WCHA teams have a new arrangement, but they’re not new
Some programs have storied pasts, others have veteran coaches and almost all, the coaches agree, are located in places where the sport remains important.
Conference Season Preview
Season previews for leagues
Schedule, playoffs get significant changes as Hockey East welcomes Notre Dame
Teams have seven fewer conference games in 2013-14, and everyone makes the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades.
Clarkson favored to break Harvard, Cornell stranglehold on ECAC
Unlike the three other conferences, where the league tournament is all-inclusive, ECAC Hockey leaves four teams on the outside looking in when the playoffs commence. It becomes a mad scramble to get into the field, and last season’s final week saw no fewer than four teams alive for the final berth. That makes it competitive … Read more
Newness, exposure provide the excitement for Big Ten’s inaugural season
With a national stage thanks to the Big Ten Network, the six teams set off on the new conference venture.
Amid college hockey’s sea change, ECAC Hockey enjoys calm waters
Defending national champion Yale and the 11 other ECAC Hockey teams were unchanged by conference and head coaching changes.
As NCHC dawns, conference season expected to be a test of stamina
In a league as powerful and competitive top to bottom as the new NCHC, it’s tough to tell in preseason how much the eight teams will have left in their tanks come playoff time.
Expect another unpredictable season for Atlantic Hockey in 2013-14
We preview Atlantic Hockey, which last season got two teams into the NCAA tournament for the first time.
Merychurst should prevail in CHA
For the first time in three years, the lineup of teams in College Hockey America looks exactly the same as it did the year before. How long that will last remains to be seen, but at least for now, the rumors all involve teams joining the CHA, not leaving it. “For the women’s game, … Read more
Minnesota favored in competitive WCHA
This promises to be a transitional year in the WCHA, as players like Brianna Decker, Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux, and Noora Räty that have formed the identity of the conference have completed their eligibility. Their former schools all bring in strong recruiting classes, so while the personnel losses leave the door open a crack for … Read more
Boston College expected on top in Hockey East
“The Olympic year is an equalizer for all of college hockey, not just Hockey East,” said Providence coach Bob Deraney. “There’s increased parity because some of the marquee players throughout the country are with their national teams at this time. I think that’s a wonderful thing, because it really shows the parity in women’s hockey … Read more
NESCAC 2012-13 season preview: swimming with the Polar Bears
Always the last conference to kick off its regular season, the NESCAC comes together this year as maybe the most balanced conference in the nation. Last season saw two new coaches join the conference and add to its illustrious group of hockey minds. This season sees the addition of former Mass.-Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald to … Read more
ECAC Northeast preview: Familiar favorite
R.J. Tolan’s been through it all before. As the Wentworth coach set out on his seventh season at the helm of the Leopards last month, another cloud full of expectations hovered over him. Such is life when you run the ECAC Northeast’s marquee program, one that has a culture and an identity synonymous with … Read more
ECAC East season preview: Norwich still loaded
With hope and prayers that everyone in the Northeast has safely come through the effects of Hurricane Sandy, I now turn to what is sure to be turbulence and shifting winds throughout the ECAC East season set to begin on Friday night. While the picture at the top seems quite clear in what Norwich and … Read more
NCHA 2012-2013 season preview: Can anyone dethrone St. Norbert?
For six out of the seven teams in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, the goal is clear: try to somehow weaken St. Norbert’s grip on the NCHA title. The Green Knights have won the last three regular season and playoff championships, along with at least a share of the regular season title 10 of the … Read more
MASCAC 2012-2013 season preview: Battling for respect
The Plymouth State Panthers pulled off one of their most exciting wins in program history last season with a double-overtime victory over the Salem State Vikings to not only capture the MASCAC title, but head to the NCAA D-III Tournament. For the rest of the teams, the extra two periods of play should serve as … Read more
MIAC 2012-2013 season preview: Looking at two seasons
It was a tale of two seasons in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last year. St. Thomas was the most dominant team in the league during the regular season, winning the title, but it fell short in its bid to win the conference tournament. The Tommies lost, 4-3, to St. Olaf in the semifinal round, … Read more
SUNYAC 2012-2013 season preview: Tight battles expected
Competion. That’s the SUNYAC calling card. Or at least that is the feeling held throughout the league at dawning of the new season. While it’s true that Oswego and Plattsburgh — who between them have won every SUNYAC regular season title since 1998 — remain the teams to be in the nine-team loop, there are … Read more
MCHA 2012-13 season preview: Bullish on the Bulldogs
There are a few shared themes throughout the MCHA when looking at the 2012-13 season: Youth, change, and excitement can be felt collectively throughout the conference. The always-successful Adrian Bulldogs have 18 underclassmen on their roster. They will look to pull on the experience of the 14-member sophomore class as they strive to take back … Read more
ECAC West 2012-13 season preview: High on Hobart
The ECAC West will have a slightly new look this season. The conference still doesn’t have an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, but it has a sixth school again in nascent program Nazareth. It’s the first time the league will be at at a half-dozen teams since Lebanon Valley College downgraded to … Read more
Bittersweet time for teams preparing for last season of WCHA as we know it
The 2012-13 season will be bittersweet for the teams leaving the WCHA, especially for Colorado College coach and alumnus Scott Owens. “For me, it is,” Owens said. “I have been connected to the WCHA as a player and coach for 22 years. I will miss being part of the WCHA. On the other hand, I … Read more