Columns, excluding “This Week” columns
Elmira Clinches Regular Season Title With a three point series against Manhattanville last weekend, Elmira secured the regular season title. But it certainly wasn’t easy, and started out with a rocky game on Friday. Manhattanville’s Vinny Ciardullo scored on a turnover at center ice midway through the first period, and the Valiants’ trap gave the … Read more
Advantage Unknown Last weekend saw several series in the MIAC that could have provided some answers to the league’s muddled playoff picture. The conference’s second team, St. Thomas, was facing off against the fourth place, Hamline. A clear victory by the Tommies could have sent the Pipers flying out of the playoffs and had Bethel … Read more
Okay. By now last week’s bench clearing brawl involving the RIT and Canisius College mens teams have made the YouTube rounds. One clip has had nearly 19,000 viewings to date (and rising daily). But last week’s women’s action produced a few YouTube-worthy clips of its own. Take the goal scored by North Dakota junior Casie … Read more
Oftentimes in sports, things don’t always go as you would expect them. (For further clarification, ask any fan of the New England Patriots.) That can certainly be said of the Worcester State Lancers program this season. Currently in 12th place with a 2-10-0 record, the team in enduring an injury riddled campaign the likes of … Read more
The old saying goes, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Well, I was guilty of this last weekend when I had all but penciled in Stevens Point as the NCHA champions and top team in the West. The Pointers were unbeaten at 17-0-2 and coming off a huge 3-2 victory over Gustavus Adolphus on … Read more
OK welcome to the insanity that is the league standings at this time of the year in both the ECAC East and NESCAC. Don’t like your team’s position in the standings? Just hope they have a good weekend and almost anything can happen. With just four games left in the regular season, it’s really getting … Read more
And Down The Stretch They Come There are just two weeks to go in the regular season of the ECAC West and the playoff race has tightened up. Two teams have a shot at the top, while three other teams are vying for home ice. Let’s take a team-by-team look around the league and see … Read more
Streaks If there is one word to describe the 2007-8 SUNYAC hockey season, it would be: streaks. For some, early streaks ensured them a successful season. For others, late streaks turned a season around. For the unfortunate, the inability to get off to any kind of streak doomed them. Let’s start at the top. Plattsburgh … Read more
Time flies when you’re having fun apparently, because it’s hard to believe the NCHA and MCHA are down to their final weekends of the regular season. NCHA travel partners will square off for the last time while the MCHA has a full eight game weekend on tap. Checking in once again on the national scene, … Read more
It doesn’t get any easier for Jayson Moy, who this week must navigate a flood of WCHA teams to set up the NCAA tournament brackets.
Michigan makes its move, fisticuffs break out, another big-name player heads for the pros, and the Beanpot provides a night of hockey like few others. Jim Connelly and Scott Brown discuss.
What a beautiful mess we live in. With two weeks of conference action remaining, the NCHA, on the heels of a few surprising results last weekend, has turned into a complete and utter pig pile. With everything going haywire in that league, at least MCHA has sorted itself out — to an extent. Though home … Read more
Sitting atop the ECAC NE, right on the heels of Curry and UMass Dartmouth, is Suffolk University, tied for second and just three points out of first place. Chris Glionna, now in his fourth year as coach of the Rams, is pleased so far. “We’ve been pretty happy with it,†when asked his thoughts on … Read more
Puck-et List KENNEBUNK, Maine — If you were to check back through the last few months of ramblings in the space, there’s one word in particular that is used very sparingly. I. It is not the most desirable of words, and although it does have its place in such a setting as this, it’s best … Read more
Western Champs? The Stevens Point Pointers now officially have a stranglehold on the top position in the western region after defeating chief challenger Gustavus Adolphus on Tuesday night 3-2. With the win, Stevens Point stayed unbeaten and improved to 17-0-2 on the season. Gustavus Adolphus, who has only lost twice this year and came into … Read more
3, 2, 1, … blast-off! The final weeks of the regular season are ticking down and there are still 12 valuable points up for grabs as teams make their final push for playoff eligibility and positioning in the league standings. If you want to be playing hockey in March, now is the time to start … Read more
The Red Dragon Is Breathing Fire If the SUNYAC season were to end now, Cortland would be hosting a playoff game. Not just in the playoffs, but hosting the first round. This from a team that hasn’t had a winning season (which they currently do at 11-9-2) since 2001-2, the same year they last hosted … Read more
Battle at the top Last weekend saw a crucial series of play in the MIAC with the two teams tied at the top of the standings playing a home-and-home series. Last year’s conference champions, the Bethel Royals, were facing the upstart Hamline Pipers, who have already set a program record with their 10 wins this … Read more
A Special Senior Night As the season hits the final stretch in February, the usual litany of end-of-season events starts to be held. One of those is Senior Night, where each school celebrates its graduating class, saying a tearful farewell to the student-athletes they have gotten to know so well. Neumann started off the tradition … Read more
The Beanpot provides eye-opening moments, the fur flies in Minneapolis and the ECAC’s national hopes are pondered as Jim Connelly and Scott Brown warm up for this weekend’s clash of No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation.