The NCAA men’s and women’s ice hockey rules committee gets this chance only once every two years, so there’s a little more emphasis to get it right. In the next month, leading up to and through the committee’s meeting June 8-11 in Indianapolis, the dialogue about potential rules changes will lead to debate and then … Read more
Team Overview: OK, not to beat a dead horse but head coach Jim Ward will have a very young team this year and expects the team to grow literally game by game. “We will probably have fifteen or more freshmen and sophomores in the lineup every night,” noted Ward. “I have really been impressed with … Read more
March, it’s the month of March. And if your team is still playing this week it’s a pretty big deal. Conference bragging rights and a chance to play in the national tournament is what it all comes down to before Sunday, March 5th. At the beginning of the year every team had goals set out … Read more
Twenty-eight teams will start this weekend full of playoff aspirations, looking to continue their seasons into March. By Saturday night half of the teams will move on and the rest of them will be done for the season. Win, you advance; lose, you go home. “It’s a really hard thing to identify with,” stated Curry … Read more
Can it be? Yes, as hard as it is to believe for both players and coaches, this next week represents the final games in the regular season. For some, it’s a chance to improve a playoff position; for others an opportunity to play more hockey in February and beyond. And for others, it’s a must-win … Read more
There is an old expression in New England. If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes. The variability in climate in this part of the country is interesting to say the least and so is a look at the league standings after a single weekend of play at this point in the season. Teams … Read more
February 2nd… A day we all wait religiously to find out whether or not we should keep the winter clothes out for another couple of months based on the ability of a large rodent in Pennsylvania to see his own shadow. With all due respect to Punxsutawney Phil, I am not one to buy-in to … Read more
Statement games! When a team plays virtually the perfect game and far exceeds the anticipated result in their favor – that’s a statement game! Examples? Middlebury 9-1 over Bowdoin Norwich 7-0 over Trinity Curry 11-0 over Wentworth All three teams made statements in their recent wins over perennial rivals that have historically posed difficulties for … Read more
Any coach will tell you that if you are going to be competitive and win hockey games, you need to have some solid goaltending. Having a consistent guy between the pipes can be the difference in winning and losing and on occasion help your team steal a win in a game that they maybe didn’t … Read more
It’s hard to believe, but there are only about six weeks left in the regular season as the teams start looking to play there best hockey down the stretch. No doubt the holiday hangovers have to be quickly swept aside and the focus needs to be there each game with some pivotal match-ups in league … Read more
Happy New Year! 2006 is starting out with a flourish as teams get back to the ice and look to work off some indulgences taken over the holiday break. For some squads, the holiday season represented a chance to flex some muscle in some classic seasonal tournaments. While for other teams, the break represented a … Read more
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Really, it is! The holidays are upon us (reminder to self–only 9 shopping days left out there) and for many teams there is a lot to be celebratory about in the first half of the season. For others the stockings are a bit mixed on the present … Read more
Just about a month into the season and already some interesting races are starting to heat up in each of the three divisions. Finishing the first half of the season on a high note will be important as teams look to build up positive momentum prior to breaking for the holidays. Let’s take a look … Read more
Castleton State 3 St. Anselm’s 3 Wesleyan 6 Trinity 3 Fitchburg State 5 UMass-Dartmouth 4 Castleton State 2 Plymouth State 1 Colby 5 Nichols 4 Plymouth State 5 St. Anselm’s 4 Salem State 1 Norwich 1 Curry 4 Fitchburg State 3 For many scoreboard watchers, the beginning of the season has provided some major WOWs … Read more
Sawsadee! Greetings from Bangkok, Thailand. Seriously, this week’s column originates from Southeast Asia–not necessarily the hotbed of D-III hockey! They do have one ice arena here in Thailand and the No. 128 ranked team in the world so maybe someday we might see a player come out of this part of the world and play … Read more
Princeton assistant coach Jim Ward has been named the new head coach at Connecticut College. He replaces Doug Roberts, who stepped down at the end of last season following 24 years at the helm. Ward, who has spent the last three seasons at Princeton, was previously the head coach at Northfield-Mount Hermon (Mass.) Prep School … Read more
Two coaches with a combined 1,279 games behind the bench over 56 seasons, coached against each other for the final time Saturday, and for the final time in each of their careers. Wesleyan, led by Dave Snyder, beat Connecticut College, with Doug Roberts behind the bench, 5-0. Neither school reached the NESCAC tournament, so each … Read more
Connecticut College has suspended its entire men’s hockey team and will forfeit its next three games because of violations of the college’s honor code. According to a college news release, the violations were reported by Camels coach Doug Roberts, and sanctions were handed down following internal judicial review. The release did not specify the nature of the violations.