Men’s D-I in general
Jenga! Well, we figured it all out. It was easy, actually. Colgate tied Princeton on Friday evening, giving St. Lawrence the regular-season title, the Saints’ first since 1983 when SLU won the West title, and its first outright ECAC regular-season championship. The Saints made it academic the next night with a 7-5 victory over Dartmouth. … Read more
Northern Michigan and league newcomer Nebraska-Omaha each placed two players on the 1999-2000 Bauer/CCHA All-Rookie team, as announced by the league Monday. The team, selected by a vote of the conference’s coaches, is led by Michigan State goaltender Ryan Miller, who topped all CCHA netminders in save percentage and goals-against average, setting or tying league … Read more
As Easy As Chinese Arithmetic Yes it is, this ECAC race. It’s real simple, you see. If Cornell sweeps, but Princeton doesn’t get swept, and then if Rensselaer ties two, but Harvard only gets one point and along the way Dartmouth wins two, but Clarkson only gets one point, then with the alignment of Jupiter … Read more
Note To Readers: My apologies to those of you expecting to read my weekly column and find a rundown of all the action upcoming this week. Unfortunately, due to illness, this week’s column focuses on only one series. Look for an extensive MAAC playoff preview next week, including quotes from the coaches not mentioned here … Read more
There’s No Place Like Home Home ice has always held its advantages. This year, however, those advantages appear to be particularly potent. The following are the current home and away breakdowns by team. Team Home Away Boston College 11-2-1 8-7-0 Boston University 12-0-3 7-4-3 Maine 13-3-1 7-4-2 UMass-Amherst 5-6-3 5-10-1 UMass-Lowell 5-9-1 3-13-2 Merrimack 7-5-3 … Read more
Obligatory Playoff Talk Ten teams are in. Two are out. What more do you need to know? Most of the drama of the playoff race has ended. Unless Bowling Green sweeps Michigan and Northern sweeps Lake, the Wolverines have the regular-season title. Northern, Michigan State, and Lake jockey for position near the top; Miami, Western … Read more
The last weekend Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s come down to this. With two games to play in the WCHA regular season (for all but two teams), three home-ice spots remain, and vying for them are four Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams. It’s almost like a game of musical chairs. One of you will not … Read more
At a time when the eligibility rules that govern college hockey are under review, Andy McDonald reminds us all of why the game as it exists today is so great. McDonald’s competitive hockey career might have ended long ago were it not for a chance to develop at his own pace at Colgate University. How … Read more
Do You Believe in Miracles? Yes! How about that…twenty years to the day after the U.S. Olympic team upset the Soviets on their way to the Gold Medal in the 1980 Olympics, the Canisius College Ice Griffs pulled off a miracle of their own, knocking off NCAA tournament contender Niagara University, 2-1, in front of … Read more
Who Loves Ya, Baby? In South Bend, they’re nuts about the Nanooks. Up in Kalamazoo, they’re crazy about the Falcons. Everyone in Columbus loves the Lakers. The RedHawks are lucky. The outpouring of love from both Ann Arbor and East Lansing is overwhelming. It’s the home stretch, and as much as each coach likes to … Read more
Losing a legend, part two How could Duluth, Minn., ever forget the joy Mike Sertich brought? If there was some way to block out the last two years of his tenure as coach at Minnesota-Duluth, there would be nothing but exemplaries to be said about the man who took the Bulldogs agonizingly close to a … Read more
On With The Show Well, enough nonsense already. There are 20 ECAC games left. 20 games until an automatic bid is decided. 20 games until five teams get to play the quarterfinals at home. 20 games until one of eleven teams left doesn’t get to move on. There are 10 this week and 10 next … Read more
Zebra Talk Even before this week’s controversy involving Jack Parker, Hockey East fans were talking about the league’s officiating and, to no one’s surprise, it often wasn’t complimentary. Referees and linesmen are the equivalent of defensive defensemen. No one notices when they do a good job, but everyone notices when they make a mistake. "If … Read more
The Executive Committee of Hockey East issued an additional one-game suspension to Boston University coach Jack Parker on Wednesday for his failure to fully comply with a previous suspension issued last weekend. Parker Parker had been issued the original suspension by Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna on Saturday, February 19, in part for his decision … Read more
It all started last Friday night and it may not yet be over. It began with a disallowed goal in the Boston University – Providence game that escalated into a major controversy when BU coach Jack Parker sent his team to the dressing room in protest. As a result, Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna issued … Read more
At a press conference Tuesday at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Bulldog head hockey coach Mike Sertich resigned effective at the end of the 1999-2000 season. Sertich, who will continue to coach the team until then, has been the Bulldogs’ head man for 18 years and is one of only two individuals to be named Western … Read more
Race for Home Ice Gets Breathing Room Just as we told you right here last week in the MAAC Games of the Week, the two games played in Storrs, Conn., between UConn and Canisius had a MAJOR impact on the MAAC standings. No one, including myself, could have predicted that the Ice Griffs would sweep … Read more
It might not be long before the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament expands to 16 teams. The NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet gave preliminary approval for expansion of the hockey bracket from its current 12 teams to 16 teams. The proposal still needs approval from the NCAA Management Council and Board of Directors, which may … Read more
The Player Makers So, you want to be Player of the Week? Make sure your team plays Ferris State. Or Western Michigan. Or–better by far–Ohio State. After last week’s examination of the Player of the Week selection process, I thought it might be interesting to see which teams are regularly picking up awards. Turns out … Read more
If success is measured by the respect one has earned from one’s peers, Don Brose is on top of the world right now. The Minnesota State coach announced this week that, after 30 years at the helm of the Mavericks, he’s ready to step down. Reaction around college hockey was a mix of surprise, and … Read more