In many ways, Joe Bertagna was ECAC hockey. Over the course of 15 years, he ran the full gamut of positions in the conference, going from tournament director to public relations coordinator to sports information director to its first hockey commissioner. His footprints surrounded everything from the ECAC television packages to its corporate sponsorships to … Read more
(In the first installment, new Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna talked about the league’s SportsChannel contract and a potential national TV package.) The ECAC vs. Hockey East As ECAC commissioner, Bertagna oversaw not just the 12 Division I schools under the ECAC umbrella, but all the Division II and III programs competing in ECAC-sponsored leagues. … Read more
The 1997-98 ECAC Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Poll was released today, and the Rensselaer Engineers were voted the top school this season. “We’ve gotten a lot of respect from the coaches,” said RPI head coach Dan Fridgen. “And it’s reflected in this preseason poll.” RPI received nine of 12 first-place votes, as it did … Read more
Though an official announcement has yet to be made, it appears that the ECAC will change the format of its Division I ice hockey playoffs. Under the new arrangement, 10 of 12 teams still qualify for the playoffs, but the ECAC will go to five quarterfinal series, with the winner of the five-six series advancing … Read more
Michael Doneghey has been named head coach of Fairfield, replacing Peter LaVigne, who stepped down after one season. “I am very excited about coming to Fairfield University,” said Doneghey. “Fairfield is an established program and I hope to keep building on the school’s hockey tradition.” Doneghey, a 1993 graduate of Merrimack, comes to Fairfield after … Read more
The Michigan State Spartans, coming off a third-place, 23-13-4 season and a first-round NCAA tournament loss, have been anointed the team to beat by CCHA coaches and media. “It’s nice to know going in that you are among the group that has a chance to win the league,” said MSU head coach Ron Mason. “But … Read more
Confirming a story USCHO reported in August, the nation’s fifth Division I hockey conference was officially born Thursday as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced the formation of an eight-team league to begin play in 1998-99. The new league includes Quinnipiac, Fairfield, Connecticut, Sacred Heart, Holy Cross, Iona, Canisius and American International, all northeastern schools … Read more
Dan Price, a forward for the Bowling Green Falcons, was injured and another passenger killed Saturday night in an automobile accident near Marysville, Ohio, north of Columbus. The Columbus Dispatch reported Monday that Price was driving when the car struck a ditch along Route 38, just south of Marysville, and flipped over. Neither Price nor … Read more
According to the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune, Falcon defenseman Peter Ratchuk has renounced his three remaining years of NCAA eligibility to sign with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Ratchuk, a 6-foot, 175-pound native of Buffalo, N.Y., scored nine goals and added 12 assists for Bowling Green in his rookie campaign last season, garnering honorable mention designation on … Read more
The prospects for the Princeton Tigers’ season took a hit this week when defenseman Dominique Auger, an ECAC all-rookie team selection last year, signed a contract with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The loss of Auger is a severe blow to Princeton, where it isn’t easy to recruit players of … Read more
According to Wednesday’s Anchorage Daily Times, left winger Neil Schell, who led all Seawolf freshmen with 20 points in 35 games last season, will not return to UAA this year. Seawolf head coach Dean Talafous said Schell’s decision was based on health concerns — Schell is missing one kidney due to a junior-hockey injury — … Read more
Dominique Auger, the flashy Princeton defenseman who was an All-ECAC Rookie Team member last season, is seriously contemplating a jump to the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Auger, a native of Levis, Quebec, called Remparts general manager Raymond Bolduc on Saturday, saying he would like to play for the team. According … Read more
On Saturday, Gophers captain Mike Crowley became the second Minnesota player in a one-week span to turn pro, announcing his signing with the NHL’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Forward Erik Rasmussen announced his agreement to terms with the Buffalo Sabres last Wednesday. Crowley, a defenseman who would have been a senior this season, had nine … Read more
Boston University forward Dan LaCouture has signed a multiyear contract with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. LaCouture would have been a sophomore this fall. The signing came soon after the Oilers acquired LaCouture, 20, in a trade with the New York Islanders, who drafted him 29th overall in 1996. The 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound LaCouture played in 31 … Read more
Hockey East power New Hampshire lost its leading goal-scorer Wednesday, as forward Eric Nickulas announced that he will renounce his senior year to play professionally. “It was a really tough decision, but right now I think it’s the best choice I can make,” Nickulas said. Although his NHL rights are held by the Boston Bruins, … Read more
The new season-opening Ice Breaker Cup tournament has undergone a change of venue and taken on a new name and corporate sponsor. The tournament is now the Team Cheerios Ice Breaker Invitational, and will be played at Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wis., home of the host Wisconsin Badgers. Originally, the tournament was to be … Read more
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Minnesota winger Erik Rasmussen will announce today that he has signed with the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres. Rasmussen was the first American-born player taken in the 1996 draft, when the Sabres made him the seventh overall pick. His salary of $875,000 per year for three seasons is fixed by … Read more
Denver junior Paul Comrie has decided to return to school this year, passing up an offer from Red Deer of the Western Hockey League, according to an article in the Denver Post. The Post had earlier reported that Comrie would renounce his final two years of collegiate eligibility to play Canadian major junior hockey for … Read more
CCHA commissioner Bill Beagan, who is in his 13th year, has announced his retirement effective June 30, 1998. “I made my decision to retire two years ago,” said Beagan. “It was the right decision then, and it is the right decision now. I can think of no place on this planet that I would have … Read more
As reported by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Minnesota head coach Doug Woog has been placed on notice by athletic director Mark Dienhart for letting several hockey players — none underage — have access to beer at his expense after some games. “Under different athletic directors I’ve served [with], we’ve had different policies and no policies on … Read more