Men’s D-II/III in general
Women’s hockey will return to SUNY Potsdam after a more than 20-year absence. The program will begin in 2007-08 with club status for one year and then change to a Division III varsity team in 2008-09. The decision to add women’s hockey resulted after a two-year study of athletics equity issues and an effort to … Read more
Things Are Looking Up? Last week we focused on the crowded situation at the top of the ECAC Norhteast, and things are cramped in the basement as well, with two teams tied for tenth, and one all alone in the basement. Looking up from the bottom is Chris Heaney, whose Framingham State club is in … Read more
Though it has been almost a month since this column last appeared, little has changed in terms of the MCHA and NCHA when it comes to the national scene. Led by St. Norbert at No. 3, the NCHA still boasts four teams in the top ten of the USCHO.com Division III poll. The Green Knights … Read more
Nonconference Not So Nice It hasn’t been a spectacular midseason break for much of the MIAC as the league has gone 7-11-0 against nonconference opponents so far, getting out-scored 84-60 in that span. Only Hamline was able to win more than one game as the Pipers won the St. Michael’s Tournament with a pair of … Read more
Not quite halfway through this year’s schedule and the topsy-turvy, rollercoaster ride we call the 2006-07 season continues to boggle the minds of players, fans and coaches alike. What’s the biggest element missing among teams looking to play well on a more regular basis? Consistency! This isn’t just “coach speak.” If you look at the … Read more
Making Their Mark Every year fans around the league wonder which of the new freshmen are going to make their mark and fulfill the promise that the coaches hoped for when they originally recruited them. With the second semester of hockey well underway, we can take a good luck at which freshmen have indeed made … Read more
Starting to Roll? Elmira’s storied second half run last season is well known. With the Soaring Eagles underachieving again at the start of this season, everyone has been watching to see if they can put another run together. Perhaps, just perhaps, Elmira showed a little bit of that magical spark over the last couple of … Read more
Manhattanville regains sole possession of the top spot in this week’s USCHO.com Division III men’s hockey poll, getting 11 of 15 possible first-place votes. Dropping to No. 2 is Oswego, which was idle on the weekend. The Lakers received two first-place votes. Staying at Nos. 3 and 4 are NCHA rivals St. Norbert, receiving the … Read more
Five’s A Crowd If you look at the ECAC Northeast standings, you’ll notice it’s crowded at the top. Right now, only three points separate the fifth place team from the first place teams (two are tied for first with ten points each.) The two teams tied for second place both have eight points, only underscoring … Read more
Tournament Madness Four teams from the ECAC West played in New Year’s tournaments, racking up a first, two seconds, and a third place finish against some of the top teams in the country. The team that came out of the tournaments on top was Neumann, as the Knights carried the ECAC West banner high. “We … Read more
Bearing Gifts Did Santa bring you what you asked for? The SUNYAC teams also had their holiday list (or in some cases, what they did not want), but we won’t know whether Santa actually delivered what was on the list or whether he left a lump of coal in their stocking until the season is … Read more
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Well here we are in the first week of 2007 and several teams are already out on the ice having played in tournaments over the holidays before the competition of league play begins yet again this weekend. The break really hasn’t been long enough for too much rust to settle in on … Read more
Manhattanville and Oswego are tied at No. 1 in the first USCHO.com Division III men’s poll of 2007. The Valiants, idle over the break, received eight first-place votes, while Oswego, winner of its first holiday tournament, received the remaining top nods. St. Norbert stands pat in third place, while league rival Wisconsin-River falls is up … Read more
After almost eight seasons, Al MacCormack has resigned as head coach of the Lebanon Valley men’s hockey team. MacCormack had served as the head coach for the Flying Dutchmen since the program’s inception in 1998, amassing a 123-97-2 overall record. MacCormack is taking a leave of absence from the college that will run until the … Read more
Turning Things Around The last time I spoke with Augsburg interim coach Chris Brown, he wasn’t sure where his Auggies were at. At the time they were 0-4-0 and heading into a series with St. Mary’s. Goaltending was an issue and Brown had other concerns as well but maintained his team was getting better. Things … Read more
Midseason Report Just like that, the first semester is done. And with that, we can get an early look at how right and wrong the preseason predictions were. Not too much of a surprise at the top of the order where Oswego and Geneseo sit one-two, respectively, though I picked the Ice Knights to finish … Read more
Looking at the overall standings in the ECAC NE, far at the top of the points pile is UMass Dartmouth, with 10 wins in their first 12 games, plus a loss and a tie. Coach John Rolli reflected on his team’s great start. “I’d have to say the break’s coming at a good time. Coming … Read more
All Aboard!!! Looks like the Polar Express up just ahead and that just might be Tom Hanks playing the conductor, or maybe the engineer, or one of many other employees on the train to the North Pole to see you know who! Anyway it looks like a lot of D-III coaches from New England are … Read more
NCHA/MCHA Mid-term Report Card Last weekend marked the end of league play for both leagues until January and brings us to about the midpoint of the season for most teams. With that being the case, let’s take a look at how each league has played itself out so far, and at how well each team … Read more
Idle Manhattanville repeats as No. 1 in the Dec. 11 USCHO.com Division III men’s poll, with the Valiants receiving 11 of 15 first-place votes. Staying at No. 2 with three first-place tallies is 11-0-3 Oswego, while again at No. 3 is St. Norbert with one first-place vote. Wisconsin-Superior and Wisconsin-River Falls swap positions for fourth … Read more