John Doyle
Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf acknowledges there are pros and cons to running a league known for parity. Pros: Hockey East is widely acknowledged as an “any given night” league where there’s little surprise when a team low in the standings beats a contender. See: The second-half resurgences of Maine and New Hampshire, which are … Read more
With just four games left in the regular season, Connecticut coach Mike Cavanaugh has no intention of his team taking its foot off the gas. The Huskies — currently in fifth place in Hockey East with an 11-8-2 record (17-10-3 overall) and 16th in the latest USCHO.com men’s D-I poll — are very much in … Read more
New Hampshire coach Mike Souza has had a front-row seat to the rivalry between his school and state-line rival Maine for the better part of three decades, both as a player and a coach. Going back to the 1999 season as a player, when Maine and UNH were the toast of Hockey East, if not … Read more
Since the Beanpot has featured the same four teams for its entire 70-year history and rotates the first-round matchups on a three-year cycle, the law of averages dictates that Harvard and Northeastern should have previously met in the final about a dozen times. But it’s never happened before until this year, and Monday’s championship matchup … Read more
Growing up in Milton, Mass., in the figurative shadow of the TD Garden, Aidan McDonough was that rare youth hockey player from New England who didn’t necessarily dream about someday wearing a Bruins jersey. For McDonough, it was all about the Beanpot. “I didn’t want to play in the NHL — that’s a far-fetched dream,” … Read more
There were plenty of celebratory hoots and hollers coming from the UMass Lowell locker room last Saturday night in the immediate aftermath of its most recent game. It’s safe to say the River Hawks were happy about more than just a 3-2 overtime win at New Hampshire. With four wins in their last five games, … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. ECAC foes hand losses to No. 1 Quinnipiac In a highly anticipated matchup of ECAC heavyweights Friday night, No. 16 Cornell handed top-ranked Quinnipiac a 4-0 loss, snapping the Bobcats’ 17-game unbeaten streak “We had a … Read more
Without prying too much into Providence coach Nate Leaman’s personal life, by all appearances he’s a man of good habits. That might change, however, given how competitive Hockey East has been this year. “I don’t smoke cigarettes, but I might start,” Leaman said recently, with a chuckle. Just how competitive is Hockey East this year? … Read more
Nate Leaman is obviously pleased his Providence team is playing well enough to find itself near the top of a crowded Hockey East with one game to go before the holiday break. Be he knows in a heartbeat, things can change. “Northeastern won the league in the last minute of a game last year on … Read more
According to the latest line chart issued by the Boston University men’s hockey team, there are 12 players on the Terriers’ roster drafted by NHL teams. So it’s interesting that the team’s top scorer does not have the logo of a pro team printed underneath his No. 37. With eight points in his last six … Read more
It’s a good bet UMass coach Greg Carvel will be avoiding gluten when his team travels to Northern Ireland for this weekend’s Friendship Four tournament. The last time the Minutemen participated, six years ago, Carvel’s allergic reaction to an iconic dry stout of the Emerald Isle was a minor irritation of an otherwise memorable trip. … Read more
Merrimack coach Scott Borek has been around Hockey East long enough to remember when it was a top-heavy league. Traditionally dominated for the better part of its first two decades as a conference by the likes of Boston University, Boston College, New Hampshire and Maine, things have changed in the last decade — UMass Lowell … Read more
Ryan Tverberg has, so far this season, done everything in his power to get Connecticut to its highest national ranking ever — seventh in the latest edition of the DCU/USCHO.com D-I men’s poll. The scary thing for the rest of Hockey East? The junior forward might still have his best hockey in front of him. … Read more
It’s no secret that the Massachusetts hockey team plays close games against intra-state rival Merrimack. UMass won all four meetings last season by a single goal, including twice in overtime. Over the weekend, the teams split a pair of overtime contests during a home-and-home series, with the Minutemen winning 3-2 on their home sheet on … Read more
When he transferred to Connecticut over the summer, Andrew Lucas knew he was joining a hungry men’s hockey team. The Huskies were coming off a season where they missed an NCAA tournament appearance by one overtime goal. Lucas, meanwhile, was at Vermont, playing well but for a struggling team. The junior forward has been pretty … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. North Dakota-Minnesota series goes both ways in OT Fans at 3M Arena at Mariucci for either of the North Dakota-Minnesota games this weekend got more than they bargained for, both figuratively and literally. Figuratively because each … Read more
No, Greg Brown does not feel like he has to win four NCAA championships anytime soon. It would be somewhat understandable if he did. The first-year coach of the Boston College men’s hockey team knew what he was getting into last spring when he was hired to replace the legendary Jerry York — he of … Read more
Anyone doubting that expectations are high this season for the Northeastern men’s hockey team just needed to check out the scene in the lobby of Matthews Arena about an hour before the Huskies started their 2022-23 season last weekend. Enthusiasm for the team from the Northeastern student fan base is nothing new, of course, but … Read more
New coaches at two of the league’s Boston-based schools, high expectations for the other, and the return of Frozen Fenway highlight the storylines heading into Hockey East’s 39th season. For the first time since almost fifty years, the Battle of Comm. Ave between Boston College and Boston University will feature neither longtime Eagles coach Jerry … Read more
“Once we started helping each other out, it made a huge difference,” said Denver’s Mike Benning, who scored the go-ahead goal.