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.

ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell on this season, NCAA tournament, 2020-21 overtime: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 15

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A conversation with incoming Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast season 2 episode 20

No men’s D-I hockey conference was more impacted by COVID-19 than ECAC Hockey, which saw eight of its 12 teams elect not to play this season.

Commissioner Steve Hagwell joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger for a wide-ranging discussion, including how the remaining four teams have adapted, what short- and long-term outcomes there may be from pandemic protocols and student-athlete transfers, about the 2020-21 overtime changes, room for future growth of college hockey, and his conference’s NCAA bid prospects.

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Wisconsin goes worst to first; who are locks for the NCAAs (and who could spoil): Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 16

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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 and Ed Trefzger look back at the weekend’s games and the week’s news, including:

• Wisconsin sweeps Michigan State to clinch the Big Ten regular-season title and goes from worst to first;

• Boston College downs Northeastern to take Hockey East’s top seed, while Boston University clinches second;

• St. Cloud will face Colorado College in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff after defeating Minnesota Duluth (who gets Western Michigan);

• Holy Cross and Merrimack see their seasons end due to COVID-19 protocols;

• Atlantic Hockey starts its playoffs;

• For some, women’s seedings cause concern for men’s tournament selections;

• Plus, who are the locks and near locks for the NCAA tournament – and who could spoil?

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GOTW: No. 7 Michigan spoils No. 3 Minnesota’s B1G title hopes, knocking off Gophers, 5-2; Wisconsin now in catbird seat to take regular-season crown

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No. 7 Michigan furthered improved its NCAA tournament resume with a 5-2 victory over No. 3 Minnesota. The result combined with Wisconsin’s victory over Michigan State puts the Badgers in position to earn its first regular-season Big Ten title with a win on Saturday (photo: Jim Rosvold)

Michigan at Minnesota preview with reporter Jess Myers: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 14

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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 Jess Myers, who covers the Golden Gophers beat as a reporter for The Rink Live, to preview No. 7 Michigan at No. 3 Minnesota.

We also look at another Big Ten series and its implications – No. 5 Wisconsin at Michigan State – as well as Hockey East single games with No. 18 Northeastern at No. 2 Boston College, No. 10 Boston University at UMass Lowell, and Maine at No. 6 UMass. Also significant are a pair of single NCHC contests with No. 12 Omaha visiting No. 1 North Dakota and No. 9 Minnesota Duluth traveling to No. 8 St. Cloud.

The WCHA wraps its season with some important games and Atlantic Hockey plays its first round with three single-elimination matchups.

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American International’s Eric Lang on building the Yellow Jackets program, this season: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 14

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A conversation with incoming Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast season 2 episode 20

American International clinched its third consecutive Atlantic Hockey regular season championship – no small feat for a team that few had heard of five years ago.

Head coach Eric Lang joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to talk about the growth and success of the program, a team that lost 10 seniors but which didn’t skip a beat, the recovery of Eric Otto from cancer, mentoring others, and keeping sharp in a season filled with cancellations and pauses.

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North Dakota retakes No. 1, UMass, Minnesota Duluth pick up big wins, NCAA prognostication: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 15

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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 and Ed Trefzger look back at the weekend’s results and the week’s news, plus round two of NCAA bracketology.

In this episode:

• Then-No. 1 Boston College goes down to an impressive UMass;

• North Dakota keeps rolling;

• Minnesota Duluth gets back to winning ways against St. Cloud State;

• Minnesota State loses its first WCHA game this season during weekend split with Bemidji State;

• Bowling Green sweeps Alabama-Huntsville, finishes with a 19-8-1 mark overall;

• Big Ten will come down to the final weekend;

• Atlantic Hockey field is set;

• And our scenarios for the NCAA tournament.

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St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth preview with Bulldogs radio voice Bruce Ciskie: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 3 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

No. 6 St. Cloud State visits No. 10 Minnesota Duluth in a single, nationally-televised NCHC game on Saturday with conference and NCAA postseason implications. Bulldogs radio voice Bruce Ciskie previews the contest with a look at this year’s UMD team and how they match up against they Huskies.

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger also look ahead at another NCHC tilt, No. 2 North Dakota at No. 11 Omaha, as well as No. 3 Minnesota State’s home-and-home series against No. 19 Bemidji State in the WCHA, No. 9 UMass at No. 1 Boston College for a game, and Ohio State at No. 5 Wisconsin.

Plus with almost the entire week’s schedule wiped out, playoff positions in Atlantic Hockey’s western pod all comes down to Canisius and Niagara’s home-and-home pair this weekend.

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North Dakota’s Brad Berry talks Fighting Hawks, NCHC playoffs, keeping seniors four years: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 13

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A conversation with incoming Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast season 2 episode 20

Last weekend, North Dakota clinched the NCHC regular season trophy, the Penrose Cup.

Fighting Hawks head coach Brad Berry joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to talk about this year’s team, the competitiveness and rivalries in the conference, keeping talented seniors for four seasons, and the challenges of a single-elimination Frozen Faceoff this season.

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North Dakota clinches NCHC, other conferences coming into focus, NCAA bracketology: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 14

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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 and Ed Trefzger look back at the weekend and news of the week.

North Dakota clinched the Penrose Cup as the NCHC regular season champion.

Boston College’s sweep and BU’s OT win seem to make it a three-horse race in Hockey East with UMass, but the HEPI formula leaves that murky to outsiders.

Minnesota is close to sewing up the Big Ten title, but Wisconsin also has a path.

Minnesota State needs three points in its last four games to win the WCHA, while Bowling Green got off the schneid.

AIC has won the eastern pod regular season title, while big weekends for Air Force and RIT have left the western pod still up for grabs.

Plus, we do a little early bracketology and prognosticate how many teams each conference can expect in the NCAA field of 16.

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Hockey East picks: Feb. 19-23

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Pretty impressive that both Marisa and I were a perfect 7-0-0 last week (and for those who pointed out, yes, we picked an extra game between Providence and UConn, oops.) Let’s see if that perfection continues. Fri.-Sat., Feb. 19-20 Merrimack vs. New Hampshire (Fri. at UNH, Sat. at MC) A battle of two consistently inconsistent … Read more

This Week in Hockey East: Due to schedule imbalance, new power index assuring teams that ‘every game matters’

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In a very challenging year, one thing was clear to first-year commissioner Steve Metcalf early in the 2020-21 Hockey East campaign

It took just a couple of weekends of canceled games and teams and the league working to change opponents to make Metcalf realize come season’s end, there would be a significant imbalance in both number of games played as well as the strength of opponents each team faces.

Thus, Metcalf turned to a somewhat familiar formula to help determine the Hockey East standings: the PairWise.