Even with just a single game on the docket this weekend, there is no shortage of news in the CHA. Here are the nuts and bolts of this week’s column: last weekend’s action down south was competitive, attendance in Huntsville is among the nation’s best, Bemidji State may have a shot at the WCHA after … Read more
If last weekend was any indication as to how this year’s College Hockey America season will go, let’s bust out the clichés and buckle up because it should be a wild ride from here on out. The spotlight series last Friday and Saturday was Robert Morris hosting Alabama-Huntsville in a very even matchup that, if … Read more
With Halloween upon us, scary times have hit College Hockey America. But it’s not all bad. Seriously. On the opposite end of the league’s well-documented uncertainty for the future, look to the present and many positives came out of last weekend’s nonconference games, including one upset, one near-upset and a 13-0 drubbing of an exhibition … Read more
In college hockey at least, the ties that bind former players to their schools seem to be very strong. A total of 43 percent of all the Division I men’s hockey programs are helmed by former players of the school. The reasons that alumni players return to coach at their schools are varied, but they do believe it to be an exceptionally rewarding experience that also gives them a leg up in their recruiting, Candace Horgan reports..
Niagara enjoyed its last moment of last season’s championship glory last Friday night, but leave it to St. Lawrence to spoil it. The Purple Eagles unveiled two new banners at Dwyer Arena commemorating their CHA tournament win and NCAA tournament appearance only to then go out and get smoked, 5-1, in front of 1,805 fans, … Read more
There’s an old quip that can now be applied to each CHA school. Beer will not be served at any of the schools’ games this year because they all lost their openers. Groan. Heck, even a double groan with debris tossed in the direction of this writer. It would be well-deserved. Alabama-Huntsville and Bemidji State … Read more
It was a trying 2007-2008 season in Huntsville as first-year head coach Danton Cole and the Chargers struggled to duplicate their prior season and wound up with just six total wins. That said, UAH returns virtually every player, including all three goaltenders, from last season and it’s with that fact alone that a few more … Read more
Simple math says each CHA team this season has a 25 percent chance to advance to the NCAA tournament in March. But then, each of the four coaches knows that’s the case, but each has chosen to take the philosophical approach when that subject comes up. “The tournament is a different ballgame,” Bemidji State head … Read more
Not one game has been played, yet Niagara has already been picked as the favorite to repeat as CHA champs in the annual league poll. This comes on the heels of the Purple Eagles graduating co-captain and 39-point producer Matt Caruana, seeing big forward Kyle Rogers give up his senior season to sign with the … Read more
With 21 freshmen and sophomores on the roster this season, Robert Morris is in for one of two scenarios this year, according to head coach Derek Schooley. “If we play well, we’ll be reloading,” Schooley said. “And if we don’t, then we’re rebuilding.” The Colonials graduated their first senior class last spring, a class that … Read more
According to Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore, the Beavers have a lot to prove this season. “We’re young, we have depth and we play 19 games on the road,” said Serratore. “We’ll find out what we’re made of early on against Mankato and Air Force.” Goaltender Matt Climie graduated last spring and used his … Read more
Defending CHA tournament champion Niagara was the top pick in this season’s College Hockey America race, according to the preseason poll of the league’s head coaches, and also placed three players on the preseason All-CHA Team. Niagara, which received three of four first-place votes (coaches could not vote for their own team), was followed by … Read more
The NCAA Ice Hockey Committee has set the sites for the NCAA Championships all the way through 2011 with the announcement of the West and Midwest Regionals for 2010 and 2011. In 2010, Notre Dame will host the Midwest regional from March 27-28 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. and … Read more
College Hockey America will operate for the 2008-2009 season, but beyond that is anyone’s guess. Even interim commissioner Ed McLaughlin doesn’t have all the answers. He has ideas and questions, but nothing concrete. Yet. “We’re at the mercy of the NCAA,” said McLaughlin. After Wayne State eliminated their program at the conclusion of this past … Read more
Shayne Baylis knew that playing college hockey came with its perks, most notably a chance to complete a four-year degree that he could parlay into a career down the road. Baylis entered Niagara University as a freshman defenseman in 2001 and played 83 games, amassing 16 points and 42 penalty minutes over his career. He … Read more
R.H. “Bob” Peters has announced his retirement as commissioner of College Hockey America effective June 30, 2008, a position he has held for seven years. “Coach Peters is one of the pillars of college hockey and a hall of fame human being,” said Niagara director of athletics Ed McLaughlin, chairman of the CHA Men’s Executive … Read more
The NCAA announced Friday the final rosters for the 2008 Frozen Four Skills Challenge, which will be held April 11 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. For the East team, Will Engasser, Yale, Brad Flaishans, New Hampshire and David Leaderer, Massachusetts were all added to the roster. Meanwhile, Eric Ehn, Air Force, Nino Musitelli, Miami … Read more
Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder said last fall that the NU class of 2008 was the only senior class never to get to the NCAA tournament. He said the No. 1 goal this season was to win the CHA tournament on home ice and move on to the NCAA round of 16. Talk can be … Read more
No lengthy intro needed this week — it’s tournament time! Let’s see what the crystal ball reveals this year. The one used last year was sent back to the manufacturer labeled “defective” as it failed to predict an Alabama-Huntsville championship run. Here are the facts: The winner of the tournament this weekend at Niagara gets … Read more
Ryan Cruthers, a senior forward at Robert Morris, took home CHA Player of the Year honors while Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore was named the league’s Coach of the Year and BSU freshman Matt Read was Rookie of the Year in awards announced Thursday. Along with Vince Rocco of Niagara, Cruthers was a unanimous … Read more