Feature stories
The Harvard Crimson were on top of the college hockey mountain 10 years ago. Bright Center was packed to capacity every night, the 1989 national champions boasted three Hobey Baker Award winners in a seven-year span, and the recruiting pipeline was overflowing with future All-Americas like Ted Drury, Steve Martins and Sean McCann. The second … Read more
As families across the country celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving (by the way, my favorite holiday thanks to the enormous amount of food you can eat without feeling guilty), I thought it might be nice to take a light-hearted look at what the folks around the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference have to be thankful for. … Read more
Before the year started, Hockey East coaches, not to mention this writer, picked Merrimack to finish last. It seemed eminently reasonable. The Warriors had come within one point of finishing in the cellar last season and that was before losing All-Hockey East center Rejean Stringer (56 points) and Kris Porter (45). “Being picked last in … Read more
… is going on with Hockey East goaltending? Hasek, a consensus choice as the world’s top netminder, opened the National Hockey League season with a 1-4-1 record and enough poor performances to earn a seat on the end of the bench. He then returned to action and promptly tore a groin muscle, an injury that … Read more
In an ideal world, the ceremony would have been to commemorate Travis Roy’s All-America plaque joining the pantheon of BU greats at the entrance to Walter Brown Arena. In an ideal world, the extended ovation and chants of “Travis! Travis! Travis!” would have brought only smiles and not a pungent mixture of smiles and salty … Read more
It’s hard to believe, but it’s less than 50 days until they drop the puck on the 1999-2000 college hockey season. As outlined in Brave New World, Division III hockey will undergo a major overhaul in terms of automatic qualifiers for the NCAA tournament. ECAC Commissioner Jeff Fanter added a few pieces to the puzzle … Read more
In a season that saw Eastern schools step to the forefront, placing three teams in the NCAA Frozen Four, it is perhaps ironic that the top-rated collegiate pick for the upcoming National Hockey League entry draft would come from the West. Jeff Jillson, a 6-foot-2 defenseman from Michigan, is the top collegiate prospect in the … Read more
In early 1998, a decision was made by the NCAA Division III Championships Committee that will have a profound effect on Division III ice hockey for the 1999-2000 season. The committee recommended that current NCAA tournament selection processes be replaced by a new, standardized methodology that puts a far greater emphasis on automatic bids. This … Read more
As the first-ever NCAA tourney played in Pacific time winds to a close, the official verdict is that the event was a rousing success. With 14,447 college hockey fans cheering the 10th overtime title game in tournament history, the atmosphere in Arrowhead Pond was every bit as exciting as last year’s venue, where thousands of … Read more
Paul Kariya … Brett Hull … Chris Chelios. College hockey fans can point with pride to alums such as these who have made their mark in the National Hockey League. The success of these players is obvious to anyone with a TV or a newspaper box score. But for every college hockey alum in The … Read more
When John Greenhalgh, the founding director of the Hockey Humanitarian award, received Kristine Pierce’s nomination from Rochester Institute of Technology sports information director Chuck Mitrano, he couldn’t help himself. “She’s not eligible,” he told Mitrano. “She’s an angel.” She’s also this year’s recipient, announced Friday in Anaheim, Calif., site of the Division I Frozen Four. … Read more
For Jason Krog, the road to the Hobey Baker Award and an appearance in the NCAA title game was a long one, literally as well as figuratively. Born in Fernie, British Columbia, the senior co-captain for the New Hampshire Wildcats and this year’s recipient of college hockey’s highest honor, was cut twice from junior teams … Read more
Ever drive 80 miles an hour on dangerously icy roads because you were worried that you’d miss the first drop of the puck in the Great Lakes Invitational? Ever risk losing your job to attend an NCAA Regional? How about attending the Beanpot on the same day as your wife’s grandmother’s funeral? Did you propose … Read more
It’s impossible to think of Mike York as someone who would intentionally hurt another person. The Michigan State senior forward — the CCHA’s Player of the Year and Best Defensive Forward, and a Hobey Baker finalist — is really just a soft-spoken guy from Waterford, Mich. “He’s kind of quiet and shy,” says Bob York, … Read more
St. Lawrence’s magical run to the NCAAs crumbled in a span of 42 seconds in Madison on Saturday. But when the smoke cleared, Joe Marsh knew he could speak of a year in which a reinvigorated program could look ahead to making its appearance a more regular occurrence. One that relies not upon magic, but … Read more
If you asked coaches what it takes to win a championship, many would tell you good goaltending, great special teams, and plenty of experience. For the University of Maine Black Bears, goaltending and special teams are part of their year-in and year-out plan. But this year’s club possesses only one player with NCAA tournament experience … Read more
One is older, more experienced; the other could be called the young pup. One plays the role of leader for his team; the other is brand-new to college hockey. But the brothers Comrie — Paul, the senior captain of the University of Denver, and Mike, the rookie sensation for the University of Michigan, have plenty … Read more
Did you know that when the Spartans beat the Wildcats last weekend, they made a little bit of NCAA history? Wait a minute, you say — wasn’t it the Wildcats who beat the Spartans 5-3 in the CCHA semifinals? Yes, but there were two sets of Spartans and Wildcats playing that weekend: one on ice, … Read more
Teams that reach the NCAA tournament almost always have their game-breaking stars: the top scorers, the all-league selections, perhaps even All-Americans. But sometimes in the march to a national title, the game-breakers get stymied and the unsung players get their chances to be heroes. While Maine’s stars were hardly stymied in its 4-2 win over … Read more
This weekend, three CCHA teams lived life on the bubble–and one was hoping that its hadn’t burst. The only team heading into the CCHA semifinals with a guaranteed NCAA berth was the Michigan State University Spartans, winner of the regular-season CCHA championship. Michigan, Ohio State, and Northern Michigan were the undecided cusp teams. Northern Michigan … Read more