They Are The Champions
As 2008-09 opens, all eyes are on Boston College, where the 2008 national titlists will try to duplicate last season’s magic with a combination of leadership, unity and talent. Melissa Parrelli reports.
Men’s D-I: Hockey East
2008-09 Connecticut Season Preview
Last season was a classic rebuilding project for the Connecticut Huskies, who rostered 13 freshmen. “We came on strong at the end of last season, and we can build on that,” said coach Bruce Marshall. “We had our peaks and valleys but this year we’ll be able to focus on some new things and not … Read more
2008-09 Vermont Season Preview
Last year, the Vermont Catamounts took a major step forward in reaching the goal of becoming a perennial powerhouse. A late-season charge saw Vermont catapult to third place in the Hockey East standings, win a hard-fought quarterfinal series over Northeastern and then upset Boston University at the TD Banknorth Garden to earn the school’s first … Read more
2008-09 Massachusetts-Lowell Season Preview
What a difference a year makes. Instead of emerging from an offseason that threatened the existence of the program and decimated the depth to the point where games with no healthy scratches became the norm, Massachusetts-Lowell opens this season healthy in all respects and with a legitimate shot at playoff home ice. Virtually the entire … Read more
2008-09 New Hampshire Season Preview
No Hockey East team lost more across-the-board talent than the New Hampshire Wildcats. Last year’s senior-dominated team took the regular season title going away but graduated five All-Hockey East selections: top scorers Mike Radja and Matt Fornataro; top defensemen Brad Flaishans and Craig Switzer; and Player of the Year goaltender Kevin Regan. The Wildcats don’t … Read more
2008-09 Maine Season Preview
When the Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll was released, it looked similar to most years, with Boston College, Boston University and New Hampshire all sitting at the top. But missing from that group of usual suspects were the Maine Black Bears, whom the coaches picked ninth out of ten teams, most likely the lowest preseason … Read more
2008-09 Massachusetts Season Preview
Massachusetts reached new heights midway through last year when, after toppling Notre Dame and Colorado College in a holiday tournament, pollsters ranked the Minutemen fifth in the country. Unfortunately, they could not sustain this lofty perch, dropping the next five games and going winless over seven. The euphoric and sadly premature talk among some supporters … Read more
2008-09 Providence Season Preview
If the college hockey regular season ended in the first week of February rather than March, last year’s campaign for the Providence Friars would likely have been considered a glowing success. It was those final 30 days, though, that took things from a banner year for the Friars to one of mediocrity. The turning point … Read more
2008-09 Boston College Season Preview
If anyone told you on the final night of the regular season last year that the Boston College Eagles could win the national championship, you’d likely have had them committed to a mental institution. An inconsistent team all season, the Eagles stumbled into the playoffs, barely earning home ice, before unbelievably putting the pieces together … Read more
2008-09 Northeastern Season Preview
When Hockey East coaches picked Northeastern to finish fourth this year, it marked the Huskies’ highest preseason projection within the league. It’s easy to see the reasons for the optimism and why they are likely to continue the program’s progress under coach Greg Cronin. Northeastern returns all but two players from the squad that finished … Read more
2008-09 Merrimack Season Preview
In each of his first three seasons at Merrimack, head coach Mark Dennehy’s team took steps forward. After winning just six games in his first campaign in 2005-06 and three games the year following, last year’s club posted 12 wins total and surpassed the win total of a year prior by November 1. Seems like … Read more
2008-09 Boston University Season Preview
Boston University rebounded from a potentially disastrous start to finish second in Hockey East last season but still failed to secure an NCAA berth for the first time since 2004. Don’t count on that happening again this year. The Terriers return a lot of talent and have supplemented that with a strong recruiting class. All … Read more
2008-09 Hockey East Season Preview
Three Favorites, Then Anything Goes On paper, Boston College, Boston University, and New Hampshire rank as the clear favorites in Hockey East this season. The three programs contend for the title almost every year — perennial powerhouse Maine usually joins them but has fallen on hard times — and while each has questions that remain … Read more
Former BU Standout Netminder Scott Cashman Dead At 39
Former Boston University standout goaltender Scott Cashman died Monday from a heart-related issue according to the Ottawa Citizen. He was 39. Cashman was the backbone of Boston University’s hockey dominance in the early 1990s. He led the Terriers to the Frozen Four in his freshman year in 1990, where they lost to Colgate in the … Read more
Defending National Champion Boston College Preseason Coaches’ Pick in Hockey East
Defending national champion Boston College was selected as the pre-season favorite to win Hockey East this season, that according to the annual coaches’ poll that was released on Monday at the league’s media day. The Eagles, which recorded 86 points and six first-place votes, looks to defend both its Hockey East and National Championships in … Read more
NCAA Rounds Out Championships Until 2011
The NCAA Ice Hockey Committee has set the sites for the NCAA Championships all the way through 2011 with the announcement of the West and Midwest Regionals for 2010 and 2011. In 2010, Notre Dame will host the Midwest regional from March 27-28 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. and … Read more
Draft Notebook: Thursday
If there is any doubt that Colin Wilson’s career at Boston University is over, Wilson’s father, Carey, summed things up in a single sentence. “He’d be prepared to leave tomorrow,” said the elder Wilson, himself an NHL veteran who played 13 years for the Calgary Flames, Hartford Whalers and New York Rangers. Surrounded by a … Read more
BC’s Gerbe Forgoes Senior Season
If Boston College is to repeat as National Champions, it will have to do so without arguably the nation’s best player. The school announced on Tuesday that senior-to-be Nathan Gerbe will forego his senior season at Boston College and sign an NHL contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Though Gerbe’s signing will significantly impact the Eagles … Read more
Bennett Leaves BU
Sophomore goaltender Brett Bennett will not return to Boston University for the 2008-09 season. “Our staff has decided that we move in a different direction in regards to our goaltending,” said Parker. “We wish Brett the best in his future endeavors.” Bennett appeared in 31 games this season, making 29 starts. He posted an .888 … Read more
NCAA Clarifies Notre Dame Non-Goal
The Frozen Four may be in the books for another year, but the most controversial play of the tournament, a Notre Dame goal in the third period of the championship game that was overturned by video replay, is still being debated throughout college hockey. They play, which occurred at 4:56 of the third period with … Read more