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 – Dec. 6-10

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Magically, Jim picked up four games on Dave last week. But when you’re down eight before Thanksgiving, that barely puts a dent in the overall deficit. Jim last week: 14-3-2 Dave last week: 10-7-2 Jim to date: 61-36-16 Dave to date: 65-32-16 Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7 Maine at Massachusetts The Black Bears came off a … Read more

No. 16 UMass Lowell vs. No. 15 Providence preview with River Hawks coach Norm Bazin: Game of the Week Podcast Season 2 Episode 10

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UMass Lowell coach Norm Bazin joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to preview the No. 16 River Hawks’ home-and-home Hockey East series with No. 15 Providence.

Jim and Ed also look at these weekend matchups: No. 2 Cornell is at No. 12 Harvard on Friday in ECAC Hockey action; in the NCHC, No. 3 North Dakota is at No. 17 Western Michigan and No. 14 Minnesota Duluth is at No. 18 Omaha in weekend series; No. 4 Denver travels for a pair at No. 20 Arizona State; and in a home-and-home series separated by an extra day and 800 air miles, No. 9 Notre Dame takes on No. 10 Boston College.

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Army West Point’s Brian Riley talks Black Knights, AHA expansion, 3v3 OT adoption, video: USCHO Spotlight Season 2 Episode 9

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RILEY

Army West Point reaches the mid-point of the 2019-20 season with a 10-4-0 record, solid goaltending, and a stingy penalty kill. Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Black Knights coach Brian Riley to talk about his team, possible Atlantic Hockey expansion, 3v3 overtime adoption, video review, and Riley’s work with the NCAA D-I ice hockey committee and the American Hockey Coaches Association.

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Cornell stays ‘Red Hot;’ Minnesota State, North Dakota, BGSU, BC all on a roll: Weekend Review podcast Season 2 Episode 9

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Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger look at the weekend of November 28-December 1, starting with No. 2 Cornell’s 2-0 win over Boston University at Red Hot Hockey at MSG.

We also review No. 1 Minnesota State’s sweep of Minnesota Duluth on the road, No. 14 Boston College’s win over Harvard to up the Eagles’ win streak to seven, sweeps by No. 3 North Dakota and No. 16 Bowling Green, the Friendship Four and Turkey Leg tournaments, surges by Army, AIC, and Niagara in Atlantic Hockey, and Arizona State’s move up the PairWise Rankings.

Speaking of PairWise, who’s surprising and who’s not as the calendar flips to December?

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Hockey East picks: Nov. 29-Dec. 2

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Happy Thanksgiving to our readers (if you’re reading on Thursday) or Happy Indigestion Day (if you’re reading on Friday). Dave has taken such a massive lead at this point (eight games) it will be hard to come back, even with about half a season remaining. I’ll try, though. Jim last week: 5-4-3 Jim to date: … Read more

Boston University vs. No. 2 Cornell at MSG preview with Terriers coach Albie O’Connell: Game of the Week Podcast Season 2 Episode 9

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Boston University coach Albie O’Connell joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger as his Terriers prepare to face No. 2 Cornell on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in USCHO’s Game of the Week.

Jim and Ed also preview No. 3 North Dakota at Minnesota, No. 20 Michigan State at No. 11 Ohio State, No. 14 Boston College at No. 9 Harvard, No. 1 Minnesota State at No. 8 Minnesota Duluth, home-and-home series for No. 16 Bowling Green vs. No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 10 UMass vs. Quinnipiac, plus the 2019 Friendship Four.

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College Hockey Inc. at 10: A conversation with executive director Mike Snee – USCHO Spotlight Season 2 Episode 8

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College Hockey Inc. executive director Mike Snee. (College Hockey Inc.)
SNEE

College Hockey Inc. celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 24. Executive director Mike Snee joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to look at what the organization has accomplished to help grow the sport and to increase awareness of college hockey. Snee also looks at what’s ahead, including new schools looking to add Division I men’s hockey.

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Northeastern sweeps; Cornell, Harvard stay perfect; Minnesota State, North Dakota keep rolling: Weekend Review podcast Season 2 Episode 8

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Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger look at the weekend of November 21-23, including Northeastern’s sweep of Maine in our Game of the Week, Cornell and Harvard staying unbeaten, and Minnesota State and North Dakota keeping their momentum going.

