Jim ConnellyMANCHESTER, 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
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
Boston College coach Jerry York, after missing the remainder of the team’s Hockey East quarterfinal series against Vermont with a detached retina, underwent successful scleral buckling surgery Monday at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston to repair the retina in his right eye and is resting comfortably at home, the school announced Monday. York’s status is day-to-day.. … 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
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
Before we get into anything this week, first off we must tip our caps to Massachusetts-Lowell, the first team to break the Big Four Stranglehold — the quartet of Boston College, Boston University, Maine and New Hampshire — and win a regular season title. The photos that came from the Lowell locker room after the … Read more
Even in his biggest successes, Jack Parker never really lost his roots, Jim Connelly writes.
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
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
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
Dave may have felt he was done in by the Curse of Nicole. Personally, I was done in by the Curse of Making Bad Picks. The white flag is in my hand right now, just about ready to be waved. Jim last week: 5-5-1 Jim to date: 94-71-20 Dave last week: 7-3-1 Dave to date: … Read more
Dave may have felt he was done in by the Curse of Nicole. Personally, I was done in by the Curse of Making Bad Picks. The white flag is in my hand right now, just about ready to be waved. Jim last week: 5-5-1 Jim to date: 94-71-20 Dave last week: 7-3-1 Dave to date: … Read more
On Dec. 1, the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks lost to New Hampshire 5-2 for the second straight night. At that point, Lowell had gotten off to a somewhat miserable 4-7-1 start. Sure, there was a win at Colorado College and an 8-2 drubbing of rival Massachusetts in those four wins. But this was a UMass-Lowell team … Read more
The Hockey East penthouse just got more crowded. Entering Tuesday night with three teams tied for first place in the conference, a fourth club was added as Massachusetts-Lowell knocked off Boston College 4-2 at Kelley Rink. Combined with Boston University’s 5-2 win over Merrimack, the River Hawks and Eagles, along with Providence and New Hampshire, … Read more