Men’s D-II/III in general
It’s undeniable the MIAC is making strides. Top-to-bottom the conference is improving. This week Hamline will play Concordia. Several years ago, this would have been a matchup between basement dwellers with little significance no matter who emerged victorious. Now, it’s a series between the conference favorite and a young upstart that would love to define … Read more
Everyone in the MCHA now has had a week of league play in and the results aren’t too surprising. Adrian, Finlandia and Marian are all 2-0, though something must give this week as the Lions travel to face the Bulldogs. MSOE and Crookston are both 1-1 following a split in Crookston, while Lawrence, Northland and … Read more
Jaw Dropping The score updates coming in on Friday most likely caused a lot of jaws to drop. And then drop again. And again. A lot of chins were sore from hitting the ground. Where do we start? How about Brockport who, as the Potsdam radio announcer said, put a beat down on Geneseo, 7-2. … Read more
Old Neumann Hockey When you think of Neumann hockey, particularly since the team started to become competitive in the ECAC West four seasons ago, a few common traits come to mind. Attributes like hard-nosed skilled forwards and solid goaltending are usually bantered about. The Knights have had so much turnover in the last two seasons, … Read more
Don’t sleep on the MIAC “The MIAC is the most underrated conference in the country, from top to bottom.†That’s the message heading into this season as the Western league that isn’t considered a powerhouse and doesn’t have Adrian within its ranks laces up the skates for the 2008-09 hockey season. With the national tournament … Read more
The only thing currently keeping the Green Knights from perfection (both this season and most of last) is five voters who disagree that they are the best team in the country. With 15 still in their corner — and a perfect 5-0 record — little else is amiss at St. Norbert. Plattsburgh, meanwhile, has done … Read more
As we are already two weeks into the season, here’s a brief rundown of the big picture as it currently stands. The USCHO.com preseason poll was dotted with teams from the NCHA and MCHA. To no one’s surprise, defending national champion St. Norbert checks in as the nation’s top team. Three NCHA teams in Wisconsin … Read more
There are only so many ways to talk about the competitiveness of the NCHA. Besides, by now it is good for nothing other than stating the obvious. In light of such, let’s cut to the chase and check out the teams that will soon be entering Division III’s biggest king-of-the-mountain contest. I will point out … Read more
Searching for an Identity Elmira has arguably faced one of the most difficult schedules to open the season. The Soaring Eagles hosted Oswego three weeks ago and then hit the road for a game at Plattsburgh and a rematch in the Lakers’ barn. The stretch started off well with a 3-2 win over the Lakers, … Read more
This season marks the end of the ECAC NE as we have all known it, as the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) formally announced the addition of men’s ice hockey as a conference-sponsored sport on Monday, July 14. With Westfield State reinstating its program following a 20-year hiatus, the MASCAC now has five member … Read more
The Unbalanced Schedule When Morrisville entered the league, the odd number of teams meant the schedule would be imbalanced from a timing standpoint. In the past, at any given time, with rare exceptions, when you looked at the standings, everyone played the same number of games. It made it very easy to determine the status … Read more
As many may recall, last season’s MCHA preview focused on the myriad of changes the league had gone through in the previous year. Though the state of the MCHA has solidified somewhat between then and now, it is still evolving at a more rapid pace than any other league in the nation. As certain questions … Read more
SUNYAC Goes 6-4-1 Versus ECAC West After a very disappointing year for SUNYAC teams against the ECAC West, the public schools started the season with a solid weekend against their private counterparts. “I always thought the SUNYAC is a strong league,” Plattsburgh coach Bob Emery said. “And it’s getting stronger and stronger each year, and … Read more
Crossing the Pond Over the last couple of years, Manhattanville’s roster has taken on a very international flavor. It has been the norm for years to see NCAA college hockey rosters loaded with hometowns in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, or British Columbia. But the Valiants have extended the recruiting path even farther and now count almost … Read more
Early Indicators? In the past, my preview column was due after the SUNYAC Challenge was played. One would think it would be an advantage to see some of the teams play before making my predictions. However, the results of the SUNYAC Challenge were many times misleading, and relying on those games caused my predictions to … Read more
Entering last season, the big question mark for Manhattanville was in net as the Valiants attempted to find a replacement for first-team All American Andrew Gallant. Down the stretch, freshman Steve Parry seemed to step to the forefront culminating with a huge shutout of Elmira in the ECAC West Championship game to lift Manhattanville to … Read more
For most teams in the ECAC West this season, player turnover has been rampant. With the exception of Hobart, every team is adding a double-digit sized class of freshmen to their rosters. The league hasn’t seen fresh talent of this magnitude in a single season in a long time. Whichever team can get their freshmen … Read more
Another summer has gone by at Neumann College, and another late coaching change has occurred. After completing only one season at the helm, Phil Roy left Neumann in August for an assistant position at D-I Merrimack. Neumann College athletic director Chuck Sack scrambled — again — and hired Dominik Dawes in mid-September. Dawes, a 2004 … Read more
Lebanon Valley coach Ted Russell enters his second season at the helm of the Flying Dutchmen this month. Having had an entire year to recruit, he has brought in 18 freshmen in an attempt to turn around the team’s fortunes. Combined with last year’s class of newcomers, there is definitely a youth movement afoot at … Read more
The Elmira Soaring Eagles have had all summer to dwell on the old cliché “You’re only as good as your last game.†Elmira was up 2-0 just five minutes into its NCAA semi-final game in Lake Placid last March, only to watch as Plattsburgh skated circles around them as the Cardinals eventually won 6-3. “When … Read more