We also note Michigan State’s four-point weekend against Notre Dame and splits between Ohio State and Penn State as well as Denver and Western Michigan. And we take notice of a bunch of penalties in Hockey East, as well as 56 minutes doled out at the end of Saturday’s Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan game.

In addition, we have some thoughts on Alabama Huntsville’s announced withdrawal from the WCHA and St. Thomas’ request to jump directly to D-I. Finally, we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of College Hockey Inc.

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Maine at No. 13 Northeastern preview with Black Bears beat writer Larry Mahoney: Game of the Week Podcast Season 2 Episode 8

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Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Larry Mahoney of the Bangor Daily News to preview Maine – just outside the USCHO.com poll top 20 – at No. 13 Northeastern in Hockey East play.

Also previewed: No. 11 Ohio State at No. 6 Penn State, No. 3 Notre Dame at Michigan State, No. 20 Western Michigan at No. 4 Denver, St. Cloud State at No. 5 North Dakota, Quinnipiac at No. 2 Cornell, and Air Force at Robert Morris.

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Harvard’s Ted Donato talks this year’s Crimson, favors 3v3 OT and longer season for Ivies: USCHO Spotlight Season 2 Episode 7

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Head coaches headshots 2/11/2016 (Gil Talbot)
DONATO

Harvard coach Ted Donato, in his 16th season behind the bench of his alma mater, has his 5-0-0 Crimson at No. 10 in the USCHO.com men’s Division I poll. Donato joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to talk about this year’s team and ECAC Hockey, and speaks in favor of expanding the Ivy League schedule from 29 to 34 games (something a fellow Ivy coach, Cornell’s Mike Schafer, has also advocated) and also the 3v3 overtime format.

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Cornell, North Dakota, Penn State with big weekends, and a defense of Jerry York against ‘idiotic’ comments: Weekend Review podcast Season 2 Episode 7

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Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger look back at the games of November 14-16, 2019, including Cornell’s North Country sweep over Clarkson and St. Lawrence, Notre Dame and Wisconsin’s split and how good the Badgers are, Harvard’s 6-0-0 start, North Dakota’s five-point weekend at Denver, Penn State’s two romps at Minnesota, a good comeback by Mercyhurst after a blowout at the hands of American International, and more.

Jim and Ed also weigh in on “idiotic” comments from Toronto sports writers about Jerry York’s decision to stay behind the bench for Boston College before heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame induction, and how Canadian media still fails to understand college hockey in the U.S.

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Hockey East picks: Nov. 14-15

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Perfection is difficult to achieve, but one would hope if you go a week in the picks without taking a loss that you might pick up more ground on your opponent: Jim last week: 6-0-3 Dave last week: 5-1-3 Jim last week: 37-25-10 Dave last week: 41-21-10 UMass Lowell vs. Connecticut (Fri. at UConn; Sat. … Read more

No. 3 Cornell at No. 7 Clarkson preview with Golden Knights coach Casey Jones: Game of the Week Podcast Season 2 Episode 7

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Casey Jones, Clarkson
JONES

It’s a great ECAC Hockey matchup for USCHO’s Game of the Week as No. 7 Clarkson hosts No. 3 Cornell. Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Clarkson head coach Casey Jones to preview the Friday night tilt.

Also in this episode: No. 4 Notre Dame for a pair at No. 15 Wisconsin in the Big Ten, No. 14 Northeastern home-and-home in Hockey East with No. 10 Providence, No. 9 North Dakota at No. 2 Denver in NCHC play, and a couple of Atlantic Hockey rematches from last season’s quarterfinals. Plus a pair of rivalry series: Michigan State and Michigan in a Thursday-Saturday home-and-home, and Maine hosting New Hampshire for two.

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New Hampshire getting offense from high-end blueliners, but no huge emphasis on creating balanced pairings

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If you have watched college hockey – or any elite level of hockey – over the past decade or so, you understand that using the term “defenseman” to describe the two players on each shift who help protect the front of the net is probably selling the efforts of those players a little short (photo: Rich Gagnon).