Feature stories
When the NCAA announced that this year’s East and West Regionals would be available in a pay-per-view package, the instinctive reaction was, “What are they thinking? This sport needs more exposure, not less.” Fears that college hockey’s governing organization had sold its soul for a few pieces of silver, however, turned out to be groundless. … Read more
It was 1981, at Hobey Baker Rink in Princeton. The Dartmouth men’s ice hockey team was on its way to a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tigers when a visitor in the stands named Dan Gaudet found himself in the middle of a loud disagreement between opposing fans. Big mistake for the Tiger faithful, because … Read more
Much has been said about Anchorage as a place to play hockey. Too far. Too dark. Too cold. Even more has been said about Alaska-Anchorage hockey under Dean Talafous, who took over the program at the beginning of the 1996-97 season. Too low-scoring. Too slow. Too boring. Talafous takes umbrage at these comments. It is … Read more
To Hugo Boisvert, central Ohio is more foreign a concept than is “U.S.A.” “It’s different.” The sophomore center from St. Eustache, Quebec, makes a gesture as though he’s running his hand over the top of a table, and he makes a noise — “ppphtt.” He says, by way of summary, “Flat.” “I’ve been to the … Read more
This weekend, the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans renew one of college hockey’s greatest traditional rivalries. Students, parents and alumni of both schools, as well as fans of all stripes, will stream to the games: Friday at Munn Arena in East Lansing, and Saturday at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. It’s an old rivalry, … Read more
T.R. Moreau doesn’t even remember it happening. Fifteen minutes, two seconds into the first period of Wisconsin’s game against Minnesota-Duluth Jan. 9, Moreau and Duluth forward Joe Rybar followed the puck into the corner. Rybar checked Moreau into the boards, and the Badger winger’s neck whiplashed into the glass. Moreau fell to the ice and … Read more
(Note: this is the third and final installment in USCHO’s interview series with ECAC commissioner Jeff Fanter. The first two parts were entitled “Man On A Mission” and “Five Months And Counting“) What other things are on Jeff Fanter’s mind? Are there more items on the agenda that he wishes to pursue? If so, how … Read more
One of the hallmarks of success for any forward line is the moment it acquires a nickname. Princeton University has had a few such units, including the trio dubbed the “Suburban Snipers” (Boston-area products John Messuri, Greg Polaski and Bart Blaeser, from 1985-1988) and the “Money Line” (Terry Morris, Brian Bigelow and Matt Zilinskas, who … Read more
If you ask CCHA Commissioner Bill Beagan what he plans to do once he retires at the end of this season, you may get a straight answer. And you may not. “I’m going to lie down a lot,” he says. No one who knows the CCHA’s top man of 13 years believes for a second … Read more
A live turkey tied to a goalpost … the famous “zip code” speech and the infamous money on the table … a geyser in the visitors’ locker room during a national championship game … If you look at the nondescript exterior of UMass-Lowell’s Tully Forum, you’d never guess the oft-bizarre history that lurks within. On … Read more
For a guy who was just named the WCHA’s Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, Wisconsin forward Steve Reinprecht was quite humble. “It feels good, though the times I’ve won it, it’s been unexpected,” the sophomore center said. “It’s good that you get the honor of being Offensive Player of … Read more
There, in the middle of the scuffle, was the familiar number eight with “HOWATT” stretching between the shoulders. But the jersey was not the orange, blue and white of the New York Islanders; it was the black, gold and gray of the United States Military Academy. In the stands of Tate Rink on the West … Read more
A state of emergency has just been called by the State of New York for the North Country. The second half of the annual home-and-home rivalry between two North Country neighbors, Clarkson and St. Lawrence, takes place this weekend at Appleton Arena in Canton, N.Y. — an event that North Country residents look forward to … Read more
It’s January 1996, the first month of the second half of the college hockey season, and the CCHA has settled into its usual “two-tier” system. The usual suspects — Michigan, Michigan State, Lake Superior, Miami — crowd the top, while the rest of the league looks up from below, behind in everything from points to … Read more
It’s January in Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan Wolverine hockey team sports a 12-2-1 conference record halfway through the CCHA regular season. The Wolverines sit atop the CCHA, in front of the Michigan State University Spartans and the Miami University RedHawks. A Wolverine icer leads the nation in power-play tallies, and is second … Read more
The Latrell Sprewell incident was in high gear. Sports talk shows, like those on Boston’s WEEI radio, were discussing nothing but the case of the basketball star who choked his own coach. Then, crackling over the airwaves, came the Sports Flash, WEEI’s 20-minute update. “Merrimack Warriors hockey coach Ron Anderson announced that Cris Classen will … Read more
Think about the great turnarounds in sports. The last-to-first 1967 Boston Red Sox. The rags-to-riches New York Islanders of the seventies. The bozos-to-boffo Dallas Cowboys earlier this decade. This year’s Northeastern Huskies are threatening to join the pantheon of those great all-time transformations from 97-pound weaklings to muscle-bound tough guys. "They’ve raised the level of … Read more
Goal scoring in men’s Division I ice hockey has experienced a steady and significant decline over the last ten seasons and, based on scores of games played in 1997-98, this season could see fewer goals per game than any of the previous ten. During the ten full seasons starting in 1987-88, an average of 7.92 … Read more
(Note: This is the second part of an interview with ECAC ice hockey commissioner Jeff Fanter. The first installment was entitled “Man On A Mission.”) Five months into Jeff Fanter’s tenure as ECAC ice hockey commissioner, he has started to put into motion some of the ideas he presented to the selection committee during his … Read more
In October, when the leaves were turning southern Michigan into a rolling patchwork of color, Tyler Harlton missed the open sky of the western Canadian prairie. The Pense, Sask., native could appreciate the beauty of autumn in East Lansing, but he couldn’t help feeling penned in. “When you’re surrounded by trees on all sides, it … Read more