David H. HendricksonIf you’re a college hockey coach and your only significant question mark is your backup goaltender, then life is good. For UNH coach Dick Umile, life is indeed very good. In this writer’s eyes, New Hampshire enters the season as the number one team in the country. Depth and skill abound on the roster. It’ll … Read more
Patience will be the watchword for Massachusetts fans this year. With 26 of the 31 rostered players being freshmen or sophomores, instant gratification will be in short supply. The key will be long-term improvement and maintaining a positive outlook. “We’re still a work in progress,” says coach Don Cahoon. “We’ve got two years under our … Read more
The Huskies appeared poised to take home ice last year until dropping four of the last five games in the regular season, falling to fifth. Even with significant graduation losses, Northeastern remains within striking range of achieving that goal this time. Unlike the past few years, the goaltending looks solid and could even be among … Read more
The Black Bears could face a different set of emotional hurdles compared to last year when many of them felt that the spirit of “old SW” gave them a seventh player on the ice. Shawn Walsh’s death struck the team down early last year, but provided a unifying theme that it could rally around on … Read more
If you have a grandson who is very dear to you and he’s an athlete, there are few thrills greater than watching him compete for a national championship. So when Chris Heisten’s grandfather settled into his seat at the Xcel Energy Center to watch Maine take on top-seeded New Hampshire on Thursday, it was with … Read more
Despite all hopes, numbers and indications to the contrary, a season of promise ended abruptly for New Hampshire Thursday.
After three years in relative obscurity, Maine’s Mike Morrison stepped into the spotlight.
I’ve lived in New England all my life and intend to stay there. So I’m an Eastern guy, a Hockey East guy to be specific. But I’d been really looking forward to this pilgrimage to college hockey’s Mecca. We can show our appreciation for the sport out East, but you Minnesotans have the reputation for … Read more
Here’s a statistic that Hockey East loyalists are hearing for the umpteenth time, but Western fans should make note of: in Hockey East games, the Wildcats ranked first in team offense, team defense, power-play percentage and penalty-kill percentage. This led to finishing first in the league, winning the Hockey East tournament and gaining the top … Read more
In some ways, Maine had the toughest road to the Frozen Four of the semifinalist schools. New Hampshire and Minnesota were bye teams while Michigan got to play on home ice in front of its raucous fans. The Wolverines did face tougher opponents, at least on paper, but had the proverbial seventh player from the … Read more
Shawn Walsh died six months ago, but his spirit lives in his charges at Maine, which reached the Frozen Four on Sunday.
If Michael Schutte isn’t Maine’s most valuable player, he’s certainly its most versatile.
One may be the loneliest number, but don’t tell that to New Hampshire.
UMass-Lowell had its chances Friday, but in the end the story was one of what could have been.
The NCAA’s travel policy and the regional seeds; UMass-Lowell fights for a shot at the tournament; complete previews of both Hockey East semifinals; and more. Dave Hendrickson offers up the last HEA column of the season.
For the second time in four years, New Hampshire has won all three of the highest individual Hockey East honors. Dick Umile was chosen Coach of the Year, Darren Haydar Player of the Year and Sean Collins Rookie of the Year. The Wildcats also led all teams with four members selected to the All-Hockey East … Read more
Baptiste Amar scored the winning goal as UMass-Lowell won its Hockey East quarterfinal series, 3-1 over Northeastern. The River Hawks were forced to eke out a win despite dominating territorially most of the game.
Out of the last 24 Northeastern games, he’d started only one. Yet Jason Braun was the goaltender coach Bruce Crowder turned to with the Huskies’ season on the line. The senior delivered, stopping 31 of 33 shots to lead the way to a 4-2 win over UMass-Lowell. As a result, the two teams will face … Read more
Five teams have a fair chance to win it all in Hockey East. Dave Hendrickson tells you why, and takes a look at several Hobey hopefuls.
In a game that was meaningless in almost every way, an injury and a milestone became its most memorable characteristics. One night earlier, New Hampshire had clinched a Hockey East regular season title with a 5-2 win over Boston College, rendering this contest irrelevant to both teams’ playoff positioning. As a result, an injury to … Read more