Men’s D-I in general
Baseball can have summer–and every bit of the glorious, pastoral mythology that goes along with it. But hockey has faith. What’s stronger than faith? Where were you in 1980? Where were you last weekend? When you watch four teams take the ice for the CCHA semifinals Friday night at fabled Joe Louis Arena, you’ll see … Read more
In the ECAC, five rings bring the survivors of the first round together, though the colors of the ECAC rings differ from those of their Olympic counterparts. Blue – Yale Green – Clarkson Crimson – Harvard Orange – Princeton Red – Cornell There is a new format for this year’s ECAC playoff championship, one that … Read more
Ten finalists for the 1998 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, presented annually to college hockey’s top player, were announced Friday afternoon by foundation officials at the Decathlon Hotel & Athletic Club in Bloomington, Minn. The ten, selected in balloting by Division I coaches, are (in alphabetical order): Chad Alban, Sr. G Michigan StateDan Boyle, Sr. D … Read more
They’re the little waterbugs that drive an opposing defenseman nuts, darting elusively this way and that, always staying out of arm’s reach, posing the ultimate threat to his dignity. You let that midget beat you? Put a puck on their sticks and you can hear the extra buzz of anticipation in the crowd. Something exciting … Read more
Complete rosters for the ECAC all-league and all-rookie teams, and voting results for league awards: First Team All-ECAC Player School YrF Jeff Hamilton Yale SoF Eric Healey Rensselaer SrF Damian Prescott Brown SrD Ray Giroux Yale SrD Steve Shirreffs Princeton JrG Alex Westlund Yale Jr Second Team All-ECAC Player School YrF Chris Clark Clarkson SrF … Read more
Thursday night at the league’s annual awards banquet, Michigan State goaltender Chad Alban was honored as the CCHA’s Player of the Year. Alban, who led the conference in league goals-against average (1.63) and save percentage (.922), played 1,622 league minutes in net for the regular-season champion Spartans en route to becoming the CCHA’s all-time leader … Read more
Yale captain Ray Giroux was named the ECAC Player of the Year today at the annual ECAC Awards banquet. Giroux, who was also voted Best Defenseman, finished 12 points ahead of the runner-up, Rensselaer’s Eric Healey, in balloting by league coaches. Giroux is the first defenseman to win the award since Daniel LaPerriere of St. … Read more
Members of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux dominated the year-end awards announced today by the WCHA, as UND players won four major awards and occupied three spots on both of the first-team all-conference and all-rookie teams. Sioux defenseman Curtis Murphy took home Player of the Year honors after leading conference blueliners in league and overall … Read more
Boston University senior captain Chris Drury, who was named the Koho Player of the Year and Best Defensive Forward, highlighted the 1997-98 Hockey East Awards Banquet, held tonight at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. The Terrier captain led his team in scoring with 24 goals and 26 assists as he won the league’s top award for … Read more
The CCHA has named Tom Anastos the conference’s new commissioner. Anastos, currently president of the junior-hockey North American Hockey League, will officially succeed outgoing commissioner Bill Beagan on May 1. A native of Dearborn, Mich., Anastos, 34, played collegiately at Michigan State from 1981-85, and professionally in the Montreal Canadiens’ organization. Following his playing career, … Read more
The University of Minnesota-Duluth’s athletic program has had to endure a lot of negative publicity in recent years, from turmoil surrounding former athletic director and current WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod right on through to the success — or lack thereof — of the Bulldog hockey program. Although UMD won the MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA’s … Read more
For Notre Dame captain Steve Noble, the impulse to help other people is something he learned from his own family. “My uncle has Down’s syndrome, so my grandma — his mother — actually helped co-found a school to teach mentally challenged people. It’s been in the family, and I’ve been exposed to people who are … Read more
Eight ECAC teams gayest under heav’n, One went to sleep and then there were seven; Seven ECAC teams cutting up their tricks, One broke its neck and then there were six. Six ECAC teams kickin’ all alive, One kick’d the bucket and then there were five; Five ECAC teams on an Olympic floor, One tumbled … Read more
In this space three weeks ago, I promised Wildcat followers an unconditional trip to the Final Four in April. Since then, the team that seemingly had everything has appeared hexed. UNH now has lost four of its last five games. Like a character with special powers in a Stephen King novel, I should have known … Read more
It’s the Girl Reporter’s List of Sins and Graces, the worst and the best of the CCHA that don’t necessarily fit into the usual categories. Disclaimer: I have yet to visit Abel Arena, Lakeview Arena, and the Carlson Center. Sins Worst rink: The Joyce Arena. You’d think a school with the athletic tradition of Notre … Read more
All the playoff posturing, injuries, streaks and statistical battles are irrelevant now. Here’s the bottom line: win four games (five games for some), collect your ticket to the NCAA tournament’s Field of 12. Now that the dust has settled on a wild season in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, let’s take a quick look at … Read more
Three repeat selections lead the 1997-98 CCHA All-Academic team announced by the league Wednesday, as Michigan State’s Tyler Harlton, Notre Dame’s Steve Noble and Western Michigan’s Jeff Rucinski all return to the team. Rucinski’s selection marks the 14th consecutive season that a Western Michigan student-athlete has been a member of the team, the longest active … Read more
The title doesn’t quite have the same ring as taxation without representation, and you won’t be finding Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna dumping tea, or its equivalent, into the Boston harbor. Nonetheless, Hockey East will next year become the first major conference without a member on the NCAA tournament selection committee, and Bertagna is none … Read more
I didn’t hear a fat lady sing, did you? What was once the largest lead of any first-place team in the nation is now the smallest. Clarkson picked up four points this past weekend and Yale just one, narrowing the battle for the ECAC regular-season title between the two to just one slim point. Taking … Read more
I don’t have anything to complain about this week. Neither does Northeastern coach Bruce Crowder, whose team swept UNH in yet another Husky stunner. Everyone keeps waiting for the NU Cinderella season to turn midnight, but it seems these kids can’t tell time. Their own Roger Holeczy took the KOHO Player of the Week award … Read more