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.

USCHO BETTOR’S EDGE: Can underdogs really be this juicy? It feels like the week to go with a monster pick

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Let’s face it. Monsters are difficult to grab. Last week, we had two underdogs win but it was Providence at +115 and Denver at +110. This week, we have some monster underdogs, most notably Cornell at +220 traveling to Quinnipiac and Michigan Tech at +225 hosting Minnesota State. I don’t want to offer advice, but … Read more

Previewing No. 2 Michigan at No. 9 Notre Dame with voice of the Irish Darin Pritchett: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 17

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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 radio voice of the Irish Darin Pritchett to preview No. 2 Michigan at No. 9 Notre Dame.

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

• No. 1 Minnesota State at No. 14 Michigan Tech

• No. 6 Western Michigan at No. 7 North Dakota

• No. 18 Cornell at No. 5 Quinnipiac

• No. 19 Connecticut at No. 15 Northeastern

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: The first set of predictions on which college hockey teams crack the field of 16 for the 2022 NCAA tournament

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It’s finally that time of year where everyone is wondering what teams will make the NCAA men’s Division I ice hockey tournament and, more so, where their favorite teams will likely be playing. Thus, we’ll dust off the old column called Bracketology. Each week until selection Sunday, Jayson Moy and I try to give you … Read more

Boston University’s Albie O’Connell talks Terriers, Hockey East, evolution of the game: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 20

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USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Boston University head coach Albie O’Connell. The conversation includes this season’s Terriers and their great run since December, the evolution of the game and coaching, transfers, overtime rules, and the Hockey East playoff race.

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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Sweeps hard to come by, four conferences up for grabs: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 20

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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:

• Sweeps were hard to come by this past weekend for top-20 teams

• Quinnipiac’s loss to Harvard probably keeps them from top four in PairWise

• AIC, Minnesota State clinch their respective regular-season titles, but no other conference is close to a clinch

• What team feels best poised for a late-season run?

• Can special teams be the magic formula?

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USCHO BETTOR’S EDGE: Might this finally be the week where betting the road underdog pays dividends?

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As we head towards the end of the season, it feels like the sports books are finally beginning to figure out college hockey. Let’s all understand: nationwide sports betting is still very new, particularly to companies like DraftKinds and FanDuel. Even experienced sportsbooks like Caesars, if they run college hockey odds, likely don’t have an … Read more

Previewing No. 9 North Dakota at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth with CBS Sports Networks’s Dave Starman: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 16

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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 CBS Sports Network hockey analyst Dave Starman to preview No. 9 North Dakota at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth.

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

• No. 11 Ohio State at No. 2 Michigan

• No. 19 Providence at No. 16 UMass Lowell

• No. 3 Denver at No. 6 Western Michigan

• Bemidji at No. 1 Minnesota 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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Mercyhurst’s Rick Gotkin talks Lakers, Atlantic Hockey, D-I committee: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 19

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USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin. The conversation includes this season’s Lakers, the regular-season race in Atlantic Hockey, transfers, and serving on the NCAA D-I men’s ice hockey committee.

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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Boston University captures Beanpot title, but result has notable PairWise implications for Terriers, Northeastern

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I am an interested observer who lives in Beanpot land and to be honest, the Beanpot seems like such a meaningless tournament to much of the country every year. And as someone who has lived in Massachusetts his whole life, why should anyone care about a Beanpot? I will tell you why: The Beanpot is … Read more

Is Big Ten the best this season? Plus winners, losers, Beanpot, Olympics, standings outlook: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 19

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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:

• Is the Big Ten the best conference in college hockey this season?

• Which teams slipped up this past week

• Which teams are heading the other direction

• Looking at the Beanpot, and the performances of Duplessis and Semptimphelter

• Can this U.S. Olympic team win the gold?

• And a survey of standings across the six conferences

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USCHO BETTOR’S EDGE: Plenty of battles between nationally-ranked opponents as the college hockey season begins to wind down

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One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That’s a pretty good cliche that is used in everyday life, but it also can apply to sports wagering. It’s just as easy for someone to hate a team and avoid wagering on them as it is for another to see the ultimate value. This being Super Bowl … Read more

Previewing Beanpot final with NESN’s Billy Jaffe: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 15

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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 NESN hockey analyst Billy Jaffe to preview No. 20 Boston University vs. No. 15 Northeastern in Monday’s Beanpot final.

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

• No. 7 Minnesota at No. 8 Ohio State

• No. 20 Boston University at No. 7 Providence

• No. 15 Northeastern at No. 13 UMass Lowell

• No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at No. 3 Denver

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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Merrimack’s Scott Borek talks this season’s Warriors, Hockey East, recruiting: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 18

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USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Merrimack head coach Scott Borek. The conversation includes this year’s Warriors, Hockey East, recruiting, and coaching today’s players.

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: Talking Schafer’s absence from Cornell bench, impact on teams losing players to Olympics, teams on PairWise bubble

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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: Hello again, Paula. Here we are in a week that I feel like takes place every single season. After week after week of upsets and parity in the college hockey … Read more

With Beanpot underway for 2022 edition, event lends itself to college hockey getting back to pre-COVID times

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“Now is the winter of our discontent,” wrote William Shakespeare in Richard III. What he described, this feeble writer’s mind doesn’t know, despite studying Latin and the Classics throughout a high school education at Boston Latin School, located just miles from TD Garden. But if Shakespeare was predicting a future, one in Boston could associate … Read more

PairWise probabilities and a mostly stable Top 20: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 18

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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:

• It was a very stable week for the USCHO top 20

• Quinnipiac sweeps the Capital District in the ECAC including an NCAA record-setting 13th shutout

• Cornell during Mike Schafer’s absence

• An extended look at the PairWise: Which teams are NCAA locks or nearly so?

• Will there be an historic Beanpot final?

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

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Talking rules and officiating with Big Ten’s Steve Piotrowski: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 17

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USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Big Ten director of officials and former NCAA secretary–rules editor for men’s and women’s ice hockey Steve Piotrowski to talk about officiating and rules. This wide-ranging conversation includes recruiting and development of officials, the use of video for evaluation and replay, the challenges officials face as the speed and skill level of the game has increased, and an appraisal of recent rule changes.

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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Previewing No. 7 St. Cloud State at No. 4 Denver with Pioneers’ head coach David Carle: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 13

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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 Denver head coach David Carle to preview No. 7 St. Cloud State at No. 4 Denver.

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

• Penn State at No. 13 Notre Dame

• No. 18 Omaha at No. 12 North Dakota

69th Beanpot (Monday at TD Garden in Boston)

• No. 19 Boston University vs. Harvard

• Boston College vs. No. 16 Northeastern

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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