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HOCKEY EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: Gaudet nets lone goal to lift UMass over UMass Lowell to claim first-ever conference championship

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The most unique of seasons and most unique of circumstances might as well have set the stage for the most unique of champions.

At their home Mullins Arena, UMass took its first ever Hockey East championship, a 1-0 victory over upstart UMass Lowell. It was the fourth time ever a team took the title by a 1-0 score.

ECAC HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP: Jankowski’s OT winner sends St. Lawrence to NCAA tournament, gives Saints first league title in 20 years

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One of the oddest seasons in ECAC Hockey history ended with one of the most unlikely league champions.

Third-seeded St. Lawrence beat No. 1 Quinnipiac 3-2 in overtime Saturday at the Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena to win the ECAC Hockey championship and advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.

Penn State’s Zanon chosen women’s college hockey rookie of the year for ’20-21 after leading all first-year players with 30 points

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For her efforts in a phenomenal rookie season, Penn State freshman forward Kiara Zanon has been chosen by the nation’s assistant coaches as the women’s college hockey rookie of the year. A native of Fairport, N.Y., Zanon led all NCAA first-year players with 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points. In the process, she … Read more

Bracketology: With Selection Sunday around the corner, taking one last stab at how the NCAA hockey tournament field will look

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We’re inching ever so close to Selection Sunday so let’s take another look at Bracketology.

Right now, there are just nine college hockey games remaining after the NCHC (North Dakota) and Big Ten (Minnesota) crowned their champions. Hockey East has whittled their field to two teams, ECAC is down to three and WCHA and AHA still have their final four to be played.

This Week in NCHC Hockey: Applause for conference in getting through ’20-21 season safely, with exciting games to boot

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Now that the Frozen Faceoff has ended, it seems fitting to look back on the NCHC season.

It’s likely that three teams from the conference may make the NCAA tournament, possibly four, but with so much up in the air with selection, it’s also possible only two teams, North Dakota and St. Cloud State, will be chosen.

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: As pandemic lingers, commissioner Warren hopeful Big Ten ‘did all that we could for our conference’ in ’20-21

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Another sign of how much things have changed, as if one was needed, was evident in Sunday’s conversation with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren.

When Warren took over at the helm of the conference in January 2020, a college hockey reporter opening an interview with a line of questions about an infectious disease wouldn’t have been normal.

Such is life for the Big Ten, and sports in general, these days.

This Week in WCHA Hockey: Lake Superior State wants to ‘get back to that level’ of playing for league, national championships

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Shortly after dropping his son off for hockey practice, Lake Superior State coach Damon Whitten looks out from his office window at the Taffy Abel Arena.

A collection of banners stares back at him. This is his office view every day, a reminder of the proud tradition of Lakers hockey that includes an era that stretches from 1987-96. They made the NCAA tournament eight straight times during that run, winning three national titles and finishing runner-up once.

Since the 1995-96 season, the Lakers have topped the 20-win plateau just twice, most recently in 2018-19.

It is something that weighs on Whitten, especially given the position of the banners in respect to his office.

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Unusual conference season wraps this week with playoffs, NCAA bid at stake for three teams

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For the most part, the four ECAC Hockey teams playing this year made it through the season unscathed.

But news that Clarkson was cancelling its season last week after some team members violated the school’s COVID-19 policies brought back flashbacks to last March, when teams started to drop out of the league tournament before the entire hockey season was eventually canceled.

However, that wasn’t the case this season, as the three remaining teams are set to compete in the abbreviated ECAC Hockey playoffs starting Thursday.

This Week in Hockey East: Offensive catalysts Thompson, Trivigno leading Providence, UMass into conference semifinals

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When Providence and Massachusetts square off this evening for a spot in the Hockey East title game, there will be two players on opposite sides who have evolved significantly this season to become offensive leaders of the respective clubs.

UMass’ Bobby Trivigno and Providence’s Tyce Thomspon each lead their respective clubs in scoring, but both played have evolved throughout this season to each be playing their best hockey down the stretch.