More often than not, a great team requires a great goaltender — meaning that Dave Hendrickson is out to measure Hockey East’s puck-stoppers. Also, Providence had great expectations a year ago, so maybe the Friars just needed an extra season to meet them; Maine continues to defy categorization; and more.
Merrimack sophomore center Steve Crusco will miss at least three months after suffering a laceration of the palm side of his left arm during practice on Oct. 29. Crusco had five tendons and an artery severed when his arm was pinched against the boards by the blade of a teammate’s skate. He was rushed to … Read more
New Hampshire held onto the top spot in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, but with a tie against unranked Northeastern on Friday night, lost its commanding lead over the rest of the pack. The Wildcats garnered 20 of the 40 first-place votes. The remaining first-place votes were split evenly between the next two … Read more
It’s a family reunion this weekend when Boston College takes on Wisconsin; criticism of officials draws a reprimand; Hockey East’s purported bottom-feeders turn the predictions upside down; and more. Dave Hendrickson fills us in.
Merrimack coach Chris Serino was issued a formal reprimand by Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna after blasting referee John Murphy to reporters following his team’s loss at Michigan, 5-1, on Oct. 19. Serino said of Murphy, “I think he’s incompetent.” He later added, “You don’t have a game like this anywhere. There were observers here … Read more
Massachusetts-Lowell found out late Thursday night that Baptiste Amar was indeed eligible to play — something that the Riverhawks contended was correct all along. Amar “It was a very pleasant phone call that I got at 9:08 last night,” said head coach Blaise MacDonald. “I didn’t doubt it, we had enough information, we had due … Read more
Providence coach Bob Deraney doesn’t want to look at 2002-03 as a whole new season but rather a continuation of the last one. And who can blame him? Providence closed out last season with a run through the ECAC East tournament that included an upset of eventual Frozen Four participant Niagara, followed by a 1-0 … Read more
Fourteen sophomores and five freshmen make up the bulk of Connecticut’s ever-developing women’s hockey program. There are two juniors as well, and naturally, with no seniors, they’re both captains. Such are the circumstances Heather Linstad faces in her third year as UConn head coach, her second with a full recruiting class. “I wouldn’t have taken … Read more
Of the six coaches in Hockey East, five of them have been with their programs for at least two years. The only new guy in town is New Hampshire’s Brian McCloskey, who steps over from the associate men’s coach position to become just the third coach in the 25-year history of the women’s program. McCloskey … Read more
Boston College may have won just nine games last season, but those nine were the best output in the young program’s history. Now coach Tom Babson is expecting to make it to the next level. The goal of reaching the Hockey East playoffs by finishing in the league’s top four, he feels, is within reach. … Read more
Northeastern coach Joy Woog’s master plan for the inaugural Hockey East season is to emulate the growth of a successful team from the 2001-02 ECAC East season. No, it’s not last year’s Huskies, who started the year with 10 straight wins and finished 27-7-1. Rather, Woog wants to be like last year’s Providence team — … Read more
Just three years ago, Maine was a six-win team. Today, the Black Bears are coming off back-to-back above-.500 campaigns, and coach Rick Filighera thinks his program can compete with anyone this year. “All of sudden, we show up a rink, we can win that game now, but we can also lose that game,” he said, … Read more
One year ago, the news of Chris Serino’s cancer came as a shock. Now the return of one of the sport’s good guys is being celebrated.
Hockey East is off to a blazing start, and there might just be more where than came from this weekend. Also: the new faceoff rule claims its first victim, eligibility questions arise, and notes from a couple of other sports. Dave Hendrickson muses.
The new season comes none too soon for Hockey East’s players and coaches, as Dave Hendrickson is there to see. Included this week: issues with the preseason poll, recruiting snafus, fish stories and more.
Providence, defending tournament champion of the former ECAC Eastern, was chosen as the preseason No. 1 team in the new Women’s Hockey East by the league’s coaches.
After four straight Frozen Four appearances and a 2001 national championship, the Eagles took an expected nosedive last year. With almost three-quarters of the roster made up of freshmen and sophomores, BC dropped to a .500 record. With that rebuilding year under their belts, however, the Eagles should once again be a power in the … Read more
Logjams, Lurkers and Longshots “Any one of the top four teams in Hockey East could win the national championship.” — UMass-Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald Who’ll win Hockey East this year? New Hampshire. It’s got to be the Wildcats. Goaltending, scoring, defense. They’ve got it all. It’s gotta be them. Martin Kariya and Maine are back … Read more
Last year’s woulda-coulda-shoulda season (if only the three French players hadn’t left for the Olympics… if only the NCAA selection criteria had eliminated the “last 16 games” category one year earlier… if only there had been a 16-team tournament) gives way to a new season. In this one, however, the 11 River Hawks who’d been … Read more
If not for the early departure of defenseman Regan Kelly, the Friars would rival Boston College for the least attrition in the league. With a talented, senior-dominated lineup, there’s the potential for a big move upward in the standings. “You win with your upperclassmen and they certainly are going to lead the way for us,” … Read more