Columns, excluding “This Week” columns
Oh, what a weekend it was with a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game between Geneseo and Utica; great tournament action with Norwich, Babson, Skidmore, Albertus Magnus and Castleton emerging victorious and non-conference battles that have national ranking implications. Yes, the weekend had everything you would want to see for competitive action – here is … Read more
Before the season started, outsiders weren’t quite sure what to make of Bowling Green. After all, the Falcons had lost 11 players to either graduation or the transfer portal. It would have understandably been hard to predict how losing so many key contributors would affect a program that has won 20-plus games for seven straight … Read more
When Quinnipiac takes the ices for its next game on Dec. 3, it will have been nearly a month and a half since the Bobcats lost a game. The Bobcats (10-1-3) will end November on a nine-game unbeaten streak after tying Clarkson Friday and rolling over St. Lawrence on Saturday. Quinnipiac’s only loss this season … 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
When Western Michigan’s players gathered Tuesday to continue a tradition created last year in which they bonded over a Thanksgiving-week team meal they cooked themselves, the Broncos knew they had plenty for which to be thankful. The Broncos had every reason to celebrate, not only for the holiday but also the team’s recent success. WMU … Read more
Niagara is not shying away from stiff competition. The Purple Eagles’ nonconference schedule is shaping up to be the most difficult in Atlantic Hockey: Two games at North Dakota Two games at Penn State Two games at Michigan Two games at Notre Dame American International’s non-league schedule comes close (Quinnipiac, UMass, Providence), but at least … Read more
For Minnesota fans, the next chapter of a popular rivalry is one thing to be thankful for this weekend. The No. 11 Gophers will travel to Ralph Engelstad Arena to play No. 6 North Dakota on Friday and Saturday. “This is probably one of the great rivalries in college hockey, North Dakota and Minnesota,” Gophers … Read more
COVID. The pandemic has presented immense challenge to all of us in so many ways and continues to be part of our everyday lives at home and at work. For student athletes playing hockey across New England, the challenges were varied by conference and institution. While some programs managed to find continuity with some games … Read more
It is Thanksgiving week and there is much to be thankful for with the return of the hockey season and the great action seen across each of the conferences in the east. Just when you think you have it figured out, there is a surprise team that has a statement win each weekend. I am … Read more
When Robert Morris University chose to cut their men’s and women’s hockey programs, Bob DeGregorio, Commissioner of the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) that the men’s team played in and Collegiate Hockey America (CHA) that the women’s team played in, found out mere minutes before the general public did. “We were caught off guard. We had … 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
It is a big and full weekend slate of games with all teams now officially playing meaningful games. Lots of interesting matchups to choose from including some great ranked opponents facing off against each other. Fell off a bit with last weekend’s picks that finished at 5-3-2 (.600) which makes the overall record 20-8-4 (.688) … Read more
With 13 new players this season, Brown’s roster has gone through plenty of turnover since the Bears last took the ice in March 2020. But there’s been plenty of changes behind the scenes of the program as well. Meehan Auditorium, home to the Brown’s men’s and women’s hockey teams, underwent a $7.5 million dollar renovation … Read more
A quick look up and down Bemidji State’s roster would reveal a lot of familiar names: Ethan Somoza. Owen Sillinger. Alex Ierullo. Tyler Kirkup. All have been contributing to the BSU program consistently since their freshmen seasons, and their presence in the lineup this year — a few back for an extra year of eligibility … Read more
Sacred Heart opened the 2021-22 season with five straight road games before the Pioneers played their first homestand of the season Oct. 29-30 at Webster Bank Arena, a split with Niagara. Then it was back on the road for C.J. Marottolo’s team, which won’t play another home game until 2022 – January 1 to be … Read more
The Rivier Raiders have kicked off their first NCAA season successfully by winning three of their first five games. But it isn’t about wins in building the program says head coach Matt Keating, the goal is to build a culture of character players both on and off the ice with the results mirroring the effort … Read more
Minnesota Duluth is the No. 4 team in the county and has reached the last four Frozen Fours, winning two of them. Seldom do the Bulldogs see scoring as a huge chore. Neither do other teams of that caliber, so what sets them apart from the rest are players who can do a bit of … Read more
A 6-4 victory over North Dakota in Nashville put a bow on the early portion of the Penn State’s nonconference schedule and gave the Nittany Lions a 6-1-0 record. The start of the Big Ten schedule hasn’t been as kind to the team from Hockey Valley. A trip to Minneapolis gives Penn State another chance … Read more
Four-point-weekend. It’s a goal for every team in conference play but all so difficult to reach for most. Two wins on a weekend where the competition is always tough. There were a few teams that met the challenge this week and several more that found three points of four. Teams don’t want to get caught … Read more
When the NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee approved expanding the women’s hockey tournament field from eight to 11 teams on Wednesday, they showed they are more interested in manufacturing the appearance of equality than in actually achieving it and ruined any illusions I may have had that fundamental, structural changes would take place in … Read more