Feature stories
Their schedule has been called “insular.” They get about as much respect as Rodney Dangerfield, if that much. And in the general college hockey community, they’re given as much of a chance as the tortoise was against the hare. But the Quinnipiac Braves are currently in a position to cause not only some rumblings in … Read more
One skates with extraordinary grace and agility; the other came into the league looking like a powerskating dropout. One had already left his hometown by grade 10 in the search for stronger competition; the other played for his small-town Midget team throughout high school, his game not yet ready for the big time. One led … Read more
Ironically, North Dakota probably has Michigan to thank for it all. Yes, the No. 1 Fighting Sioux have been tearing up the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 1998-99, taking a 27-3-2 overall record into the last weekend of the regular season. But the team’s motivation may actually stem back to last year. The Sioux had … Read more
Reprinted with permission from the New York Institute of Photography website. Most photographs taken at a hockey game show the entire rink and tiny figures in action — if you can see them at all. Other than proving you were at the game, this type of picture really has little to say. And this is … Read more
What do you call a team that, in the midst of a good year, learns it has lost its number-one goalie for the rest of the season? A team whose senior backup can count his career games played on one hand? If that team is Holy Cross, you’d call it a contender. That’s the exact … Read more
If points were awarded for locker-room speeches, Alaska-Anchorage coach Dean Talafous would be near the top of the country. And it’s not because of screaming or throwing things. It’s due to his message. Recently, Talafous revealed a bit of what he would say to his Seawolves as they prepared to face Colorado College in their … Read more
Ready for the post-season? It’s here! The NCHA and SUNYAC playoffs begin this weekend, and the other conferences will follow shortly thereafter. To help fans follow the action, here’s a bit of background on the various Division II/Division III conferences, and the NCAA selection process. The Conferences Let’s begin out west, where things are a … Read more
When Ernie Hartlieb arrived at Miami University as a freshman in the fall of 1997, the campus he’d visited just once seemed eerily too familiar. When nearly every classroom, dining hall, or dorm the RedHawk forward entered gave him a peculiar sense of deja vu, he realized he had seen all of these places before. … Read more
This year, Hockey East instituted a Defensive Player of the Week Award to complement its other awards, which forwards and goaltenders traditionally dominate. After Maine’s first weekend of action, the league selected David Cullen. After Maine’s second weekend of action, the league again selected David Cullen. Two years ago, the Black Bears boasted the best … Read more
Attention, college hockey coaches: if you want to make Brian Swanson, Colorado College’s senior captain and bona fide Hobey Baker candidate uncomfortable, just ask him to talk about himself. If modesty were the sole criterion for hockey’s Heisman, the senior from Eagle River, Alaska, would have to be the odds-on favorite. In an age where … Read more
“Hurry up, mom!” cries the impatient child. “C’mon, turn on the radio! Turn it on! Grady’s gonna be on and we’re playing Harvard!” “Is it on yet?” asks the student studying for a test on Monday. “It’s a big one tonight. We’ve got to win on the road, and they’re ahead of us in the … Read more
On Christmas night, the Ohio State men’s ice hockey team got a gift from Santa they’ll never forget: their first skate in the $106.5 million Jerome “Schottenstein Center’s Value City Arena. Of course, it was Christmas, and the players were grumbling about the shortness of the break; the road conditions on the way home through … Read more
ECAC Hockey Commissioner Jeff Fanter is aware of the difficulties in promoting off-campus tournaments. But, despite an announced attendance of just 3,250 for the ECAC-Hockey East Holiday Doubleheader last week at the Hartford Civic Center, Fanter is optimistic these types of tournaments can work — as both a competitive event and opportunity to promote the … Read more
Reprinted by permission of the Duluth News-Tribune. DULUTH, Minn. — The Bulldogs aren’t winning, and there’s one person to blame. Mike Sertich. “That’s fine. It’s part of the deal, and I accept that,” the Minnesota-Duluth hockey coach says. It has to be tempting to spread the blame around a little, but Sertich has learned over … Read more
Sophomore forward Kirk Lamb first made a significant impression on Princeton head coach Don Cahoon following a big home win over Harvard in 1996. Shortly after the final buzzer, Cahoon headed to the locker room to congratulate his players on a fine effort. A cacophony of celebration greeted Cahoon and assistant coach Len Quesnelle as … Read more
With just under nine minutes left in Boston University’s spirited 4-2 victory over hated arch-rival Boston College, the superfan known as Sasquatch is getting restless. The whistle blows, and he jumps up, gesturing to the BU band across Walter Brown Arena. They miss the cue and break into “Louie, Louie”; Sasquatch whips off his hat … Read more
The object of the two games is the same — to score goals. One is played on a sheet of ice, the other on a pitch. Canisius College junior Ryan Puntiri excels at both. On the soccer field, the midfielder is one of the leading playmakers in the nation. Puntiri was named second-team All-Metro Atlantic … Read more
There’s a new man in charge in Schenectady, New York, these days. Well, “new” if you consider that it is his first head coaching position in college hockey — not so new if you know that he had been the top assistant at Union for the last five years. Kevin Sneddon, named Union head coach … Read more
When he was a little boy, he watched hockey on TV and dreamed the dreams of so many kids his age. Could that be me? Could I do that? For Michael Filardo, though, the challenges of seeing those dreams reach fulfillment extended beyond the usual ones of size, skill, quickness and agility. He faced the … Read more
There he was, sitting in the stands of the Kiel Center in St. Louis with his family. Marty Reasoner, Jr., had just finished his freshman campaign at Boston College. He was the Hockey East Rookie of the Year, joining the likes of Brian Leetch, Ken Hodge and Ian Moran as the only Eagles to do … Read more