Men’s D-I in general
The Frozen Four may be in the books for another year, but the most controversial play of the tournament, a Notre Dame goal in the third period of the championship game that was overturned by video replay, is still being debated throughout college hockey. They play, which occurred at 4:56 of the third period with … Read more
It was a heroes’ welcome in Chestnut Hill on Monday night as the 2007-08 Boston College Eagles addressed their fans for the first time as national champions. The event, held on the Kelley Rink ice, was attended by thousands of Eagles faithful and capped off a whirlwind 48 hours that included BC’s victory over Notre … Read more
Last time it took four tries. This time, three. Boston College had to pound on the door in 1998, 1999, and 2000 — suffering a succession of gut-wrenching losses — before finally knocking the thing down in 2001. On this night, history came close to repeating itself as the Eagles shook off disappointments in the … Read more
For the Fighting Irish, a one-goal performance was a familiar narrative that they would have preferred to tell in past tense. At the end of the first half of the season, Notre Dame was averaging 3.50 goals per game; going into their 4-1 title game loss to Boston College, the Irish were averaging 2.93. “We’ve … Read more
Goal or No? About five minutes into the third, it appeared that the Irish made it a one-goal game, scoring to make it 3-2 as the puck went off the skate of Kyle Lawson and dribbled past BC goaltender John Muse. However, the goal was disallowed, due to a supposed kicking motion. According to video … Read more
National scoring leader. National champion. Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player. Boston College winger Nathan Gerbe did it all this season. Well, almost. Anyone want a re-vote for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award? “As much respect as I have for Kevin Porter,” Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said, “if they name the Hobey Baker after this … Read more
They went through five competitions, and then the fun started. The West won the Frozen Four Skills Challenge 13-6 Friday night at the Pepsi Center, beating the East in the third annual lighthearted event on the eve of the NCAA championship game for seniors who have completed their eligibility. It finished up with penalty shots, … Read more
Game day, almost game time. 60 minutes from a national title. The key to today is routine, focus, and demeanor. In coaching there is the philosophy every game as big as the last one and the next one. Today is the last one but needs to be approached by the staffs and players in the … Read more
Colorado College goaltender Richard Bachman is the winner of the second annual HCA National Division I Rookie of the Year Award, the Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) announced Friday. Three weeks ago, Bachman became just the second player in the 56-year history of the WCHA to earn the league’s Player of the Year and Rookie of … Read more
Army senior defenseman Chase Podsiad is the winner of the second annual Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award. The announcement was made Friday in Denver at the Frozen Four. The award was established by the The Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) in honor of former Army player Derek Hines, who was a “consummate team player and team … Read more
While Kevin Porter’s Michigan Wolverines came up short in terms of the team’s ultimate goal of a national championship, Porter did not walk away from Denver empty-handed, becoming the 29th winner of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Though the Hobey is a very individual award, Porter, as he has all season, continued to deflect the … Read more
Three is Nice When Boston College beat North Dakota to advance to their third consecutive national championship game, it set up an interesting symmetry with the second game. The last team to advance to three consecutive national championships was Lake Superior, when Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson was at the helm. Shootouts This is the … Read more
The best teams with the best athletes converge each year at the Frozen Four. Among those top athletes, goaltenders rank as the most important. Teams live and die with their guy between the pipes. In these Frozen Four semifinals, however, it was mostly die. With the notable exception of Boston College freshman Johnny Muse, the … Read more
Not Your Local Hero Swedish native, freshman Calle Ridderwall, had two goals in Notre Dame’s 5-4 win over Michigan in the semifinal, the opening goal for the Irish and the game-winner in overtime. In 37 previous games, Ridderall had netted just two and was playing on the fourth line in Thursday’s game. After the win, … Read more
Can you blame them for not wanting to leave? The scoreboard overhead shows Irish 5, Wolverines 4. There they are, the fans in Section 120 of the Pepsi Center — the Notre Dame cheering section — the last ones in the seating bowl until the ushers come to shoo them out into the hallway. “They’re … Read more
Players from 14 different Division I programs are represented as American Hockey Coaches Association RBK All-Americans for the 2007-08 season. The top 24 college hockey players were announced Friday at the Frozen Four in Denver. New Hampshire led all schools with four honorees, followed by Colorado College with three. Just one player is a repeat … Read more
When Jeff Jackson joined the Fighting Irish staff three years ago, he had hopes of someday getting the hockey tradition at Notre Dame mentioned in the same breath as the football program. “I just love the storied tradition. I’ve always been a huge Knute Rockne fan and obviously some of the great football coaches,” he … Read more
When Boston College’s 2006-07 campaign ended with a disappointing loss against Michigan State in the national title game, BC head coach Jerry York still had a silver lining. At that time, the prospects for the 2007-08 team were extremely high. Standout goaltender Cory Schneider was returning for his senior year. Forwards Brock Bradford and Nathan … Read more
This season’s Michigan squad took a different path to success, courtesy of the blending of young and old. Paula C. Weston reports.
Lately, it has seemed if the North Dakota Fighting Sioux want to get to the Frozen Four championship game, they’ll want to avoid Boston College. Unless, of course, they see the Eagles in the NCAA regionals — then they’ve got a shot. For the third time in as many years, Dave Hakstol’s squad fell to … Read more