This Week in Hockey East: Defending national champ UMass winning, but not rolling, at halfway point of ’21-22 season

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

This Week in ECAC Hockey: With first half nearly complete, Dartmouth ‘still learning the importance of details’ with second half looming

The first half the ECAC Hockey season concludes on Friday when Dartmouth travels to take on Hockey East’s Merrimack. While the results on the ice haven’t been there for many of the league’s teams – eight schools enter the break with an overall record of .500 of worse – the fact all 12 conference members … Read more

Division I Women’s Hockey: NCAA approves immediate expansion of bracket; 11 teams to compete in 2022 National Championship tournament

The NCAA announced Thursday it has approved an immediate expansion of the women’s ice hockey championship bracket from eight teams to 11 teams. The expansion will take place for the 2022 tournament. The 2022 Frozen Four is being hosted at Penn State March 18-20, 2022. Per the release: “The 2022 National Collegiate Women’s Ice Hockey Championship will … Read more

Longtime Bemidji State hockey coach Peters, who guided Beavers to 13 national championships, dies at 84

A pillar of the Bemidji State and collegiate hockey community is gone today as longtime head coach, athletic director, and instructor R.H. “Bob” Peters passed away Wednesday at his home. He was 84. Peters’ involvement at Bemidji State began in 1966 and was woven through its buildings, programs, and teams, specifically its men’s hockey program … Read more

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Taking stock of the conference at the 2021-22 midseason break

It hasn’t quite been a return to normal in college hockey this season, because “normal” has been difficult to define. But Atlantic Hockey has managed to play every league game scheduled, in front of fans, so that’s something to be grateful for. Let’s take a look at where things stand at roughly the halfway point … Read more

This Week in NCHC Hockey: Western Michigan point producer Frank getting it done ‘just playing Bronco hockey’ as fifth-year senior

Chances are, you have gone to the Internet for tips on all sorts of activities. Social media platforms, in particular, are chock-full with videos that provide inspiration. In that way, at least, hockey players are just like the rest of us. Western Michigan fifth-year forward Ethen Frank had a remarkable first half of the season … Read more

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Upcoming Ohio State games with CCHA’s Bowling Green ‘just what college hockey’s all about’

It may not get the coverage of similar matchups in Minnesota, Michigan or Massachusetts, but Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik is excited to renew the in-state rivalry between Ohio State and Bowling Green this weekend. In one of the few contests across the country this weekend, the Buckeyes and Falcons will play a home-and-home series … Read more

Minnesota State retains top spot, gets 37 first-place votes in DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Poll

For the second week in a row, Minnesota State is the No. 1-ranked team in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Poll, garnering 37 first-place votes in this week’s rankings. Quinnipiac stays No. 2, getting 12 first-place votes, while Michigan stays No. 3 and Western Michigan is again fourth. North Dakota rounds out the … Read more

ECAC Hockey championship tournament to be played at Lake Placid’s 1980 Herb Brooks Arena through 2023-24 season

ECAC Hockey and the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority announced Friday a three-year agreement for the ECAC Hockey men’s championship, which will take place at the newly modernized 1980 Herb Brooks Arena in the Olympic Center. This season’s tournament will be held March 18-19, 2022, with the event remaining in Lake Placid through … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Bemidji State, top-ranked Minnesota State square off this weekend with first place in conference standings at stake

For the past few weeks, the top-ranked team in the country has lost at least once. There’s no telling if this is because there’s extra pressure on the team at the top, or if teams playing No. 1 are especially excited at the chance to earn a marquee win, but one thing is certain: Those … Read more

Atlantic Hockey ‘will present a great hockey atmosphere’ with 2022 championship tournament at Utica’s Adirondack Bank Center

Atlantic Hockey and the city of Utica, N.Y., announced Thursday that it will hold its 2022 Atlantic Hockey championship tournament March 18-19, 2022 at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The facility is a 3,915 -seat multi-purpose arena and is the home arena of the AHL’s Utica Comets, Utica College men’s and … Read more

D-III East Hockey Game Picks – December 9, 2021

Even though it is the last weekend of play for the semester, there is no drop-off on the important matchups this week in conference play with several marquee games this weekend amongst nationally ranked teams. I really struggled with last weekend’s picks that finished below 50% at 5-7-0 (.607) which lowers the overall record to … Read more

This Week in Hockey East: First chapter of Boston College-Boston University rivalry comes at critical point in season for both teams

Yes, it’s a battle of longtime cross-town rivals. But a lot more than just a share of intra-city bragging rights will be on the line Friday when Boston College (7-5-2, 5-3-1 Hockey East) takes the short trip down Comm. Ave to Boston University (6-9-2, 5-5-2) for the first of three meetings between the two schools … Read more

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Yale struggling to find positives this season, but ‘taking it one day at a time’ with second half approaching

While every Ivy League team entered this season with a lot of uncertainty, Yale likely had the most questions of any of the six teams who were resuming play after a year-long layoff. The Bulldogs entered the season with 24 players on their roster, yet only nine of those players had played in a college … Read more