Men’s D-I in general
Well, here I am — sitting in front of my computer, realizing that I’ve got the crystal ball now. And it’s time for me to gaze into it for the first time as the new MAAC correspondent here at USCHO. And what a week to do it! This week we have the two best teams … Read more
ECAC ice hockey commissioner Jeff Fanter has confirmed that on Oct. 15 and 16, a new interconference preseason tournament will take place at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y. The as-yet unnamed tournament will feature Rensselaer as host, Boston University, Niagara and a fourth team which is still to be determined. An official announcement on … Read more
Western Michigan head coach Bill Wilkinson, whose last-place team had been the focus of an internal investigation earlier this season, has been relieved of his duties effective immediately, the university announced today. Wilkinson will be replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Jim Culhane while the search for his successor gets underway. Culhane is … Read more
Five current and former University of New Hampshire students, including three members of the fourth-ranked men’s hockey team, have been charged with criminal trespassing in connection with an altercation which took place at the end of last semester. According to Associated Press reports, junior defensemen Jayme Filipowicz and Dan Enders, sophomore forward Corey-Joe Ficek and … Read more
Ever notice how much Metro Atlantic hockey resembles the TV series The Simpsons? First, The Simpsons is set in the mythic town of Springfield…and there’s a town called Springfield in New England, where most of the MAAC schools are located. Coincidence? I think not. Next, how often does The Simpsons come on? Every week. And … Read more
And UMass-Amherst gave hope to Red Sox fans everywhere by defeating Boston University for the first time in 79 years. If the Curse of Elton Mansell — the Minuteman coach who won his only game against the Terriers back on Jan. 16, 1920 — is over, can an end to the Curse of the Bambino … Read more
Ever notice how much Metro Atlantic hockey resembles the TV series The Simpsons? First, The Simpsons is set in the mythic town of Springfield…and there’s a town called Springfield in New England, where most of the MAAC schools are located. Coincidence? I think not. Next, how often does The Simpsons come on? Every week. And … Read more
This year, Hockey East instituted a Defensive Player of the Week Award to complement its other awards, which forwards and goaltenders traditionally dominate. After Maine’s first weekend of action, the league selected David Cullen. After Maine’s second weekend of action, the league again selected David Cullen. Two years ago, the Black Bears boasted the best … Read more
It seems that every week I open with something about North Dakota edging ever closer to the MacNaughton. Dang it, I did it again. Well, let’s put the Sioux aside for a while and look at some teams that don’t really know where they’re going to finish. As it has been for a while now, … Read more
With all the buildup surrounding this week’s game between No. 5 Michigan and No. 3 Michigan State, an important story may be lost in the hype. Last Friday, when University of Alaska-Fairbanks head coach Dave Laurion announced his resignation effective at the end of the season, the ripples throughout the college hockey world were small, … Read more
How about some good old-fashioned ECAC hockey? That’s what we’re going to get for the next six weekends. There are only five non-conference games remaining for ECAC teams, and aside from that it’s a battle to see who gets in, who stays home and who will take home the Scotty M. Whitelaw Trophy this season … Read more
Attention, college hockey coaches: if you want to make Brian Swanson, Colorado College’s senior captain and bona fide Hobey Baker candidate uncomfortable, just ask him to talk about himself. If modesty were the sole criterion for hockey’s Heisman, the senior from Eagle River, Alaska, would have to be the odds-on favorite. In an age where … Read more
Alaska-Fairbanks head coach Dave Laurion has announced his resignation, effective after his contract expires at the end of May. Laurion joined UAF in 1985 as an assistant coach, serving under Ric Schafer until Schafer’s departure to become the head coach at Notre Dame in 1987. Laurion then served under Don Lucia for six more years … Read more
KOHO Player of the Week: Jason Krog (F, New Hampshire) scored three goals and assisted on three others in UNH’s sweep of Merrimack. In the process, he became the Wildcats’ fourth all-time scorer. He also leads the country in points-per-game. KOHO Rookie of the Week: Barrett Heisten (F, Maine) finished the week 1-4–5, including the … Read more
Couple this with upsets, suspensions, and ties, and you’ve got a whole lot of CCHA fans who are getting downright squirrelly. Now, if your roommate or spouse or child is chanting, "Bring me Shegos" while watching The Shining, you may be witnessing some small symptoms of S.A.D., or Seasonal Another-call-goes-against-my-team-and-I’m-going-to-snap Disorder. Relax; this behavior is … Read more
It’s been an upward climb this year for Metro Atlantic hockey. When the league was formed, its founders knew it would take time to establish respectability for the nation’s fifth Division I league, but coming into last week they had probably hoped for a little better than a 1-8-1 nonconference record against fellow Division I … Read more
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association may not have as many ranked teams as other leagues, but there’s probably a good reason for that. Other than No. 1 North Dakota, everyone is defeating everyone else. Examples? Here: Ninth-place Minnesota-Duluth earns a split with Denver, and comes darn close to getting four points on the weekend. The … Read more
Last weekend saw the start of teams catching up with their games in hand in league play — and the beginning of travel-partner sweepstakes. St. Lawrence and Clarkson swept their weekend series over Dartmouth and Vermont. The two teams are headed to the back end of their annual North Country rivalry game this coming Saturday, … Read more
On Wednesday, Jan. 6, the family of college hockey lost one of its most ardent supporters when former University of Michigan men’s ice hockey sports information director Brian Fishman died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Fishman–or Fish, as he was known to most of us–had just returned from Winnipeg where he was working for Team … Read more
Does the winner of this weekend’s battle between first-place North Dakota and second-place Colorado College have the MacNaughton Cup in hand? Well, no. But if either team should happen to sweep the series, they will hold the upper hand over the other. And that is especially true for the Sioux. Already with two games in … Read more