The future could be in the air as UConn gets some mileage in goal from a freshman. Also, Mercyhurst serves up a rematch of an historic NCAA tourney game; and the eighth edition of the Q-Cup highlights the upcoming weekend. Jim Connelly reports.
It is a sure sign that a team is a longshot when its coach cannot name the team’s best player. Air Force managed just two conference wins last year despite featuring second-team All-CHA Andy Berg (22g, 18a). With three of its four top scorers graduated, the Falcons will need all the mettle a service academy … Read more
In Joe, Niagara trusts. The Purple Eagles have a high-flying attack that is poised to challenge for the CHA crown. The reason for the optimism reads like this: 26 goals, 29 assists, 55 points. The returning CHA Player of the Year makes Niagara the most explosive team in the conference. “We will be an even … Read more
One of the more experienced teams in Atlantic Hockey this season is Army. Having lost only three players, only one of whom was in the top five in scoring, and returning a defense that ranked fourth in the MAAC a year ago, it’s no surprise that head coach Rob Riley is optimistic for his club’s … Read more
A year ago, the voices say, Bentley simply overachieved. Having finished in or near the cellar of the MAAC for three straight years, a fifth-place finish, a first-round upset of Sacred Heart and a berth in the MAAC final four was a dream come true. Overachieving? Maybe, though not in the eyes of head coach … Read more
As the Holy Cross seniors return to the ice for their final season as Crusaders, there’s no doubt that the last two years were memorable. Top-four finishes in MAAC play, home ice in the playoffs and a berth in the final four last year: these players have plenty to be proud of. But when memories … Read more
Last year, it was boys against men. A lineup filled with freshmen and sophomores meant growing pains from day one. Add to that the fact that Canisius put together one of the toughest nonleague schedules in the MAAC and you had the recipe for disaster. [The Griffs] are no longer wet behind the ears. The … Read more
Many in Atlantic Hockey feel that Quinnipiac suffered the least in terms of losses to graduation. Head coach Rand Pecknold disagrees. “I’m a little concerned about losing three defensemen,” said Pecknold of the departed Dan Ennis, Wade Winkler and Matt Erhart, along with forward Brian Herbert, from last season’s roster. “I thought they were three … Read more
Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin has gotten used to having a bullseye on his chest. Having won the last three regular-season titles in the MAAC and two of the last three tournaments, his team can’t be overlooked. “Everyone asks about the bullseye, but that’s the way it’s been for 10 years,” said Gotkin, who has … Read more
After five years of living under someone else’s rule, the nine remaining members of the MAAC hockey league became independent this summer. The resulting conference — Atlantic Hockey — is set to take its first leap as its inaugural season commences. No venture of this sort comes without headaches. Even the simple stuff, such as … Read more
Many thought that if Sacred Heart ever could make a run at a title, last year was the year. That was until the Pioneers ran into a postseason steamroller named Bentley College, bowing in the first round for the fourth time in five seasons. Then graduation took its toll on Sacred Heart, and even home … Read more
There has to be a point at which things get frustrating. Despite constantly improving from year to year, it seems American International and head coach Gary Wright can’t make a move up the standings. The Yellow Jackets have, over the past three seasons, added solid players at all positions. Unfortunately for AIC, though, the skill … Read more
A year after posting an 8-23-3 record and missing the MAAC playoffs for the first time ever, Connecticut head coach Bruce Marshall knew it was time for a change. The Huskies mentor did what he called an “evaluation,” but what most call “housecleaning.” The result: 12 of the 24 players scheduled to return to the … Read more
Mercyhurst was named the overwhelming favorite in the inaugural Atlantic Hockey preseason coaches’ poll, receiving eight of a possible nine first-place votes. Atlantic Hockey begins play this season under a new banner, as the conference was formed after its nine schools decided to leave the MAAC in June. The league has a new commissioner, former … Read more
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. If the coaches of College Hockey America’s Women’s League are right, that’s how things will shape up this season in the four-team Division I conference. Mercyhurst, the defending CHA regular season and postseason champion, was picked to set the pace once again this season by league … Read more
Robert Morris University has officially announced its intention to add men’s ice hockey in 2004-05, and named its first head coach, current Air Force assistant Derek Schooley. It has been assumed Robert Morris will look for acceptance into Atlantic Hockey beginning in 2004-05. The conference, however, has yet to officially deliberate about expansion. Last year, … Read more
CHA Commissioner R.H. ‘Bob’ Peters announced that Quinnipiac’s women’s team has been accepted into College Hockey America, beginning with the 2004-2005 season, . The Bobcats will join Findlay, Mercyhurst, Niagara and Wayne State in the CHA, which formed a women’s ice hockey league beginning with the recent 2002-2003 campaign. “Joining the CHA is a great … Read more
Sacred Heart announced the hiring of Thomas O’Malley as the school’s new women’s ice hockey coach. O’Malley replaces Ed Bourget, who resigned at the conclusion of the 2002-03 season after the Pioneers finished 11-13-1. O’Malley, an 18-year veteran of coaching women’s collegiate ice hockey, comes to the Pioneers from Wayne State, where he started that … Read more
Holy Cross head coach Paul Pearl, who last week announced that he would leave his alma mater to become director of admissions at a local prep school, today says that he’s had a change of heart. The eight-year veteran head coach of the Crusaders has decided to stay on as head coach at Holy Cross … Read more
This past year’s MAAC Hockey championship tournament at West Point, N.Y., was the league’s most successful. If your ear was to the ground, though, that tournament weekend, you might have left with a strong impression that it would be the league’s last. In confirmation of the rumblings that existed three months earlier, the league’s nine … Read more