This Week in Hockey East: Nov. 7, 2002
The Minutemen are the early-season Hockey East surprise; Jack Parker chooses his words very, very carefully; and Freddy Meyer boosts ticket sales at Whittemore Center. Dave Hendrickson has it all.
The Minutemen are the early-season Hockey East surprise; Jack Parker chooses his words very, very carefully; and Freddy Meyer boosts ticket sales at Whittemore Center. Dave Hendrickson has it all.
A year ago, almost to the day, he recorded his career high in regular-season saves against New Hampshire. Although he didn’t quite match the 45 stops of that evening, Boston University goaltender Sean Fields was the difference in another slugfest with UNH, this time a 3-2 win. BU was outshot for the first time all … Read more
The BU-BC rivalry is well known, but Terrier fans are paying more attention to Matthews Arena these days.
More often than not, a great team requires a great goaltender — meaning that Dave Hendrickson is out to measure Hockey East’s puck-stoppers. Also, Providence had great expectations a year ago, so maybe the Friars just needed an extra season to meet them; Maine continues to defy categorization; and more.
As role reversals go, it was about as complete as one could imagine. On Friday night, Wisconsin fell victim to Boston College’s first-period barrage in which it put the game away by seizing a 4-0 lead. One night later, the Badgers returned the favor at Northeastern’s expense, grabbing an identically dominant advantage in the opening … Read more
The touted matchup between father and sons — Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves versus Boston College players Ben and Patrick Eaves — didn’t exactly deliver, as BC dominated to a 4-2 win while Ben Eaves sat out the contest with a rib injury.
It’s a family reunion this weekend when Boston College takes on Wisconsin; criticism of officials draws a reprimand; Hockey East’s purported bottom-feeders turn the predictions upside down; and more. Dave Hendrickson fills us in.
The reasons were all stacked against the Merrimack Warriors. They had yet to win a game; in Boston University, they were facing the sixth-ranked team in the country. Merrimack had been a unanimous preseason pick in the Hockey East coaches’ poll to finish last; BU had been the choice of all but two coaches to … Read more
Michael Ayers stopped a career-high 44 shots, including all 31 over the last two periods, to anchor New Hampshire’s 3-1 win over top-ranked Minnesota. Ironically, the winning margin for UNH came in the second period, during which it managed only three shots but still scored on two. Lanny Gare’s shorthanded strike stood up as the … Read more
Boston College jumped on top of second-ranked Denver early, grabbing a 3-1 first-period lead, and then rode the goaltending of Matti Kaltiainen to a convincing 4-2 win. The sophomore netminder made 27 saves and allowed only one goal until the final minute, foiling the Pioneers at critical junctures while the outcome was still in doubt. … Read more
One year ago, the news of Chris Serino’s cancer came as a shock. Now the return of one of the sport’s good guys is being celebrated.
Hockey East is off to a blazing start, and there might just be more where than came from this weekend. Also: the new faceoff rule claims its first victim, eligibility questions arise, and notes from a couple of other sports. Dave Hendrickson muses.
Somebody get this man to a game. Dave Hendrickson finds hockey to be his best therapy.
The new season comes none too soon for Hockey East’s players and coaches, as Dave Hendrickson is there to see. Included this week: issues with the preseason poll, recruiting snafus, fish stories and more.
After four straight Frozen Four appearances and a 2001 national championship, the Eagles took an expected nosedive last year. With almost three-quarters of the roster made up of freshmen and sophomores, BC dropped to a .500 record. With that rebuilding year under their belts, however, the Eagles should once again be a power in the … Read more
Logjams, Lurkers and Longshots “Any one of the top four teams in Hockey East could win the national championship.” — UMass-Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald Who’ll win Hockey East this year? New Hampshire. It’s got to be the Wildcats. Goaltending, scoring, defense. They’ve got it all. It’s gotta be them. Martin Kariya and Maine are back … Read more
Last year’s woulda-coulda-shoulda season (if only the three French players hadn’t left for the Olympics… if only the NCAA selection criteria had eliminated the “last 16 games” category one year earlier… if only there had been a 16-team tournament) gives way to a new season. In this one, however, the 11 River Hawks who’d been … Read more
If not for the early departure of defenseman Regan Kelly, the Friars would rival Boston College for the least attrition in the league. With a talented, senior-dominated lineup, there’s the potential for a big move upward in the standings. “You win with your upperclassmen and they certainly are going to lead the way for us,” … Read more
With more or less typical losses to graduation, this was going to be the season for Merrimack to take a step forward in the standings. No more battling it out to the end for the final playoff spot. That is, until early departures ripped extra holes in the depth chart. Count ’em: Anthony Aquino, a … Read more
If you’re a glass-empty BU fan, you bemoan the graduation of Mike Pandolfo and Jack Baker, the only two players who scored more than 26 points last year, and also point to the losses of offensively-gifted defensemen Chris Dyment and Pat Aufiero. Where is the offense going to come from? The matchups with Hemingway-Collins-Gare (UNH), … Read more