David H. HendricksonBoston University coach Jack Parker and goaltender Rick DiPietro shared top Division I honors with Boston College’s Mike Mottau and Brian Gionta in awards presented on Apr. 11 by the New England Hockey Writers Association. The three athletes also led the All-New England team. The late Joe Concannon, long-time Boston Globe writer, was posthumously honored … Read more
On March 19, 1949, Boston College won its first national championship in only the second NCAA hockey tournament. Fifty-one years later, the Eagles entered their title game against North Dakota still looking for number two. When they lost, 4-2, it added one more brick in a wall of agonizing frustrations. "It’s been a long time … Read more
Boston College senior defenseman Mike Mottau was named today as the 20th winner of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given annually to college hockey’s most outstanding player. A three-time All-American, Mottau has led the Eagles to three consecutive appearances in the Frozen Four and will be looking to cap that Saturday with BC’s first national … Read more
Boston College had just defeated St. Lawrence in dramatic fashion to advance to a national championship game against North Dakota. The Eagles were celebrating in the locker room. BC coach Jerry York got everyone’s attention and told them to make sure the door was closed. “This doesn’t leave the locker room,” he said. “You can’t … Read more
Sometimes games come down to Xs and Os. A brilliantly designed faceoff play. A game plan that strikes at an opponent’s Achilles’ heel. A power play that breaks down a penalty kill with the precision of a Swiss watch. Blake Bellefeuille rose to the occasion in the semifinal against St. Lawrence, sending the Eagles to … Read more
The nightmare started last Sunday with 1:16 remaining in Maine’s game with Michigan. The Black Bears led, 4-2, and were headed back to the Frozen Four with dreams of becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since Boston University in 1972. "I was pinching myself, hoping it was a bad dream." — Cory Larose … Read more
They waited on Saturday while Michigan and Colgate battled into overtime for the right to face them. One day later, their well-laid plans began with a wakeup call at seven in the morning, leading up to an intended 3:30 afternoon game against the Wolverines. The Maine Black Bears were looking to become the first team … Read more
The fate of the longest game in NCAA tournament history was in their hands. Freshmen goaltenders Rick DiPietro (Boston University) and Derek Gustafson (St. Lawrence) combined for 149 saves — shattering the old NCAA tourney record of 99 set in the 1995 Maine-Michigan triple-overtime semifinal — before Robin Carruthers scored the game-winner at 3:53 of … Read more
“We got caught up in the hoopla…. [BU is] supposed to come here. This is their destination just about every year.” — St. Cloud senior captain Geno Parrish “There’s a lot of pressure on us, not just from our own fans in Boston, but the college hockey world. They expect that BU is going to … Read more
“Hey, buddy, you’re outta here!” ECAC partisans were dying to say that after Saturday’s Michigan-Colgate clash. Passions run high in any postseason, but even more so in this CCHA-ECAC tilt. Michigan coach Red Berenson and his colleague at Michigan State, Ron Mason, created a stir this past week, complaining about their seeding in the NCAA … Read more
Ink. Press. Publicity. Most of the time, it goes to forwards. They get it when they score a key momentum-turning goal or bury a game-winner late in the third period or in overtime. And when the forwards don’t get it, the goaltenders do for tossing a shutout or making one acrobatic save after another. Defensemen? … Read more
“I don’t care about shots on goal…”— Maine coach Shawn Walsh “It’s never a bad idea to shoot.” Fans shake their heads in disgust when their favorite team generates a good offensive chance, only to come away without even a shot. “You can’t score if you don’t shoot.” The power play is a special irritant. … Read more
Reggie Jackson earned a reputation as “Mr. October” by always delivering in the postseason for the New York Yankees. When it comes to the Hockey East tournament each March, Blake Bellefeuille has been no less dominant. In his four years at Boston College, he’s totaled 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 15 … Read more
And The Envelope, Please The official Hockey East Awards will be announced Thursday evening. Then it’ll be the real experts — the coaches — who will have done the voting. But here’s one writer’s opinion about how the honors should be dispensed. Some of these choices ignore the statistics. Ask any coach and he’ll tell … Read more
The Second Season If not for the home-ice dominance discussed last week, this weekend’s quarterfinal playoff series would appear rife with upset possibilities. The question, then, will be whether or not that factor will cool some hot road underdogs and put all the home teams into the FleetCenter. Here’s a look at the matchups. #1 … Read more
There’s No Place Like Home Home ice has always held its advantages. This year, however, those advantages appear to be particularly potent. The following are the current home and away breakdowns by team. Team Home Away Boston College 11-2-1 8-7-0 Boston University 12-0-3 7-4-3 Maine 13-3-1 7-4-2 UMass-Amherst 5-6-3 5-10-1 UMass-Lowell 5-9-1 3-13-2 Merrimack 7-5-3 … Read more
Zebra Talk Even before this week’s controversy involving Jack Parker, Hockey East fans were talking about the league’s officiating and, to no one’s surprise, it often wasn’t complimentary. Referees and linesmen are the equivalent of defensive defensemen. No one notices when they do a good job, but everyone notices when they make a mistake. "If … Read more
It all started last Friday night and it may not yet be over. It began with a disallowed goal in the Boston University – Providence game that escalated into a major controversy when BU coach Jack Parker sent his team to the dressing room in protest. As a result, Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna issued … Read more
Tie 2K Back in December, New Hampshire used the phrase "Ty 2K" to promote the Hobey Baker Award candidacy of goaltender Ty Conklin. But ties of a different sort have also been all the rage. After finishing with 19, 24 and 21 sister-kissers the last three years, respectively, Hockey East teams have already accumulated 30 … Read more
Parker, The Player As a kid growing up on the outskirts of Boston, Jack Parker felt no particular attraction to coaching. In fact, he felt no particular attraction to hockey. “I always played basketball,” he says. “That was the sport I played the most and still play to this day. I grew up in Somerville, … Read more