The Bemidji State Beavers have been made the preseason favorites to capture the College Hockey America crown. A vote of CHA coaches earlier this week gave the 2003-04 champs 24 of 25 points in the poll, including four of a possible five first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team). Niagara, which defeated Bemidji … Read more
Head coach Bill Wilkinson and the Wayne State Warriors saw more than their fair share of success during the team’s first four seasons in the CHA, capturing three consecutive conference championships and earning a trip to the NCAA tournament in 2003. But the loss of a dozen seniors following the most successful season in the … Read more
Head coach Frank Serratore didn’t expect his Air Force Falcons to set any records for victories last year. After all, his 2003-04 squad saw the turnover of nearly half of its roster from the previous season, and that club recorded just 10 wins. “Last year we came back and we were kind of dreading the … Read more
Derek Schooley knows exactly what Tom Petty meant when he sang “the waiting is the hardest part.” The Robert Morris head coach has been counting the days until the first-year Division I program finally takes to the rink. “Our players are excited about being here. The community’s excited, the campus is excited about us being … Read more
These are trying times for College Hockey America. In the past 10 months, one club has folded, three others have explored leaving the conference, and one of the league’s top offensive threats has been suspended indefinitely. Gone from the CHA ranks this season are the Findlay Oilers, a program which fell victim to budgetary constraints … Read more
Like Deja Vu All Over Again Press the rewind button back to April 8. Two wins away from a national championship, Boston College and Maine battled tooth and nail as Hockey East’s finest in the FleetCenter. Matti Kaltiainen and his BC teammates are the pick again in Hockey East (photo: Kelly McGinnis). Look for more … Read more
In Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald’s three years at the helm, the River Hawks might well have been called the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas. In year one, they’d have earned an NCAA tournament berth had not three top players missed the entire stretch run competing for the French Olympic team. In year two, they posted a 10-2-4 record in … Read more
The 2004-05 season for Providence may have blown up in May when goaltender Bobby Goepfert was dismissed from the school because of academic violations. The Friars were already losing All-American defenseman Stephen Wood, fellow blueliner Jason Platt, and three of their five forwards who had totaled at least 20 points. With no graduations from the … Read more
Is it great momentum or horrendous momentum? If you’re a glass-half-full Husky fan you can point to the seven-of-eight points your team earned over the final two weekends to come oh-so-close to a playoff berth. Only BU’s overtime goal at New Hampshire denied that quest. You can also point to the 11-7-5 record from December … Read more
After two straight seasons atop Hockey East, New Hampshire fell to fourth place last year. Although that hardly ranks as a catastrophe, the surprise was not in the result but in the details. The Wildcats, consistently among the league leaders in team defense, fell to fifth overall, eighth in league games. Eighth? Next to last … Read more
After season upon season of seeming youth, Connecticut returns a lineup where veterans outweigh the inexperienced. Still, for this year’s edition of UConn, that’s not enough to earn complete respect. UConn returns the top player in Atlantic Hockey, last year’s leading scorer and MVP Tim Olsen, and graduated only one significant player in Eric Nelson. … Read more
“I think we were happy with our team last year.” That may sound crazy coming from a coach whose team finished in seventh place despite the feeling the club could compete for a top-four spot, but Ryan Soderquist means it. Okay, so maybe “happy” wasn’t the right term. There was plenty for Soderquist to pick … Read more
“We’d like to be a pleasant surprise,” were the words from Canisius head coach Brian Cavanaugh. Now in his 24th season behind the Griffs’ bench, Cavanaugh has learned that it’s better to be cautiously optimistic than to set expectations that are hard to meet. “I think the players have their expectations,” said Cavanaugh, the dean … Read more
Defending regular-season champ Boston College is tabbed to repeat that feat this season, that according to the Hockey East coaches’ poll announced Thursday at the annual media day held at the FleetCenter. Boston College received five first-place votes and 68 total points, edging out second-place Maine, which received three first-place votes and totaled 66 points. … Read more
For the first time in Hockey East women’s history, someone other than Providence is ranked No. 1 in the league’s preseason poll, even though the Friars are coming off winning the league’s first two postseason crowns. Defending regular champion New Hampshire, the bridesmaid in each of the Friars’ championship wins, ranked No. 1 with four … Read more
Brian Riley, who took the head coaching reins from his brother Rob at Army this summer, is not the only new thing at West Point this year. No, half the locker room is brand new to the U.S. Military Academy — all freshmen — after Riley cleaned house upon arrival this summer. Talk about the … Read more
Depending on where you’ve been for the past five or six months, a lot has changed in Atlantic Hockey. In essence, it became known that the league was somewhat a home for the “wannabes” of the college hockey world, though those who know the league well won’t find that a strange discovery. The summer brought … Read more
Just score more goals. That’s what American International coach Gary Wright wants his team to accomplish this season. A year ago, the AIC offense scored what Wright called an “anemic” 2.04 goals per game in league play, which easily ranked dead last. Combine that with a league-worst 4.04 goals against per game and there’s no … Read more
In the North Country, St. Lawrence will look to rebound from an inconsistent season to try and regain a slice of its former identity. “The big thing for this team over the last couple of years,” explained Saints coach Joe Marsh, “has been trying to get back into it. It is not done overnight. Often … Read more
When George Roll returned to Potsdam last season after six years at Oswego, the former Clarkson assistant realized that life had changed a bit since the mid-1990s. “Last year,” explained the Knights’ head coach, “I learned that the league had changed a lot and Clarkson had changed a lot since I was here. We had … Read more