Jim ConnellyOn Feb. 15, in a 6-1 victory for Merrimack over Boston College, BC’s Andrew Alberts delivered a late-game hit to Merrimack’s then-leading scorer Marco Rosa. The hit resulted in Rosa breaking his wrist and suffering a concussion that ended his season. The hit also set off a series of conversations and a request to Hockey … Read more
Merrimack goalie Joe Exter was in critical condition Friday night after a collision with BC’s Pat Eaves in their quarterfinal round game.
Mercyhurst wins the regular-season title in a fashion fitting to this year’s edition of the MAAC; four teams scramble for the last playoff slot; and Jim Connelly hands out his year-end awards.
“The hockey gods have paid us back.” The glorious words of Massachusetts-Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald were a fitting summary of Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Northeastern, which earned the River Hawks the final spot in the Hockey East playoffs on the last night of the regular season. In a season of almosts for Lowell that has … Read more
Sacred Heart establishes a milestone with a win over a CCHA opponent, while the MAAC brings college hockey back to the Big Apple as Connecticut and Quinnipiac decide the Heroes’ Hat. Jim Connelly reports.
The NCAA Frozen Four, now revered as one of the most successful NCAA championships annually, could be taking its show to the world’s most famous arena. Madison Square Garden, home to the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers, is exploring a bid for the next cycle of Frozen Four host sites. The current cycle is … Read more
One of Massachusetts’ two state-funded Division I hockey programs could soon be privatized; if Massachusetts’ new governor, Mitt Romney, has his way. As part of an overwhelming state restructuring plan that Romney will institute in hopes to pull the state from extreme debt, he unveiled Wednesday a plan that would privatize the state’s main campus … Read more
Tuesday night’s battle between Merrimack and Massachusetts-Lowell probably wouldn’t have been billed as a goaltending duel entering the game. While Merrimack’s Joe Exter night in and night out this season has impressed teams enough to make him a strong MVP candidate, Lowell’s Achilles’ heel for much of the year has been goaltending. But despite an … Read more
The rollercoaster year for Boston College’s Tony Voce continues. The junior forward for the Eagles began the season on a scoring tear, only to see his offense dry up leading into the holiday break. After being a healthy scratch in the Eagles first game back after the break, Voce returned a house afire, scoring 17 … Read more
With the regular season drawing to a close, Jim Connelly answers the MAAC’s imponderable questions — the 50-50 imponderables, at least. Also: Quinnipiac shows the rest of the league its two sides at an inopportune time.
Boston College goaltender Matti Kaltiainen waited all night to make a big save. With just seconds remaining in regulation, he got his chance. After Merrimack tied the game with 34 seconds left, Kaltiainen (13 saves) stopped Marco Rosa with 15 seconds to play on a partial breakaway, setting up Chris Collins’ breakaway goal at 1:35 … Read more
Rank! Over the last year, E! Entertainment Television made popular the show “Rank.” On the geared-towards-pop-culture hour-long show, the network ranks anything from “hottest celebrity” to “richest person.” Taking the route of the spinoff, we present to you “Rank, College Hockey Style.” On this episode, we’ll be ranking the toughest remaining MAAC schedules as the … Read more
Boston University had a goal coming into the 51st Beanpot championship game — stay out of the penalty box. Hockey East’s most-penalized team, the Terriers were facing one of the country’s best power play in the Boston College Eagles. Measured against that goal, the Terriers failed miserably. BU took nine minor penalties that accounted for … Read more
Reaction to Thursday morning’s announcement that Fairfield was ending men’s ice hockey in a cost-cutting measure. Gene Doris, Fairfield athletic director “It’s obviously a tough day for us in terms of needing to cut two programs. It was based on the institution’s priorities on where the money needed to be allocated and where the sports … Read more
News out of Fairfield stuns the MAAC and all of college hockey; Mercyhurst loses some depth in nets; and Army renews an historic rivarly. Jim Connelly reports.
Exactly four weeks ago, Merrimack and Massachusetts-Lowell played a wide-open, pond-hockey game with the River Hawks coming away with a 6-5 victory. If any of the 1,117 fans at the Volpe Center on Tuesday night expected a repeat, they didn’t get it. Just the same, though, few left disappointed as Lowell and Merrimack battled to … Read more
Let the trash-talking begin. The storied rivalry between Boston College and Boston University will once again be renewed on the greatest of the city’s stages thanks to Boston College’s 5-2 win in Monday’s second semifinal of the 51st annual Beanpot. The Eagles will meet the Terriers, themselves 2-1 winners over Harvard in the opening game, … Read more
The last time Massachusetts and Boston College met on Jan. 3, the Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. That night, BC was unable to put away the Minutemen, fell 3-2 and considered the game an opportunity lost. On Friday night, the Eagles made sure history didn’t repeat itself. After jumping out to an … Read more
So soon after the tragic death of Glenn Crane, Holy Cross prepares for another life-and-death battle. Jim Connelly reports.
Late-season wins for Merrimack coach Chris Serino haven’t always been easy to come by, which might explain why Saturday night’s 3-1 win over Brown was significant. But the time of year probably wasn’t too much on Serino’s mind throughout the wide-open, fast-paced game. “Thank God we won,” said Serino, half-laughingly, “because we were talking about … Read more