From Back Room To Top Dog

What do you call a team that, in the midst of a good year, learns it has lost its number-one goalie for the rest of the season? A team whose senior backup can count his career games played on one hand? If that team is Holy Cross, you’d call it a contender. That’s the exact … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: February 26, 1999

Whoever said the MAAC isn’t exciting Division I hockey, they’re crazy. As we end February, no other league in the country still has three teams battling for the top spot. To add to that, the MAAC has three other teams tied for the final home-ice bid in the playoffs. If that’s not exciting, I don’t … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: February 19, 1999

Simply put, the MAAC season has come down to three weeks. Six games for each team to position themselves for the playoffs. And last weekend’s action is what set up the whole ball of wax. With first-place Quinnipiac taking the weekend off from conference play, the two teams sitting on the doorstep had the privilege … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: February 12, 1999

Okay, so my first shot at picking games didn’t turn out too good. I did pick the split between UConn and Quinnipiac (though not the fact that the visiting team would win both games). And how about those Ice Griffs? They walked right into Iona and took two games from the Gaels. Okay, enough about … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: February 5, 1999

Well, here I am — sitting in front of my computer, realizing that I’ve got the crystal ball now. And it’s time for me to gaze into it for the first time as the new MAAC correspondent here at USCHO. And what a week to do it! This week we have the two best teams … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: January 29, 1999

Ever notice how much Metro Atlantic hockey resembles the TV series The Simpsons? First, The Simpsons is set in the mythic town of Springfield…and there’s a town called Springfield in New England, where most of the MAAC schools are located. Coincidence? I think not. Next, how often does The Simpsons come on? Every week. And … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: January 29, 1999

Ever notice how much Metro Atlantic hockey resembles the TV series The Simpsons? First, The Simpsons is set in the mythic town of Springfield…and there’s a town called Springfield in New England, where most of the MAAC schools are located. Coincidence? I think not. Next, how often does The Simpsons come on? Every week. And … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: January 22, 1999

It’s been an upward climb this year for Metro Atlantic hockey. When the league was formed, its founders knew it would take time to establish respectability for the nation’s fifth Division I league, but coming into last week they had probably hoped for a little better than a 1-8-1 nonconference record against fellow Division I … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: December 4, 1998

The email came first in a trickle, then in waves. “What do you have against UConn?” demanded angry Huskies fans. “Why do you keep picking them to lose?” Several pointed out that I had picked UConn to be swept three weekends in a row. And for the record, the stretch in which I predicted UConn … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: November 20, 1998

After three weekends of Metro Atlantic play, it’s clear there are two major surprises in the conference. The first is Canisius, predicted to finish second in the MAAC preseason poll. Despite the hype, the Ice Griffins are on an 0-7-1 skid and find themselves in sixth place. The second is Iona. The freshman-laden Gaels, a … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: November 13, 1998

Well, the MAAC made headlines last weekend, but probably not the type the conference’s head honchos envisioned when this venture was founded. Saturday’s tilt between Quinnipiac and Fairfield was suspended after the second period when 14 players were sent to Bridgeport Hospital complaining of dizziness and nausea. The culprit? Carbon monoxide from the Zamboni at … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: November 6, 1998

No need to dance around it — this week’s themes in the MAAC are pretty straightforward. Canisius, a preseason pick to contend for the MAAC title, is on a four-game slide after dropping two games to Quinnipiac last weekend. It doesn’t get any easier this week as the Ice Griffs head out to Holy Cross. … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: October 30, 1998

So the Griffs can show where they stand with a good showing at Quinnipiac Friday and Saturday. Or can they? There have been grumblings that the Braves’ 19-3-1 record last year was a soft one. Then, in last week’s Quinnipiac Cup, they struggled to get by an allegedly weak Iona squad in the first round, … Read more

This Week in the MAAC: October 23, 1998

OK, the season isn’t quite kicking into full gear yet; the first complete slate of conference games comes next weekend. But when Iona and Quinnipiac face off in the first round of the third annual Quinnipiac Cup in East Haven, Conn., on Friday, Metro Atlantic hockey will finally become a reality. “We’re extremely excited about … Read more