Men’s D-I: Hockey East

Breaking New Ground

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One season removed from a strong start but a disappointing finish, the Connecticut women are back with a vengeance and ready to go deep into the Hockey East and national tournaments. Terese Karmel reports.

HEA Commissioner Bertagna’s Contract Extended

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The Hockey East Association has extended the contract of Commissioner Joe Bertagna through the 2010-2011 season, it was announced Tuesday by Dana Skinner, Director of Athletics at Massachusetts-Lowell. Bertagna, 56, came to Hockey East in 1997 after 15 years with the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). He is the longest-serving commissioner in Hockey East’s 24-year … Read more

This Week in Hockey East: Nov. 1, 2007

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Dave Hendrickson is not available to write the Hockey East column this week. To raise awareness regarding world hunger, Dave is attempting to eat enough to sustain one human being for a whole year in the two weeks between his last column and his next column. The Spirit of ’76 You’d have to go back … Read more

This Week in Hockey East: Oct. 25, 2007

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Congrats To Umile Congratulations to New Hampshire coach Dick Umile on his 400th win. One of the class acts in the sport, Umile has his Wildcats in the thick of things year in and year out. Perhaps making the win even more satisfying was that it came over rival Boston University and in its barn, … Read more

This Week in Hockey East: Oct. 18, 2007

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Friday The 13th… In Everything But Number Friday. October 12, 2007 7:00 p.m. It’s opening night for Hockey East, a show that’s about to begin its 24th season. Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longevity king, is a baby by comparison. Chris Terreri, Tim Army and Peter Taglianetti were leading Providence to the inaugural league title … Read more

2007-08 Providence Season Preview

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When Tim Army first returned to his alma mater two seasons ago, the Friars turned out to be the biggest surprise in the league for the first half of the season before faltering in the stretch. Last season was a different story, as the Friars never really got all cylinders firing together on a regular … Read more

2007-08 Northeastern Season Preview

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After an excruciating 3-24-7 record in his first season at Northeastern, coach Greg Cronin saw his squad improve to 13-18-5, performing especially well during the second half. “You try and point toward the positives from a year ago,” Cronin said. “We were able to march through the second half of the year with a 9-6-1 … Read more

2007-08 Massachusetts Season Preview

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Massachusetts enjoyed a breakthrough season last year, earning its first NCAA tournament bid and then making the most of it with a first-round win over Clarkson, 1-0. Along the way, the Minutemen secured playoff home ice, swept Maine in the Hockey East quarterfinals and fell to New Hampshire only after taking the game to double-overtime. … Read more

2007-08 Massachusetts-Lowell Season Preview

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Last year, Massachusetts-Lowell endured a 20-game winless streak that lasted almost three months — from Nov. 10 through Feb. 2 — before putting on a fierce, albeit unsuccessful, 5-2-1 drive for a playoff berth. In the offseason, the UMass Board of Trustees considered terminating the hockey program until a new lease agreement with the city … Read more

2007-08 Boston University Season Preview

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It was a pretty typical year for Boston University in many ways last season. The Terriers picked up their usual Beanpot, earned home ice in Hockey East, and made the NCAA tournament. The failure to do any more than that was a disappointment given that it was the swan song for goaltender John Curry, and … Read more

2007-2008 Maine Season Preview

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Last year was certainly “A Tale of Two Seasons” for the Maine Black Bears. They failed to secure playoff home ice for the first time since 1997-98 and then got swept in the first round by Massachusetts. Initially, many wondered if an NCAA berth would be forthcoming. The PairWise numbers, however, didn’t lie and the … Read more

2007-08 Boston College Season Preview

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Had Boston College goaltender Cory Schneider returned for his senior year, the Eagles would have been the near-prohibitive favorite to win Hockey East and potentially the team to beat nationally. Even with Schneider’s departure for the pros, they are the league co-favorites with New Hampshire based on a stellar group of forwards and solid, veteran … Read more

2007-08 Vermont Season Preview

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Although Vermont’s move from sixth place (10-11-6) in its first season in Hockey East to a tie for fifth (12-10-5) last year might seem like only the most modest of improvements, there’s reason to view the step forward as more significant than first meets the eye. In the Catamounts’ inaugural campaign, they struggled against “the … Read more

2007-08 Hockey East Season Preview

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Will The Goalies Decide? Goaltending could be the deciding factor in this season’s Hockey East race. A year ago, only Massachusetts-Lowell had lost its number-one goalie. New Hampshire and Massachusetts were moving from a tandem to lead roles for Kevin Regan and Jon Quick, respectively, but transitions in that most critical of positions wouldn’t be … Read more

2007-08 New Hampshire Season Preview

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The University of New Hampshire had a terrific year in many ways last season, though they ultimately failed to silence the USCHO.com message-board denizens who rib Wildcat fans about being the University of No Hardware. The Wildcats won the regular-season league title, only to fall to Boston College in the Hockey East tournament championship. The … Read more

2007-08 Merrimack Season Preview

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Given that Merrimack’s win total has declined each of the last five seasons — 12, 10, eight, six, and three successively — as well as the level of competition in Hockey East, you might excuse coach Mark Dennehy for believing that the light at the end of the tunnel could be an oncoming train. Yet … Read more

2007-08 Connecticut Season Preview

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Last year, the preseason coaches’ poll put the Huskies in fourth, surprising some people. But lo and behold, that’s where UConn did indeed finish, earning home ice in the playoffs and a trip to Rochester. “We’d had a tough season (in 2005-06) and lost 12 games in a row at the end,” said coach Bruce … Read more

Rush To Judgment

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With their eyes on the ice — and the bottom line — NHL scouts and administrators are increasingly going after collegiate underclassmen, especially inexpensive free agents. Joe Haggerty reports on a growing trend, and coaches’ dissatisfaction with the pro league’s methods.

BC, UNH Tie For Top Spot In HEA Preseason Poll

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Boston College and New Hampshire tied for the top spot in this season’s Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll, released Tuesday from the TD Banknorth Garden. Each team earned five first-place votes to go along with 84 points apiece. Last March, the Eagles won the 2007 Lamoriello Trophy for a league-record seventh time with a 5-2 … Read more