Men’s D-II/III in general
Sports’ Lessons Sports is a great way to learn many of life’s lessons. That was evident in Potsdam’s topsy-turvy weekend. Potsdam forward Mitch West played in 18 games in his freshman year. He did not score a single point. Not a goal. Not an assist. In his first 13 games this year, he still had … Read more
For the third consecutive poll, the St. Norbert Green Knights are the top team in college hockey. Their hold on that honor, however, is more tenuous after it took overtime in each game to defeat St. Mary’s and fourth ranked St. Thomas. Despite their unbeaten streak reaching 14, their first place tallies were pared to … Read more
Happy New Year! Can’t you just see the confetti, the ball, er puck, dropping at the stroke of midnight over and over again in a scene reminiscent of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day? Over and over again in flashbacks, the league coaches have had various amounts of time during the holiday break to think about … Read more
Midterms With the second semester of the 2007-08 college hockey season underway, it’s a good time to take a look at the first semester for surprises, disappointments, and meeting expectations. Perhaps the two biggest surprises sit on top of the league. One for good reason, the other due to disappointment. A few weeks back, I … Read more
MIAC teams have a full slate of non-conference games against NCHA squads this week before returning to conference next week as each MIAC member faces difficult opponents. With all but two teams within three points of the MIAC leaders, next week’s games are extremely significant. However, we should not overlook this week’s tilts as just … Read more
Hat, Hat, Hat, Hat, Hat Trick Over the holidays, Neumann junior Mike Hedden completed one of the most amazing feats in hockey amidst very little fan fare. It started on November 30 as Neumann defeated Lebanon Valley 8-2. Hedden tallied three goals and an assist that night, and began a streak of scoring hat-tricks that … Read more
While it may be human nature to always look at the top of the standings when scanning Web sites or even newspapers, this week we focus on the Golden Bears of Western New England College, a team still in search of its first victory of the season. Chris Bernard, now in his second year as … Read more
There is no doubt many of us are working to drop some of the weight we put on over the holidays. The same can be said for the NCHA and MCHA teams as they gear up for the second half of the season. In fact, many have already gotten action in since we last visited, … Read more
Perfection. It’s aspired for in politics and has been temporarily reached in professional football. In hockey, though, it’s altogether more difficult to achieve as grit, passion, and something as simple as a wayward bounce of the puck could mean defeat. And while there remains two undefeated — though not unblemished — schools left in Division … Read more
Penman Looking to Write Up Stellar Season When heading into the holiday break last year, Southern New Hampshire University had six wins and four losses. This year, the Penmen celebrated Christmas sitting atop the Northeast 10 with a record of 6-1-1, and as 2007 turned into 2008, they were 7-2-1. Rookie coach Ken Hutchins was … Read more
When you defeat the fourth and fifth ranked teams in the nation by a combined score of 12-3, it is a good bet that you have made a strong case that you are the best team in the land. And when the reigning top teams both have sub par weekends — combining for modest but … Read more
With nine teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, one squad has to be the odd one out. This week that distinction goes to the Hamline Pipers. There are plenty of intriguing series for this coming weekend. If you had to pick just one, go see St. Olaf taking on Gustavus Adolphus. There is bad … Read more
New Homes In Division III, it is relatively easy for a college athlete to transfer to another school. Whether that’s good or bad is best left for another discussion. For some players, their transfer has worked out for the better for both themselves and their new teams. There are a few players who so far … Read more
As Yogi Berra once said, “90 percent of the game is mental.†For many of the teams starting out this season, they are learning that there is much more in play for their teams than just their physical capabilities and talent on the ice. In fact, both good and bad, the mental approach to how … Read more
By now we’re used to the NCHA standings turning into a disaster zone about this point of the season, but for our enjoyment the MCHA is also shaping up to be a mess. Before we take a look at each, and also finally take the promised looks at Adrian and Concordia-WI, let’s see where everyone … Read more
Suffolk Staying Under the Radar. . .for Now Last week we focused on the ensuing battle between powerhouses Curry College and UMass-Dartmouth; a game in which UMass won, 3-1, to remain undefeated in conference play. Overlooked so far this season, though, is another team that has yet to see defeat in league play: Suffolk University. … Read more
Not Our Legacy Gut check time. It has been said so many times in sports that it has almost become cliché. A team finds itself in a certain situation where they need to either dig deep from within to overcome the obstacle, or collapse like a house of cards. Cliché or not, the Utica Pioneers … Read more
The BCS has nothing on D-III hockey. For the fourth time in six polls, there is a new king in college hockey. Actually two: it’s a dual monarchy. Each tallying 283 points, Elmira and Plattsburgh are the new number ones in Division III hockey. 7-0-1 and 11-1-0, respectively, the Eagles did receive nine first place … Read more
Plattsburgh Wins Primelink One of the premier tournaments in college hockey changed a bit this year. This alteration meant that only one SUNYAC team is now involved as Potsdam no longer participates with Plattsburgh, Norwich, and Middlebury. The fourth team is now a different invited guest each year. This season it was St. John’s from … Read more
A Showdown Looms Sitting atop the ECAC NE right now is Curry College. Coach Rob Davies seems happy, but realizes there’s a lot of work left to do. “We’re pretty pleased, we’re 6-1-1, but we need to work on all facets of our game, obviously.†The Colonels only loss was to Babson College, and in … Read more