Feature stories
Despite 32 wins and a lofty national ranking, a certain reputation surrounds Michigan State, one which can be summed up in a single word: bor-ing! In a special feature, Steve Klein breaks down the Spartans and finds that the number-one team in the land is anything but.
Despite Michigan State’s position as the nation’s number-one team, the squad getting most of the attention — not all of it welcome — at the West Regional might be MAAC champion Mercyhurst. History will be made this weekend in Grand Rapids, Mich.; USCHO’s conference writers bring you the 411.
After a so-so week of picks, USCHO.com’s crack writing staff looks to turn it on for the NCAAs. Check out the second round of our picks competition.
They were the only ECAC representative in this year’s NCAA tournament, in the field despite finishing 14th in the Pairwise Rankings — an underdog one year removed from a Frozen Four berth. But Dave Hendrickson finds that the St. Lawrence Saints carried their burden with class.
Boston College leads the contenders in Worcester, Mass., but trailing the Eagles are three WCHA teams: fellow bye recipient North Dakota, Colorado College and Minnesota. Those three, as well as HEA rival Maine and ECAC champion St. Lawrence, gun for two spots in Albany, N.Y., at this year’s Frozen Four. The USCHO.com staff profiles all the action from the East Regional.
Feeling Frozen in Minnesota Well, the debates have been exhausted and the arguing is done. The four-team field for the inaugural NCAA championship is finally set, and the brackets correspond with USCHO.com’s current poll: No. 1 Dartmouth plays No. 4 St. Lawrence in the first semifinal, while No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth takes on No. 3 Harvard … Read more
Twice the MAAC’s regular-season champion, Quinnipiac nearly ended its playoff jinx this year, when it mattered most. But even after finishing the season with a loss to Mercyhurst with an NCAA bid on the line, the Braves can hold their heads high. Adam Wodon reports.
All season, Boston College’s Tony Voce has labored in the shadows of his fellow Eagle rookies, thanks to one of the deepest and most talented freshman classes in the nation. Well, that changed this weekend. Dave Hendrickson reports.
Head coach Rick Gotkin calls him Mercyhurst’s team MVP. Jeff Gould battled through two injury-filled seasons early in his college career, and Saturday he got his reward: a trip to the NCAA tournament. Michael Kobylanski reports.
Devin Rask and Peter Fregoe are already known quantities in Hockey East, but with Providence’s strong performance in the league playoffs, the pair of sophomores may soon find their notoriety growing. Dave Hendrickson profiles the Friars’ hidden gems.
When the playoff season began, the shaving stopped for UMass-Lowell. Dave Hendrickson tells the tale of one team’s follicular follies.
The games begin on Friday, as the teams battle for the right to call themselves NCAA Champions. But Thursday night was a chance for the NCAA to celebrate the accomplishments of the four teams that made it to the 2001 Division III Frozen Four with a banquet. Troy Aurthur, NCAA Assistant Director of Championships said … Read more
For Quinnipiac’s Chris Cerrella, all of the trials and tribulations of joining an emerging D-I program, come down to one game. After the disappointment of the past two seasons, a win Saturday against Mercyhurst can make up for it, and then some.
Rick Gotkin has built the Mercyhurst program from scratch, through transitions from D-III to D-II to D-I. Now, the Lakers are a step away from the NCAA tournament, a dream so amazing, Gotkin is trying not to think about it.
Should RIT capture the national championship this weekend, the Tigers will become the first undefeated NCAA titlist since the 1970 Cornell Big Red. Chris Lerch observes history in the (possible) making.
Four of the top five teams in the season-ending USCHO.com poll meet this weekend in the NCAA Division III Frozen Four at Rochester Institute of Technology. The top Eastern seed, RIT, hosts second West seed Wisconsin-River Falls in one semifinal, while the top seed from the West, Wisconsin-Superior, takes on third Eastern seed Plattsburgh. The … Read more
Ever read the picks in one of our conference columns and wonder, “What the heck are they thinking?” Well, so do we. And to find out just who is the best at this, we present USCHO.com’s Ultimate Picks Challenge, a.k.a. “Meet the Frauds.”
Going to Rochester, N.Y., for the D-III Frozen Four this weekend? USCHO.com’s Ed Trefzger provides the lowdown on the Flower City’s food, shopping, nightlife and more.
An unforgettable weekend of playoff action ended Sunday with four overtime finishes, every one with NCAA tournament implications. Adam Wodon relives one of the most nail-biting days in college hockey history.
It was potentially the final game of his collegiate career. In his four years, he’d never been a marquee name. In fact, he’d scored only four goals at Providence, none in the last two years.