Feature

Feature stories

This Week in Hockey East: Due to schedule imbalance, new power index assuring teams that ‘every game matters’

by

In a very challenging year, one thing was clear to first-year commissioner Steve Metcalf early in the 2020-21 Hockey East campaign

It took just a couple of weekends of canceled games and teams and the league working to change opponents to make Metcalf realize come season’s end, there would be a significant imbalance in both number of games played as well as the strength of opponents each team faces.

Thus, Metcalf turned to a somewhat familiar formula to help determine the Hockey East standings: the PairWise.

With new college hockey initiative out to include all, ‘hockey culture needs to be a place where people from all walks of life feel accepted’

by

The romantic image of hockey centers around the notion of the sport as an engine.

Teams can’t win unless they harness the selfless power of individuals, and victory only comes when they work together to control the flow of the game. An unmatched intensity creates this willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

It fosters a bottomless toughness capable of enhancing teamwork, friendship and lifelong bonds. That attitude spills over into the community and helps the sport shine through its brightest moments. This off-ice gentleness can welcome anyone into the inner circle by appreciating what it takes to sacrifice daily for a team.

At its best, hockey permeates that mentality, but the truth is that more sinister aspects exist in the shadows of the game. The same culture and attitude that makes hockey the greatest sport in the world is also capable of excluding others with hostile language, and players, fans, coaches and personnel can feel unwanted or afraid to speak up.

This Week in WCHA Hockey: Minnesota State, including team’s ‘old guys,’ oozing confidence after sweeping Bowling Green

by

Minnesota State made a big statement last weekend against Bowling Green. In the first (and only) regular-season series between the consensus two top teams in the conference, the Mavericks swept the Falcons in fairly convincing fashion. They won 4-1 and 5-0, showing off their depth and their defensive prowess in the process.

This Week in Hockey East: UConn boasting positive mindset where ‘we think if we’re going into a game, we’re winning’

by

Connecticut junior Carter Turnbull doesn’t think there was ever a dramatic shift.

Instead, Turnbull, one of 10 upperclassmen with the Huskies, thinks there was a culture shift from the moment he began at UConn, a process that’s led them to where they are now, being ranked for the first time in program history.