Wisconsin tries to put the focus back on the ice; Minnesota State eyes its chances at the MacNaughton Cup; St. Cloud State’s offense suffers by subtraction; and Todd D. Milewski analyzes the NCAA’s new tournament selection wrinkle.
This year’s process for selecting and seeding has received a new tweak. According to Division I men’s ice hockey committee chair Ian McCaw, a “bonus component” will reward teams for “good wins” by adding percentage points to their Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The RPI is one of the criteria used by the selection committee to … Read more
The NCAA Frozen Four, now revered as one of the most successful NCAA championships annually, could be taking its show to the world’s most famous arena. Madison Square Garden, home to the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers, is exploring a bid for the next cycle of Frozen Four host sites. The current cycle is … Read more
One of Massachusetts’ two state-funded Division I hockey programs could soon be privatized; if Massachusetts’ new governor, Mitt Romney, has his way. As part of an overwhelming state restructuring plan that Romney will institute in hopes to pull the state from extreme debt, he unveiled Wednesday a plan that would privatize the state’s main campus … Read more
Tuesday night’s battle between Merrimack and Massachusetts-Lowell probably wouldn’t have been billed as a goaltending duel entering the game. While Merrimack’s Joe Exter night in and night out this season has impressed teams enough to make him a strong MVP candidate, Lowell’s Achilles’ heel for much of the year has been goaltending. But despite an … Read more
Sacred Heart’s 6-3 victory over Iona bridged the gap between the importance of team success and the satisfaction of personal goals. The Pioneers’ victory moved the team two points closer to a potential home playoff game in the MAAC Quarterfinals. It also proved to be a special night for senior Martin Paquet. The senior from … Read more
Boston University senior John Sabo was arraigned Monday on charges that he assaulted a fellow BU student outside a nightclub on Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue last September. The forward, with 10 goals and 12 assists this season, continues to play for the Terriers. The school investigated the incident last fall, and determined that no internal discipline … Read more
Colorado College took a 5-2 exhibition victory over the U.S. Under 18 Team, and that was enough to preserve the No. 1 ranking in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll. While the win doesn’t count in CC’s overall record of 23-4-5 and will not be considered by the NCAA for tournament selection, the Tigers … Read more
Elmira lost its third and fourth games of the season, but still kept a firm grasp on the top spot in the USCHO.com Division III Women’s Poll. The Soaring Eagles were playing Division I opponent Findlay, and so the games do not count for NCAA Division III tournament selection, and correspondingly do not appear in … Read more
Harvard continued its winning ways with a pair of conference victories over No. 9 Princeton and Yale. The Crimson improved to 23-1-1 and hold first place in the USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll, the USCHO.com Pairwise Rankings (PWR) and the ECAC standings. The top teams all held the status quo, as No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth won … Read more
Two coaches with a combined 1,279 games behind the bench over 56 seasons, coached against each other for the final time Saturday, and for the final time in each of their careers. Wesleyan, led by Dave Snyder, beat Connecticut College, with Doug Roberts behind the bench, 5-0. Neither school reached the NESCAC tournament, so each … Read more
Wisconsin captain Brad Winchester, faced with a felony charge of battery to a police officer, made an initial appearance in Dane County court on Monday. The Dane County District Attorney’s office filed charges against Winchester after a fight outside a campus bar early Sunday. The Badgers senior was released on a signature bond at about … Read more
St. Norbert maintained first place in this week’s USCHO.com Division III Men’s Poll, despite not playing a game. The Green Knights await Wis.-Stevens Point in the NCHA semifinals on Friday. St. Norbert also stays No. 1 in the USCHO.com West Region Pairwise Rankings (PWR). With a 3-2 overtime win over No. 4 Norwich, Middlebury finished … Read more
Clarkson controlled two periods of play and outshot Princeton 44-11 to earn a weekend split by defeating the Tigers 5-2 at Cheel Arena. Randy Jones tallied the game-winner to keep Clarkson in the hunt for first-round playoff home ice. After a first period that saw no scoring, Clarkson scored two goals in twelve seconds in … Read more
It’s not easy being Mike Gilhooly. In fact, against Boston College on Saturday night, it was darn near impossible to be the Northeastern netminder. A potent BC power play equipped with plenty of opportunity paved the way to the Eagles’ 6-3 decision at Matthews Arena. BC took sole possession of first place in Hockey East. … Read more
Scooter Smith scored two goals for the second night in a row, and for the second night in a row he registered the game winner, as Colgate upended Rensselaer, 4-3. The Raiders’ leading scorer put on a show for the fans during Senior Night at Starr Rink. Smith’s blast with less than nine minutes remaining … Read more
Stingy goaltending by Kevin LaPointe helped lead the visiting Sacred Heart Pioneers to a stunning 3-2 defeat of Miami on Saturday night in Goggin Ice Arena. Three different players scored for the Pioneers as a late third-period goal from Martin Paquet gave them the road victory. One night earlier, Sacred Heart came close before losing … Read more
Union’s effort against No. 2-ranked Cornell on Saturday was a big improvement over its poor performance Friday against Colgate. After being frustrated most of the night, Cornell’s Mike Knoepfli tipped a Charlie Cook right-point shot past goalie Tim Roth with 5:21 left in the third period, snapping a 1-1 tie and lifting the ECAC-leading Big … Read more
Junior center Rich Peverley completed a seven-point weekend with the game-winning goal and an assist on an insurance goal as St. Lawrence came back from a 3-1 deficit to upend Yale, 5-3, on Saturday night. Peverley, who had two goals and three assists in a 9-4 win over Princeton on Friday, helped the Saints to … Read more
Wisconsin played catch up for much of three periods, but took the lead when it mattered most in a 4-3 win over the No. 14 Huskies of St. Cloud State. Rene Bourque, the Badgers’ leader in goals, received player of the game honors for his game-winning goal with 56 seconds left in regulation. Just as … Read more