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.

Michigan’s Mel Pearson talks Wolverines, pandemic, compressed Big Ten schedule: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 1

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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 Michigan head coach Mel Pearson to discuss this year’s Wolverines team, preparations in an extended preseason, precautions in the face of the pandemic, and a compressed Big Ten schedule. Pearson also explains the decision made to keep freshman Owen Power at Michigan rather than heading to Canadian World Juniors camp.

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Wisconsin, Michigan off to strong starts; Eight teams cancel seasons: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 1

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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 first weekend of college hockey for the 2020-21 season.

Wisconsin picked up six points in the Big Ten with a weekend road sweep at Notre Dame while Michigan won both ends of a home series against Arizona State.

Eight teams have cancelled their 2020-21 campaigns, including the Ivy League as a whole, and others have seen delays and postponements.

Alabama Huntsville has $17 million contributed to fund operations for the next decade, while Long Island University has defied critics and is ready to get its new program underway this week.

And the training camp for the Canadian World Juniors team has three NCAA programs facing a dilemma.

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Strong February cements USCHO Rookie of the Year award for Boston College’s Newhook

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Last June, the name Alex Newhook became internationally-known in the world of hockey when the 18-year-old was selected in the first round (16th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft. To say that Newhook entered Boston College with high expectations on his shoulders as part of a highly-touted freshman class would be an understatement (photo: Rich Gagnon).

Cancelling the NCAA tournament, Detroit as a future host, eligibility, future protocols with men’s D-I chair Steve Metcalf: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast season 2 episode 25

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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 Steve Metcalf, chair of the NCAA men’s D-I ice hockey committee, deputy director of athletics at New Hampshire, and incoming commissioner of Hockey East.

Metcalf discusses the whirlwind of decisions that were made as news changed very quickly last week. Also discussed are the future of Detroit hosting a Frozen Four, the possibility of providing additional eligibility to hockey players, the impact of contagion on future protocols, and Metcalf’s retrospective on serving on the committee.

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D-I men’s conference tournaments canceled; the implications, what comes next? USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast season 2 episode 24

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

Just hours after deciding that league playoffs would be played with no spectators in attendance, five of the six men’s D-I hockey conferences announced that they were canceling their postseason tournaments altogether.

With this news, hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger sat down to discuss the news and its implications, as well as what might come next.

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PairWise analysis: who’s in, who could be, plus what might be the effects of COVID-19: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast season 2 episode 23

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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 look at the PairWise Rankings, who’s in and who could be in, and answer listener questions.

And they weigh in on the effects COVID-19 might have – although with breaking news, these comments may not be completely up to date as the show was recorded at about 2 p.m. EDT on March 11, 2020. Harvard’s cancellation of the remainder of its season broke after this was recorded.

USCHO PairWise Rankings: https://www.uscho.com/rankings/pairwise-rankings/d-i-men/

USCHO PairWise Explanation: https://www.uscho.com/faq/pairwise-rankings-explanation/

USCHO RPI and Explanation: https://www.uscho.com/rankings/rpi/d-i-men/

This episode is sponsored by the 2020 NCAA Frozen Four, April 9 and 11 in Detroit. Visit ncaa.com/frozenfour for tickets.

This episode of USCHO Spotlight is sponsored by the 2020 NCAA Frozen Four, April 9 and 11 in Detroit. Visit ncaa.com/frozenfour for tickets.

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

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Four conferences finish playoff first round; NCHC, Hockey East wrap regular seasons: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 2 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 and Ed Trefzger look back at the weekend of March 5-8, which saw four conferences begin playoffs and two others wrap up their regular seasons.

In ECAC Hockey, Princeton’s two overtime wins advanced the Tigers past Dartmouth, while it took two overtimes for Yale to advance past Union in the league’s only game three.

The big surprise in Atlantic Hockey was that there were no surprises; all three higher seeds advanced, though only Robert Morris needed three to move past Holy Cross, including a game two overtime win.

In the Big Ten, the higher seeds all won as well. Notre Dame will miss the NCAA tournament after a disappointing second semester, while Wisconsin will await decisions by three first-round draft picks who might turn pro.

The WCHA saw two lower seeds advance. Bowling Green swept Alaska and Michigan Tech downed rival Northern Michigan in a three-overtime thriller.

Hockey East settled its playoff lineup and home ice as did the NCHC, which decided everything on Friday except whether North Dakota would be alone in first place. The Fighting Hawks’ win over Omaha gave them sole possession of the Penrose Cup.

Arizona State continues to watch the PairWise, which Bemidji State showed over the weekend still has some volatility.

Plus we weigh in on the impact of the coronavirus as Rensselaer announced its series against Harvard will be played at an empty Houston Field House.

This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Frozen Four, April 9-11 in Detroit. Visit ncaa.com/frozenfour to get your tickets today.

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

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D-I men’s hockey playoff preview, including Canisius at Bentley with Falcons’ Ryan Soderquist: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 22

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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

Our first Game of the Week this season between two Atlantic Hockey teams features a first-round match up sending Canisius to Bentley for a best-of-three series. Falcons head coach Ryan Soderquist joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger for a preview.

We also look at every other playoff matchup in D-I men’s hockey, taking note of Wisconsin at No. 11 Ohio State – especially after the Badgers took five of six points from the Buckeyes last weekend – in the Big Ten and which series may lead to an upset in ECAC Hockey. Plus No. 3 Minnesota State and No. 10 Bemidji State and their home series in the WCHA vs. Alaska Anchorage and Lake Superior State respectively, as well as Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan and Bowling Green at Alaska.

Meanwhile, it’s still the regular season in two conferences. St. Cloud State, No. 6 Denver, and No. 17 Western Michigan all look to sew up home ice in the NCHC, though it’s a tall order for the Huskies at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth. And in Hockey East, Boston University, Providence, Northeastern, and New Hampshire are four teams trying to find one of three chairs when the music stops playing.

This episode is sponsored by the 2020 NCAA Frozen Four, April 9 and 11 in Detroit. Visit ncaa.com/frozenfour for tickets.

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

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Hockey East picks: Mar. 5-7

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The final weekend of the regular season with plenty of positioning on the line. My positioning against Dave? Well, it’s improved (how about calling one of those UVM wins last week!?), but time is so short a comeback seems highly unlikely. Jim last week: 6-2-1 Dave last week: 4-4-1 Jim to date: 122-81-26 Dave to … Read more