Mike Volonnino With three goals and an assist on the weekend, everybody in the state of Wisconsin knew that junior forward Robbie Earl would be the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Everyone, it seems, except Earl. “I didn’t even know until we got the locker room when coach told me. It’s a great honor. But there’s so … Read more
On the road, scoring the first goal can often make or break the evening’s performance. Home teams usually have an adrenaline surge off the opening face-off with the crowd buoying their efforts. Getting that initial tally accomplishes the dual purposes of taking the lead and deflating those energies. Since 1999, the team that has scored … Read more
At times we forget about an important principle in sports: sportsmanship. Mike Volonnino tells us about the great displays this weekend at the Frozen Four.
It’s not quite a three-peat, but Denver defenseman Matt Carle finished his college hockey career a champion once again. Carle was named the 26th recipient of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Friday evening at the Bradley Center. He won two national championships in his first two seasons with the Denver Pioneers and took home the … Read more
The command from Boston College coach Jerry York echoed throughout the building Friday morning: “Slow down.” A trio of Eagle forwards had just completed a classic rush down the ice. They were celebrating their finesse in the corner when York blew the drill dead. “Save your energy for Saturday night.” The off day at the … Read more
Once Wisconsin qualified for the Frozen Four, the home-ice advantage was obvious. The Badgers would play for their fourth national championship in their home state. But some things have to be heard to be believed. Thursday evening, the crowd reverberated every time a Wisconsin player touched the puck. The compact Bradley Center shook when Brian … Read more
Jordan Parise would probably like to forget the 2006 Frozen Four. After a stellar season, Parise had one of those games straight out of a goaltender’s nightmare on the largest stage in the sport. It wasn’t Jordan Parise’s day Thursday against Boston College (photo: Melissa Wade). The numbers spell disaster pretty quickly: three goals on … Read more
The Bradley Center is a long way from the red carpet. Joan Rivers might faint attempting to comment on the apparel of the Milwaukee faithful. Imagine it, “This Badgers fan is in some fabulous vintage Levi’s. 1957 was a great year for denim.” Still, the Frozen Four is a chance for people to don their … Read more
College hockey’s legions descend upon Milwaukee this week for the Frozen Four. Not a moment too soon, Mike Volonnino has some suggestions on how to make the most of it.
Got friends despondent over their ruined hoops brackets? Mike Volonnino says that redemption can be in the offing.
Are you prepared for the world’s quadrennial sports showcase? Mike Volonnino is ready — with some ideas to improve the Winter Olympics.
Not getting enough college hockey? Mike Volonnino finds a solution in the skies.
So this year’s Frozen Four will include a skills competition? Well, Mike Volonnino’s got other ideas.
In the wake of recent allegations, Mike Volonnino is shocked, shocked to learn that college students drink.
Come season’s end, the CHA will be one team short of its NCAA autobid. Luckily, Mike Volonnino has some ideas what to do about that.
The first loss for a goaltender is one of those rites of passage anyone who gets between the pipes has to endure. For a position that demands as much mentally as it does physically, how a goalie responds to defeat is as a big a test as his puck-stopping acumen. For Boston College would-be freshman … Read more
At the end of last season, Hobey Baker finalist Zach Parise decided that his goal-scorer’s touch better matched a New Jersey Devils uniform than North Dakota green. Immediately, Parise left his brother, goaltender Jordan, with a huge question — who would provide the offensive support that he needed? The Fighting Sioux had plenty of answers. … Read more
It was one of the most anticipated match-ups of the ECAHL year and what a disappointment. Not the contest for the Cleary Cup. The game between Harvard and Cornell looked like a real David versus Goliath — except this time the oddsmakers got it right. Another trophy may have hinged on last night’s game, the … Read more
So Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow want to fight for the right to be the man who killed the game of hockey? Good for them. What more can you expect out of a Cornell grad and Harvard grad, respectively? They can destroy the NHL all they want, but ice rinks, ice skates, sticks, and Vulcanized … Read more
Harvard, a school steeped in more tradition than perhaps any in the land, dipped into its illustrious past to announce Ted Donato as the 11th coach of the men’s hockey team. Donato, a former Boston Bruin and the MVP of the 1989 Frozen Four — Harvard’s only national championship season — took the podium at … Read more