Jim ConnellyMinnesota’s Thomas Vanek did a lot more than win a championship last April in Buffalo. He also swayed the hometown scouts. Vanek, who scored the game-winning goals in the national semifinal and championship games at Buffalo’s HSBC Arena, became the first college player taken in the 2003 NHL Draft when the Buffalo Sabres selected him … Read more
You can look through every Central Scouting Service (CSS) ranking. You can study for weeks, even months. But the reality in hockey is that the NHL Entry Draft could be one of the toughest events in sports to handicap. The NHL is absent of names like LeBron James. The league takes players before and during … Read more
Minnesota rookie Thomas Vanek made his mark early in his first year in college hockey, proving before the holiday break that he was one of the nation’s top freshmen. But it wasn’t until the Frozen Four when Vanek scored game-winning goals against Michigan and New Hampshire to give Minnesota its second consecutive national title that … Read more
If there’s one common theme that will run through the early rounds of this year’s NHL Entry Draft, it is family impact on the collegiate draftees. In a year that could easily see a record number of collegiate first rounders, almost all of the top college picks are second generation hockey players. The talk of … Read more
Jimmy Howard’s first season started well and went on to be great. And despite a disappointing finish, he can’t complain with his freshman year.
The MAAC Hockey League remains in limbo following a meeting of the members’ athletic directors last weekend. That meeting came amid the annual athletic director convention in Florida. Members of the MAAC Hockey League, which consists of just one all-sport MAAC member — Canisius — were set to vote on whether to leave the jurisdiction … Read more
College hockey’s grandest stage — the Frozen Four — won’t be heading to the world’s most famous arena, or at least not any time soon. Just months after Madison Square Garden announced to U.S. College Hockey Online that it was extremely interested in hosting the Frozen Four, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference — the intended … Read more
With back-to-back championships secured, the Gophers already have their eyes on No. 3.
In Thursday’s opening game of the 2003 Frozen Four, New Hampshire goaltender Michael Ayers was forced to make just 19 saves. One of them, though — with 25 seconds remaining in regulation on Cornell’s Stephen Bâby — will forever live in Big Red infamy. With the Wildcats leading 3-2 and Cornell goaltender David LeNeveu (18 … Read more
Déjà-bleeping-vu. The first and easiest words to come to mind after Thursday second semifinal at the Frozen Four were “déjà vu.” Two years, two losses for Michigan in the penultimate game. Two 3-2 losses, two 3-2 losses to the University of Minnesota. Once against Michigan was denied a shot at extending its NCAA record with … Read more
One year after close-but-no-cigar, Cornell returns to the Frozen Four.
UNH’s Lanny Gare has been a pleasant surprise, but the sparkplug may miss Thursday’s semifinal.
New fans might not remember Cornell’s dominant history, but new players do.
The ice at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center had been freshly painted for the NCAA East Regional tournament just days ago. Unfortunately, it didn’t dry until the 6,583 fans at Saturday’s tournament had the pleasure -– or displeasure –- of watching paint dry as Boston College and Ohio State played a boring, trap-filled game with the … Read more
Though the game was played in front of nearly a full house, it was two pairs that keyed top-seeded New Hampshire’s 5-2 victory over No. 4 St Cloud State in the first round of the NCAA Northeast Regional. The pairs came from forwards Colin Hemingway and Preston Callander — each scoring two goals on the … Read more
Winning the MAAC tournament championship for any team is special. For Mercyhurst, a 4-3 winner over Quinnipiac Sunday, the win was extra special. The Mercyhurst special teams became the story of the thrilling title game, as the Lakers held Quinnipiac scoreless in five power-play chances and sophomore defenseman T.J. Kemp scored on the power play … Read more
The Cinderella season came to an end for Bentley on Friday — abruptly. Sparked by a six-goal outburst by Mercyhurst in the second period, the Lakers knocked off the Falcons, 10-2, in game one of the MAAC Final Four to advance to the championship for the third straight year. Mercyhurst will take on the winner … Read more
When Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold found out earlier in the week that goaltender Jamie Holden was ready to return to the lineup after a three-week absence, it signaled good news and bad news. Holden, a playoff-tested goalie, is one of the league’s top netminders, but having both he and Justin Eddy available for Friday’s … Read more
The MAAC championship takes place under unique circumstances.
Amid a backdrop of war and with machine gun-armed soldiers protecting the campus, the 2003 MAAC Final Four got underway on Thursday with the league’s award banquet. The story of the night was the youth movement, with Bentley rookie head coach Ryan Soderquist — the youngest headman in the game — capturing the MAAC Coach … Read more