Jim ConnellyNo team wants a goaltending controversy. And even though Northeastern seems to have found a diamond in the rough in Bryan Mountain, that may not be the best thing for this club. That leads my three things I learned this weekend: 1. Rawlings struggles, Mountain shines Chris Rawlings is supposed to be the backbone to … Read more
No team wants a goaltending controversy. And even though Northeastern seems to have found a diamond in the rough in Bryan Mountain, that may not be the best thing for this club. That leads my three things I learned this weekend: 1. Rawlings struggles, Mountain shines Chris Rawlings is supposed to be the backbone to … Read more
Entering the season with high expectations, the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks faced their true litmus test over the weekend with a two-game home-and-home series with No. 1 Boston College. While Friday night, a 1-0 loss at home for Lowell, might have earned a satisfactory grade, Sunday’s game may have been a bit of a failure. The … Read more
The Boston College Eagles raised their national championship banner on Saturday night and then used the momentum of the electric crowd at Kelley Rink to jump out to an early lead and never look back. The Eagles, led by sophomore forward Johnny Gaudreau (goal, assist), scored twice early in the first and then rode goaltender … Read more
Well, this has been one very ugly start for me and I find myself in a hole to the old man (aka Dave) early. Hopefully I can stop the bleeding here in week 3. Jim last week: 5-3-1 Dave last week: 7-1-1 Jim’s record-to-date: 5-6-1 Dave’s record-to-date: 8-3-1 This week’s picks: Friday, Oct. 19 Boston College … Read more
Well, this has been one very ugly start for me and I find myself in a hole to the old man (aka Dave) early. Hopefully I can stop the bleeding here in week 3. Jim last week: 5-3-1 Dave last week: 7-1-1 Jim’s record-to-date: 5-6-1 Dave’s record-to-date: 8-3-1 This week’s picks: Friday, Oct. 19 Boston College … Read more
I wasn’t even able to write my first column of the season before the league proved once again parity will be its middle name. Whether it be Northeastern’s upset of No. 1 Boston College, last-year’s cellar dweller Vermont’s ability to grab a road tie with No. 6 Massachusetts-Lowell or New Hampshire’s early season sweep of … Read more
The Hockey East slate of game has barely begun and already I sit here with my jaw dropped. The team that made the jaw hit the floor, of course, is Northeastern. The Huskies pulled a minor upset midweek, knocking off newly-ranked Merrimack. But Saturday was the game-changer. NU’s upset of No. 1 Boston College leads … Read more
The Hockey East slate of game has barely begun and already I sit here with my jaw dropped. The team that made the jaw hit the floor, of course, is Northeastern. The Huskies pulled a minor upset midweek, knocking off newly-ranked Merrimack. But Saturday was the game-changer. NU’s upset of No. 1 Boston College leads … Read more
The movie “Hoosiers” gave us one of the best lines in sports movie history when the crotchety old Hickory fan Opal Fleener said to coach Norman Dale, “Sun don’t shine on the same dog’s [behind] every day, but mister, you ain’t seen a ray of light since you got here.” For Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon, … Read more
A year ago at this time, Northeastern bench boss Jim Madigan had barely unpacked his office when he was forced to be thinking about serving as head coach for the first time in his career. Hired in August, Madigan had just two weeks before players arrived on campus and a short six-week window before the … Read more
Few Massachusetts-Lowell fans will forget the season of 2011-12. Entering with low expectations and a new head coach in Norm Bazin, many fans would’ve been satisfied just making the playoffs. Bazin and his team, though, took things a major step further. The River Hawks finished second in Hockey East, tying the best finish in program … Read more
Possibly the most shocking news in Hockey East this offseason came from Amherst, Mass., when coach Don “Toot” Cahoon tendered his resignation early in the summer. Many felt that the Minutemen were on a positive-looking path, so Cahoon’s sudden decision to leave sent shock waves through the league. After an exhaustive coaching search wherein reports … Read more
There is a lot of buzz as the 2012-13 campaign kicks off for the defending national champion Boston College Eagles. BC returns a solid piece of its core group from a season ago led by goaltender Parker Milner. But as often happens with a national champ, the Eagles were hit hard with players leaving early … Read more
It seems almost unthinkable that the college hockey season is already upon us. This weekend (and week to come), there are three games involving Hockey East teams. So let’s kick off our season of predictions. Saturday, Oct. 6 Quinnipiac at Maine Jim’s pick: The Black Bears lost a lot but do return Dan Sullivan in … Read more
It seems almost unthinkable that the college hockey season is already upon us. This weekend (and week to come), there are three games involving Hockey East teams. So let’s kick off our season of predictions. Saturday, Oct. 6 Quinnipiac at Maine Jim’s pick: The Black Bears lost a lot but do return Dan Sullivan in … Read more
New Massachusetts coach John Micheletto wasn’t the first one offered the Minutemen job, but he says it’s time to move forward. Jim Connelly reports.
For the 11th straight year, the college hockey community will turn in its sticks in exchange for whiffle ball bats to support the Travis Roy Foundation. The 11th annual Travis Roy Foundation WIFFLE Ball Tournament returns to Little Fenway and Little Wrigley in Essex, Vt., on Friday-Sunday, August 10-12, 2012. The theme, ‘Eleven Seconds to Eleven … Read more
For the 11th straight year, the college hockey community will turn in its sticks in exchange for whiffle ball bats to support the Travis Roy Foundation. The 11th annual Travis Roy Foundation WIFFLE Ball Tournament returns to Little Fenway and Little Wrigley in Essex, Vt., on Friday-Sunday, August 10-12, 2012. The theme, ‘Eleven Seconds to Eleven … Read more
On Friday, many college hockey fans were pleasantly surprised to hear six players with college ties called to the stage in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at the Consol Energy Center. There was plenty of speculation coming in that this could be a very lean year for college prospects. The validation … Read more