The NCAA is getting tough on contact-to-the-head penalties and getting creative in an effort to promote scoring when it comes to other rules changes. Contact to the head will result in a major penalty and either a game misconduct or game disqualification under proposals by the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee unveiled Friday. The proposals … Read more
The NCAA men’s and women’s ice hockey rules committee gets this chance only once every two years, so there’s a little more emphasis to get it right. In the next month, leading up to and through the committee’s meeting June 8-11 in Indianapolis, the dialogue about potential rules changes will lead to debate and then … Read more
Elmira Soaring Eagles (18-8-1 overall, 11-4 in the ECAC West) The last few days have been an emotional roller coaster for the Elmira Soaring Eagles. Leading 3-2 on Saturday in the ECAC West championship game, Elmira saw Manhattanville tie the game with one second left in regulation and then lost when the Valiants scored midway … Read more
And then there were two. The eight teams in the ECAC Northeast have been whittled down to Curry and Johnson & Wales, who will meet for the conference championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament Saturday at 4:35 p.m. EST. But the two remaining teams are missing a number one. Top seeded Wentworth … Read more
For the first time since the 2002-03 season, Wentworth is the ECAC Northeast regular season champion. The Leopards entered Sunday’s season finale against Curry one point behind the Colonels for top spot in the conference and used a third period rally to emerge with a 4-2 win and the regular season title, beating out Curry … Read more
It’s here. The final week of regular season play in the ECAC Northeast has arrived. And much has rightfully been written about the tight race in the MASCAC, as the top spot and three other home ice spots are up for grabs as the season winds down. Below is a look at each of the … Read more
Massachusetts is no stranger to massive construction projects, as any Boston commuter in the 1990s or earlier portion of the last decade can tell you. But while the behemoth remodeling of the city’s major road artery is complete, there’s another rebuilding project taking place at Western New England College, where first year head coach Greg … Read more
Sometimes the best laid plans can go awry. While I had touched on Curry’s unbeaten conference record last week, the plan this week was to point how little love Curry was getting in the latest polls, despite holding a one point lead over Wentworth for top spot in the ECAC Northeast. But after voting was … Read more
For anyone familiar with Boston sports history, St. Botolph Street should be right up there with Yawkey Way and Causeway Street. It’s the home of Matthews Arena, which outdates the more famous current homes of the city’s pro teams. The world’s oldest indoor hockey rink underwent major renovations over the summer (USCHO.com photo gallery poll; … Read more
Bit of a lighter helping this time around, with both the ECAC Northeast and MASCAC playing in only a smattering of non-conference games this week. Here’s a quick rundown of each conference’s past week. MASCAC Second place Westfield State was easily handled by SUNYAC opponent Fredonia, dropping a pair of games over the weekend to … Read more
Western New England has named Fredonia assistant Greg Heffernan as its new head coach. He replaces Chris Bernard, who left for the top job at Potsdam. “We’re very excited to have Greg on our staff,” Western New England athletic director Mike Theulen said in a news release. “He has the experience necessary to take our … Read more
Western New England coach Chris Bernard is moving to Potsdam to coach the Bears, Potsdam athletic director Jim Zalacca told North Country This Week. Bernard, a 1998 Clarkson graduate, had a 17-52-4 record in three seasons at Western New England after leaving an assistant coaching position at Canisius. In his senior season at Clarkson, Bernard … Read more
University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils (22-5-2 overall, 10-2-2 in NCHA) This weekend marks only the second appearance ever for UW-Stout in the NCAA tournament. The first came last season. Though the Blue Devils have strung together a couple tremendous seasons, the road to this end was not a short one. The Blue Devils failed to … Read more
Nichols Bison (25-3-0 overall, 16-1-0 in ECAC Northeast) “It’s an exciting time. It’s obviously uncharted waters for Nichols College and it’s created a lot of excitement around campus.†That was how Nichols College coach Lou Izzi responded when asked what it was like to be playing at this point in the year. “We’re in the … Read more
ECAC Northeast Top-seeded Nichols College skated past fifth-seeded Fitchburg State, 4-2, in the ECAC Northeast semifinals on Wednesday night and now the nation’s 13th ranked team will make its second straight appearance in the ECAC Northeast Championship game, hosting Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. Wentworth advanced with a 4-2 win over … Read more
Rolli Hits Milestone, Prepares for Playoffs With the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth’s 4-2 victory over Johnson & Wales Saturday night, coach John Rolli earned his 500th victory. In his typical fashion, he downplayed the milestone. “It’s a longevity milestone, I think,†chuckled the affable coach. “We’ve had great players and great teams over the years. We’ve … Read more
With five points separating the top three teams in the ECAC Northeast, it’s obvious that this race is going right down to the final buzzer. Right at the top of the pile is Curry College, one point behind front runner Nichols, and coach Rob Davies is happy with where they are at this juncture. “If … Read more
For a team top-heavy with freshmen, coach RJ Tolan has the Wentworth Leopards firmly entrenched in the playoff hunt, with an eye on getting home-ice advantage. Reached while preparing his squad for an important game against the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, the third year coach offered thinks “[i]t’s going all right. We have a young group, … Read more
With the playoffs looming, each game has more importance as points become more meaningful. One team that realizes this is the Fitchburg State Falcons, currently in eighth place, only four points out of fourth place, but also with two teams nipping at their skates. With four points in their last four games, they now have … Read more
Sometimes in hockey, final scores are not indicative of how the game was played, nor do win-loss records always accurately sum up a team’s season. The latter is definitely the case with the Stonehill Skyhawks, who currently have a record of 3-7. In speaking with coach Garry Hebert, he is very quick to point out … Read more