we’re certainly not going into this year saying if we don’t make the … Read more
Princeton lost out in the playoff race last season as injuries had the Tigers by the tail. “Last year, we played with 14, 15 skaters almost every game, which didn’t bode well for us on the Saturday afternoon games,” coach Jeff Kampersal said. Despite the graduation of leading scorers Corey Stearns and Kelly Cooke, Kampersal … Read more
Coach Greg Fargo’s introduction to Division I women’s hockey was a trip to Minnesota a year ago with his new team to face the defending national champions. To the credit of Fargo and his players, they were undeterred by being outscored 18-0 in that series and went on to have a successful season, including a … Read more
Harvard is another team that will have a slightly different look this season due to it being an Olympic year. Coach Katey Stone is on a sabbatical while she coaches the United States team. In her absence, Maura Crowell will serve as interim head coach. “I’ve been working with coach Stone for three years, and … Read more
Victoria Vigilanti is likely the player that has meant the most to Quinnipiac in its brief history. The Bobcats were 3-26-5 the year before her arrival; that record jumped to 19-10-8 in Vigilanti’s first year of guarding the Bobcats’ net. “The bottom line is with Vigilanti graduating, we have no real experience in net,” coach … Read more
After a run of four consecutive regular-season titles, the ECAC Hockey coaches slot Cornell in at second in the preseason poll. That has a lot to do with the names missing from the Big Red’s roster. “Being an Olympic year, losing someone like [leading scorer Brianne] Jenner and then also losing two All-American defensemen in … Read more
After a particularly trying season in 2011-2012 that saw Yale win but a single game, hope returned to New Haven, Conn. last season. That renaissance was fueled by an incoming class that made a difference immediately, and now, according to coach Joakim Flygh, they return as sophomores bigger, stronger, and faster, and he looks for … Read more
After guiding Brown back into the postseason in her first season, coach Amy Bourbeau was unable to duplicate that feat in 2012-2013. The biggest problem was scoring goals, or rather, a failure to do so on a consistent basis. Opponents outscored the Bears nearly two to one in league play. Reducing that gap this season … Read more
“I think a lot of this year starts with our senior class,” said co-head coach Shannon Desrosiers. “I truly believe this year we’ll go as they go.” The current group of seniors arrived at Clarkson on the heels of the program’s first trip to the NCAA tournament. However, a large and talented class had … Read more
Over the years, those guarding the crease for Union have faced a lot of rubber, so while goal is a key position on any team, it is even more crucial for the Dutchwomen. Traditionally, it has also been a position of strength. “We have two returning goaltenders,” coach Claudia Asano Barcomb said. “[Junior] Shenae Lundberg … Read more
Unlike the three other conferences, where the league tournament is all-inclusive, ECAC Hockey leaves four teams on the outside looking in when the playoffs commence. It becomes a mad scramble to get into the field, and last season’s final week saw no fewer than four teams alive for the final berth. That makes it competitive … Read more
If you believe that a 60-minute hockey game is a few minutes too short, then Dartmouth may be the team for you. The Big Green went to overtime eight times in the last campaign. When asked how to convert more of those games into victories, coach Mark Hudak laughed and said, “Score more goals.” “I … Read more
Rensselaer is another team that returned to the playoffs last year after an absence. “We think we should be there every year and fighting for home ice,” coach John Burke said. “Last year, we had five seniors but three dressed, two didn’t play much due to injury. The playoff experience is definitely going to help … Read more
“We have a lot of kids who’ve experienced some highs in our program, winning the championship a couple years ago,” coach Chris Wells said. The problem for St. Lawrence is that other teams remember them winning that ECAC tournament championship; it’s hard to sneak up on somebody who is looking right at you. The Saints … Read more
And we’re back … What is to be learned from the games and exhibitions over the first couple of weeks? As is often the case early, results can be unpredictable. Consider the CHA, where the only team with a winning record is Penn State, a second-year program that took its lumps last season. The Nittany … Read more
And we’re back … What is to be learned from the games and exhibitions over the first couple of weeks? As is often the case early, results can be unpredictable. Consider the CHA, where the only team with a winning record is Penn State, a second-year program that took its lumps last season. The Nittany … Read more
Quinnipiac opened the 2013-14 season with a lengthy scoring drought, but once the Bobcats located the net, they claimed a 3-1 win on the road at St. Cloud State. The top line of Quinnipiac (1-0-1) did all of the damage; sophomore left wing Nicole Connery led the way with a goal and two assists, senior … Read more
Penn State begins its second varsity season and its first in its new home, Pegula Ice Arena. “This season for us is all about opportunity,” said coach Josh Brandwene. “What an opportunity for these student-athletes to be a part of this facility and to train and play and to have their Penn State athletic career … Read more
Lindenwood was much improved in its second season of varsity competition, and those gains became very evident down the stretch. The Lions put together a seven-game unbeaten streak in February, posting a 5-0-2 record over that stretch. CHA Rookie of the Year Nicole Hensley at times held her team in games almost single-handedly. In the … Read more