Men’s D-II/III in general
St. Norbert (22-3-3 Overall, 14-2-2 in NCHA) Faced with its first weeknight NCAA tournament game in school history, St. Norbert relied on its typical stingy defense and big-game experience to down Adrian 4-3 in an opening round contest on Wednesday. The win advances the Green Knights to the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday where they will … Read more
Norwich Cadets (23-1-4 overall, 16-1-2 in the ECAC East) The top ranked Cadets come into the NCAA tournament as the number one overall seed, following their winning the ECAC East conference title last weekend in Northfield. The formula of great goaltending, a very tight defense, and balanced scoring continues to drive the success of the … Read more
Middlebury Panthers (19-4-4 overall, 12-3-4 in NESCAC) After a two year absence from the national stage where the Panthers failed to secure at-large bids, the Panthers are excited to be returning to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time. There, they will face a very familiar foe. “I think it is just a terrific matchup … Read more
Oswego Lakers (25-2-0 overall, 15-1-0 in SUNYAC) The last time the Oswego Lakers were in the NCAA playoffs, they hoisted the national championship trophy high above their heads. That was in 2007, and they got in after being upset in the SUNYAC semifinals. They took their second chance and ran the table. This year, Oswego … Read more
St. Norbert (21-3-3 Overall, 14-2-2 in the NCHA) After a year hiatus, St. Norbert returns to the NCAA tournament for the 11th time in the past 14 seasons, and first since winning the 2008 national championship. The Green Knights rolled to the NCHA Peters Cup title with a pair of 7-1 playoff wins over UW-Stevens … Read more
Typically when a team is knocked out of the playoffs, there is some disappointment, shock, and disbelief. Oftentimes a team says they’re using those emotions to dig deeper and come back even stronger in the next season. Typically the fans and players have to wait until the next season to have a shot at revenge. … 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
Dissension is in the ranks. In the last poll of the Division III season, Norwich claimed the top spot for the third straight week. But after receiving 16 of the 20 available first place votes just seven days ago, that number dipped to 13, with Oswego (four) and St. Norbert (three) each adding two and … 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
Well the first week of the conference playoffs definitely did not disappoint in terms of the level of play and excitement that sudden death hockey brings to any and all arenas. There were favorites who won comfortably; there were upsets by visitors who came ready to play; and there were three 2-1 games decided in … Read more
It Took Some Work I finally caught my breath. I think. The Oswego-Morrisville semifinal game was quite a roller coaster. From thinking you were witnessing a major upset to seeing Oswego declare enough is enough, scoring five straight goals for the comeback. “The positive is some other teams, some other years, there would have been … Read more
If anyone had any doubt about the parity in the MIAC after the regular season, this weekend’s playoff games put that to rest — in a hurry. On Wednesday, St. Thomas heads down to St. Peter to face off against Gustavus Adolphus for the MIAC Championship. Let’s first take a step back and look at … Read more
No. 1 Elmira vs. No. 2 Manhattanville The top two teams square off for the league title on Saturday at the Thunderdomes. Elmira and Manhattanville found themselves in scraps last weekend during the semifinal games, but both prevailed in the end by identical 4-2 scores. Manhattanville hosted third seeded Hobart, who came out flying during … Read more
Seven finalists are up for the 2010 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award. The group includes Colgate senior Ethan Cox, Amherst senior Kirsten Dier, Alaska senior Dion Knelsen, Adrian junior Sam Kuzyk, Williams senior Zachary Miller, Connecticut College junior Brigid O’Gorman and Denver senior Brandon Vossberg. The award, given annually to the college hockey … Read more
Hockey coaches are fond of saying that it doesn’t matter if you are ranked No. 1 in the country during the season; only the team that is crowned national champion is truly satisfied at year’s end. While titles are what everyone in all sports ultimately aspire to, there can also be little argument that being … Read more
The postseason has arrived in the ECAC West. Unfortunately, a wet blanket was thrown over what should be the most exciting time of the year when Lebanon Valley withdrew its team from Division III on Tuesday. But the remaining ECAC West teams battle on with the semifinals on tap for Saturday. As my esteemed SUNYAC … Read more
The second season has arrived. Not that the stress of the past few weeks has not created its own playoff like atmosphere, but now it’s for real. One and done. The reality now hits home that after 60 minutes of hockey — or sometimes more — your season could be over and you put away … Read more
And Then There Were Five It took until the final day of games, but the MIAC finally has its five teams set for the playoffs. Coming into that last day, though, four teams were fighting for the last two spots. Gustavus Adolphus, Hamline, and St. Thomas had clinched their berths entering the final weekend, but … Read more
A First and a Return Last year, I used the above headline after the play-in round. It is just as appropriate this year. Last year, it was Brockport making it to the semifinals for the first time after their first ever playoff win and Geneseo returning. This year, Brockport is the team returning to the … 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