Maine wasted no time naming Tim Whitehead its permanent head coach, signing him to a new deal Monday. The announcement came from athletic director Sue Tyler during the team’s welcome rally at Alfond Arena. Whitehead Whitehead had previously been interim coach, his appointment coming after Shawn Walsh died from complications due to kidney cancer last … Read more
Darren Haydar leaves St. Paul without any hardware, but with plenty to look forward to.
If you have a grandson who is very dear to you and he’s an athlete, there are few thrills greater than watching him compete for a national championship. So when Chris Heisten’s grandfather settled into his seat at the Xcel Energy Center to watch Maine take on top-seeded New Hampshire on Thursday, it was with … Read more
Despite all hopes, numbers and indications to the contrary, a season of promise ended abruptly for New Hampshire Thursday.
From the same team that brought you the clinic on how not to start a Frozen Four came others on how to wrestle away control of a game in the second period and seal the deal in the third. The Maine Black Bears, they of incredible strength and fortitude in this, a trying season on … Read more
After three years in relative obscurity, Maine’s Mike Morrison stepped into the spotlight.
For Maine, reaching the Frozen Four produced a sense that 2002 almost seems like 1999. Jim Connelly reports.
Not Their Day New Hampshire got off to a very fast start, scoring just 21 seconds into the first period. But after that, the team that led the nation in scoring (4.67 goal per game), and backed by a goaltender who set a Hockey East record for save percentage (.938) could do very little right. … Read more
The Frozen Four opening game on Thursday featuring Maine and New Hampshire is a battle of two teams that, despite solid goaltending, have question marks between the pipes. UNH has alternated much of the season between Michael Ayers and Matt Carney. Maine rode Mike Morrison much of the season, but has turned to seasoned Matt … Read more
The following, in alphabetical order, are capsule profiles of the Hobey Baker “Hat Trick,” the final three candidates for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which will be announced Friday in St. Paul, Minn. Mark Hartigan Team: St. Cloud State. Position: Forward. Class: Junior. Height, weight: 6-foot, 200 pounds. Hometown: Fort St. John, British Columbia. Statistics: … Read more
A fourth-line forward? Jim Abbott made his presence felt in New Hampshire’s run to the Frozen Four, as Jim Connelly notes.
Here’s a statistic that Hockey East loyalists are hearing for the umpteenth time, but Western fans should make note of: in Hockey East games, the Wildcats ranked first in team offense, team defense, power-play percentage and penalty-kill percentage. This led to finishing first in the league, winning the Hockey East tournament and gaining the top … Read more
In some ways, Maine had the toughest road to the Frozen Four of the semifinalist schools. New Hampshire and Minnesota were bye teams while Michigan got to play on home ice in front of its raucous fans. The Wolverines did face tougher opponents, at least on paper, but had the proverbial seventh player from the … Read more
In a not-too-common occurrence, Tim Horst left Minnesota to play hockey. Now, Jim Connelly reports on the UNH sophomore’s return.
Lucas Lawson entered the year with high expectations. Meeting them was neither easy nor quick, but the junior forward helped get Maine to the Frozen Four, Jim Connelly notes.
The Hobey Baker Committee announced the top three finalists for this year’s Award: Mark Hartigan of St. Cloud, Darren Haydar of UNH and Jordan Leopold of Minnesota.
The buildup began today for the 2002 Frozen Four when coaches from the respective schools participated in a media conference call. This year’s Frozen Four takes place April 4 and 6 in St. Paul, Minn., at the XCel Energy Center, home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, a stone’s throw from the University of Minnesota, one … Read more
Shawn Walsh died six months ago, but his spirit lives in his charges at Maine, which reached the Frozen Four on Sunday.
His more famous teammate attracts most of the attention on and off the ice, but Colin Hemingway is a critical piece of the UNH puzzle.
If Michael Schutte isn’t Maine’s most valuable player, he’s certainly its most versatile.