Everything is coming up Gophers
Though Wisconsin will mount a stiff challenge, the WCHA still looks to belong to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Conference Season Preview
Season previews for leagues
Clarkson to edge Harvard in ECAC
Expect powerhouse squads Clarkson and Harvard to battle for the ECAC crown once again, with Quinnipiac and Cornell fighting but falling short.
Trinity looks like early NESCAC favorite, but all teams look primed to make noise
Jackson Brewer – and his NESCAC-leading 33 assists – is coming back. So, too, are John Hawkrigg and Sean Orlando, with their 17 goals apiece in tow. And who can forget Ryan Cole, a freshman like Orlando, and his 16 league tallies. All of that is great news for Trinity, not so great for the … Read more
MASCAC could be two-horse race with Plymouth State, Salem State as top pair
Framingham State’s T.J. Brown thinks so. John Rolli, an institution at Massachusetts-Dartmouth, does too. It is the opinion many, including those two MASCAC bench bosses, that conference title chase will boil down to two squads, Salem State and Plymouth State. Just like last year when they shared the regular-season crown. “I think the league should … Read more
Nichols the team to beat in the ECAC Northeast
Still young, still hungry, and until proven otherwise, the best of the bunch in the ECAC Northeast. Such as it is for Nichols, which won both the regular-season and conference tournament titles last year on the way to their second-ever NCAA appearance. The Bison did so with a cast of talented novices – including … Read more
ECAC East more than just a race between Norwich and Babson
Babson and Norwich. Norwich and Babson. It’s been that way in the ECAC East for just about forever, or so it seems. Between them, the two powers have captured a whopping 13 of the last 15 conference tournament titles, with Norwich going on to win the national title three times (2000, 2003, 2010). What’s more, … Read more
ECAC West has experienced coaches, experienced players ready to win
The team to beat in the ECAC West is … Elmira. That notion wouldn’t have put you out on a limb not too many seasons ago. For half a decade, from 2008 to 2012, the Soaring Eagles owned the spot at the top of the league at the end of the regular season. Each of … Read more
SUNYAC favorite a roll of the dice in 2014-15
Somebody’s bound to say it. “Ours is the toughest conference in Division III hockey.” The thing is, the SUNYAC can make the claim as well as anybody, at least if the gauge is Frozen Four appearances. Last year’s Frozen Four featured two SUNYAC schools, Geneseo and Oswego, and although they both bowed out in the … Read more
Norwich early favorite to repeat in ECAC East
As defending ECAC East champions, Norwich is within hours of forging into uncharted territory. Without question, the Cadets are clearly overwhelming favorites to return as league champs; a recurring cycle of 20-plus win seasons vividly tell us such. For the Cadets, it isn’t about when, it’s about how. What will be the plan as the … Read more
St. Norbert the defending champ, but NCHA looks wide-open early
St. Norbert won the national championship last year, its fourth in program history, but Green Knights’ coach Dan Coghlin doesn’t see his team as the defending champs. “We don’t look at it as defending a title,” Coghlin said. “It’s a brand new season and every team wants to be a champion. We want another shot … Read more
‘No easy games’ in the MIAC as ‘everyone is good’
St. Thomas head coach Jeff Boeser wanted his top assistant, Parker Burgess, to do the inteview about the season ahead. As far as the Tommies are concerned, it really doesn’t matter who does the talking. The resutls speak for themselves. St. Thomas enters the year as the favorite to win the MIAC. The Tommies have … Read more
WIAC a ‘very balanced’ league this season with no clear-cut favorite
Wisconsin-River Falls coach Steve Freeman talked about how strong the WIAC really is from top to bottom. He noted that a year ago his River Falls team won the regular-season title, but Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Wisconsin-Superior played for the conference title, with the Blugolds prevailing in the championship game. Yet, it was Wisconsin-Stevens Point that … Read more
WCHA wants to see even more of its teams in the NCAA tournament in 2014-15
Minnesota State and Ferris State made the field of 16 last season, the first of the league’s new look.
Another season, another change for talent-laden Hockey East
The addition of Connecticut gives the league 12 teams and a new playoff format.
Coaches see importance of early nonconference games as Big Ten enters year two
Success out of conference can help all six league teams at the end of the season.
Balance could make NCHC as unpredictable in 2014-15 as in its opening act
North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Miami are the picks to finish in the top three in the league’s second season.
Departures don’t equal weakness for ECAC Hockey in 2014-15
As a whole, the ECAC is in the midst of arguably one of its strongest stretches in conference history.
New schedule format for 2014-15 changes outlook for some Atlantic Hockey teams
With the departure of Connecticut to Hockey East, pod-based scheduling is no more, replaced by unbalanced draws. Programs will play four league opponents four times, the rest twice.
The top looks Crimson once more
ECAC Hockey is the oldest league, and of late, it has been the most stable. Greg Fargo has the least tenure at his current job, and he starts his third season at Colgate. This could well be the best that the league has been from top to bottom, as several contenders feature Olympians and those … Read more
Lakers should overcome losses, finish on top again
More than any other league, four years ago is ancient history in the CHA. Sure, rosters turn over in four years all over the country. But consider that four years ago: The CHA did not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament; The players of the first recruiting class at Syracuse were entering their … Read more