Tim Costello
Just one week remains on the calendar and teams aren’t “going through the motions” just to wrap up the semester. Nobody wants to stew on a loss for a couple of weeks over the holidays without remedy so the effort will be there from opening puck drop until the final horn. Not a lot … Read more
There were many marque matchups this past weekend featuring ranked teams in important conference action with points and positions in the standings on the line. Just two teams remain without a loss this season (Hobart and Hamilton) showing off the ever-present parity across the D-II/III landscape. Here’s this week’s wrap-up of the key matchups … Read more
Well, last weekend saw a number of teams fall from the ranks of the unbeaten while several other teams earned hard fought holiday tournament titles to further validate their play and build positive momentum. The first half is rapidly coming to a close with some teams already having completed the early portion of their … Read more
For the St Norbert Green Knights, the first half has found them playing some of the iron of the NCHA on the road. A two-game series against No. 2 ranked Aurora preceded a series with WIAC contender Wisconsin – Eau Claire before SNC closes out the first half with two more road games against … Read more
And then there were two… While Hobart and Oswego didn’t play this weekend (great foreshadowing for next weekend), Babson, Bowdoin, Salve Regina and UNE all fell from the unbeaten ranks showing that parity is going to play a major role in determining the best of the best in the remaining schedule. There were trophies … Read more
Happy Thanksgiving everyone and hoping that your Thursday will be full of family, good food and better friends… While some teams are taking a break over the holiday weekend to close out November, there are some interesting holiday tournaments and non-conference action to delight all “puckheads” out there looking for something other than football … Read more
The Roger Williams Hawks are one of five new D-III teams playing this season at the NCAA level. Like Beloit, Hiram and St John Fisher, the Hawks have already tasted victory with their opening season 4-3 overtime win over Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Since opening night, the Hawks have struggled in five consecutive losses but there are … Read more
Here we are one month into the season and the key word with minor exception is parity. Yes, there are a few unbeaten and untied teams out there like Hobart, Oswego, UNE, Salve Regina, Hamilton and Bowdoin to name them, but everywhere there are games that are surprises and teams proving the adage that … Read more
And the hits, as in great matchups, just keep coming across the D-II/III landscape… The NCHA features a second battle in as many weekends as the No. 2 (Aurora) and No. 3 (St Norbert) play a two-game series just a week removed from a thrilling Aurora v. Adrian series. Elsewhere the league battles are … Read more
A quick look at this week’s D-III poll finds the Chatham Cougars at No. 15 and making their first ever appearance in the national poll. At 6-0-0 on the season, the nine-year old program has had a strong start to the new season which they hope to turn into success in the UCHC come … Read more
What a weekend that was with a lot of league action taking place across the country. There are still some unbeatens across the D-III landscape with some expected (Hobart and Aurora) and some surprise teams (Chatham, UNE, Oswego, Endicott and Salve Regina) keeping goose-eggs in the loss column at the very unofficial quarter pole … Read more
Just when you think you can’t get better than last week’s matchups, the new week comes along and all you can say is WOW! Lots of marque matchups in and out of conference and finally all the leagues are playing with NESCAC games on the schedule this weekend. Here are this week’s picks for … Read more
And finally, the last of the conference previews… For some reason the gap from the start of the regular season to NESCAC initiating play seems shorter this year with play commencing on Friday, November 14 – I am sure that is just me but it will be great to have all the conferences in … Read more
If you thought the opening weekend had its abundance of drama well let me introduce you to more chaos seen in week two’s docket of games around the country. Everyone knows you can’t win a championship in November but you can certainly lay the ground work to lose one if you have trouble producing … Read more
There is no question the season is off to a resounding start after the great action in week one. Week two promises more of the same with great rivalry games and battles among ranked teams as some conference play begins in earnest. Here are this week’s picks for the ten conferences playing this weekend … Read more
The Trine Thunder was one of three NCHA teams to play in the NCAA tournament last spring and look to build on last year’s quarterfinal exit in overtime to eventual champion Hobart. The new campaign began in the same state as the last one ended with a ten-hour bus trip to Canton, New York … Read more
Well, how about that for an opening week of the season! We saw inaugural wins, tournament titles won, career milestones achieved and of course, upsets and ranked teams stumbling out of the gate in pursuit of a Hobart team that showed it is ready for all-comers this season. Here’s the wrap-up of some of the … Read more
Well, it is a new season! One new league, four new teams and the continued pursuit for conference and national title glory coming ahead over the next six months. In addition to all that is new in the D-II/III landscape on the ice, I plan on trying some different things in the coverage this year … Read more
Last season, Gustavus Adolphus won the regular season title and then battled a determined St Olaf squad to win the MIAC championship and NCAA berth before losing a one-goal game to St Norbert in the national tournament. No surprise, the Gusties appear to be a contender again this year in the typically unpredictable and … Read more
The CNE will have something old and something new as part of the conference for the 2025-2026 season. Former member of the CCC, Johnson & Wales returns to the league along with the new NCAA program started by Roger Williams College in Rhode Island. That brings the total to nine teams for this season … Read more