Chris LerchCrazy? I’ll Show Ya Crazy! In last week’s column, I opened by saying that in the opinion of many coaches and fans, this Division III season has been “crazy.” Well, we’re now bordering on “insane.” Cases in point: 1. Four of the top five teams in the USCHO poll lost last weekend. Combined record of … Read more
“It’s Crazy” That’s what I’ve been hearing from coaches and fans throughout the first third of the 2003-2004 season. Surprises are everywhere: Crowded poll — A whopping 25 teams received votes in this week’s USCHO.com Division III Poll, over a third of the programs out there. The lack of a consensus on the top teams … Read more
Finally, the Gang’s All Here For some patient fans, the Division III hockey season starts this weekend, a full six weeks after teams from other conferences began play. The last 20 of the 74 Division II and Division III teams kick things off as the NESCAC, ECAC East and St. John’s from the MIAC finally … Read more
Is It February Already? It just seems that way. One of the major grudge matches in Division III hockey, traditionally reserved for the final showdown of the regular season, happens Friday night when Elmira invades RIT’s Ritter Arena for the 65th meeting between the two schools. The Tigers lead the series 31-29-4. Elmira is coming … Read more
Starting on a High Note The D-III season got off to a lively start last weekend with a pair of marquee matchups. Elmira, ranked 10th in the USCHO.com preseason poll, played a home and away series with second ranked Oswego. Number three St. Norbert traveled to RIT for a pair of games. In each case, … Read more
Former Wisconsin-Superior goaltender David Harbinson has filed a lawsuit against Norwich University and former player Jason Lumsden. Harbinson charges that Lumsden’s stick struck Harbinson while Harbinson was seated in the Superior bench near the end of Norwich’s 5-4 overtime victory in an NCAA semifinal game, played at Superior’s Wessman Arena on March 17, 2000. Harbinson … Read more
Not that anyone would bet on Division III hockey, but if they did, then the USCHO.com Preseason Poll has been more accurate than many of those 800-number betting lines. The first edition of the poll has correctly picked the national champion in three of the past five seasons. It was incorrect in 1999 (RIT was … Read more
Preseason coaches’ polls were released for the ECAC East, ECAC West, SUNYAC and NCHA, and in all cases the coaches don’t see a lot changing at the top in their respective leagues. Defending NCAA Division III champion Norwich is a near unanimous choice to repeat as league champs in the 2003-04 ECAC East Coaches’ Poll. … Read more
From TV commercials to jerseys in the crowd, the Frozen Four had plenty of minutiae.
The Gophers’ lone senior went out with a bang … two titles and a goal in the final game.
Peter Sejna made history, becoming the first European to win the Hobey Baker Award.
A disallowed goal in the first period of the NCAA semifinal cost Cornell the momentum.
In last Saturday’s NCAA quarterfinal game, the Norwich Cadets found themselves trailing Trinity 4-1 after two periods. Coach Mike McShane told his team, “If you come back and win this game, I guarantee that you’ll win the national championship.” “I went out on a bit of a limb,” he acknowledged. Norwich captains Marshall Lee, Toza … Read more
Teams that won the early semifinal have won more D-III championships. Is the late game a disadvantage?
For the second year in a row, the second year under the current NCAA Division III hockey selection/seeding process, the West Region will battle down to a single team before the semifinals. Even though there were three NCHA teams in the top five all season long, a 6-3 East-West split resulted in the play-in game … Read more
The NCAA has released the pairings for the 2003 Division III Men’s Hockey Championships. (Full Bracket) Oswego (23-6-1), which won the SUNYAC title by defeating Plattsburgh two games to one in the SUNYAC finals, will host ECAC East champion Wentworth (21-4-3) on Saturday, March 15. The teams met twice this season, with Oswego winning both … Read more
Answers to your nagging selection criteria questions.
St. Norbert and St. John’s know they’re in the NCAAs. A few other teams have a pretty good feeling, but for the rest it’ll be a nailbiting weekend.
West is West and East is East, and never the twain shall meet — well, until finishing conference postseason play.
Several top teams get an unaccustomed break; two more leagues open postseason play; and the last weekend in the ECAC East and NESCAC is required to settle a lot of questions.