David H. HendricksonLast year was marked by extreme highs and lows for the New Hampshire Wildcats. They led Hockey East for 16 straight weeks and won their third regular season title in the last four years. On the other hand, they got bounced in the league quarterfinals for the second straight year. In their ninth consecutive NCAA … Read more
Boston University seemingly suffered through a season-long national championship hangover last year, finishing just a game over .500 with a postseason that lasted through only the Hockey East semifinals. “It was like pulling teeth,” BU coach Jack Parker says. “There wasn’t the attitude you wanted. They were satisfied with the year before and the national … Read more
So close and yet so far. Northeastern finished four points out of third place in Hockey East last season but also a point out of the playoffs, a single point behind a Vermont team that went on to the NCAA tournament. Just brutal. With a healthy percentage of that so-close group coming back, however, the … Read more
Massachusetts finished only two points out of third place in Hockey East last year, but as the seventh-place team it drew eventual national champion Boston College in the quarterfinals. It was two-and-out for the Minutemen and their season was over. The offseason was worse as their biggest guns — James Marcou, Casey Wellman and Matt … Read more
Last year, Vermont had the prototypical half-empty, half-full season. The Catamounts finished in eighth place, but then upset New Hampshire to advance to the Garden and, thanks to strong non-conference performances, returned to the NCAA tournament. This year, strong defense and goaltending will be counted on to carry the team. Goaltender Rob Madore went through … Read more
With its third title in 10 years, Boston College has established itself as the dominant program in college hockey, Dave Hendrickson reports.
No matter how the regular season finishes, Boston College has found a way to be dangerous in the postseason. Dave Hendrickson reports.
The powerhouse got the better of the upstart Thursday. Dave Hendrickson reports on the end of a memorable run for RIT.
Arguably, Wisconsin comes in as a heavy favorite against RIT (a.k.a. “The Little Engine That Could”). Nonetheless, the Badgers are fully aware of what their opponents accomplished in knocking off Denver and New Hampshire to get here. They have no intention of becoming the next victim. Thus, the mantra of “we’re 0-0” has become predictably … Read more
Arguably, Wisconsin comes in as a heavy favorite against RIT (a.k.a. “The Little Engine That Could”). Nonetheless, the Badgers are fully aware of what their opponents accomplished in knocking off Denver and New Hampshire to get here. They have no intention of becoming the next victim. Thus, the mantra of “we’re 0-0” has become predictably … Read more
The mantra of many hockey experts is that defense, goaltending and special teams — more than offense — win championships. This year’s Boston College team begs to differ. The Eagles have been winning low-scoring defensive battles as well as shootouts. For the former, see their 3-0 win over Vermont in the Hockey East semifinals or … Read more
Boston College’s Matt Lombardi did all the unnoticed things for most of his collegiate career, but in the playoffs he’s added timely scoring. Dave Hendrickson reports.
Boston College’s big guns, Cam Atkinson, Brian Gibbons and Joe Whitney, exploded against Yale Sunday to lead the Eagles back to the Frozen Four.
The grizzled veteran and the rookie. When Boston College coach Jerry York stepped to the podium a day before his team’s opening round NCAA matchup with Alaska, he spoke like the veteran who’s seen it all. As, of course, he should. The Eagles missed the tournament last year but had appeared in the three previous … Read more
There were so many times when Maine could have been considered out of the picture this season, but the Black Bears persevered all the way to the last Hockey East game. Dave Hendrickson reports.
Boston College goaltender John Muse is back exactly where he wants to be: between the pipes for the Eagles. Dave Hendrickson reports.
Vermont proceeds to the TD Garden. New Hampshire must wait and hope. In a game filled with ironies, Vermont defeated UNH 1-0 on a Jay Anctil shot at 15:52 of overtime, giving the Catamounts back-to-back 1-0 wins after losing the series opener 7-4. They move on to the Hockey East semifinals at the Garden, where … Read more
When a team goes undefeated at home for its entire league schedule, it doesn’t expect to start losing there in the playoffs. Especially not as a number one seed. New Hampshire didn’t lose to Vermont, but the Wildcats sure made it interesting, needing to rally from a 4-2 deficit, scoring five unanswered goals for a … Read more
Second Season Last week’s amazing photo finish of the regular season is now behind us. Kudos most of all to New Hampshire for its eighth regular season title. And also to Boston College for its strong performances both inside and outside of Hockey East, putting the Eagles on pace for a No. 1 seed in … Read more
A Blast from the Past Notice anything familiar at the top of the Hockey East standings? How about the re-emergence of the old Big Four? New Hampshire, Boston College, Maine and Boston University have once again claimed Hockey East’s top four spots and are all now in the driver’s seat for playoff home ice. Until … Read more