Men’s D-II/III in general
For the 10th consecutive poll, Plattsburgh is the top team in Division III college hockey. And this time there are no dissenters. After three wins this past week–over Williams, Brockport, and Geneseo–the Cardinals received all 20 first place votes. The University of Wisconsin-Superior–by virtue of their two wins over in-state rivals Eau Claire and Stevens … Read more
Another week in the books and yet another week of shuffling for NCHA and MCHA teams in the latest USCHO.com Division III poll. No longer do six NCHA teams grace the top 15, as winless weekends by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point dropped both from the realm of the ranked. Though those … Read more
It’s February! If you canvas most coaches, you probably would hear them respond that their “hockey groundhog†hopefully saw its shadow on the ice and that there are six more weeks of the season for their respective teams. With only three more weeks in the regular season, points are critical and teams starting to play … Read more
The Playoff Push Only three things are assured in life: death, taxes, and a close race among the top teams in the MIAC. Year after year, teams battle it out not just to slide into the bottom half of the playoff ladder, but for crucial positioning at the top that can be the difference between … 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
The Golden Eagles Are Soaring Brockport’s James Cody fired a shot from the left point that found the back of the net at 12:46 of the third period for a 4-1 lead over Geneseo. Cody immediately skated over to the far glass, jumping up against it to celebrate with the student section as the crowd … Read more
Laura Hurd Award Outlook Now that the calendar has turned to February it’s time to start the discussion about who deserves the prestigious Laura Hurd Award. The Laura Hurd Award has been awarded to the top Division III women’s hockey player as voted on by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) since 2000. Last year, … Read more
Double Zero Hobart walked into the Aud in Utica last Friday night on a roll. The Statesmen had won each of their last five games, outscoring their opponents 31-12 in that span, and had not lost a game since early December. But as the 2,900 plus fans filtered into their seats, working in the back … Read more
With every passing week, the upper echelon begins to elevate away from the rest of Division III’s college hockey teams. For the second straight poll, Plattsburgh and St. Scholastica split the first place votes, with the Saints pulling one more top tally away from the Cardinals, who now register a 17-3 advantage in topping the … Read more
Just one month remains in the regular season. Yup, just four weeks of games left to decide playoff dreams and seeding for conference glory. Now is the time that all of the coaches are worried about the one thing they hope to control: the outcome of the game their team is playing (and, very likely, … Read more
A famous man named James Angleton once said something along the lines of, “Reality is not handed to us on a silver platter. Rather, we have to tease it with excruciating attention to minutiae. It takes the patience of a saint.†Though he was talking about counterintelligence operations, he might as well have been describing … 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
When you think of M.I.T., the first thought that comes into your mind is probably not women’s hockey. However, the world renowned university based in Cambridge, Mass., has had a women’s hockey program for eight years. You might not have heard of their program because coming into the 2008-2009 season the Engineers have compiled an … Read more
Is Morrisville Out Of The SUNYAC? Yes and no. When Morrisville started their move from a two year school to a four year institution three years ago, they had to go through an NCAA provisional period that lasts three to four years depending on how well they are able to follow the rules. During that … Read more
Spirited Contests Utica traveled downstate to Manhattanville’s Playland Ice Casino last Saturday to take on the Valiants. As was expected, it was a very physical battle as these two teams began the second half of their league schedules. “It was a spirited contest,†said Utica head coach Gary Heenan. “It was a great hockey game … Read more
After a shaky claim to the top spot last week, Plattsburgh solidified their position with D-III voters by virtue of convincing victories over Fredonia and Buffalo State. Now 14-1-2 on the season, the Cardinals are No. 1 for a school-record eighth straight poll, receiving 18 of a possible 20 first place votes, their most lopsided … Read more
The Week in Review Last weekend featured some very important match-ups and you would have figured that we’d have figured out a lot more about the NCAA picture but I’m afraid the picture only became muddier, especially in the NCHA. Adrian’s sweep of River Falls coupled with Eau Claire taking three points from Stevens Point … Read more
Staying Loose Last week was all about the NESCAC conference, so this week we focus on the ECAC East. The league is extremely tight. In fact, just three points separate third from 10th place, so each of the five remaining weekends are important. Also, it seems like every match-up down the stretch has potential post-season … Read more
The Final Month From January 23 to the final contest on February 21, there are 40 games left on the SUNYAC composite schedule. Of those 40, three are non-conference games and one is an exhibition. Thus, this is the final push to the regular season crown and playoff spots. No more breaks. No more excuses. … Read more
With finally a full slate of NCHA and MCHA conference games once again on tap, there is little to do other than to cut to the chase and get on with the show. The current version of the NCHA-MIAC Interlock has come to an end for the season, with the NCHA dominating the meetings. Overall, … Read more