Jim Connelly

The season of exorcisms continues for Massachusetts-Lowell. Two weeks ago it was Maine, a team that Lowell had a 1-14 record against in playoff games. Lowell swept the Black Bears in the Hockey East quarterfinal. Last weekend it was Boston University, a team that had knocked off the River Hawks in their only two league … Read more

The Wisconsin Badgers learned a difficult lesson in Friday’s NCAA Northeast Regional opener: speed kills. The Badgers were dismantled defensively by a quick Massachusetts-Lowell team that scored six transition goals and rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck’s 31-save performance as the River Hawks advanced with a 6-1 victory. They’ll play in Saturday’s regional final looking for the … Read more

So yes, Dave wins this season. Finally. The old man wasn’t even close the last two years and the way he gloated last week you would think he’d won the Lamoriello Cup. I guess once you get old you look for the little things for satisfaction. Jim last week: 2-1-0 Dave last week: 2-1-0 Jim … Read more

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Wisconsin and head coach Mike Eaves enters Friday’s NCAA first-round game as one of the hottest teams in the country. The only problem is that the team they’re facing on Friday, top-seeded Massachusetts-Lowell, is the only team hotter. Asked what stands out to him or concerns him most about the matchup with … Read more

The Boston University season – and their head coach Jack Parker – live to play another day. Knowing that a loss on Friday would end the season, the Terriers rallied from a two-goal deficit with less than eight minutes to play in the second period to score five straight goal en route to a 6-3 … Read more

The Boston College seniors left the ice at Kelley Rink on Saturday night after a 4-1 win over Vermont knowing that they had played their last game at home and having never lost a playoff game in the building. Now they’ll got to yet another venue where they haven’t lost looking for a Hockey East … Read more

Vermont learned a valuable lesson in Friday’s Hockey East quarterfinal: don’t dig yourself a hole against a three-time defending tournament champion. No. 7-seed Vermont did just that, spotting second-seeded Boston College a 3-0 lead through 40 minutes before rallying in the third on goals by Ben Albertson at 4:56 and a shorthanded tally by Matt … Read more

The hangover from winning the regular-season title for Massachusetts-Lowell lasted nearly two periods and that’s probably two periods more than River Hawks’ coach Norm Bazin hoped for. But the sign of a good team is often its ability to score in bunches and that’s exactly what the River Hawks did, scoring three goals in a … Read more

There are a maximum of 15 games remaining to be played in Hockey East. I enter this weekend eight games behind Dave. I should be waving the white flag. But my never-give-up mentality is keeping me alive. Then again, Dave can just match all of my picks this weekend and I’m done. So let’s just … Read more

In 28 years, no team with a name other than Boston College, Boston University, Maine or New Hampshire ever won the Hockey East regular season title. Saturday night, that changed when Massachusetts-Lowell, a team that began the season 2-6-1 in league play, finished off an incredible late-season run to capture its first Hockey East regular … Read more

Many coaches have said that the Hockey East league title will come down to the final night of the regular season. All of them were correct. By virtue of Providence beating Massachusetts-Lowell, Boston College and Vermont skating to a 4-4 tie, and Maine’s victory over New Hampshire, tomorrow’s game between Lowell and Providence has virtually become … Read more

The nation’s hottest college hockey team doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of letting up. Sparked by two goals by junior Josh Holmstrom and a 31-save performance by rookie netminder Connor Hellebuyck, Massachusetts-Lowell completed a weekend sweep of rival Merrimack with a 3-1 win in front of an announced sellout crowd of 2,489 at … Read more