Jim ConnellyFor each of the four Beanpot coaches, the weekend game played right before the annual Beanpot tournament always brings with it worry that his team might overlook the game. Well, Jack Parker, you have nothing to worry about. In absolutely dominating and convincing fashion, Parker’s Boston University Terriers manhandled the Mass.-Lowell River Hawks, 5-1, at … Read more
Just When You Thought It Was Safe… News flash: Don’t go handing the Atlantic Hockey title to Mercyhurst just yet. The once unbeatable-looking Lakers have returned to Earth and have watched the race for the league’s regular-season title become tighter than the Olsen twins’ meal allowance. What was once a seven point lead over its … Read more
Boston College’s pot has officially boiled over. Brian Boyle, that is. Riding the back of a career-high four-goal game from Boyle, the Eagles staved off a pesky Massachusetts-Lowell team, 4-3 in overtime, to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Boyle’s game-winner came with 48.8 seconds left in the overtime period when he … Read more
When Friday night’s game between college hockey’s top rivals Boston College and Boston University began, all eyes were focused on BC netminder Cory Schneider and his bid for the all-time longest regular-season shutout streak. By the time the night ended, not only was Schneider’s bid quashed but so was their quest for a victory as … Read more
Home Sweet Home (Ice) Generally, as the season winds down, talk on most media space, this included, swings towards the battle for the regular-season championship. Indeed, I could fill a thousand words talking about how evenly-matched Mercyhurst, Sacred Heart and Holy Cross are. To me, though, that’s become a broken record. Save Quinnipiac, those four … Read more
The East regains the top spot in the polls — but not in the PWR or the NHL draft rankings, Jim Connelly notes. Also: ECACHL parity and AHA home ice.
For the second straight weekend, the nation’s premier matchup turned into one team making a major statement. One week after No. 1 Wisconsin swept then-No. 5 Colorado College in the WCHA, No. 2 Boston College completed a two-game sweep of No. 5 Vermont with a 3-0 victory Saturday night. It was the third straight shutout … Read more
It was billed as a battle of Hockey East heavyweights, and Friday’s contest, the first of two this weekend between No. 5 Vermont and No. 2 Boston College, met expectations of a hard-fought prize fight. In the end, the Eagles came out on top thanks to two goals off faceoff plays and outstanding goaltending from … Read more
College hockey will once again make a major impact on the NHL stage, according to the NHL Central Scouting Service’s Midterm Rankings of 2006 Entry Draft prospects. The top three ranked North American skaters all have college ties, with Minnesota freshman-to-be Erik Johnson leading the way. Johnson, a strapping 6-foot-4 defenseman, has scored 20 points … Read more
Mercyhurst Goaltending: No Small Problem I’ve written a good bit about Mercyhurst’s goaltending situation this season, mostly because it’s unique to see a school put itself in the situation the Lakers currently are in. Mercyhurst began the season with four — yes, four — goaltenders, all of whom the coaching staff believed could play at … Read more
To be a top-ranked team nationally, once or twice over the course of the season you need to get a little bit lucky. Friday night, Boston College used up one of those rabbit’s feet. Despite being outplayed for much of the night, in particular the game’s final period, the Eagles caught a late break when … Read more
The Ultimate Upset “All year we’ve been playing really well and haven’t had a lot to show for it.” The words of Army head coach Brian Riley show the frustration the second-year coach has had to this point in the season. To win any game is big at this point. So how do you classify … Read more
Friday night’s match-up between Northeastern and Boston College had all the makings for a major upset. That was until Eagles rookie forward Benn Ferriero took control of things. With the game tied a two late in the third period, Ferriero netted his second goal of the game on the power play to give BC a … Read more
Center Stage Atlantic Hockey takes center stage this weekend as defending tournament champion Mercyhurst travels to Army for a pair of games, the first of which will be broadcast nationally on CSTV. Friday’s game marks the first time that an Atlantic Hockey league game will be broadcast on CSTV. Army has, in the past, had … Read more
With Santa on his way, Jim Connelly hands out his (slightly tongue-in-cheek) holiday awards to the East.
Midterm Exams While college kids may be taking finals, it’s time to look at how each Atlantic Hockey team is doing on the ice and hand out our midterm report cards. The first half of the season has definitely been exciting. We’ve seen some stellar performances both by teams and by individuals. Mercyhurst, Holy Cross, … Read more
A freak pre-winter snow storm in the Northeast turned the Massachusetts Minutemen’s 90-minute trip into Boston for a game against #6 Boston College into a four-hour bus ride down I-90. In the end, they’d wished they’d stayed home. With the Eagles offense clicking on every cylinder, the legless Minutemen were never in the game as … Read more
365 Days of Hell When Saturday arrives, those who follow Canisius hockey may want to light a candle, do some sort of chant. Anything that might move the black cloud from over the school’s head. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the firing of coach Brian Cavanaugh. Since that day, the Griffs program has been … Read more
Problems in Buffalo … Again It was nearly a year to the day since head coach Brian Cavanaugh was fired by Canisius College. Things seemed like they were on track for the Griffs, which boasted a new head coach, new athletic director and new attitude. But the housecleaning at Canisius following months of discipline problems … Read more
College hockey’s rivalry weekend kicked off Friday night in fine fashion as the game’s ultimate rivals, Boston College and Boston University, squared at BC’s Conte Forum for what amounted to a classic college hockey battle. A two-goal outburst for the Eagles midway through the game – and a little puck luck – was all they … Read more