Michigan head coach Red Berenson summed up his Wolverines’ 2-1 win over Maine with one phrase. “It [was] goalkeeping and special teams.” After 46 minutes of shutout hockey, Eric Nystrom put Michigan on the board 1-0 at 6:47 in the third. Colin Shields tied it up 10 minutes later. Al Montoya stops Ben Murphy (photo: … Read more
Minnesota coach Don Lucia was impressed with his team’s preparations for its West Regional semifinal game with Mercyhurst on Friday. The Gophers were loose, they were confident and they turned it into a runaway victory. He wasn’t as confident on Saturday — a little worried even — when he walked into the locker room before … Read more
Minnesota State has come a long way in seven years.
Not too bad an initial NCAA offering for Chris Kunitz and the Ferris State Bulldogs. Kunitz, one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, scored three points in the Bulldogs’ 5-2 victory over North Dakota in an NCAA first-round game at Mariucci Arena on Friday. Ferris State, which made its first appearance in … Read more
The postseason has arrived for Minnesota, and that means it’s Grant Potulny’s time of year.
Two years ago, Mercyhurst — at the time the first-ever MAAC team invited to the NCAA tournament — nearly pulled off a monumental upset against Michigan in the Wolverines’ home state. Before Friday’s game, amidst the talk of a mismatch against defending national champion Minnesota, there was a quiet refrain of possibility. Could lightning strike … Read more
Three was the magic number for Boston University. Early in the third period, BU broke open a 3-3 game with three goals in less than three minutes, as the Terriers beat the Crimson 6-4 in the NCAA Northeast Regional opener at the Centrum Centre. All four forward lines tallied for BU, and Sean Fields made … Read more
Though the game was played in front of nearly a full house, it was two pairs that keyed top-seeded New Hampshire’s 5-2 victory over No. 4 St Cloud State in the first round of the NCAA Northeast Regional. The pairs came from forwards Colin Hemingway and Preston Callander — each scoring two goals on the … Read more
Despite a loss, Dominic Moore made his last game for Harvard a memorable one.
The NCAA selection committee may have bestowed the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament upon Cornell, but the Big Red doesn’t necessarily see it that way. On Sunday, the committee had conflicting mandates — avoid first-round intraconference matchups, and protect the top teams in the field in terms of the draw. Regional considerations prevailed, … Read more
Out of the frying pan, into the fire. When Colorado College lost the WCHA championship to Minnesota last weekend, it moved the Gophers up to a No. 1 seed, That meant the Tigers, who were assured a top seed regardless of Saturday’s outcome, could not be bracketed with West Regional host Minnesota on the Gophers’ … Read more
Welcome to the USCHO.com staff’s annual picks competition, in which we display our knowledge — or lack thereof — of the NCAA tournament for the entertainment of the Internet-browsing public. This year’s competition is open to all USCHO.com staffers, 10 of whom have elected to participate. The rules are simple: pick all 12 games this … Read more
If the almost-home ice of the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn., helped Minnesota to the 2002 NCAA championship, what will the Gophers do with the real thing? The Gophers earned perhaps the most critical win of the weekend last Saturday, upending WCHA regular-season champion Colorado College 4-2 in the Final Five title game. The … Read more
Call it the Slot Heard ‘Round The World. Unlike the shots fired near Concord, Mass., back in 1775, there may not be a revolution following the selection of St. Cloud State to the 2003 NCAA tournament. There will, however, be plenty more debate on the heels of the firestorm already seen. Nearly lost in the … Read more
Cornell ascended to the top of the college hockey heap, garnering 25 first-place votes and 583 points in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, the last poll of the 2002-2003 season. The Big Red finished first in the ECAC regular season and the postseason tournament, and was rewarded for a 28-4-1 season with the … Read more
Joe Exter flashed a broad smile and thumbs-up sign to his surprised visitors yesterday during an impromptu walk from his hospital bed to a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center waiting room. A clear signal the worst appears to be over for the Merrimack College goaltender. Still dealing with complications brought on by a fractured skull … Read more
In what became a badly-kept secret, Clarkson has named George Roll men’s hockey coach, replacing the fired Mark Morris. He was formally introduced at a news conference on Monday. Roll, a former assistant at Clarkson under Morris, returns after seven years as head coach at Division III Oswego. Roll will begin his transition to Clarkson … Read more
When Ian McCaw says that the NCAA committee went 100 percent strictly by the numbers, he is being completely 100 percent genuine. And the evidence is right in front of our eyes. In fact, the committee went so strictly by the numbers, it’s scary. It was the complete pinnacle of the 100-percent objective system, and, … Read more
The Division I men’s ice hockey committee made some changes to the selection process this year, both in the criteria used to compare teams, and the methodology used in selecting and placing them. Using a strict interpretation of its rules, and not budging from them, the committee selected and seeded the field in a mechanical … Read more
The field is in, and we evaluate our prediction performance.