The 2004-05 season for Providence may have blown up in May when goaltender Bobby Goepfert was dismissed from the school because of academic violations. The Friars were already losing All-American defenseman Stephen Wood, fellow blueliner Jason Platt, and three of their five forwards who had totaled at least 20 points. With no graduations from the … Read more
Is it great momentum or horrendous momentum? If you’re a glass-half-full Husky fan you can point to the seven-of-eight points your team earned over the final two weekends to come oh-so-close to a playoff berth. Only BU’s overtime goal at New Hampshire denied that quest. You can also point to the 11-7-5 record from December … Read more
After two straight seasons atop Hockey East, New Hampshire fell to fourth place last year. Although that hardly ranks as a catastrophe, the surprise was not in the result but in the details. The Wildcats, consistently among the league leaders in team defense, fell to fifth overall, eighth in league games. Eighth? Next to last … Read more
After season upon season of seeming youth, Connecticut returns a lineup where veterans outweigh the inexperienced. Still, for this year’s edition of UConn, that’s not enough to earn complete respect. UConn returns the top player in Atlantic Hockey, last year’s leading scorer and MVP Tim Olsen, and graduated only one significant player in Eric Nelson. … Read more
Defending regular-season champ Boston College is tabbed to repeat that feat this season, that according to the Hockey East coaches’ poll announced Thursday at the annual media day held at the FleetCenter. Boston College received five first-place votes and 68 total points, edging out second-place Maine, which received three first-place votes and totaled 66 points. … Read more
For the first time in Hockey East women’s history, someone other than Providence is ranked No. 1 in the league’s preseason poll, even though the Friars are coming off winning the league’s first two postseason crowns. Defending regular champion New Hampshire, the bridesmaid in each of the Friars’ championship wins, ranked No. 1 with four … Read more
So, yes, this is UVM’s final season as a member of the only Division I conference it has ever known. Not that the Catamounts are giving it much thought. “We’re really not concerned,” said head coach Kevin Sneddon, “about this being our last year. We are trying to make big strides with our program regardless … Read more
Olympic silver medalist Laura Schuler will return to her alma matter Northeastern to be the new head coach, filling a vacancy that had persisted for more than three months. Schuler, a native of Scarborough, Ontario, brings years of coaching experience and more than a decade of Canadian national team experience back to the Northeastern program. … Read more
New Hampshire forward Eddie Caron will forego his final two seasons of eligibility after signing a professional contract with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. Though he would have been a senior this upcoming season, Caron still had two years of college eligibility remaining because of two transfers. “I support Eddie’s decision,” said … Read more
It may have taken a couple of months, but it appears Bobby Goepfert has landed on his feet. The former Providence goaltender, who was released for what the school called a violation of team rules, will transfer to St. Cloud State for this coming fall semester. Goepfert will have to sit out one full season … Read more
Northeastern alum Chanda Gunn, winner of the Hockey Humanitarian Award, was named the 2004 female recipient of the NCAA Sportsmanship Award last weekend. The award was the second Gunn had received this year out of a pool of all NCAA female athletes. She also received the Honda Inspiration Award as part of the Collegiate Women’s … Read more
Boston University’s construction of Harry Agganis Arena reached a milestone today, as 425 yards of concrete were poured to create the 90’x200′ event floor. The concrete now covers over one mile of piping that will hold over 4,000 gallons of a glycol and water mixture that can chill or warm the ice. The ice plant … Read more
Ron Rolston, who recently was considered a finalist for the vacant Harvard head coaching job, has accepted the position as head coach of the U.S. National Development program and its Under-18 team. He replaces David Quinn, who recently went back to his alma mater, Boston University, as an assistant coach. “I’m very excited about the … Read more
Day 2 of the draft saw some more interesting names come through the draft board. Following up the selection of Chris Bourque from Day 1, two more sons of ex-NHLers were selected on Day 2. One was Providence-bound Trevor Ludwig, son of long-time NHL defenseman Craig Ludwig, by the Dallas Stars. The other was … … Read more
Chris Bourque has always had to look up, but he’s had some good role models to look up to. Now his career is looking up, too.
It really won’t be an earth-shattering surprise to any of his friends, teammates or coaches if and when Maine defenseman Mike Lundin hears his name called June 26 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. The 19-year-old Lundin is projected by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau as a second-rounder in the NHL Entry Draft, and … Read more
It doesn’t really matter if his boyhood favorites — the Toronto Maple Leafs — come calling on NHL draft day, New Hampshire center Daniel Winnik is just excited to think about the possibilities. “The dream would be to play in Toronto, but I’m not really one of those guys who cares where they play,” said … Read more
Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon has officially declined an interview for the vacant head coaching position at Harvard, ending speculation as to his candidacy for the Crimson’s open position. Sneddon was a captain at Harvard in 1991-92, and a member of the 1989 national championship team. He took the head coaching job at Vermont last … Read more
Mike Lundin and Daniel Winnik might be sharing the spotlight as the only current Hockey East players trumpeted as NHL draft material this year, but many others with ties to the league have appeared on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s radar screen. A pair of true 18-year-old freshmen, defenseman Steve Birnstill of Northeastern (ranked 61st … Read more
BOSTON — Boston University announced today that Brian Durocher, the current associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the men’s hockey team, has been hired as the first head coach for the new women’s varsity team, which is scheduled to begin play in 2005-06 with a Division I schedule and a slot in Hockey East. … Read more