Massachusetts-Dartmouth announced Friday the appointment of Erik Noack to serve as the fourth head coach of the Corsairs. Noack joins UMass Dartmouth after spending the past 13 seasons as the head men’s coach at Johnson and Wales. Under his leadership, the Wildcats went 148-172-21 and Noack led them to the ECAC Northeast playoffs in 11 … Read more
John Rolli, one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history, announced his retirement as the Massachusetts-Dartmouth head coach on Wednesday. Rolli’s retirement is effective July 1, 2016. “On behalf of our staff, I would like to thank John for his tremendous efforts and the contributions to UMass Dartmouth Athletics throughout his storied career,” UMass Dartmouth … Read more
Salem State junior goaltender Marcus Zelzer has been named the 2015-16 MASCAC Player of the Year. Zelzer finished the regular season first in the MASCAC in both GAA (1.76) and save percentage (.932). He also tallied a 16-1-0 record, which was the best winning percentage in the conference at .941 and recorded four shutouts on … Read more
The rest of the MASCAC might want to watch out if the defending champs from Plymouth State address their coach’s concern about having “underachieved” last season. Panthers coach Craig Russell isn’t taking anyone lightly and knows his team is going to have to be better to be in the same position again next March. “We … Read more
Framingham State’s T.J. Brown thinks so. John Rolli, an institution at Massachusetts-Dartmouth, does too. It is the opinion many, including those two MASCAC bench bosses, that conference title chase will boil down to two squads, Salem State and Plymouth State. Just like last year when they shared the regular-season crown. “I think the league should … Read more
The MASCAC could be a multiple horse race for the 2013-14 season. In the league coaches’ poll, last season’s regular-season champion Plymouth State and Westfield State each received three first-place votes. Massachusetts-Dartmouth – last year’s MASCAC tournament champion – is right behind in third place while Salem State is in fourth picking up the other … Read more
The Plymouth State Panthers pulled off one of their most exciting wins in program history last season with a double-overtime victory over the Salem State Vikings to not only capture the MASCAC title, but head to the NCAA D-III Tournament. For the rest of the teams, the extra two periods of play should serve as … Read more
This year, there’s a bigger incentive to play for in the MASCAC. An automatic bid to the NCAA tournament is up for grabs for the first time in the league’s three years as an organized Division III hockey conference, and the winner of the MASCAC postseason tournament has a chance to make history as the … Read more
It’s been a while. That’s the best way of summing up last year for Mass.-Dartmouth, as the Corsairs posted their first losing record since 1976-77, finishing with an overall record of 11-15-1. Despite that, they were still able to win a playoff game, knocking off fourth-seed Westfield State in opening round playoff action before narrowly … Read more
The NCAA men’s and women’s ice hockey rules committee gets this chance only once every two years, so there’s a little more emphasis to get it right. In the next month, leading up to and through the committee’s meeting June 8-11 in Indianapolis, the dialogue about potential rules changes will lead to debate and then … Read more
Three-time defending national champion Middlebury makes its 13th straight appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals as it hosts Mass.-Dartmouth Saturday. The Panthers downed Fredonia, 9-0, on Wednesday to advance. The Corsairs, top seed in the east, were denied a chance to host the game because the school did not put in a bid to host with … Read more
No ECAC Northeast team has hosted an NCAA game or received a first-round bye in the past, but Mass.-Dartmouth’s success (25-2-1) this season has put it in a position to do so. Unfortunately, the Corsairs may have to play a road game after all. While Mass.-Dartmouth was awarded the top seed in the Eastern Region … Read more
In southeastern Massachusetts, coach John Rolli of UMass Dartmouth is getting ready to do something he’s done for the past 22 years — coach his hockey team. Rolli has a career record of 441-116-19, making him one of the nation’s most successful coaches, but he would rather discuss his team. “I think our strength will … Read more
This intriguing matchup features a tale of two coaches-a first-year coach who guided his team to a repeat SUNYAC title, and a long-time mentor whose team captured its seventh title under his guidance, but is making its first NCAA appearance. UMass-Dartmouth is in the postseason for the 22nd time under John Rolli, but this is … Read more
Just about a month into the season and already some interesting races are starting to heat up in each of the three divisions. Finishing the first half of the season on a high note will be important as teams look to build up positive momentum prior to breaking for the holidays. Let’s take a look … Read more
A League Up and Coming When is a preview not really a preview? In this case it is when we take a look at the nation’s largest conference comprised of teams playing at both the D-II and D-III levels. Sixteen teams in all who have officially dropped the puck on the season but are very … Read more
Massachusetts-Dartmouth freshman Adam Keeler was killed just before 5 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
One of Massachusetts’ two state-funded Division I hockey programs could soon be privatized; if Massachusetts’ new governor, Mitt Romney, has his way. As part of an overwhelming state restructuring plan that Romney will institute in hopes to pull the state from extreme debt, he unveiled Wednesday a plan that would privatize the state’s main campus … Read more
UMass-Dartmouth, RIT and Middlebury have been tabbed the preseason favorites by coaches in their ECAC leagues in polling released by the league office. UMass-Dartmouth took the inaugural coaches’ preseason poll in the revamped Northeast, earning 13 of 18 first-place votes and amassing 318 points. Rival Fitchburg State finished second, earning 306 points and four first-place … Read more