Tim Costello

Currently standing at No. 2 in the nation, the 24-2-1 (17-0-1 in conference play) Utica Pioneers have already established a new threshold for wins in a season but look to add so much more over the upcoming weeks. This Saturday, the Pioneers host the No. 8 ranked Wilkes Colonels for the UCHC championship – the … Read more

All I can say about last week is, it probably reflected the incredible parity, across all of the teams and conferences. This is exactly what you want in the playoffs – teams needing to go out an earn the win.   My picks at 9-10-0 (.474) last week mirrored the stunning results – took too many … Read more

The best thing about playoff hockey is you never really know what is going to happen. How about a No. 1 seed, three No. 2 seeds and four No. 3 seeds all being dispatched from their conference tournaments this week? The NEHC championship is going to be hosted by the No. 4 seed (Babson) playing … Read more

After playing eleven games in 22 days, where they had lost just one game, the young Stevenson Mustangs were focused on the UCHC playoffs and a chance to get back to the championship game where they lost last season to Elmira in the only conference contested for title in the East. This year’s team has … Read more

If last week was any kind of true indicator for what we are going to see in the playoffs across the region, then the excitement and drama level may hit an all-time high for the   D-II/III action on the ice in the playoffs. Overtime games were already abundant last week and there is no higher … Read more

Overtimes and more overtimes in conference tournament action and battles to the very end in conference play. It was all on display this week in early playoff action in the NEHC as well as the final week for most conferences in the regular season.  Here’s this week’s wrap-up for all of the excitement: CCC The … Read more

For senior goaltender Conor O’Brien, there is a whole lot of hockey yet to be played this season in the ultra-Competitive Commonwealth Conference (CCC). The Gulls are right in the mix of a season long battle among the top four teams to determine the regular season champion and seeding for the conference tournament starting next … Read more

It’s a crazy week already with losses by Geneseo, Endicott and Plymouth State before Wednesday. It is also the opening week of the playoff season for the NEHC with Wednesday’s opening round games that saw New England College and Southern Maine fill out the quarterfinal pairings with wins in overtime. It’s also the final week … Read more

Yes, it is a super Sunday and not because of the pigskin event scheduled for today that will captivate most of America. It is mid-February, and we have our first coronations for regular season titles with Hobart in the NEHC and Utica in the UCHC emerging as the top seeds in tournament play. Other conferences … Read more

More teams are going to be in the playoffs across most of the conferences which means the balance of the remaining schedule is more interesting for everyone looking to make a move in the standings either just for position or for home-ice position or a bye. Final week of the regular season for NEHC teams … Read more

After an 0-2 start to the season, the Oswego State Lakers have gone 15-3-1 to move into the national rankings (No. 11) and contention in the highly competitive SUNYAC. There have been a lot of moving pieces with personnel this season, but Coach Ed Gosek and his staff feel the team is still finding the … Read more

Things are getting even tighter across most of the conferences with stunning upsets, overtime thrillers and great overall action with many teams finding their game at the right time of the year.  Here’s this week’s wrap-up for all the great action: CCC Salve Regina has surged to the top of the standings picking up a … Read more

Welcome to February and the start of the final push of the regular season for position and seeding in the upcoming conference tournaments. There isn’t much room in any of the leagues, particularly at the top where home-ice is at stake. It’s time for everyone’s best brand of hockey as many of the games are … Read more

When the D-III season came to an abrupt ending back in 2020 just prior to the start of the NCAA tournament, Plymouth State won the MASCAC title and was set to face Endicott in the first round of the national tournament. That game and the rest of the tournament never happened, and the Panthers aren’t … Read more

Schedule adjustments abounded in New England but not due to COVID as Mother Nature sent a Nor’easter our way for the weekend. Still there were some big upsets across the CCC, important wins among conference leaders in the NEHC and SUNYAC and some overtime thrillers in the NE-10. Here’s this week’s wrap-up for all the … Read more

It’s the final weekend in January which means the sprint to the end of the regular season is on! The conference standings are all tight and taking care of your own business first is what teams have to do now on the ice. Many teams are now playing three games per week with make-ups in … Read more

After a very successful home weekend on January 15-16 where the Colby Mules knocked off Trinity and Wesleyan to stay near the top of the NESCAC standings, the team found the resolve to defeat two very good hockey teams despite being down on available players. The depth and determination of the squad came to the … Read more

Talk about a week that saw it all! There was the Great Whiteout. Overtime thrillers. A sprinkling of upsets and surprises and one of the rarest of hockey happenings, a goalie-goal! Here’s the weekend wrap-up: CCC Curry and the University of New England played the front end of what was supposed to be a two-game … Read more

With virtually every MASCAC team at a standstill since the change of the calendar to 2022, the Massachusetts-Dartmouth Corsairs, like their conference compatriots, are hoping to return to real games next week and find a way to re-schedule four postponed contests in advance of a conference tournament next month. For a team that has been … Read more

It’s crunch time! What it’s only mid-January but that means teams are about a month away from the end of the regular season and it is time to start playing great hockey. While there are still a number of weekly postponements, I am really needing to step it up in the games that are being … Read more