Jim Connelly

Everyone knows hockey players love to watch hockey on television. So it may seem ironic that on a critically important night where outcomes of various other college hockey games – most of them televised – would affect Michigan State’s NCAA future, that many players chose not to watch any hockey. Michigan State was eliminated from … Read more

Yes, Boston College won yet another Hockey East title (third straight!) and Boston University and Maine will be in the tournament. But it is Massachusetts-Lowell that really feels like it is ready for its second life. That leads the three things we learned this weekend. 1. A second life sometimes feels better than the first The … Read more

It was legendary NBA head coach Pat Riley who is credited with coining the term “three-peat.” On Saturday night, it was Boston College that achieved it. For the first time in the 28-year history of the Hockey East tournament, a team has captured three straight titles after BC defeated a pesky Maine team 4-1 in … Read more

I maintained my one-game lead last week, which means Dave will need a minor miracle if he wants to win. Man, the driver’s seat feels nice. Jim last week: 7-4-0 Dave last week: 7-4-0 Jim’s record-to-date: 123-75-17 Dave’s record-to-date: 122-76-17 Hockey East Semifinals No. 7 Providence vs. No. 1 Boston College (Fri, 5 p.m., TD Garden) Jim’s … Read more

One round of the Hockey East tournament is in the books. And while three series needed three games to decide the outcome, only one provided an upset (that would be Providence becoming the first-ever No. 7 seed to advance). That said, plenty to learn from this first round of Hockey East tournament play. 1. Goaltenders … Read more

Providence made Hockey East tournament history on Sunday afternoon, beating Massachusetts-Lowell, 1-0, in the third game of a best-of-three quarterfinal series to become the first No. 7 seed to advance in the 28-year history of the conference. Providence overcame an emotional 3-2 overtime loss in Friday night’s game two and put forth a stifling defensive … Read more

The No. 1 Boston College Eagles became the first Hockey East team to punch their ticket to the TD Garden and the Hockey East semifinal with a 3-2 victory over Massachusetts on Saturday night to sweep the best-of-three series. The victory, while enjoyable for the Eagles, was seen as one of controversy for the Minutemen, … Read more

It was hardly the easiest test, but the top-seeded Boston College Eagles passed their first exam of the postseason with a hard-fought, 2-1 victory over No. 8 seed Massachusetts Friday, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series at Kelley Rink. The BC offense was limited to just 18 shots … Read more

Dave has his rally cap on. Let’s see if he has enough to complete the comeback! Jim last week: 7-2-0 Dave last week: 8-1-0 Jim’s record-to-date: 116-71-17 Dave’s record-to-date: 115-72-17 This week, we’ll pick all three games as if they are played. If a game three isn’t played, that pick doesn’t count. (All series Friday, … Read more

Eight teams remain as we bid a fond adieu to Vermont and Northeastern. And as we take our first look forward into the Hockey East playoffs, there are some teams that enter on highs, some on lows and some somewhere in between. Here is a look at each. On highs: Heaven isn’t high enough Really, … Read more

One night after the No. 1 Boston College Eagles clinched a share of the Hockey East title, they made sure at home Saturday on Senior Night that there would be no need for the word “co” to accompany the word “champions.” The Eagles used a determined effort on both sides of the puck to shut … Read more

The No.1 Boston College Eagles clinched at least a co-championship in Hockey East on Friday night with a 5-1 victory over Vermont in front of 5,527 at BC’s Kelley Rink. The Eagles, who are two points ahead of Boston University entering the final day of the regular season, need either a win or tie on … Read more

Just a few weeks left and I have leveraged a perfectly-picked split between UMass and UNH to take a two-game lead in the standings. I’m guessing Dave is about to pull the goalie in desperation, so I hope the lead is five by next weekend. Jim last week: 7-2-1 Dave last week: 5-4-1 Jim’s record-to-date: 109-69-17 … Read more