Jim ConnellyGoing into Friday’s game between Connecticut and Northeastern, everyone knew that the Huskies would come out winners. Northeastern, though, kept things according to script, outplaying and outscoring its brethren Huskies from UConn, 5-2, to earn its first home victory of the season in front of an announced crowd of 1,740 at Matthews Arena. The offensive … Read more
Atlantic Hockey has picked up some big wins in the early going, but Jim Connelly wonders when victories over the “Big Four” will cease to be news. Also, Holy Cross starts its title defense, and injured Army sees new faces start to contribute.
It’s happened only two times before and never in Boston. And for once this week, we’re not talking about anything to do with the Boston Red Sox. Jerry York became just the third coach in college history, joining coaching legends Ron Mason and Bob Peters, to reach 700 career wins Friday when his No. 2 … Read more
Connecticut pulls off the nonconference upset and then looks ahead, while Sacred Heart builds momentum in league play and Mercyhurst gets off the schneid. And were there a couple of baseball games this week? Jim Connelly sounds off.
Take Me Away! Maybe that was the cry of Canisius before boarding a plane from Buffalo (with connections through Atlanta and Salt Lake City) to Anchorage for last weekend’s Nye Frontier Classic. The Griffs traveled a total of 17 hours including layovers but when they arrived on the ground in Anchorage, were without the necessary … Read more
Amid hopes of following in the footsteps of fellow WCHA member Minnesota and repeating as national champion, the 2004-05 campaign for defending titleist Denver has gotten off to a rocky start. Returning to the beloved city of Boston where the Pioneers captured their national title last April, 1-0 over Maine, No. 11 Denver fell 6-2 … Read more
Business, Not Hockey No, this isn’t the NHL. We’re not talking about a collective bargaining agreement, a salary cap or players buying one-way tickets to Europe. Still, as we open the Atlantic Hockey season, the second year of the league’s existence under that name, business is on the top of many minds as much as … Read more
It seems hard to believe that a coach in Atlantic Hockey whose team went 20-14-2, upset Ohio State and Western Michigan and tied Cornell on the road, could call that season anything but a success. But for Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin, that’s exactly what happened last year. “We had some good success last year, but … Read more
It was a storied trip for Holy Cross last season, one that few associated with the program, coaches, players and fans alike, will ever forget. A wire-to-wire regular-season championship was followed by a dominant walk through the Atlantic Hockey tournament and the school’s first visit to the NCAAs. Now, for the Crusaders the question is … Read more
The old cliché reads that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl should take it as a compliment that Sacred Heart coach Shaun Hannah wants to imitate last year’s Holy Cross hockey season. “We learned a lot from the Holy Cross team last year,” said Hannah, whose upstarts shocked … Read more
Uno mas. One more. That should be the war cry of Quinnipiac as it embarks on its final season in Atlantic Hockey before moving on to the seemingly greener pastures of the ECAC Hockey League. This is the last chance for the Bobcats to show their value in a league in which, at least for … Read more
After season upon season of seeming youth, Connecticut returns a lineup where veterans outweigh the inexperienced. Still, for this year’s edition of UConn, that’s not enough to earn complete respect. UConn returns the top player in Atlantic Hockey, last year’s leading scorer and MVP Tim Olsen, and graduated only one significant player in Eric Nelson. … Read more
“I think we were happy with our team last year.” That may sound crazy coming from a coach whose team finished in seventh place despite the feeling the club could compete for a top-four spot, but Ryan Soderquist means it. Okay, so maybe “happy” wasn’t the right term. There was plenty for Soderquist to pick … Read more
“We’d like to be a pleasant surprise,” were the words from Canisius head coach Brian Cavanaugh. Now in his 24th season behind the Griffs’ bench, Cavanaugh has learned that it’s better to be cautiously optimistic than to set expectations that are hard to meet. “I think the players have their expectations,” said Cavanaugh, the dean … Read more
Defending regular-season champ Boston College is tabbed to repeat that feat this season, that according to the Hockey East coaches’ poll announced Thursday at the annual media day held at the FleetCenter. Boston College received five first-place votes and 68 total points, edging out second-place Maine, which received three first-place votes and totaled 66 points. … Read more
Brian Riley, who took the head coaching reins from his brother Rob at Army this summer, is not the only new thing at West Point this year. No, half the locker room is brand new to the U.S. Military Academy — all freshmen — after Riley cleaned house upon arrival this summer. Talk about the … Read more
Depending on where you’ve been for the past five or six months, a lot has changed in Atlantic Hockey. In essence, it became known that the league was somewhat a home for the “wannabes” of the college hockey world, though those who know the league well won’t find that a strange discovery. The summer brought … Read more
Just score more goals. That’s what American International coach Gary Wright wants his team to accomplish this season. A year ago, the AIC offense scored what Wright called an “anemic” 2.04 goals per game in league play, which easily ranked dead last. Combine that with a league-worst 4.04 goals against per game and there’s no … Read more
Mercyhurst College is the top team once again in Atlantic Hockey, according to the preseason coaches poll unveiled Tuesday morning at Atlantic Hockey’s media day. The Lakers received six first-place votes and 85 points total to take the top spot. Mercyhurst was the preseason No. 1 last year in the inaugural edition of Atlantic Hockey … Read more
There’s a good chance that when the New York Rangers selected Michigan goaltender Al Montoya with the sixth pick in Saturday’s NHL Entry Draft, they realized that they got more than simply a hockey player. Sure he’s a solid goaltender whose numbers have gotten better in his two seasons at Michigan. And his performance in … Read more