Pulling Rabbits Out Of Hats
Down by three to juggernaut New Hampshire, Boston College made a little magic to rally for a three-overtime win. Dave Hendrickson reports.
David H. Hendrickson
This Week in Hockey East: March 20, 2008
Two For Sure, Maybe Three You can’t say you weren’t told. Last week’s column pointed out that not only were Boston University and Vermont on the NCAA Tournament selection bubble, but Providence, Northeastern, and Massachusetts-Lowell were on the cutting edge of being Teams Under Consideration. The implications were enormous. Sure enough, all three dropped out … Read more
UNH Sweeps Massachusetts
Jerry Pollastrone and Matt Fornataro both recorded their first career hat tricks, leading New Hampshire to a Hockey East quarterfinal sweep of Massachusetts, 7-2. UMass had given the top-seeded Wildcats a run for their money in the series opener, but this one was over by the midway point. They scored twice on an early five-minute … Read more
Third Period Burst Puts UNH Past UMass, 4-1
It was anything but easy for the number one seed. New Hampshire, Hockey East’s runaway regular season champion, stood deadlocked with number eight seed Massachusetts after two periods, 1-1. UMass had needed three straight wins to clinch its playoff berth, but was outshooting UNH, 22-17. The Wildcats, however, went into the extra third-period gear that … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: March 13, 2008
Implications Abound The playoffs are, by definition, huge. These playoffs, however, have taken on an extra dimension based on how the PairWise Rankings have shaken out. Not only are Boston University and Vermont on the NCAA tournament selection bubble, but Providence, Northeastern, and Massachusetts-Lowell are all on the cutting edge of being Teams Under Consideration. … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: Feb. 28, 2008
All Hail New Hampshire They left no doubt about it. The UNH Wildcats wrapped up the regular season title in as impressive a fashion as possible, sweeping then-seventh ranked Boston College, a team on a 13-3-2 run itself. “I’m just really excited for our team,” UNH coach Dick Umile said after the Saturday night clincher. … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: Feb. 21, 2008
Welcome To Our Roller Coaster You want wire-to-wire consistency? There’s New Hampshire and then… um… well… nobody. As befits a team challenging for the top spot in the PairWise, the Wildcats have been a model of consistency this season, losing back-to-back games only once while rolling to a 19-7-2 record. Within the league, they’ve been … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: Feb. 14, 2008
The Latest Hot Team On Jan. 19, the Vermont Catamounts’ record stood at 4-9-6 and it sure looked like a season to forget. They were giving up goals by the bushel and not scoring all that much themselves. A “rebuilding year” seemed like the best euphemism available. Now, just a few weeks later, the Catamounts … Read more
Not One For The Numbers
When the Boston College Eagles score, they win. It’s a simple enough formula, but the Harvard Crimson tested it Monday night. Dave Hendrickson reports.
A Sign Of The Apocalypse?
Death, taxes, and Boston University in the Beanpot final — three seemingly-inevitable truths. But on Monday night, Boston College set history on its ear, leaving the Terriers in an unfamiliar position, Dave Hendrickson finds.
Lowell Downs Maine, 3-2
After the final 23 seconds ticked away following Jonathan Maniff’s game winner, the Massachusetts-Lowell Pep Band broke into “I’m a Believer.” The song served as a fitting salute to a team that had lost 14 straight to Maine coming into this season, but turned the tables on its nemesis in the Florida College Classic and … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: Jan. 31, 2008
Six? Yes, you have to account for the tournament champions in the six conferences so being in the PairWise’s top 16 isn’t good enough. That only puts you on the bubble. Even so, what were the odds when the season started that Hockey East would have six teams in the top 16… and those six … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: Jan. 24, 2008
Five Teams When the season opened with a mayday-mayday weekend, Hockey East’s chances of a second straight year with five teams in the NCAA tournament didn’t look promising. Only Merrimack escaped with a win back on that Friday the 12th that felt like a 13th. Not to worry. If the season ended today, New Hampshire, … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: Jan. 10, 2008
And Around The League We Go… It isn’t often that we get a chance to cover all the teams in one column, but here’s pennace for all the New Year’s resolutions already broken. Boston College A major catalyst for BC’s 4-0-0 December was Nathan Gerbe’s 16 points. No, that’s not a misprint: 16 points in … Read more
The Kid Who Couldn’t Take A Hint
Would you keep trying to make a team as a walk-on? You tried it as a freshman and didn’t make the team. So you didn’t play for three years. But then you try to make the team as a walk-on as a senior? Such is the journey of Nolan Boike at the University of Maine. Dave Hendrickson tells us his story.
This Week in Hockey East: Dec. 6, 2007
Letters To Santa Once again, we’ve intercepted mail from Hockey East arenas to the North Pole and are sharing them with you. On Northeastern stationery: Greg Cronin here, Santa. I might have been a little curt with you at this time last year, and I guess I should explain. We had a killer schedule to … Read more
BC Blows Out BU, 6-2
The rivalry between Boston College and Boston University has been known to bring out the best in both teams. Not this time. The BC Eagles needed less than eight minutes to take a 3-0 lead and were never seriously challenged after that, defeating their archrival, 6-2. Nathan Gerbe recorded a hat trick, including two shorthanded … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: Nov. 29, 2007
On Slippery Slopes Before moving on to look at a few specific teams, two coaches’ comments illuminate the parity within Hockey East. “The margin this year between winning and losing, from my perspective, is very thin,” Boston College coach Jerry York says. “We’ve played 12 games, and seven have already gone into overtime.” Northeastern coach … Read more
Providence, Lowell Skate To 2-2 Tie
A dominating second period was almost enough to give Massachusetts-Lowell its first Hockey East win, but strong first and third periods for Providence resulted in a 2-2 tie. Providence took a 1-0 lead in the first and appeared to be riding the momentum of its sweep last week at Maine. The River Hawks, however, controlled … Read more
This Week in Hockey East: Nov. 15, 2007
Not Your Father’s League Hockey East has long prided itself on its top-to-bottom strength, but the fearsome foursome of Boston College, Boston University, Maine and New Hampshire has been a tough nut to crack at the top. Yet if the season’s opening night was a stunner as only Merrimack emerged with a win, so too … Read more