Columns, excluding “This Week” columns
Dylan Rallis said that when the offseason began he talked with his coaches about what he could to do play his role in helping the the UW-Stout hockey team be a much-improved squad in 2022-23. It came down to Rallis not putting a ton of pressure on himself and working hard to be the best … Read more
The Quinnipiac Bobcats have won nine straight games to open the season and have moved up to #4 in the national polls – their highest-ever ranking – after a pair of impressive weekend wins over Cornell and Princeton. The Bobcats looked to be in a great position heading into this season, returning much of the … Read more
Last year’s Plymouth State team won the MASCAC conference again while scoring 117 goals in 27 games through the first round of the NCAA tournament. The 4.3 goals per game was amongst the leaders in the country but with the departures of JR Barone and Peter Laviolette, there are expectations that the output will be … Read more
The week two matchups bring a lot of conference intrigue along with teams looking to get on track after a tough set of opening games. Last week I opened the season with a 6-4-2 record (.583) which is above average but not stellar by any standard. This week sees some pivotal early season games in … Read more
Well, that was a lot of excitement stuffed into the first weekend of competitive play in D-III action. Ranked teams won and lost and maybe with that growing trend I will stop calling games upsets seeing how the competition level across all D-III continues to get better and better. There were some thrilling overtime games … Read more
These teams would love to be playing in a conference and have the chance to battle for a league title or an opportunity to play on the national stage. Being an independent makes the former impossible but the latter a remote possibility and so, four teams play their non-conference schedules with the hope of impressing … Read more
Plymouth State has been the elite team in MASCAC over the past few seasons – winning the conference title but still in search of their first NCAA tournament game victory. This year the Panthers look to accomplish both but first things first – the MASCAC championship. “We were so close last year against UNE in … Read more
The UCHC continues to expand its membership with Alvernia joining the conference this season as the 11th team in the league. While the new team will be expected to be competitive, the top of the standings still looks like it will be a race among a handful of usual competitors. “There continues to be a … Read more
The University of New England carried the CCC banner all the way to the Frozen Four last season but will face strong challenges from the other teams in the conference. New coaches at Nichols (Alex Gacek) and Suffolk (Shawn McEachern) will bring new depth and excitement to this season’s battle for the conference championship. “I … Read more
SUNYAC has seen Geneseo win the last four conference championships contested and there is most definitely a bullseye on the Knights with several teams looking to unseat the defending champions. “We have a really good group with good chemistry,” said Oswego head coach, Ed Gosek. “This group is really fun to coach, and it really … Read more
In what many consider the most competitive conference on the D-III hockey landscape, the NEHC has emerged beyond just the top teams in recent years setting up great competition for the conference championship. This year will be no different as expectations for the level of play are higher across all the institutions leading to a … Read more
Since the 2016-17 season, four different teams have hoisted the championship banner in the NE-10 including Assumption two times, St. Anselm, Southern New Hampshire and Stonehill. With the departure of Stonehill to play in the D-1 ranks, the NE-10 now fields just six teams who will play each other four times each during the regular … Read more
It has been an unprecedented 18 months in women’s hockey. No, not because of the pandemic – or at least, not directly. In just over a year (381 days) from August 20, 2021 to September 4, 2022, players on their respective countries’ senior national teams played in three major tournaments – two World Championships and … Read more
Note: This interview took place in March 2022. When Mel Ruzzi took over as head coach of the Brown Bears before last season, the team had not finished above 11th in the ECAC since 2012. As mentioned in the ECAC season preview, it has been 13 years since the last time this team managed six … Read more
Every coach has a different philosophy for how to fill out their non-conference schedule. In larger conferences, there are fewer slots that need to be filled. In a conference like the CHA, with only six teams, there are more. Add in that last season and this one, the CHA is playing with just five teams, … Read more
Geneseo forward Peter Morgan has earned the All-USCHO Rookie of the Year award this season. The freshman forward led the Knights in scoring with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points while contributing five power play goals and five game-winning goals for the SUNYAC champions and NCAA Championship finalists. Playing in his first Frozen … Read more
Thirteen schools are represented in this year’s All-USCHO teams for D-III men’s ice hockey led by the new national champions from Adrian and the UCHC champions from Utica who have three representatives each. Peter Bates (28G – 30A – 58 Pts) from St. Norbert, the Sid Watson Award winner leads the first team forwards along … Read more
It’s down to the final day of the season and the national championship is on the line. Adrian downed Augsburg 5-1 to move on to the championship game while Geneseo dispatched the University of New England 8-3 to move on and play for the national championship. The battle between the two USCHO writers finds the … Read more
It’s down to the final weekend of the season and the national championship is on the line. Three of the top four seeds survived the quarterfinal round to advance to Lake Placid where east and west-based semifinals shape up for some exciting hockey to settle the season on the ice. In the battle between the … Read more
Greg May took a walk around the campus of Augsburg the day of an NCAA Division III quarterfinal game against St. Norbert last weekend, reflecting on memories of his own time here as a student-athlete while also soaking in the moment of having the program he once played for on the cusp of the Frozen … Read more