Jim Connelly

Jim Connelly is the USCHO Executive Editor. He has been with USCHO since 1999 and previously covered Atlantic Hockey and Hockey East. He also serves as a color analyst for Hockey East on NESN.

TMQ: Looking at the NCAA tournament regionals, the ‘region of death,’ more conversation on CCHA championship game situation

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Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Ed: Next to the Frozen Four, the weekend of conference championships is probably the best one of the year in D-I men’s college hockey. And this past weekend didn’t disappoint. Several … Read more

Recapping the championship weekend, reacting to the NCAA brackets: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 24

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Hockey East selects Metcalf, conference races stay hot, PairWise odds: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 19

Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger look at this past weekend’s games and news.

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org

Topics include:

• Minnesota State/Bemidji State overtime fiasco

• Is Minnesota Duluth ready for another run?

• Are the Michigan Wolverines now playing their best hockey?

• How far can Harvard go?

• UMass fights for a second title, but how about UConn?

• AIC gets its third straight Jack Riley trophy

• Bracket reaction: seeds, locations, start times

• Best first-round match ups?

• Most likely No. 4 over No. 1 upsets

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Previewing the NCHC Frozen Faceoff with CBSSN’s Alex Heinert, plus a look every playoff: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 20

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No. 8 UMass home-and-home vs. No. 14 UMass Lowell preview with Minutemen head coach Greg Carvel: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 20

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Alex Heinert of Midco Sports and voice of the NCHC on CBS Sports Network to preview the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

We preview all six conference tournaments and look closely at the five games in this week’s USCHO Bettor’s Edge column:

• Bemidji State at No. 1 Minnesota State (CCHA final)

• No. 4 Michigan at No. 2 Minnesota (Big Ten final)

• No. 13 UMass Lowell vs. No. 11 Massachusetts (Hockey East semifinal)

• No. 8 Minnesota Duluth vs. No. 3 Denver (NCHC semifinal)

• No. 7 Western Michigan vs. No. 5 North Dakota (NCHC semifinal)

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.

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Looking at the 2022 Hobey Baker finalists: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 23

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USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger take a look at the 10 players named Wednesday as 2022 Hobey Baker Award finalists: Matty Beniers, Bobby Brink, Brian Halonen, Luke Hughes, Devon Levi, Dryden McKay, Ben Meyers, Yaniv Perets, Nathan Smith, and Bobby Trivigno, plus some names that might have been overlooked.

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.

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Bracketology: NCAA hockey tournament picture coming into focus with Selection Sunday coming up in four days

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Selection Sunday is just a few days away, which means the NCAA picture for most of the schools is getting quite clear. We’ve mentioned it elsewhere this week, but we can say with full certainty that the top 10 teams in the PairWise have secured their spots: Minnesota State, Michigan, Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota, Western … Read more

Who’s in the NCAAs, who can get in, who needs help; let’s talk Hobey: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 23

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Hockey East selects Metcalf, conference races stay hot, PairWise odds: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 19

Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger look at this past weekend’s games and news.

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org

Topics include:

• Good quarterfinal/semifinal weekend for the top teams

• Some teams had their seasons come to an abrupt end

• NCAA picture is getting clearer

• A few teams are rooting for Minnesota State and Quinnipiac

• Let’s talk Hobey

• NCAA brackets and attendance issues

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Previewing BC at Northeastern, BU at UConn with voice of Hockey East on NESN Tyler Murray: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 19

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No. 8 UMass home-and-home vs. No. 14 UMass Lowell preview with Minutemen head coach Greg Carvel: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 20

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by the voice of Hockey East on NESN Tyler Murray to preview Boston College at No. 11 Northeastern and No. 16 Boston University at UConn in single-elimination quarterfinal contests.

