Columns, excluding “This Week” columns
When the clock struck 0:00 on the 2005-2006 hockey season, the Middlebury Panthers swarmed the ice in celebration at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. They had won their third straight NCAA Championship, this time at the expense of Plattsburgh State. This weekend, the No. 1-ranked Panthers return to that very same rink, where they … Read more
Nearly a decade ago, when head coach Jeff Kampersal convinced Annemarie Holmes that Princeton University was the place for her, the beginnings of a turnaround from an average hockey team to a championship level squad were in place. “That started the transformation,” Kampersal says. “We used to have kids who played hockey. Now we had … Read more
Notre Dame and its former head coach make headlines; Boston College goes up and down; Army opens eyes in Atlantic Hockey; and the WCHA adjusts after a newsworthy offseason. Dave Starman offers up his thoughts.
Laura Monk is finding out this season what it means to be lonely at the top. Ironically, her collegiate hockey season was lonely at the bottom as well. Monk is Wayne State’s sole senior, a role the 22-year-old native of Ontario, Canada, is finding mother-henish to say the least. “I think they look up to … Read more
Excitement! That is what is in Oswego State coach Diane Dillon’s voice this week. Why is she excited? It may have something to do with her squad’s impressive 3-1-1 start. That record includes her team’s first ECAC West victory over the weekend on the road in overtime against Buffalo State. “I couldn’t be happier to … Read more
USA Hockey has named nine current collegians to its Select Team for the Four Nations Cup. The event, one of three major international events along with the Olympics and World Championships, will be held in Kitchener, Ont. from Nov. 7-11. There are seven current collegians on the roster for Canada, and five each for Sweden … Read more
The players were sizing up their next day’s opponents. And the coaches, poised to applaud the season’s outstanding players, had strategy in the back of their minds. But for the women on the UConn hockey team, the biggest choices weren’t who to shut down or who to double team in the first-round of the 2006 … Read more
It was a tale of two teams this past weekend. Team A is a rising program looking to make noise in the NCAA tournament this season. Team B is a perennial powerhouse that won the first two NCAA titles but came up empty in the three years since. Team A made its first appearance in … Read more
Last week, I covered teams six through ten in my pre-season rankings. This week, I list my preseason top five and reveal the team with the best shot to take home the NCAA title. 5. Manhattanville Valiants In back-to-back seasons, the Valiants’ NCAA runs have ended with one-goal quarterfinal losses in Middlebury, Vt. This season, … Read more
She kept them waiting practically until the last minute but finally in early June, the phone call came to the coach. “Coach, I’ve made my decision ….” were the words, like those of so many prized recruits, that began the conversation. Within a minute or two, Mercyhurst coach Mike Sisti heard what he had been … Read more
Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson knew his defending national championship team meant business when his players returned from summer break in good shape. “That tells me they didn’t spend the summer celebrating their national championship,” he said. “I don’t see any complacency because of last year. I see a group that’s competitive and working hard, and … Read more
As we wait for the puck to be dropped on the 2006-2007 Division III women’s ice hockey season, there are many questions to be answered. Will Middlebury continue its dominance and capture its fourth straight NCAA Championship? Is this the year a team from the West rises up and snatches the championship from the East? … Read more
Brian McCloskey has finally got it his own way. In his fifth year at the helm of the New Hampshire women’s hockey program, his first recruiting class is now the team’s senior core. Since he left his post as men’s assistant coach to inherit a struggling program, his tenure has been marked by a steady … Read more
One was a surprise, the other expected to be there, but now the question facing both the Minnesota and St. Lawrence hockey programs is can they get back to the Frozen Four again. Both teams have been among the sport’s elite since the first NCAA-sponsored national championship in 2001. The Saints have made four of … Read more
In a year when many elite players jumped early to the pros, Jack Johnson — Michigan’s immensely talented but sometimes controversial defenseman — has said no. Dave Starman sees nothing but good in his choice.
Bets, anyone? With the 2006 NHL draft looming, Jim Connelly takes a crack at picking this season’s top 10 selections.
Craig Stancher has been named the recipient of the eighth annual Brian Fishman Internship, given annually to an outstanding college graduate who is pursuing a career in athletic media relations. Stancher, a recent graduate of Michigan Tech University, begins his duties with USA Hockey on June 26. Named in honor of the late Brian Fishman, … Read more
Dave Starman finds the new NHL landscape loaded with college talent like Edmonton’s Fernando Pisani and Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour.
Seven seasons after its formation, the lights are dimming for College Hockey America. Scott Brown examines the reasons for the CHA’s plight, and the enormous potential consequences.
With Rensselaer and Yale filling coaching vacancies, Dave Starman weighs in with his take. Also: could NHL jobs be in the offing for the college game’s best?