Jim ConnellyHome 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
Winning the Recruiting Battle Ask any college hockey coach. The biggest day-to-day worry generally isn’t how their team is playing on the ice. Nope, the top concern of most teams is building for the future. College hockey recruiting at the Division I level has become a business for most programs. Assistant coaches spend weeks, if … Read more
When Boston College defenseman Tim Filangieri won his team’s weekly shootout, few knew that it was a foreshadowing of good things to come. Filangieri scored two of BC’s three goals in a 3-0 victory over Merrimack Saturday, all of which came as a big surprise to head coach Jerry York. “He’s a defensive defenseman,” said … Read more
Time to Give Thanks For eight years I have been writing this column for USCHO.com, and over that time there have been few traditions that I’ve developed. One, though, has to do with Thanksgiving. Each year, my column published on Thanksgiving day takes a bit of a tongue-in-cheek look around the world of Atlantic Hockey, … Read more
Throughout the season, USCHO.com staffers Scott Brown and Jim Connelly will offer their views on the previous weeks’ action, alternating writing duties (and occasional potshots at each other) every Tuesday. Brown will focus on the West and Connelly on the East, in a regular column exclusive to USCHO Extra. So admit it. How many Harvard … Read more