Columns, excluding “This Week” columns
As the boys in the ECAC NE get ready to shut it down for the holiday break, we’ll take a look this week at perhaps the biggest surprise of the first half: the Westfield State Owls. Winners of their last six games, the Owls own a 7-1-1 overall record and are tied for third place … Read more
This Week in the NCHA/MCHA Returning from a two week hiatus, it’s easy to spot a bit of a shakeup for NCHA and MCHA teams on the national scene. The big mover has been University of Wisconsin-Superior. After defeating previous No. 1 St. Norbert two weeks ago, the Yellowjackets stand at 4-0 in the NCHA … Read more
It is surely one of the more exotically named little towns in all of Alberta, perhaps second only to the inimitably monikered crossroads of Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump for catching one’s fancy. We refer, of course, to Ma-Me-O Beach (population 95). It is the hometown of Carson Duggan, a key cog in the success enjoyed by St. Lawrence … Read more
An Early Statement in the NESCAC This past weekend while everyone was recovering from the turkey, mashed potatoes and grandma�s homemade stuffing, the Amherst Lady Jeffs made an impressive statement against previously tenth ranked Trinity. Amherst shut out the Bantams 3-0 at home at Orr Rink on Saturday night and then followed up the next … Read more
Rivalries. Where would we be without them? Dave Starman, who likes what he sees on the schedule this weekend, takes us on a trip down memory lane with some of the game’s best.
As condensed as the playing schedule has been this year with Thanksgiving coming in the very last weekend of the month, the regular season league play gave way to some of the traditional and new holiday tournaments featuring some of the regions best teams from all leagues playing against each other for bragging rights and … Read more
Turkey Tourneys Four SUNYAC teams competed in Thanksgiving weekend tournaments, and in all cases, the teams did a split. Sort of. Technically, Plattsburgh tied their first game, but were relegated to the consolation match due to losing the shootout against Norwich. Two of the strongest tournaments of the year — located in St. Norbert and … Read more
People hadn’t even carved their turkeys yet this year when the Johnson & Wales University hockey team had earned their fourth win. Last year, folks were making New Year’s Eve plans when the Wildcats finally garnered win number four. With his team 4-0 in league play, and 4-0-1 overall, coach Eric Noack can’t help but … Read more
Jim Connelly and Scott Brown look back at a memorable weekend and look forward to this season’s holiday tournaments, with an impromptu geography quiz thrown in.
Hello Neumann! This past weekend the Neumann Knights notched their name into the ECAC West discussion with an impressive sweep of previously eighth ranked Utica. Just a few weeks after Utica asserted their name among the ECAC West elite after splitting with Plattsburgh, Neumann now must be considered a legitimate threat as well after taking … Read more
It may be a small sign, but a significant one nonetheless, of how far women’s college hockey has come. That two teams who are far behind the sport’s elite, namely Maine and Vermont, can hook up to produce a dandy of a hockey game. Over the ages, we’ve seen some doozies, from the five-overtime Providence … Read more
The preparations have been made, the hype meter is full and Jim Connelly and Scott Brown are ready for the games — it’s Air Force against Colorado College and Denver.
The overnight temperature in Madison, Wisc. on Thursday was 16 degrees with a wind chill of 5. The outlook for Ft. Myers, Fla., on Friday called for 77 degree temps and breezes. It would seem like a good time for a hockey team, say No. 1 ranked Wisconsin, to take a pre-holiday tournament southward, which … Read more
Get Out The Brooms Fans of the MIAC were promised a league full of hard-fought games and parity: teams on the bottom improving against teams at the top. And they were promised a gobbled mess of league standings that would be an adventure to decipher every week. What a difference a week makes. The MIAC … Read more
Elmira defends their No. 1 Ranking The Elmira College Soaring Eagles faced their sternest test to their top ranked position this past weekend as they took three of four points from ECAC West rival R.I.T. at the Murray Athletic Center in Pine Valley, N.Y. On Friday night, Elmira pounded the Tigers 6-1 behind senior forward … Read more
This has been an enjoyably baffling couple of weeks so far, with a number of bipolar teams making solid assessment practically impossible. Harvard is 4-2-1 and atop the standings, but has played more games than anyone else, and lost back-to-back games at RPI and Union two weeks ago. Princeton and Cornell reside in the third … Read more
Fast Start Fuels Colonels Off to the hottest start in the ECAC NE are the Curry College Colonels, with a 4-0 mark. All four wins have come against conference opponents. Coach Rob Davies is pleased with his teams’ fast start. “Obviously we happy at being 4-0,†coach Davies said, “especially with as many new guys … Read more
Another Wild One The game lived up to its billing. And instead of a one goal, low scoring affair, Fredonia and Buffalo State did one better — a high scoring deadlock. Just how wild was it? One team jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and couldn’t hold on. The other team scored four unanswered … Read more
NESCAC Season Preview Last weekend Middlebury, Trinity, Williams, and Wesleyan half kicked off the start of the 2008-2009 season for the NESCAC schools. Middlebury downed rival Williams 5-1 and Trinity hung seven goals on Wesleyan en route to a 7-1 win over the Cardinals. Finally, this weekend all 45 Division III women’s teams will have … Read more
In this week’s column, Jim Connelly and Scott Brown mull over the continuing role of this year’s rule changes, last weekend’s topsy-turvy results by the numbers, and of course Air Force.