Also previewed are three other matchups to be featured in USCHO’s Bettor’s Edge column this week:

• No. 10 Minnesota Duluth at No. 9 St. Cloud State

• Penn State at No. 2 Minnesota

• No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 4 Michigan

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

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Bracketology: As college hockey playoffs kick into high gear, which teams are on the bubble, and which teams are locks for NCAA tournament bids?

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We’re three weeks into Braceketology and we’re already seeing some conference tournament results that are having lasting impact. Last weekend, it was Ohio State losing its series in three games to Penn State. The Buckeyes have no games remaining to change their PairWise possibilities, and right now OSU sits right on the tournament bubble – … Read more

Bentley’s Ryan Soderquist on playoff road sweep, working through on-ice adversity: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 22

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USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined for a second time this season by Bentley head coach Ryan Soderquist. The Falcons were at or near the top of Atlantic Hockey through the first half of the season, but slumped a bit in the latter part of the season. We discuss the team’s turnaround in a weekend sweep at Niagara in Atlantic Hockey’s first round, how they worked through adversity on the ice, and look ahead to this weekend’s quarterfinal round at American International.

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

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TMQ: Recapping the thrilling weekend in college hockey, discussing Hobey Baker, Mike Richter award candidates

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Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Jim: I don’t remember, Ed, a weekend as crazy as this past one was. A Hockey East regular season that went down to the last seconds, a co-championship in the NCHC … Read more

A wild finish in Hockey East, NCHC; drama in the first round of conference playoffs: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 22

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Hockey East selects Metcalf, conference races stay hot, PairWise odds: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 19

Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger look at this past weekend’s games and news.

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org

Topics include:

• The wildest finish ever in Hockey East

• NCHC finish was a close second for drama

• First round of playoffs provided a lot of excitement, but few upsets

• PairWise: What are Ohio State’s hopes? What are the chances of more than three eastern teams?

• And revisiting the old “Colorado College” rule: Do criteria need to change so that a team winning 25 games isn’t left out?

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Previewing No. 4 North Dakota at No. 20 Omaha with Fighting Hawks’ head coach Brad Berry: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 18

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No. 8 UMass home-and-home vs. No. 14 UMass Lowell preview with Minutemen head coach Greg Carvel: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 20

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by North Dakota head coach Brad Berry to preview the No. 4 Fighting Hawks at No. 20 Omaha.

Also previewed are four other matchups to be featured in USCHO’s Bettor’s Edge column this week:

• No. 10 St. Cloud State at No. 11 Minnesota Duluth

• No. 9 UMass at Boston College

• No. 16 UMass Lowell at New Hampshire

• Penn State at No. 12 Ohio State

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

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Bracketology: With postseason starting, two spots maximum up for grabs for upcoming NCAA hockey tournament

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As we approach the home stretch of the college hockey season, we’re seeing some teams really solidify their NCAA tournament positions. We can say certainly that Minnesota State, Michigan and Minnesota all have punched their NCAA tickets and Denver, North Dakota, Western Michigan Notre Dame and St. Cloud State are all virtual locks (though my … Read more

Outgoing NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton on the conference, college hockey: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 21

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USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton. The conversation includes the conference’s position as college hockey’s top league, his departure to the Summit League, three-on-three overtime, realignment, and working with the other five conferences.

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

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Minnesota, Quinnipiac win conferences, North Dakota is close; Bubble teams? Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 21

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Hockey East selects Metcalf, conference races stay hot, PairWise odds: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 19

Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger look at this past weekend’s games and news.

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org

Topics include:

• What did we learn about Minnesota, the Big Ten champ?

• North Dakota’s sweep puts them on the edge of clinching the NCHC

• ECAC champ Quinnipiac continues to fall in PairWise, but barely allows goals

• With Notre Dame’s sweep of Michigan, how good are the Fighting Irish?

• What’s the outlook for teams on the PairWise bubble: Ohio State, Northeastern, UMass Lowell, Boston University, Clarkson, Providence?

• And it’s the first weekend of playoffs in four conferences

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

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