Jim ConnellyThe MAAC had an interesting summer: Gaining an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, getting into a flap with Findlay, dealing with the potential departure of Canisius. Now it’s time to get serious on the ice as its looks for another measure of respect by playing some tough non-conference foes.
When a team is victimized by an inability to score goals, sometimes it’s the addition of a quick-moving scorer that helps, while other times a little luck can work just as well. In the case of the UMass-Lowell River Hawks Friday, it was a little bit of both. Coming off a struggling year offensively, the … Read more
MAAC hockey is back, and not a moment too soon. A thankful Jim Connelly runs down the week that was and profiles the ones to come, including Quinnipiac vs. Iona in the rematch of the week.
Behind a career game by left wing Ryan Kiley, the Merrimack Warriors cruised to a 12-2 exhibition victory over Ottawa on Sunday at the Volpe Complex. Kiley registered five goals, two of the shorthanded variety, to pace the offense. “We’ve got some guys who can put the puck in the net this year,” Merrimack coach … Read more
The UMass-Lowell River Hawks, coming off of a tough 1999-2000 season and a last-place Hockey East finish, suffered an early bump in the 2000-2001 ride, dropping its preseason exhibition game to the University of Ottawa Gee Gees 4-3 Saturday night at the Tsongas Arena. The catalyst for the Gee Gees was a four-goal eruption in … Read more
The Boston College Eagles, fresh off their third consecutive Frozen Four appearance last year, opened the 2000-2001 season in style with a 6-2 exhibition win over Acadia University on Friday at the Conte Forum. According to Eagles coach Jerry York, the game was as good as he could have expected for an exhibition contest. “I … Read more
It was almost fitting, looking around the room at MAAC media day, to see UConn coach Bruce Marshall sitting close to Holy Cross benchman Paul Pearl. The two have something in common — they’ve guided their teams to MAAC tournament championships, Pearl in 1999, and Marshall last year. And both coaches face similar challenges one … Read more
Last year they were an X-factor, but the Mercyhurst College Lakers marched into the MAAC and took the league by storm. As one of two new entries in the conference’s second year of existence, Mercyhurst used a combination of depth and experience from the tough ECAC West league to post an impressive second-place finish. This … Read more
Anybody out there remember being picked on as a little kid? I know I sure do, and I hated every minute of it. But somewhere, somehow, you always swore that your day would come. That there would be a day that you weren’t so little anymore, and that, even though you wouldn’t be able to … Read more
If Bentley College becomes known for one thing around the MAAC, it will be their head coach Jim McAdam. At age 61, McAdam has the feistiness of a coach just starting his career, coupled with the honesty of a man who has been around for a while. So much was apparent at MAAC media day. … Read more
The Sacred Heart Pioneers made their statement loud and clear throughout the 1999-2000 MAAC season, a statement that they are here to stay. An eighth-place pick last season by the MAAC coaches, Sacred Heart used heart, determination and a lot of skill from a talented group of players to muscle into a tie for fourth … Read more
The darkhorse in the MAAC this season is Iona College. The Gaels, in their first two seasons, have shown signs of brilliance. Two years ago, Ryan Carter, then a freshman, burst onto the MAAC scene to win the scoring title as well as the league’s Offensive MVP. Last year, coach Frank Bretti knew that it … Read more
You might think that a feeling such as winning a championship, especially the inaugural championship in the MAAC hockey league, is something that you never forget. And though that is probably the case, Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl, who led the Crusaders to exactly that berth two seasons ago, probably wishes that the memories of … Read more
How much is goaltending a factor in deciding championships? If it were up to AIC coach Gary Wright, a major factor indeed. That is the one area where his Yellow Jackets will be strong this year. With returning seniors Chance Thede and Ben Brady, AIC will have the most experienced goaltending tandem in the MAAC. … Read more
For the second consecutive year, Rand Pecknold and Quinnipiac University will sit on the bench each night not dressed in their typical purple, white and gold uniforms, but rather wearing the biggest bullseye money can buy. J.C. WELLS Without a doubt, Quinnipiac is the MAAC’s preseason favorite — possibly the biggest favorite in all of … Read more
Fairfield coach Jim Hunt has two challenges in front of him. The first is obvious: take a program that has amassed just four wins in the last two seasons and make it respectable. The second challenge, though, may be the tougher – to survive at Fairfield University. With Hunt its fourth coach in five years, … Read more
As one of the oldest men’s ice hockey programs in the country, the United States Military Academy, known better in hockey circles as Army, will watch tradition meet youth in its first season as a member of the MAAC. About to enter its 98th season of men’s ice hockey, Army is not really a stranger … Read more
It may be the start of a new hockey season, but there must be one thing fresh on the mind of Canisius College head coach Brian Cavanaugh — his early exit from last year’s MAAC playoffs. A 4-3 loss to eventual runner-up Iona brought a sad close to perhaps the finest season in Canisius hockey … Read more
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, about to enter its third season of play this fall, has stirred the Division I hockey pot by forcing its members to drop all games against Findlay, an “emerging” Division I program from College Hockey America, from all non-conference schedules.
In a move that could redefine the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Committee approved an automatic bid for the MAAC, effective for this year’s championships. The move came during the Committee’s annual meetings, which continue through Friday.