Nathan Fournier
It doesn’t matter at any level, whether it’s Division I, Division III or even at the NHL level, when freshmen or rookies have outstanding first years there’s questions if they can repeat or fall for the dreaded “sophomore slump.” Coming into the year for Nichols, the questions were if other coaches in ECAC Northeast would … Read more
It’s shaping up to be a homecoming of sorts for Salem State coach Bill O’Neill on Wednesday. Before taking the reins with the Vikings, he was an assistant coach with Norwich in the 1980 season under former Massachusetts coach Don “Toot” Cahoon, who was the head coach for Norwich in 1980. Now 34 years later, … Read more
Nichols qualified for the NCAA tournament last weekend, but it wasn’t without its share of drama or stress. Brett Jackson’s game-winner 1:41 into overtime lifted the Bison to a 3-2 win over Wentworth in the ECAC Northeast championship game. The game nearly made Nichols coach Kevin Swallow bald. “I think had it had gone much … Read more
The ECAC Northeast conference championship game will be a battle of consistency throughout the season and a team getting hot at the right time. Top-seeded Nichols has been at top of the conference for the majority of season with a 17-6-3 overall record (9-3-2 ECAC Northeast). Wentworth, the defending league champions, had a rough first … Read more
There is no Cinderella story in the MASCAC playoffs as the top two teams in the conference – Salem State and Plymouth State – will meet Saturday to decide the MASCAC tournament champion. The two teams met three times this season and saw the Vikings win twice, including once in overtime 4-3 in the second … Read more
The ECAC Northeast and MASCAC tournament semifinals go down this week, with championship hardware to be decided this weekend. ECAC Northeast Wednesday, March 5 Curry at Nichols Curry is playing very good hockey right now, beating Johnson and Wales in the final game of the regular season and Salve Regina in the ECAC Northeast quarterfinals. … Read more
The ECAC Northeast and MASCAC tournament semifinals go down this week, with championship hardware to be decided this weekend. ECAC Northeast Wednesday, March 5 Curry at Nichols Curry is playing very good hockey right now, beating Johnson and Wales in the final game of the regular season and Salve Regina in the ECAC Northeast quarterfinals. … Read more
The Massachusetts-Dartmouth bounces just didn’t go the way of the Corsairs in the 2013-14 season. The defending MASCAC champions saw their season come to an end this past Tuesday night with a 4-2 loss to the Fitchburg State and will miss the postseason for the first time in 30 years. A win would have propelled … Read more
Salve Regina had a chance to lock up an ECAC Northeast tournament quarterfinal bye this past weekend. Had a chance. With Wentworth’s 4-0 loss to Suffolk on Saturday, that left the door open for the Seahawks on Sunday to capture the No. 2 seed with a win against rival Johnson and Wales Johnson and Wales … Read more
Plymouth State isn’t worried about where it will be seeded in the MASCAC tournament because according to coach Craig Russell, the Panthers can be a dangerous team. The Panthers have made a second-half push to earn a quarterfinal bye into the semifinals. They tied with Salem State for first place in the conference after both … Read more
Western New England still has a conference tournament berth on its mind. Right now, the Golden Bears sit 4-7-0 in the ECAC Northeast standings, tied with Curry for the sixth and final tournament berth. They are 10-12 overall on the season. To secure a conference playoff spot, WNE will have to win its final two … Read more
The rundown from an exciting past weekend… ECAC East The Norwich Cadets captured their 16th straigh ECAC East crown with victories over Babson and Massachusetts-Boston. They defeated Babson 1-0 on Friday night with the goal coming from Dean Niezgoda in the first period and Chris Czarnota stopping all 10 shots. Saturday night, Norwich defeated UMass-Boston … Read more
The rundown from an exciting past weekend… ECAC East The Norwich Cadets captured their 16th straigh ECAC East crown with victories over Babson and Massachusetts-Boston. They defeated Babson 1-0 on Friday night with the goal coming from Dean Niezgoda in the first period and Chris Czarnota stopping all 10 shots. Saturday night, Norwich defeated UMass-Boston … Read more
Salem State is sitting in first place in the MASCAC standings and a reason for that is that the Vikings take care of business at home at the Richard H. Rockett Arena. In their first 10 home games of the season, the Vikings have recorded points in nine of those games with an 8-1-1 record. … Read more
Suffolk needed a win against Becker in the final game of the 2012-13 season to get into the ECAC Northeast conference tournament. The Rams earned a 2-2 tie against Becker and Johnson and Wales slipped into the final tournament spot. Fast forward a year later and the Rams are sitting in that sixth and final … Read more
In the final few weeks of regular season, goaltending will be key to determining the ECAC Northeast regular-season champions. Let’s look at the goaltenders who have been difference-makers this season. 5 – Jake Williams, Salve Regina He had a hot start to the season, going 5-1 in his first six starts, but then the Seahawks … Read more
Worcester State’s season has had its peaks and valleys. The Lancers hope they are on another peak in their chase for a fourth straight MASCAC tournament appearance. Starting the season 3-0, Worcester State ended the first half 1-6-1. The Lancers have regrouped in 2014 with a 4-2 record and are currently sitting in seventh place … Read more
The success Fitchburg State junior defenseman Craig Halpin has had can be pointed to others around him. Showing his maturity, Halpin deflects attention away from himself and takes a team-first approach. “The team is really well-rounded this year,” Halpin said. “The puck is moving around a lot and I have been playing on the power … Read more
So far, Curry is liking the way 2014 is treating the Colonels compared to how 2013 ended. Curry has a 5-4-1 record in the new year after a 2-5-1 start to the season. For coach T.J. Manastersky, it’s a nice start, but there are plenty of things for his club to work on for the … Read more
Admittedly, Plymouth State had sub-par goaltending the first half of the season. That looks to change with the addition of Gordon Ceasar, who played the past year and a half at Utica. “In the first semester, it was no secret that our goaltending wasn’t great,” Plymouth State coach Craig Russell said. “It wasn’t absolutely killing … Read more