Jim ConnellyIn 1985, New Hampshire coach Dick Umile was coaching at Watertown (Mass.) High School when he got a call from an old friend with an opportunity. The call was from Mike McShane. McShane has just been hired to replace Steve Sterling as bench boss at Providence and he wanted Umile to be his assistant. When … Read more
It certainly was an interesting weekend to look back on in Hockey East. A busy league slate was highlighted by a clash of what most believe will be two of the league’s powerhouses come March – Maine and Boston University. The single game on Saturday night was a barnburner for 60 minutes and beyond and … Read more
It certainly was an interesting weekend to look back on in Hockey East. A busy league slate was highlighted by a clash of what most believe will be two of the league’s powerhouses come March – Maine and Boston University. The single game on Saturday night was a barnburner for 60 minutes and beyond and … Read more
Three games into the season, things have played out pretty much according to expectations for the Vermont Catamounts. If the team knew there would be a challenge entering the season, it would be goal scoring. Still, at 0-1-2, the Cats’ record is hardly as bad as it may look. A 5-3 loss to Denver to … Read more
It was an interesting weekend in Hockey East with national number one Boston College falling to rival Notre Dame, Northeastern and Lowell earning their first wins and Boston University picking up two more ‘W’s in league playing with victories over Massachusetts and Providence. But among that, what grabbed my attention and likely that of many … Read more
It was an interesting weekend in Hockey East with national number one Boston College falling to rival Notre Dame, Northeastern and Lowell earning their first wins and Boston University picking up two more ‘W’s in league playing with victories over Massachusetts and Providence. But among that, what grabbed my attention and likely that of many … Read more
Hockey East Picks – October 22-23 Last weekend’s plethora of ties made the early-season picks records a bit skewed: Dave’s record-to-date: 5-1-5 (.682) Jim’s record-to-date: 4-2-5 (.591) Here are this week’s picks: Friday, October 22 New Hampshire at Northeastern Jim’s pick: Troubles continue for the Huskies UNH 4, NU 2 Dave’s pick: I like the Huskies … Read more
Hockey East Picks – October 22-23 Last weekend’s plethora of ties made the early-season picks records a bit skewed: Dave’s record-to-date: 5-1-5 (.682) Jim’s record-to-date: 4-2-5 (.591) Here are this week’s picks: Friday, October 22 New Hampshire at Northeastern Jim’s pick: Troubles continue for the Huskies UNH 4, NU 2 Dave’s pick: I like the Huskies … Read more
Discipline and having your players stay out of the penalty box can always be a challenge for college coaches. Particularly early in the season when referees and players are getting used to one another – and what is and isn’t a penalty – you often see penalty totals that are, shall we say, a bit … Read more
Discipline and having your players stay out of the penalty box can always be a challenge for college coaches. Particularly early in the season when referees and players are getting used to one another – and what is and isn’t a penalty – you often see penalty totals that are, shall we say, a bit … Read more
This Week’s Picks Hey folks. Beginning this week, both Dave and I will be making our weekly picks in the Hockey East blog. Every week, we will both make the selections for the upcoming games, meaning I can kick Dave’s butt fair and square this season. Friday, Oct. 15 Rensselaer at Northeastern Dave’s Pick: The … Read more
This Week’s Picks Hey folks. Beginning this week, both Dave and I will be making our weekly picks in the Hockey East blog. Every week, we will both make the selections for the upcoming games, meaning I can kick Dave’s butt fair and square this season. Friday, Oct. 15 Rensselaer at Northeastern Dave’s Pick: The … Read more
Is it only me, or has the start date for college hockey gotten a bit out of control? When a team’s first practice is actually an exhibition game, I think teams are playing too early. When a club is 0-2 in the league eight days after it takes the ice, I think teams are playing … Read more
Just how significant was the 2009-10 season for the Merrimack Warriors? Consider this: • Last year’s sixth place finish was the best league finish for Merrimack since the 1996-97 team that finished fifth in a nine-team league. • Merrimack’s playoff win over Boston University was the team’s first since an eighth-place Warriors team upset top-seeded … Read more
Entering last season, the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks had the highest expectations. Coming off a heartbreaking loss in the 2009 Hockey East title game to the eventual national champion, Boston University, the River Hawks seemed poised to finally climb to the top of the league, boasting an experienced lineup and two senior goaltenders. That season of … Read more
Attention Maine fans: You may remove the paper bags from your heads. The team that you’re used to seeing has returned. Sure, maybe that’s a bold statement, but for a school that expects its team to compete for a national championship year in and year out, the well-document struggles of Maine hockey in the 2007-08 … Read more
Providence enters the 2010-11 season as the perceived doormat. The once-powerhouse program that twice has won Hockey East tournament titles (though none since 1996) has inconceivably missed the playoffs for two straight seasons. This year, the Friars were picked for 10th in the preseason coaches’ poll. Though this might seem like a tailspin to the … Read more
Rarely has a team won a national championship in recent years only to return the next season nearly entirely intact. In the case of Boston College, that is the ultimate luxury heading into the 2010-11 campaign. After BC’s dominant postseason run culminated with the national title last April in Detroit, many wondered if the Eagles … Read more
College hockey’s celebrated opening day of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft was followed by a solid performance in the Draft’s conclusion on Saturday. Eight players with college ties were selected in the second round, giving college hockey a grand total of 17 collegians selected in the top two rounds. After closing Friday’s opening round with … Read more
Saturday’s NHL Entry Draft notebook leads off with details of one of the best opening two rounds for Americans. Jim Connelly reports.