John Doyle
Darion Hanson would like to remind you that his team plays in a pro hockey barn, thank you very much. Unfazed by his first appearance at the TD Garden, the Connecticut graduate-student transfer netminder backstopped his Huskies past Northeastern’s Huskies to the tune of a 3-1 win in the semifinals of the Hockey East tournament … Read more
When Massachusetts senior forward Anthony Del Gaizo said he hopes his team will eventually play on a “bigger stage” than the one it will play on this weekend, he wasn’t speaking literally. This weekend’s Hockey East men’s semifinals and final will be held at TD Garden, home of the NHL’s Boston Bruins and the biggest … Read more
With the single-elimination Hockey East tournament set to begin Wednesday, there’s only one absolute certainty — one team will win it, hoist the Lamoriello Trophy at TD Garden on March 19, and earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. And while it’s unthinkable that Hockey East will wind up with the tournament winner … Read more
While Marty Scarano treated all sports under his watch equally in his more than two decades as athletic director at New Hampshire, there’s no question that hockey holds a special place in his heart. In fact, it was hockey that brought Scarano to New Hampshire at the turn of the millennium. Then the AD at … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. Irish sweep Michigan Notre Dame wrapped up the regular season with a bang over the weekend, taking a pair from second-ranked Michigan by scores of 4-1 and 2-1 at home. The Irish clinched the No. 3 … Read more
There’s a famous scene in the 1986 movie “Hoosiers” where a small-town basketball team enters Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and is immediately awestruck. The coach, played by Gene Hackman, uses a tape measure to assure his players that despite the high ceilings and the large number of seats, the court dimensions are the same as … Read more
It’s safe to say Connecticut men’s hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh likes to use sports metaphors. He dropped a few of them during a recent press availability. On his team’s 2-0 loss to Quinnipiac on Jan. 30, its only setback in an otherwise unblemished eight-game stretch, Cavanaugh evoked golf. “We hit every green in regulation,” he … Read more
It’s a natural instinct for a college hockey player to attempt not to get too amped up for any one game, especially when there’s still more than a month to go in the regular season. Easier said than done, especially when that “one game” is a big part of the reason why said player returned … Read more
Some quick hits as the college hockey regular season enters its final full month… One can forgive fans of the Boston University men’s hockey team for being a little flummoxed when they juxtapose the DCU/USCHO.com poll with the Hockey East standings. Right behind the UMass Lowell and UMass in the league standings sit the Terriers … Read more
The 2021-22 Hockey East season has unfolded so far in ways both expected and unexpected. Expected: NCAA champion Massachusetts, picked first in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll, currently sits one point out of the top spot. Northeastern and Providence, picked fourth and fifth, respectively, have been in the top half of the standings for most … Read more
The UMass Lowell men’s hockey team could soon be the delight of frugal hockey fans everywhere. Thanks to a promotion called “pay the rank,” for a cool $12 a fan could enjoy Lowell’s thrilling 4-3 win over Maine last Saturday night, since the River Hawks were ranked No. 12 in that week’s DCU/USCHO.com poll. The … Read more
Overshadowed (in this space, at least) by defending NCAA champion UMass in recent weeks, the Northeastern men’s hockey team has quietly made its case as not only the best team in Hockey East, but as a national contender to boot. Going into Tuesday night’s home game vs. independent Arizona State, the Huskies have won six … Read more
It’s only January, but one can be forgiven for thinking it might feel a little like March when the Massachusetts men’s hockey team visits Michigan for a highly anticipated two-game set on Saturday (5 p.m., Big Ten Network) and Sunday (4 p.m., ESPNU). The Minutemen (10-4-2, 7-2-2 Hockey East) are ranked No. 10 in the … Read more
By any measure, the Massachusetts men’s hockey team has turned in a successful defense (so far) of its NCAA championship season from last year. The Minutemen are 9-4-2 overall, ranked No. 12 in the most recent DCU/USCHO.com Division I poll, are second in Hockey East with a 7-2-2 record and — perhaps most importantly — … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. No. 1 sweeps With the No. 1 position in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll changing hands more than a few times in November, there’s likely to be some stability at the top after No. 1 … Read more
Yes, it’s a battle of longtime cross-town rivals. But a lot more than just a share of intra-city bragging rights will be on the line Friday when Boston College (7-5-2, 5-3-1 Hockey East) takes the short trip down Comm. Ave to Boston University (6-9-2, 5-5-2) for the first of three meetings between the two schools … Read more
A lot has gone right for the men’s hockey programs at Providence and Northeastern in the last month. No. 13 Providence (12-5-0, 6-3-0 Hockey East) has won six straight games and 16th-ranked Northeastern (11-4-1, 5-3-1) ran through the November portion of its schedule without a regulation loss. Something has to give this weekend as the … Read more
A major upheaval is underway in college sports, with a large number of large schools changing conferences in pursuit of more television revenue. Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf doesn’t fret that his league will be affected by any aftershocks. “In Hockey East, we’ve been together a long time,” he said. “There’s a lot of familiarity … Read more
With about one-third of the regular season in the books, Hockey East teams have played seven overtime games. Two of those contests — both of which occurred last weekend — remained tied after five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime, requiring a shootout (Massachusetts won at Boston University on Friday, while Vermont beat New Hampshire the following … Read more
A quirk in the Hockey East schedule will bring two teams to Lowell, Mass., this weekend, and with it, a chance for the 20th ranked UMass Lowell men’s hockey team to inch its way further up the USCHO.com poll. The River Hawks (4-1-2, 2-0-0 Hockey East) host No. 17 Northeastern (7-3-0, 4-2-0) visits the Tsongas … Read more