Have you caught your breath yet? Ready for more? It’s certainly going to be difficult to top the 2008-09 college hockey season, which included the most intense, exciting postseason in history. Atlantic Hockey contributed to the madness, with Air Force claiming its third consecutive league title and then knocking off Michigan in the first round … Read more
This season was already looking like a challenging one for the Sacred Heart Pioneers. After posting consecutive 21-win seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07, Sacred Heart’s win totals dropped to 16 the following year and then just 11 last season. After claiming the top seed in the 2007 playoffs, the Pioneers are picked to finish eighth … Read more
Last season was a roller coaster ride for the Mercyhurst Lakers. Things started off with high expectations thanks to the return of a healthy Matt Lundin in net. Lundin had was one of the top goalies in the league in 2007-08 despite playing through a serious shoulder injury most of the season. “He literally played … Read more
Two seasons ago, RIT was outclassed by Air Force 5-0 in the Atlantic Hockey semifinals, in the school’s first Division I postseason experience. Wayne Wilson’s team used that game as motivation all last season as the team went on to win 23 games, the best ever as a D-I program. But the Tigers season ended … Read more
Connecticut is celebrating its 50th season of hockey, and Bruce Marshall’s current squad would like to make some history of its own. It’s a tall order for a young team that skated 20 underclassmen last season. “It’s time for the junior class to step up,” said Marshall, whose team has just two seniors on the … Read more
The first-place votes were split between Bemidji State and Niagara in the final CHA preseason coaches poll, but the Beavers earned more points to take the top spot. Bemidji State and Niagara each earned two first-place votes, but the Beavers had eight overall points while the Purple Eagles had seven. Robert Morris came in third, … Read more
Three-time defending champion Air Force has been picked to again repeat as champions in the Atlantic Hockey coaches poll, announced Tuesday at the league’s media day, held at Blue Cross Arena, site of the 2010 league championships. Mercyhurst, which lost to Air Force in the AHA finals last season, is picked to finish second. RIT, … Read more
Canisius coach Dave Smith has received a contract extension that will keep him with the school through the 2012-13 season. Smith, entering his fifth season leading the Golden Griffins, had his best season last year. Canisius earned its first victories against a nationally ranked team, a CCHA team and an ECAC team en route to … Read more
Shaun Hannah has resigned at Sacred Heart, leaving the Pioneers without a head coach in the month leading up to the season. School athletic director Don Cook made the announcement Wednesday, saying the program owed Hannah a debt of gratitude for leading the program for 13 seasons. “If there ever was someone who understood the … Read more
Three-time Olympians Jenny Potter and Angela Ruggiero were announced Monday as part of the 23-player United States Women’s National Team roster. PICTORIAL: The U.S. Women’s National Team The team, based in the Minneapolis area, will take part in a 10-game, nine-city national tour ahead of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Twenty-one players will make … Read more
Niagara will host the final CHA tournament at Dwyer Arena on March 12 and 13, 2010, the league announced. The CHA is disbanding after the 2009-10 season. Niagara and Robert Morris are moving to Atlantic Hockey; Bemidji State is moving to the WCHA; and Alabama-Huntsville has applied for admission to the CCHA. Dwyer Arena also … Read more
Air Force senior forward Mike Phillipich is the winner of the third annual Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, announced Friday by the Hockey Commissioners’ Association. The award was established by the HCA in honor of former Army player Derek Hines, who was a “consummate team player and team builder.” Hines played at Army from 1999-2003 … Read more
Perhaps it was Chris Sarandon who said it best, as Prince Humperdink in “The Princess Bride.” “There was a mighty duel. They ranged all over. They were both masters.” With top seed Michigan and homestanding Yale both eliminated on the first day of the 2009 NCAA East Regional, it would have been understandable had Saturday’s … Read more
Following No. 4 Air Force’s 2-0 win over No. 1 Michigan, Falcons’ coach Frank Serratorre recalled seasons past when there was something lacking from his team. It was a large void, and, until Friday’s matchup with No. 1 Michigan in the opening game of the East Regional, it was impossible to know whether it was … Read more
Jacques Lamoureux had been waiting for this game for two years. He’d seen Michigan before, of course. As a freshman at Northern Michigan, Lamoureux was on the ice for two games at Yost Arena in January 2007, helping the Wildcats earn a split against the Wolverines. However, it was after his season in Marquette was … Read more
The 2009 NCAA Tournament field was announced on Sunday morning and the overall number one seed was awarded to Boston University. The Terriers won the Hockey East Championship and finished the season with a 31-6-4 record. The Terriers will be the number one seed in the Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H. Boston University will be … Read more
The field of 16 teams for the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship was announced on Sunday with Hockey East regular and post-season champion Boston University taking home the number one overall seed. The Terriers were joined by Michigan, Notre Dame and Denver as the tournament’s top seeds. Overall, the seedings were as expected, though that … Read more
Going the Distance The top four seeds in Atlantic Hockey advanced to Rochester, but it wasn’t easy. Mercyhurst swept Army in convincing fashion (6-2, 5-0), but the other three series were dogfights that went the distance. Expect more of the same this weekend. Here are your semifinal matchups: No. 4 Bentley vs. No. 1 Air … Read more
Air Force sophomore Jacques Lamoureux was named Player of the Year in Atlantic Hockey at the league’s annual awards banquet. The Grand Forks, N.D., native leads the nation with 31 goals, 15 power-play goals and eight game-winning goals. Lamoureux also earned the league’s scoring trophy with 38 points in 28 AHA games and was named … Read more
Eight is Enough Atlantic Hockey moves to the quarterfinal portion of its postseason this weekend, a best-of-three series format. This year just four teams will make it to Rochester, a change from last season’s Final Five. Holy Cross and Sacred Heart moved on after winning first-round single-elimination games over AIC and Connecticut, respectively. The Crusaders … Read more