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.

Hockey East picks: Feb. 5-9

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Here I was, thinking a 6-1-0 mark last weekend was decent. Except for the fact that Marisa was a perfect 7-0-0, closing the gap on my lead to three games. Nine games on tap this week, and plenty available on the airwaves (NESN, NESN+). Of course, all games can be found at www.collegesportslive.com. Jim last … Read more

Bowling Green at Minnesota State preview with Mavericks coach Mike Hastings: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 10

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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

Two USCHO.com men’s ice hockey poll top ten teams meet in WCHA weekend play as No. 8 Bowling Green travels to No. 6 Minnesota State. Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger catch up with Mavericks head coach Mike Hastings to preview a matchup between two stingy defenses and two potent offenses.

We also look at the “Battle of Commonwealth Avenue” between No. 1 Boston College and No. 15 Boston University and a pair of road tilts for UConn among Hockey East games, No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 2 Minnesota in the Big Ten, No. 9 Omaha at Denver in NCHC play, and a pair of ECAC series sending St. Lawrence to No. 12 Quinnipiac and No. 13 Clarkson to Colgate.

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This Week in Hockey East: Elite Lindberg-Murray goaltending combo paying dividends for Massachusetts

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Massachusetts coach Greg Carvel comes across to the average person as somewhat soft spoken, very transparent, and most certainly mild mannered.

And whether he is being somewhat sarcastic, when he tells you that he is sick of people asking about which goaltender is going to start his next game, there’s probably a small amount of truth.

UConn’s Mike Cavanaugh talks Huskies, some positives amid COVID-19 restrictions: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 10

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

After a 1-4-1 start, UConn is 6-2-1 in its last nine games, including a weekend sweep of Merrimack.

Huskies head coach Mike Cavanaugh joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to talk about this year’s team, the World Juniors appearances by sophomores Vladislav Firstov and Yan Kuznetsov, playing on campus instead of in Hartford, and some positives that have resulted even amid COVID-19 limitations.

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Changes near the top of the poll, milestones for Sandelin, Soderquist: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 11

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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 at the games and news of the past week.

Two coaching milestones were reached: 400 career wins for Minnesota Duluth’s Scott Sandelin and 250 for Bentley’s Ryan Soderquist.

Idle Boston College stays at No. 1, while Minnesota was rewarded for its sweep of Ohio State and North Dakota dropped a spot after a split with Omaha.

Bemidji State is back on peoples’ radar after going 5-2-2 in their last nine.

Bowling Green returns to the win column with a sweep of Michigan Tech.

UMass sweeps rival UMass Lowell with goalie Filip Lindberg allowing just two goals in his last four games.

Wisconsin’s Cole Caufield had a big weekend and has 14 goals and 14 assists in 18 games.

AIC, at 13-3, picked up three wins on the week.

And UConn and Providence had Hockey East weekend sweeps.

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Hockey East picks: Jan. 29-Feb. 2

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Ties through 65 minutes were the way of Hockey East last weekend as four of the eight games went down as ties with the extra league point decided in a shootout. Five games, in fact, went to overtime, which continues to highlight just how close things are in Hockey East. Jim last week: 4-0-4 Marisa … Read more

North Dakota at Omaha preview with Mavericks coach Mike Gabinet: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 9

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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 No. 9 Omaha head coach Mike Gabinet to preview this weekend’s home series vs. No. 2 North Dakota. We discuss this year’s Mavericks, their steady improvement, and how they dealt mentally with the extended pause after the semester break.

Also of note this weekend in league play are the Hockey East home-and-home series between No. 10 UMass and No. 16 UMass Lowell, No. 18 Michigan Tech at No. 8 Bowling Green in the WCHA, and a trio of Big Ten matchups.

Non-conference games include No. 3 Minnesota State at Bemidji State – which is fresh off a sweep of Bowling Green last weekend – and No. 11 Quinnipiac hosting LIU.

And after weekend meetings juggling the schedule for the rest of the season, Atlantic Hockey prepares for a nearly full slate of games.

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Mercyhurst’s Rick Gotkin on this season’s Lakers, COVID-19 accommodations, scheduling: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 9

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

With four straight wins, including 5-of-6 points from then-No. 17 Robert Morris, Mercyhurst has been playing well. Lakers head coach Rick Gotkin joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to talk about his team, as well as how they’ve adjusted to COVID-19 restrictions and a schedule in flux. We also touch upon the impact of the pandemic beyond the rink, including the extra year of eligibility and recruiting by watching video and making Zoom calls.

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Another milestone for York, sweeps for a bunch of top-20 teams, and how about BU? Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 10

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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 a busy weekend – and week – in college hockey.

Boston College coach Jerry York hit another career milestone: 1,100 wins.

Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota Duluth, and Bemidji State were among the teams with sweeps.

Minnesota State’s Dryden McKay notched his sixth shutout, putting him not only in the Richter conversation, but also for the Hobey.

Quinnipiac and Clarkson are neck-and-neck in the ECAC.

Mercyhurst took five of six points from Robert Morris.

And how about Boston University at 5-1?

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Michigan at Notre Dame preview with Fighting Irish broadcaster Darin Pritchett: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 8

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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

Notre Dame swept Michigan at Yost Ice Arena in two one-goal games just after Thanksgiving. The No. 8 Wolverines visit the No 16 Fighting Irish this weekend in Big Ten play. Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by the voice of the Irish, Darin Pritchett, for a preview.

We also look ahead to Arizona State at No. 4 Minnesota and No. 12 Wisconsin at Penn State in the Big Ten, No. 10 Quinnipiac at No. 14 Clarkson for three ECAC contests, No. 18 Providence home-and-home with No. 8 UMass in Hockey East, and a slate of NCHC matchups highlighted by No. 19 Denver at No. 11 Omaha.

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This Week in Hockey East: Rapidly-improving Connecticut team making waves with added experience, talent

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Building and continuously rebuilding a college sports program is easily the greatest challenge that every coaching staff faces.

Success, particularly in college hockey, often leads to NHL teams taking notice and players being snatched prior to the conclusion of their four-year college career, often leaving significant holes in a lineup.

Three years ago, Connecticut coach Mike Cavanaugh faced exactly that.

Notre Dame’s Jeff Jackson talks Fighting Irish, Big Ten, pandemic, analytics: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 8

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

Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson, whose Fighting Irish swept then-No. 1 Minnesota last weekend. Jackson speaks about this year’s team, the Big Ten’s response to the pandemic and how his team has adjusted, about analytics vs. the “eye test,” and about this weekend’s series with Michigan.

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