Brian SullivanFor those who can’t wait for Thursday’s column, a quick update on the lay of the land. Yale is alone atop the pack with 30 points, thanks to Cornell’s blown lead at Dartmouth … here’s where everybody else stands. • Yale is locked into a first-round bye and a top-three finish. Two more points clinches … Read more
For those who can’t wait for Thursday’s column, a quick update on the lay of the land. Yale is alone atop the pack with 30 points, thanks to Cornell’s blown lead at Dartmouth … here’s where everybody else stands. • Yale is locked into a first-round bye and a top-three finish. Two more points clinches … Read more
Last weekend, Union scored three goals in 6:29 to draw within 4-3 of host Harvard. The only problem was that the Dutchmen’s third goal, scored by defenseman and All-American candidate Mike Schreiber, lit the lamp with merely 3.4 seconds remaining. Going for broke, Union coach Nate Leaman elected to keep goalie Corey Milan on the … Read more
Last weekend, Union scored three goals in 6:29 to draw within 4-3 of host Harvard. The only problem was that the Dutchmen’s third goal, scored by defenseman and All-American candidate Mike Schreiber, lit the lamp with merely 3.4 seconds remaining. Going for broke, Union coach Nate Leaman elected to keep goalie Corey Milan on the … Read more
Perfect Storm I don’t usually like devoting column space to talk about games that are already in the books, but last week’s Yale-Cornell tilt was clearly a matchup worthy of some apres-buzzer analysis. As Union was busy losing to Harvard in an uninspired performance, the Bulldogs and Big Red battled it out for sole possession … Read more
Well now, last week’s column was close to 4,000 words … let’s pair that with a bit of brevity this week. There are — believe it or not — only three weekends left in the ECAC Hockey regular season, so let’s waste no time in getting down to business. Myths & Legends In what is … Read more
In a weekend deuce against Ivy rivals, Yale doubled down and came away with the pot. One night after a 4-2 win over Dartmouth, the Bulldogs (14-6-3, 10-4-2 in ECAC Hockey) repeated the feat by doubling up arch-rival Harvard in a 6-3 affair. Six different Bulldogs — Jeff Anderson, Kevin Peel, Brendan Mason, Tom Dignard, … Read more
ECAC Editorial There are innumerable positive things about Harvard; it’s arguably the world’s premier and most famous university for a reason. But right now, the men’s hockey team isn’t one of them. This will come off as more rant than repartee, but the Crimson’s performance en route to its 6-0 slaughtering at the hands of … Read more
I called up one of my most dependable interviews, Rensselaer head coach Seth Appert, to get his thoughts on ECAC Hockey vis a vis its non-conference challenges. Well-spoken, affable and cerebral, Appert has proven himself time and again to be a great source when discussing the more nuanced aspects of the game. A goaltender at … Read more
I called up one of my most dependable interviews, Rensselaer head coach Seth Appert, to get his thoughts on ECAC Hockey vis a vis its non-conference challenges. Well-spoken, affable and cerebral, Appert has proven himself time and again to be a great source when discussing the more nuanced aspects of the game. A goaltender at … Read more
Harvard sources have confirmed that record-setting Crimson senior Christina Kessler has suffered a season-ending injury. The national-caliber netminder endured a substantial but non-specific lower-body injury in practice in mid-January, cutting her final season short after 15 games. Sporting a 9-3-3 record, 1.34 goals-against average and a .944 save rate this year, Kessler carried her team … Read more
Riding its first hot streak of the season, the Harvard Crimson looked to build some serious momentum before seeking its first Beanpot title in 17 years. Princeton had other ideas. The Tigers upended the Crimson 2-1 before 2,432 at Harvard’s Bright Hockey Center Friday night, ending Harvard’s four game unbeaten streak. Senior Dan Bartlett and … Read more
It’s funny how different people will see the same situation differently. Take my columns: St. Lawrence fans think I have it in for them, as do Colgate and Cornell fans. RPI backers hate it when I pick them to win, and love when predict a loss. I’ve apparently ticked off supporters of Princeton and Clarkson, … Read more
While watching a Boston University-Merrimack game earlier this year, my friend pointed out an interesting little wrinkle in the Warriors’ game plan: practically any time the puck was in ‘Mack’s zone, one of the Warriors would skulk the neutral zone, looking for a breakout pass. I was fascinated, but didn’t look into it too much … Read more
While watching a Boston University-Merrimack game earlier this year, my friend pointed out an interesting little wrinkle in the Warriors’ game plan: practically any time the puck was in ‘Mack’s zone, one of the Warriors would skulk the neutral zone, looking for a breakout pass. I was fascinated, but didn’t look into it too much … Read more
Midseason Report Every team in the league has now played at least 10 games of the ECAC Hockey variety, with a few having already passed the 11-game halfway point of their conference schedule. It’s time for a look back at the first half of the 2009-10 campaign. Note: league stats are the focus, but overall … Read more
As the precipitation outside vacillated between snow and slush, so too did two Ivy League rivals fight it out in a hot-and-cold ECAC Hockey matchup. Freshman Louis Leblanc scored two goals for the second game in a row, leading the Harvard Crimson past hard-luck Dartmouth 4-1 in front of 2,305 at Harvard’s Bright Hockey Center. … Read more
So have you heard about this Conan O’Brien/Jay Leno/NBC mess? Just kidding. Moving on … Genie in a Bottle While kicking back with your buddies at your favorite post-game establishment, a waitress you’ve never seen before sets a bottle of beer in front of you. Without saying a word, she turns around and disappears through … Read more
In a New England rivalry rich with legend and intrigue, the latest edition of the Harvard-Yale epic was ultimately composed by a fresh-faced foreigner. Rookie Quebecois Louis Leblanc scored two goals to lead Harvard (3-10-2, 3-5-2 in ECAC Hockey) past No. 5 Yale (9-4-3, 5-2-2 ECAC Hockey) by a 3-2 margin in front of 2,153 … Read more
Tourney Talk Nine ECAC Hockey teams played in holiday tournaments this year, but none of them took home any hardware. Yale and St. Lawrence came closest, but each team lost its finale by shootout. UConn Hockey Classic Massachusetts went to 3-1 against the ECAC on the season by coming back to beat Union 4-3 in … Read more