With more or less typical losses to graduation, this was going to be the season for Merrimack to take a step forward in the standings. No more battling it out to the end for the final playoff spot. That is, until early departures ripped extra holes in the depth chart. Count ’em: Anthony Aquino, a … Read more
If you’re a glass-empty BU fan, you bemoan the graduation of Mike Pandolfo and Jack Baker, the only two players who scored more than 26 points last year, and also point to the losses of offensively-gifted defensemen Chris Dyment and Pat Aufiero. Where is the offense going to come from? The matchups with Hemingway-Collins-Gare (UNH), … Read more
If you’re a college hockey coach and your only significant question mark is your backup goaltender, then life is good. For UNH coach Dick Umile, life is indeed very good. In this writer’s eyes, New Hampshire enters the season as the number one team in the country. Depth and skill abound on the roster. It’ll … Read more
Patience will be the watchword for Massachusetts fans this year. With 26 of the 31 rostered players being freshmen or sophomores, instant gratification will be in short supply. The key will be long-term improvement and maintaining a positive outlook. “We’re still a work in progress,” says coach Don Cahoon. “We’ve got two years under our … Read more
The Huskies appeared poised to take home ice last year until dropping four of the last five games in the regular season, falling to fifth. Even with significant graduation losses, Northeastern remains within striking range of achieving that goal this time. Unlike the past few years, the goaltending looks solid and could even be among … Read more
The Black Bears could face a different set of emotional hurdles compared to last year when many of them felt that the spirit of “old SW” gave them a seventh player on the ice. Shawn Walsh’s death struck the team down early last year, but provided a unifying theme that it could rally around on … Read more
A year ago, Media Day was a time of reflection, but this year, the mood is excitement about the upcoming season.
Boston University, which finished last year tied for second in Hockey East with a league record of 15-6-3, has been selected as the preseason No. 1 team by the Hockey East coaches.
Judging from preseason media releases, the Catamounts are focusing on the future. There is no rehash of the past two seasons, nor an analysis of why the former ECAC regular-season champions won only three games last year. Instead, there is talk of a strong nonconference schedule, a solid returning crew and a promising group of … Read more
The 2001-02 season ended with both a flourish and a whimper for Connecticut. After winning an unlikely game at Holy Cross on a last-minute goal to advance to the MAAC final four for the third time in four years, the Huskies were shut out by Mercyhurst in the league semifinals. But though that was likely … Read more
New Hampshire senior defenseman and assistant captain Garrett Stafford has been ruled academically ineligible to play during the fall semester of the 2002-03 season by the school. Garrett Stafford will miss the first half of UNH’s season for academic reasons. Stafford is considered one of the top returning defensemen in Division I and was named … Read more
Merrimack senior captain Anthony Aquino has decided not to return to the Hockey East school this season. Instead, he will attend the training camp of the Dallas Stars, who drafted him in the third round in 2001. Aquino will attend the camp without a contract and look to either make the club or play with … Read more
U.S. Federal Court Judge Victoria Roberts granted a preliminary injunction in the case of the NHL Players’ Association and Merrimack senior Anthony Aquino against the Ontario Hockey League, allowing Aquino to play in the OHL as an overage 20-year-old this season. Aquino had recently joined the lawsuit filed over a year ago by the NHL … Read more
The immediate fate of both the Merrimack hockey team and its star player was put in the hands of a federal court judge today. The issue is whether Anthony Aquino can play in the OHL this year, with the intent to become a free agent, or whether the OHL restricting him from doing that is valid.
Ian McCaw has been named as the new athletic director by the University of Massachusetts. McCaw leaves Hockey East rival Northeastern University, where he held the same position for five years. McCaw McCaw was also recently named chairman of the NCAA Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Committee, which he has served on for the last … Read more
In what was dubbed a weak year in prospects for the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, college hockey took advantage, sending four of its players to the top 14 picks on the draft board, and a total of 14 college or college-bound players in the first two rounds. At the top of the list, in no … Read more
The NCAA has formally reprimanded Maine defenseman Peter Metcalf and the University for comments Metcalf made in the postgame press conference following the Black Bears’ loss to Minnesota in the natonal championship game last April.
Four Division I and four Division III men’s hockey players have been named to the 2001-02 Verizon Academic All-America Men’s At-Large Teams by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Athletes in all varsity collegiate sports were eligible. Clarkson’s David Evans was named to the University Division First Team. The senior forward from Sand … Read more
In 2001, Kelly was a runner-up as Hockey East Rookie of the Year to BC’s Chuck Kobasew.
The acceptance by Hockey East of Connecticut into its newly-formed women’s conference, raised some eyebrows, wondering whether it meant anything for the future of the UConn men’s program.