David H. Hendrickson(In the first installment, new Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna talked about the league’s SportsChannel contract and a potential national TV package.) The ECAC vs. Hockey East As ECAC commissioner, Bertagna oversaw not just the 12 Division I schools under the ECAC umbrella, but all the Division II and III programs competing in ECAC-sponsored leagues. … Read more
“It’s just too much fun to play hockey.” Christmas trees had just been dragged out to the corner for trash pickup; credit card statements had yet to show the fallout of holiday excess; New Year’s Eve memories were still fresh. Tommi Degerman was having fun. The Boston University Terriers had entered January with little to … Read more
University of New Hampshire coach Dick Umile has been cleared to return to the bench on Friday when the Wildcats open the NCAA East Regional Tournament. Umile suffered a heart attack in the early morning hours of Mar. 8, after his team played its opening round game in the Hockey East tournament. against UMass-Amherst. Assistant … Read more
Hockey East Preview: "Ice Wars" by Dave Hendrickson "Ice Wars," Hockey East’s title for this weekend’s semifinal and championship games, will see two surprise entrants. Everyone expected regular-season co-champions Boston University and New Hampshire to advance, but Boston College and UMass-Lowell became the first two schools to not only upset a higher seed, but to … Read more
New Hampshire head men’s hockey coach Richard Umile was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack at his home in Portsmouth. According to Nursing Supervisor Nancy Bruce, Umile was listed in fair condition as of 10 a.m. on Saturday. “The athletic department was shocked to hear … Read more
Hockey East Playoffs: Quarterfinals by Dave Hendrickson The second season begins with New Hampshire and Boston University the heavy favorites, based on their regular-season dominance. Providence, however, could be poised for some serious playoff deja vu and Merrimack is playing as well as anyone in the tournament. Darkhorses Boston College, UMass-Lowell, UMass-Amherst and Northeastern will … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Maine’s five-day, three-game sweep of UNH and BU (twice) proved that postseason or no postseason, they are now back among the Hockey East and national elite. Providence College also ended the weekend smiling, its sweep of UMass-Lowell clinching a home-ice berth in the playoffs. Since … Read more
Over 50 years ago, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello created arguably the most famous comedy routine in history, “Who’s on First.” It is with great pleasure that we welcome them to the Hockey East stage. LOU: Heeyyy, Abbott! You’ll never guess what happened. I saw my first college hockey game and, boy, was it terrific! … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Feb. 21-22, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Boston University and New Hampshire made Hockey East a two-team race for the regular-season crown so long ago that fans might easily ignore two other teams that are playing very well down the stretch. In fact, since the Christmas break, Maine and Merrimack have supplanted the … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Feb. 14-18, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson After a scintillating Beanpot championship game, the return to league play this week will be hard-pressed to maintain either the excitement level or the quality of play shown at the FleetCenter. The jockeying for third to sixth place continues, with Providence potentially starting yet another late-season … Read more
He broke in on the goaltender. Mano a mano. He dipped one shoulder. The goalie reacted in kind. His head and shoulders moved the other way. The goalie fought to recover. The dekes came in layers. The puck danced. The hands moved like a pickpocket’s. Head and shoulders dipped first one way and then the … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Feb. 7-10, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson It’s another dream matchup for the Beanpot — Boston University and Boston College in the title game. Even the moribund Fleet Center might hear some noise for that one. Lost in the Beanpot publicity bonanza has been the resurgent play of not only a dominating UNH … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson The Beanpot dwarfs all remaining Hockey East action this week. Northeastern, Boston College and Boston University will all need to avoid looking past their Friday contests and ahead to the biggest college hockey event in the East. Aside from the Beanpot, however, there remain many … Read more
The dumb jock. Chiseled physique meets bovine stupidity. Few stereotypes appear more consistently in our culture. Four Hockey East players — Maine’s Dan Shermerhorn, UMass-Lowell’s Craig Lindsay, and Merrimack’s Rob Beck and Tom Johnson — are the league’s prime examples that athletes need not be morons and top students don’t all wear pocket protectors. Those … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 24-28, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Nationally-ranked Boston University and UNH, both considered head and shoulders above the rest of Hockey East, could muster only two out of four points against their unranked league brethren last week. The Cinderella River Hawks from UMass-Lowell proved that their slipper might fit after all, stunning … Read more
detonator (de’ to na’ ter) n. something that explodes— Random House College Dictionary No team in the East explodes to a win like New Hampshire. The Wildcats, second only to Michigan with 5.29 goals a game, have mastered the destructive art of blowing teams away; not just with two or three goals in a period, … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 17-21, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Boston University and Boston College renew their rivalry this week with a home-and-home series that takes center stage in Hockey East. Second-place UNH and third-place UMass-Lowell also take turns in each other’s barn, as do Northeastern and UMass-Amherst. Providence visits Maine for two that could prove … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 9-14, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Not many people gave Boston University a chance to sweep New Hampshire this past weekend. In fact, this column predicted a sweep going the other way. Even within the friendly confines of Walter Brown Arena on Friday night, the prevailing theme seemed to be "win at … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 3-7, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson New Hampshire and Boston University square off in one of the most eagerly anticipated series of the year. These two teams have run away from the pack, UNH with a perfect league record and BU having only a tie to blemish its standing in Hockey East. … Read more
Shawn Walsh, no stranger to enemies, returned to Maine hockey on Dec. 24 after serving a one-year suspension. Some welcomed him with open arms; of course, others did not. “Shawn Walsh is the reason I came to Maine,” said assistant captain Dan Shermerhorn. “The players know they’re getting the best,” said athletic director Suzanne Tyler. … Read more