2006 Northeast Regional Preview

Boston University knew all along where it was headed come NCAA tournament time. That the Terriers are the top seed in Worcester is just an added bonus. BU, which won the Hockey East regular-season title in a chaotic final weekend of league play, became a dual champion last weekend by toppling Boston College in the … Read more

2006 West Regional Preview

In the wake of Sunday’s selections, it didn’t take long for some to start calling the 2006 West Regional the “Group of Death,” to use a little soccer parlance. The candidates to advance to the Frozen Four from Ralph Engelstad Arena include a team that was No. 1 in the USCHO.com/CSTV poll for much of … Read more

TV Superstars

This year’s championship was the first Division III men’s ice hockey championship game ever televised to a national audience. Having a TV audience had several effects on the game — both large and small — over the course of the afternoon. Pre-game interviews with each of the head coaches were recorded about two hours before … Read more

Bracket Reax: The Take From Coaches, Players

Once the field of 16 was announced Sunday morning, there were few surprises in either the selections or the pairings. The NCAA bracket lined up in pure PairWise order, pleasing number-crunchers around the nation, and few had beefs with the process, a change from some past years. Overall number-one seed Wisconsin, for instance, saw little … Read more

Middlebury Mystique

Middlebury’s win over St. Norbert marked its third consecutive shutout victory in a national championship game (and fourth shoutout overall), and the eighth for the Panthers in 12 seasons. Middlebury has lost quarterfinal and semifinal games, but has never lost the title game. Perhaps they could have had even more had the NESCAC allowed its … Read more

Nerves of Steel

Normally, a team would be apprehensive turning goaltending duties over to a freshman heading into a national championship weekend. However, for Middlebury, who had to turn to Doug Raeder due to an injury to Ross Cherry, that was never a concern. That’s because when you are the son of a former NHL goaltender, Cap Raeder, … Read more

Finding Joy in Elmira

On frozen ponds all across the northern parts of the continent, young hockey players dream of scoring the game-winning goal in a critical playoff game. They hear the crowds cheering, see the puck tickling the twine in the back of the net, and imagine their teammates mobbing them in celebration. Elmira junior Justin Joy has … Read more

Championship Sunday Preview

Sunday’s national championship game is the second matchup for the title in three seasons between Middlebury and St. Norbert. The two teams split time this season at No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll. The Panthers won the the first of their two consecutive titles — and their sixth overall — in overtime, 1-0, at Norwich … Read more

Caring Is Simple

With Dartmouth’s season all but over, the Big Green got together to give a shot to one particular freshman, says Jayson Moy.

First Arena: First Class

Elmira, N.Y. is a historic town, having been established in 1792. Driving through the quaint town in the Southern Tier region of New York a traveler notices building after building that are more than a hundred years old. Nestled in between one such building and the flowing Chemung River is the five year old First … Read more

Ryan, Nathan, Nino and Frank

Miami’s rise this season has been supported by youth, including the line of Jones-Davis-Musitelli. Paula C. Weston reports on the RedHawk sophs’ contributions.

Seniors On The Doorstep

After a win in the semifinals, Dave Hendrickson says Boston University’s six-man senior class can lead the Terriers to their first HEA tournament title in nearly a decade.

A Belief in Leadership

It would be hard for anyone to argue with the success the Middlebury College Panthers have exhibited in winning seven of the past eleven national championships since the NESCAC school was allowed to play in the tournament, starting in 1995. Head Coach Bill Beaney has had very talented teams in winning those championships, but the … Read more

Tournament Notebook

Whitt White Out New Hampshire filled most of the longer edges of the Whittemore Center with a 2,061-strong crowd — a new NCAA quarterfinal record, surpassing the 1,619 at Dartmouth a year ago. Jennifer Hitchcock, who scored the goal, looked at the crowd as a source of momentum. “We really fed off the energy of … Read more

Larger Than Life

Jeff Lerg may be only 5-foot-6, but the freshman netminder’s play is plenty big for the Michigan State Spartans, says Sean Caruthers.