If you’re of the mind-set that a college hockey team goes only as far as its goaltender takes it, a few schools have a pretty good outlook at the dawn of the 2011-12 season. Here’s a look at some choices for the top 10 goaltenders in college hockey: No. 10: Sam Brittain, Denver Heading into … Read more
New Hampshire junior defenseman Blake Kessel, after deciding in May to forego his senior season to play professionally, has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. Kessel was a sixth-round pick of the New York Islanders in the 2007 National Hockey League entry draft and much like what North Dakota’s Jason Gregoire did in May when he … Read more
New Hampshire has announced the hiring of Jim Tortorella as associate head coach. Tortorella, who comes to New Hampshire after a 16-year stint as head coach at Colby College, replaces former associate coach David Lassonde, who was recently named the assistant coach at Denver. “I’m extremely excited to bring Jim Tortorella on staff,” UNH head … Read more
Vermont will play Massachusetts and New Hampshire will play Maine at Fenway Park on Jan. 7, but Jim Connelly wonders whether this is where outdoor hockey jumps the shark.
Outdoor hockey games have been the “flavor of the week” for the last few years in college hockey, and that won’t keep Hockey East from once again joining the fray. Multiple sources have confirmed that Hockey East will announce on Friday that it will host Frozen Fenway, a sequel to a remarkably successful event the … Read more
Former Brown assistant coach Jerry Keefe and former Harvard assistant coach Patrick Foley have been named to new head coach Jim Madigan’s staff at Northeastern. “I am very excited that Jerry and Pat have joined the Northeastern hockey staff,” Madigan said in a statement. “They possess all of the characteristics I felt were necessary to … Read more
Former New Hampshire goaltender Mike Ayers has been named goaltending coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., and will also serve as coordinator of the organization’s Warren Strelow National Goaltending Mentor Program. “Mike brings the passion and knowledge to not only help mold our nation’s best goaltenders, but to also … Read more
Merrimack has added Youngstown Phantoms head coach Curtis Carr to the coaching staff as an assistant coach. “I am very thankful and I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to join the Merrimack program,” said Carr in a press release. “Coach (Mark) Dennehy has done a great job over the past seven seasons and … Read more
Boston Bruins goalie and former Vermont Catamounts’ star Tim Thomas announced Wednesday that he will be bringing the Stanley Cup to Burlington, Vt., for a public viewing event on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011. Thomas was awarded a second date with the Cup and choose to bring it to Burlington, where he also runs a summer … Read more
Northeastern assistant coach Sebastien Laplante has left the Huskies to take a similar job with the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros. Laplante spent the last three seasons with Northeastern, where he also played from 1989-1993 and posted 61 goals and 140 points in 134 games. On a related note, former Michigan defenseman Mike Van Ryn … Read more
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame will enshrine three college hockey alumni this fall with the announcement Monday that Chris Chelios, Gary Suter and Keith Tkachuk will make up three of the five new members. Mike “Doc” Emrick and Ed Snider are the other two that will be formally installed into the Hall in … Read more
The new Huskies coach doesn’t have head coaching experience but is a great networker, which seems to be a powerful thing in college hockey these days, Jim Connelly writes.
According to the Boston Herald, Northeastern will name former player Jim Madigan as the Huskies’ new head coach. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday at Matthews Arena. Madigan played for NU from 1981-1985 and was a member of a pair of Beanpot Tournament-winning teams, as well as Northeastern’s only Frozen Four entrant in 1982. … Read more
Northeastern defenseman Jamie Oleksiak has left the school and signed an Ontario Hockey League contract with the Saginaw Spirit, the Spirit announced Monday. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Oleksiak, selected in the first round by the Dallas Stars in the 2011 NHL draft last month, finished his freshman year at Northeastern this past spring. “We have been … Read more
Former Niagara and Massachusetts-Lowell head coach Blaise MacDonald has been named an assistant coach for Massachusetts. MacDonald replaces Red Gendron, who was named the associate head coach at Yale. “Blaise was unquestionably the best candidate for the position and for our needs,” said UMass head coach Don “Toot” Cahoon in a press release. “He comes … Read more
Yale has named Dennis “Red” Gendron as an assistant coach for the 2011-2012 season. Gendron, who will be replacing Kyle Wallack on the Bulldogs’ bench, was an assistant at Massachusetts the past six seasons. A three-time captain and 1979 graduate of New England College, Gendron has spent the last 21 years coaching, with 11 of … Read more
They are calling it the “super conference.” Personally, I’ll hold judgment on just how super the new conference featuring North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha, Miami and Minnesota-Duluth will be. Notre Dame and another school — quite possibly Western Michigan — might also become members. So you won’t hear that term for the remainder of … Read more
Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna has been given a contract extension through the 2013-14 season. Bertagna, who is already the longest serving commissioner in the conference’s 28-year history, is beginning his 15th year with Hockey East after serving in a similar capacity with the ECAC for 15 years. “This contract extension is well deserved and … Read more
College hockey is living in interesting times, and Paula C. Weston tries to make sense of it all.
Breaking apart what is already a super conference will make college hockey top heavy, Candace Horgan writes.