Last week demonstrated several of the things which make consistent winning difficult in the CCHA. Again, vital early-season points were taken from Alaska by the visiting Wolverines, who didn’t take Fairbanks too lightly. Miami sought to distance itself from the bottom half of the league by taking hard-fought games from Notre Dame and Ferris State, … Read more
For the record, let me say this: I am a hockey purist. Now, the word “purist” means a lot of things. When a baseball fan says it, he means that he hates the DH and Astroturf. A football purist hates the forward pass, or something like that. There aren’t any basketball purists (apologies to Michael … Read more
Hockey East took it on the chin last week, dropping four of its six games against the other three conferences. CCHA power Michigan State and four ECAC teams prepare for battle with Hockey East this week. Providence and Merrimack, as well as UMass-Amherst and UMass-Lowell, open league play with home-and-home series. One of the top … Read more
The second weekend of WCHA play is here, and if there’s as much excitement as last week, fans are in for some memorable moments at the rink. Last weekend North Dakota topped Denver twice at their home rink, serving notice of their talent. Colorado College and Minnesota split, as expected; Minnesota dominated play at times … Read more
Last weekend the CCHA got under way with a number of interesting matches. Miami got off to a solid start, sweeping Alaska-Fairbanks three straight games on the road. Michigan overpowered perennial Hockey East foe Maine 3-0 at the Joe, only to watch as Maine trounced Lake Superior the following day 7-4. Maine forward Dan Shermerhorn … Read more
The past weekend kicked off action for three of the 12 ECAC teams; now the other nine take to the ice for the first time this season. The ECAC started off the season with a 3-1 record in non-conference play. Clarkson swept a pair from Ohio State, and Vermont defeated New Hampshire. The lone blemish … Read more
The ECAC has its share of great forwards: Mike Harder at Colgate, Martin St. Louis and Eric Perrin at Vermont, Todd White at Clarkson, Paul DiFrancesco at St. Lawrence, Ryan Smart at Cornell, Henry Higdon at Harvard, and others. There are also a number of quality defensemen: Mikko Ollila at Clarkson, Jeremiah McCarthy at Harvard, … Read more
Challenges. Some people run, while others choose to ignore them. But still others grab hold and work to overcome them. Those folks may conquer, or they may fall short. For Tim Watters and Dean Talafous, the latest challenge is as head coach of a WCHA team — working to get to the top of one … Read more
Minnesota today suspended hockey coach Doug Woog and pulled one scholarship from the program for Woog’s role in obtaining cash to help a former player pay tuition expenses after his eligibility had ended. The decision was announced by men’s athletics director Mark Dienhart at an early-evening news conference at Mariucci Arena. Dienhart said Woog gave … Read more
The University of Minnesota and the NCAA are engaged in an investigation into possible rules infractions, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Sunday, October 20, 1996. Reportedly Gopher head coach Doug Woog gave co-captain Chris McAlpine $500 after the conclusion of the 1993-94 hockey season, once defenseman McAlpine had used up his hockey eligibility. The money … Read more
On October 7, in practice only days before the opening of the season, University of Alaska Fairbanks sophomore defenseman Erik Drygas fell head first into the boards when he caught a skate edge during a drill and severely fractured his fifth cervical vertebra. Two days later he underwent successful surgery to stabilize his neck and … Read more
The ECAC teams finally get into action this weekend with four games, including a renewal of the Hockey East-ECAC rivalry with two games on Saturday October 19. Boston University (0-0-0) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (0-0-0) Saturday, 7 p.m., Houston Field House, Troy, NY The Detroit Red Wing scrimmage game renews its rivalry this season after … Read more
Last week the CCHA teams got off to a strong start for the most part, playing a number of tune-up games. The week did not begin on a positive note, as Alaska-Fairbanks defenseman Erik Drygas injured his neck in practice, and remains in serious, but stable condition in the hospital. A team meeting was called, … Read more
Bruce McLeod’s three counts of felony theft will be dropped given good behavior, the AP reported Thursday. McLeod, former Minnesota-Duluth athletic director and WCHA chairman, was charged with three counts of felony theft in relation to $18,000 in misappropriated funds on six checks. Five of the six checks were ruled inadmissible due to a statute … Read more
The WCHA season gets off to a roaring start this weekend with four series, one that features two of the top teams in the league meeting in an early-season battle. Colorado College, the coaches’ pick to win its fourth straight league championship, invades the University of Minnesota, which was picked to finish second by the … Read more
UMass-Lowell athletic director Dana Skinner has confirmed reports that goalie Martin Fillion was suspended for violating team rules. Tuesday’s Boston Globe reports that Fillion’s suspension spans four games. He will miss Lowell’s Hockey East-opening series against UMass-Amherst Oct. 25-26, and the two game stint with Boston College on Nov. 1-2. Reportedly, Fillion will be eligible … Read more
When you walk into the meager hockey office in the current Ohio State University Athletic Department you at once realize, because of location, the significance of this program in relation to others. The office itself is located on the inside of the basketball arena, within the rotunda, with a minuscule ice rink adjoining it. Anyone … Read more
If you think you’re going to read about network journalist Harry Reasoner, you need to watch less TV and more hockey. The Reasoner is Marty Reasoner, Boston College’s slick playmaker. Reasoner, Marty that is, garnered last year’s Hockey East Rookie of the Year award and should be one of the league’s top forwards this year. … Read more
USCHO All-Hockey East Preseason Team and Award Winners Goaltender Dan Dennis Providence CollegeGoaltender Martin Legault Merrimack Defenseman Jon Coleman Boston UniversityDefenseman Darrel Scoville MerrimackDefenseman Mike Nicholishin Mass LowellDefenseman Ken Hemenway Boston College Forward Chris Drury Boston UniversityForward Marty Reasoner Boston CollegeForward Mark Mowers New HampshireForward Shawn Bates Boston UniversityForward Eric Boguniecki New HampshireForward Dan Shermerhorn … Read more
Martin Fillion, UMass-Lowell’s pre-season All-Hockey East goaltender, has been suspended for six games for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, according to an article in The Lowell Sun. Lowell coach Tim Whitehead confirmed after his team’s exhibition win over Concordia that he had banished Fillion to the stands for disciplinary reasons, but declined to elaborate. When asked if … Read more