Minnesota dominated all three periods of play and cruised to an easy 10-0 exhibition victory over the Toronto Jr. Aeros Friday night. The game marked the much-anticipated debut of U.S. Olympians Krissy Wendell and Natalie Darwitz, each of whom recorded a hat trick. Wendell added two assists while Darwitz had a four-point night. Wendell, who … Read more
Patience will be the watchword for Massachusetts fans this year. With 26 of the 31 rostered players being freshmen or sophomores, instant gratification will be in short supply. The key will be long-term improvement and maintaining a positive outlook. “We’re still a work in progress,” says coach Don Cahoon. “We’ve got two years under our … Read more
The Huskies appeared poised to take home ice last year until dropping four of the last five games in the regular season, falling to fifth. Even with significant graduation losses, Northeastern remains within striking range of achieving that goal this time. Unlike the past few years, the goaltending looks solid and could even be among … Read more
The Western Michigan Broncos continue to be a league enigma. During the 2001-02 season, Lawson Arena was one of the fiercest places to play in the CCHA, and the Broncos defeated six nationally ranked teams at home last year. But early in January, WMU was swept by Ohio State at home — and then the … Read more
The Black Bears could face a different set of emotional hurdles compared to last year when many of them felt that the spirit of “old SW” gave them a seventh player on the ice. Shawn Walsh’s death struck the team down early last year, but provided a unifying theme that it could rally around on … Read more
A year ago, Media Day was a time of reflection, but this year, the mood is excitement about the upcoming season.
Rick Comley is gone, but Walt Kyle has returned. And make no mistake about it: Northern Michigan is still the hardest-working team in college hockey. One-Step Success How do you replace the man who built your hockey program from scratch, the only coach in the team’s 29-year history? Well, you don’t. You can’t. But you … Read more
Boston University, which finished last year tied for second in Hockey East with a league record of 15-6-3, has been selected as the preseason No. 1 team by the Hockey East coaches.
Columbus, Ohio, may be in for a treat this fall. There just may be a team — or two — playing good hockey in Cow-lumbus. Heresy, you say? Blasphemy, you cry? No, really, it could happen. Honest. In the CCHA’s only NHL-Division I college hockey city, both the Blue Jackets and the Buckeyes could be … Read more
Here’s a riddle for you. What happens when the winningest coach in college hockey history steps aside, and you lose the best goaltender the CCHA has ever seen? Why, continued success, of course — if the new head coach has a track record like Rick Comley’s. Denial: Not Just A River In Egypt If you’re … Read more
Bemidji State senior defenseman Clay Simmons announced today that he is retiring from the Beaver hockey program immediately. Simmons stated that he had personal reasons for deciding to leave the program. “I have some issues I have to deal with back home,” Simmons said. “Coach has left the door open for me to come back, … Read more
Thanks to key losses — some expected, others not so much — some are expecting Michigan and Michigan State to retreat, making the CCHA a free-for-all. Not so fast, says Paula C. Weston, who runs down the year that will be in her 2002-03 season preview.
What do you do when your team perennially underperforms while your fanbase grows increasingly restless? Hire a dynamic alumnus of your program who, as an assistant coach with another successful program, made four straight trips to the Frozen Four which culminated in a national championship. Good work, Bowling Green. Very good indeed. A former All-American … Read more
There is nothing like a little recognition to make you feel good. So for that, my sincere thanks to Guy Gadowsky. “This is the first time ever that UAF has not been picked by the media to finish dead-last,” said Gadowsky at CCHA media day. “So with the exception of Paula Weston and Eric Olsen, … Read more
In Oxford, Ohio, the first RedHawk (nee Redskin) alumnus to return as head coach is preaching a sermon he’s justifiably perfected during his brief tenure. “I think for us consistency has got to be number one,” said Enrico Blasi. “In this league, you can’t go three to four games without winning. It just puts you … Read more
As the 2002-03 season begins, there are two things you should know about Laker hockey: Frank Anzalone is in charge, and Matt Violin is for real. When Anzalone returned to Lake State, several players found the atmosphere suddenly inhospitable — which was just fine with Anzalone, who did some housecleaning of his own. “I think … Read more
At a school where Touchdown Jesus shines His blessings upon the football faithful, it’s time Notre Dame hockey fans were rewarded for their loyalty as well. And after years of saying that the Irish hockey program is on the verge of arriving, the Notre Dame coaching staff may just be telling the truth this season. … Read more
After last year’s end-of-the-season run, many wonder what other tricks are in the Crimson’s back pocket? A mediocre regular season was followed by one heart-stopping show after another as Harvard battled and fought its way back to the NCAA tournament — a place where they enjoyed so much success during the late ’80s and early … Read more
Last year the Tigers needed a strong end-of-the-season surge to earn a berth in the ECAC playoffs. Once there, the toll of the late-season run — including victories in four of the last five regular-season games — came back to haunt the Orange and Black, who were easily downed easily by Rensselaer in the first … Read more
The Bulldogs were heavy underdogs when they gave Cornell — the ECAC regular-season champions — everything they could handle in the first round of the ECAC playoffs last year. Dan Lombard stopped 45 shots in that series, while Chris Higgins netted his team-leading 14th goal of the season. Higgins The good news is that Higgins … Read more