The Merrimack men’s hockey team had its weekend slate of games adjusted Friday as a result of Yale being unable to play due to non-COVID reasons. Merrimack was originally set to play the Bulldogs at 4 p.m. Saturday at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Conn., but that game is now canceled. The Warriors will still … Read more
Due to health and safety protocols, this weekend’s men’s hockey series between Union and Massachusetts set for December 31 and January 1 at Messa Rink in Schenectady, N.Y., has been postponed. “In these challenging times, the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff members and entire community is our top priority,” said Union director … Read more
By any measure, the Massachusetts men’s hockey team has turned in a successful defense (so far) of its NCAA championship season from last year. The Minutemen are 9-4-2 overall, ranked No. 12 in the most recent DCU/USCHO.com Division I poll, are second in Hockey East with a 7-2-2 record and — perhaps most importantly — … Read more
The 2022 Hockey East men’s championship is returning to the TD Garden for the first time since 2019. Tournament semifinal games will take place Friday, March 18 and semifinal tickets include admission to both semifinal contests. Winners of the semifinals will advance to the Hockey East title game set for Saturday, March 19, to determine … Read more
The Friendship Four hockey tournament will return to Belfast, Northern Ireland in November 2022 after what will be a three-year absence due to COVID restrictions. Joining UMass and UMass Lowell will be Quinnipiac and Dartmouth. Taking place at The SSE Arena, Belfast on November 25-26, 2022, the tournament, organized by the Odyssey Trust, will bring … Read more
With about one-third of the regular season in the books, Hockey East teams have played seven overtime games. Two of those contests — both of which occurred last weekend — remained tied after five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime, requiring a shootout (Massachusetts won at Boston University on Friday, while Vermont beat New Hampshire the following … Read more
A quirk in the Hockey East schedule will bring two teams to Lowell, Mass., this weekend, and with it, a chance for the 20th ranked UMass Lowell men’s hockey team to inch its way further up the USCHO.com poll. The River Hawks (4-1-2, 2-0-0 Hockey East) host No. 17 Northeastern (7-3-0, 4-2-0) visits the Tsongas … Read more
By Joe Bertagna/Special to USCHO Joe Bertagna has spent the better part of the last half century in hockey as a player, coach, college administrator and commissioner. The final role in that list – that as commissioner – was a position he held for a significant period of time and one he recalls in his … Read more
A stretch of seven consecutive games played on enemy ice would be a challenge for any team, but goalie Darion Hanson of the Connecticut men’s hockey team chooses to focus on the positive. Long bus rides together and hanging out in the hotel with teammates have been valuable bonding experiences for him and his teammates, … Read more
Vermont’s record (0-4-0) indicates a struggling men’s hockey team. The game scores tell a different story — one of a club that has been competitive in every game. Scan the Catamounts’ schedule so far and one will find a pair of one-goal losses and, perhaps more importantly, no blowouts or embarrassments. The mentality of constant … Read more
Don’t call it a goalie controversy. Because Merrimack coach Scott Borek doesn’t see it that way. With sophomore Zachary Borgiel and freshman Hugo Ollas sharing time between the pipes so far this season for the Warriors (2-2-0, 0-1-0 Hockey East), Borek said competition at the position can only be a positive for his club. “I … Read more
The only thing that will keep Hockey East fans on the edge of their seats this season will be the action on the ice. At least that’s the hope of commissioner Steve Metcalf and the league’s 11 coaches. That fans will even be in the building after a year playing in empty arenas has generated … Read more
With 19 first-place votes, 2021 national champion Massachusetts is the No. 1 team in the 2021-22 preseason USCHO.com D-I Men’s Poll. National runner-up St. Cloud State earned 13 first-place nods and finished just seven voting points behind UMass in the No. 2 spot. Michigan garnered 11 first-place votes to sit third, followed by Minnesota at … Read more
Ben Smith, who has been part of the USA Hockey staff for the past 25 years, including leading the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team to the gold medal in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games, is retiring from the organization after a decorated career. “The sport of hockey has done so much for me and I’m … Read more
Hockey East has announced that a new postseason tournament format for the men’s and women’s leagues will be used beginning in 2022. All 11 men’s programs and all 10 women’s programs will compete in a single-elimination postseason tournament for the Lamoriello Trophy and the Bertagna trophy, respectively. “This new format for the Hockey East tournament … Read more
Massachusetts head coach Greg Carvel has had his contract extended through the 2025-26 season. The new five-year rolling contract for the reigning USCHO Coach of the Year comes on the heels of the Minutemen’s first NCAA and Hockey East tournament championships in 2020-21. “We are very pleased to grow our investment in Greg Carvel and … Read more
Massachusetts goaltender Filip Lindberg has elected to forgo his senior season, withdrawing from school to pursue a career in professional hockey. Lindberg, the NCAA leader in goals-against average and save percentage in 2020-21, helped guide the Minutemen to the program’s first NCAA and Hockey East tournament titles as a junior and earned an All-USCHO Second … Read more
Massachusetts hockey has announced the addition of Steve Trachtenberg as the team’s director of hockey operations. Trachtenberg, a 2018 UMass graduate, previously served as a hockey operations assistant for the Minutemen while working towards his sport management degree. “We are excited to name Steve Trachtenberg as our new director of hockey operations,” said UMass coach … Read more
College hockey coaching veteran Matt Lindsay has joined Massachusetts as an assistant coach. Lindsay, who replaces Ben Barr after he took the Maine head coaching job, comes to Amherst following 10 seasons at Penn State, where he was an assistant coach under Guy Gadowsky. “We are very excited to welcome Matt Lindsay to our program,” … Read more
Massachusetts associate head coach Ben Barr has been named the fifth head coach in Maine history, agreeing to terms on a four-year contract. The 39-year-old Barr has served in his role at UMass since 2016 and helped lead the Minutemen to their first national championship this past season. “We are thrilled to welcome Ben Barr … Read more