One of the most consistently good programs in the nation — UNH has not had a losing season or even won fewer than 20 games in one campaign since 1995-96 — the Wildcats had what was, for them, a good-but-not-great season last year. Sporting one of the most dangerous lines in college hockey with Jacob … Read more
Expectations had soared for last year’s veteran-laden Massachusetts-Lowell squad until the late offseason departure to the pros of 26-goal scorer Ben Walter. The River Hawks then got off to a poor start, lost go-to guy Andrew Martin to injury, and saw several key players suffer off-years. Although a closing 4-1 surge vaulted them into seventh … Read more
It was a trying debut behind the bench for first-year coach Mark Dennehy, as the Warriors suffered through a ten-game losing streak in December and January, ultimately going 2-16-3 in their last 21 games of the season after a promising 3-3 start. That said, Dennehy realizes that neither Rome nor North Andover were built in … Read more
Last year, Massachusetts certainly enjoyed high notes, particularly wins over Boston University, Boston College, New Hampshire, Colorado College and two over Vermont. In doing so, the Minutemen proved that they could beat just about anybody. There were also two three-game win streaks. UMass finished eighth in the league with a 10-15-2 record, an improvement over … Read more
Maine’s resilience shone through last year both as a program and as a team. After losing All-Everything goaltender Jimmy Howard, the Black Bears were expected by many to fall on comparatively tough times. Howard had stood head and shoulders above all others as the team’s go-to guy, its one indispensable part. Instead, Maine roared out … Read more
Things are looking up in Storrs, Conn., as the Connecticut Huskies seem poised to make some noise in the conference. True, there were only 11 wins last season to go along with 23 losses and two ties, but UConn ended the season on a high note, upsetting Sacred Heart in the league quarterfinals before bowing … Read more
Minnesota senior goaltender Kellen Briggs has been suspended for three games due to an unspecified rules violation. Minnesota’s athletic department made the announcement in a brief statement Wednesday afternoon. Briggs will sit out the Golden Gophers’ Oct. 6 game against Maine and the Oct. 13-14 series against Wayne State. Briggs appeared in 32 games last … Read more
Commissioners from the nation’s six Division I ice hockey conferences have announced a 33-game series to be played among the conferences throughout the 2006-2007 season. The third annual Commissioners’ Cup Series faces off with the Denver visiting Miami on Friday, Oct. 6, in the opening round of the Ice Breaker Tournament. Miami will open its … Read more
During an offseason of losses for college hockey, Boston College retained key names in its run for a national championship.
Boston College was voted the overwhelming favorite in the Hockey East pre-season coaches’ poll. The Eagles garnered eight of a possible 10 first-place votes (coaches couldn’t vote for their own team) to easily outdistance their cross-town rivals at Boston University. However, the Terriers, as well as two traditional powerhouses, Maine and New Hampshire, weren’t far … Read more
Hockey East and NESN have extended their television rights agreement, beginning with the upcoming 2006-07 season and running through 2008-09. “We are thrilled to continue our relationship with NESN,” said Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna. “NESN has proven to be a valued partner of Hockey East, and we look forward to Boston Universityilding a stronger, … Read more
Dan Hannigan of Cod Rock Media Productions is the 2006 recipient of the Joe Concannon Hockey East Media Award. Hannigan, who is entering his 12th year as play-by-play broadcaster for the Maine men’s hockey team, is a three-time winner of the Maine Sportscaster of the Year award, and has been recognized by the Maine Associated … Read more
Willie Mitchell, a 1993 graduate of the University of Western Ontario and a former associate head coach at Wayne State has been named an assistant coach for the Vermont men’s hockey team. Head coach Kevin Sneddon made the announcement today. “I feel very fortunate to be adding another great coach to our program,” Sneddon said. … Read more
Holy Cross has named Albie O’Connell an assistant men’s ice hockey coach. The announcement was made by head coach Paul Pearl and athletics director Richard M. Regan, Jr. O’Connell will serve as the recruiting coordinator. O’Connell comes to Holy Cross from Niagara, where he was as an assistant coach for the last two seasons. He … Read more
Every year the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee meets to determine how the past season went and to look forward to future seasons. This past meeting is summarized by Ty Halpin, the NCAA’s liaision to the Rules Committee. The Committee reports on rules changes, points of emphasis and future discussions.
Richard DeCaprio, a longtime observer for Hockey East and a former on-ice official, was today named the conference’s new Supervisor of Officials. DeCaprio will succeed Brendan Sheehy, Hockey East’s Supervisor for the past 12 years, who announced his retirement during the past season. Sheehy will stay on in an advisory capacity through December to assist … Read more
Brian Strait doesn’t flash. He doesn’t make a scene. The Boston University recruit just leads the U.S. Under-18 Team by example, Joe Haggerty finds.
The late Ralph “Cooney” Weiland, the coach of the Harvard men’s hockey team for 21 seasons, has been announced as the 2006 recipient of the Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey Award and will be honored Thursday, May 11, at the Hobey Baker Award Banquet in St. Paul, Minn. A 1971 inductee to the Hockey … Read more
Despite a published report to the contrary, USA Hockey’s Junior Officiating Development Program (JODP) is not taking over Hockey East or the ECAC Hockey League any time soon. Last week, the website HockeyRefs.com reported that the two conferences are looking for someone new to head their respective officiating staffs after recent shakeups, and that the … Read more
At times we forget about an important principle in sports: sportsmanship. Mike Volonnino tells us about the great displays this weekend at the Frozen Four.