New Hampshire head men’s hockey coach Richard Umile was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack at his home in Portsmouth. According to Nursing Supervisor Nancy Bruce, Umile was listed in fair condition as of 10 a.m. on Saturday. “The athletic department was shocked to hear … Read more
Hockey East Playoffs: Quarterfinals by Dave Hendrickson The second season begins with New Hampshire and Boston University the heavy favorites, based on their regular-season dominance. Providence, however, could be poised for some serious playoff deja vu and Merrimack is playing as well as anyone in the tournament. Darkhorses Boston College, UMass-Lowell, UMass-Amherst and Northeastern will … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Maine’s five-day, three-game sweep of UNH and BU (twice) proved that postseason or no postseason, they are now back among the Hockey East and national elite. Providence College also ended the weekend smiling, its sweep of UMass-Lowell clinching a home-ice berth in the playoffs. Since … Read more
Joe Bertagna was named the fourth commissioner of Hockey East on Tuesday in an announcement made by the conference’s Board of Directors. The Arlington, Mass. native leaves the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), where he was employed for 15 years, including the last three as the conference’s first Hockey Commissioner. Bertagna will stay with the … Read more
Over 50 years ago, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello created arguably the most famous comedy routine in history, “Who’s on First.” It is with great pleasure that we welcome them to the Hockey East stage. LOU: Heeyyy, Abbott! You’ll never guess what happened. I saw my first college hockey game and, boy, was it terrific! … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Feb. 21-22, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Boston University and New Hampshire made Hockey East a two-team race for the regular-season crown so long ago that fans might easily ignore two other teams that are playing very well down the stretch. In fact, since the Christmas break, Maine and Merrimack have supplanted the … Read more
UMass-Lowell announced their 30th Year Anniversary Team to commemorate three decades of varsity hockey. The team will be honored during the final regular season home game on Saturday against Providence. The program marked its beginning in 1967 when it formed a Division II team, became a powerhouse in the late seventies and moved into Division … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Feb. 14-18, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson After a scintillating Beanpot championship game, the return to league play this week will be hard-pressed to maintain either the excitement level or the quality of play shown at the FleetCenter. The jockeying for third to sixth place continues, with Providence potentially starting yet another late-season … Read more
The NCAA has denied the University of Maine’s appeal of postseason sanctions on the Black Bears hockey program, the university announced Thursday. In a written statement, Maine President Frederick Hutchinson said that the decision “brings to an end a very difficult period for the entire university community.” He said the decision “adds nothing new to … Read more
He broke in on the goaltender. Mano a mano. He dipped one shoulder. The goalie reacted in kind. His head and shoulders moved the other way. The goalie fought to recover. The dekes came in layers. The puck danced. The hands moved like a pickpocket’s. Head and shoulders dipped first one way and then the … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Feb. 7-10, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson It’s another dream matchup for the Beanpot — Boston University and Boston College in the title game. Even the moribund Fleet Center might hear some noise for that one. Lost in the Beanpot publicity bonanza has been the resurgent play of not only a dominating UNH … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson The Beanpot dwarfs all remaining Hockey East action this week. Northeastern, Boston College and Boston University will all need to avoid looking past their Friday contests and ahead to the biggest college hockey event in the East. Aside from the Beanpot, however, there remain many … Read more
The dumb jock. Chiseled physique meets bovine stupidity. Few stereotypes appear more consistently in our culture. Four Hockey East players — Maine’s Dan Shermerhorn, UMass-Lowell’s Craig Lindsay, and Merrimack’s Rob Beck and Tom Johnson — are the league’s prime examples that athletes need not be morons and top students don’t all wear pocket protectors. Those … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 24-28, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Nationally-ranked Boston University and UNH, both considered head and shoulders above the rest of Hockey East, could muster only two out of four points against their unranked league brethren last week. The Cinderella River Hawks from UMass-Lowell proved that their slipper might fit after all, stunning … Read more
Doing something again, especially when expected, is one of the hardest things to do. Just ask Tim Thomas. Vermont’s All-American is a microcosm of the team, which only makes sense considering he’s the goalie. Thomas, a 1994 ninth-round draft pick of the Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche), helped lead Vermont to the NCAA Final … Read more
detonator (de’ to na’ ter) n. something that explodes— Random House College Dictionary No team in the East explodes to a win like New Hampshire. The Wildcats, second only to Michigan with 5.29 goals a game, have mastered the destructive art of blowing teams away; not just with two or three goals in a period, … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 17-21, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Boston University and Boston College renew their rivalry this week with a home-and-home series that takes center stage in Hockey East. Second-place UNH and third-place UMass-Lowell also take turns in each other’s barn, as do Northeastern and UMass-Amherst. Providence visits Maine for two that could prove … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 9-14, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson Not many people gave Boston University a chance to sweep New Hampshire this past weekend. In fact, this column predicted a sweep going the other way. Even within the friendly confines of Walter Brown Arena on Friday night, the prevailing theme seemed to be "win at … Read more
Hockey East Preview: Jan. 3-7, 1997 by Dave Hendrickson New Hampshire and Boston University square off in one of the most eagerly anticipated series of the year. These two teams have run away from the pack, UNH with a perfect league record and BU having only a tie to blemish its standing in Hockey East. … Read more
Shawn Walsh, no stranger to enemies, returned to Maine hockey on Dec. 24 after serving a one-year suspension. Some welcomed him with open arms; of course, others did not. “Shawn Walsh is the reason I came to Maine,” said assistant captain Dan Shermerhorn. “The players know they’re getting the best,” said athletic director Suzanne Tyler. … Read more