The new National Collegiate Hockey Conference expects to make “two pretty big announcements by Wednesday of next week,” commissioner Jim Scherr said on Tuesday. Details were few, but Scherr will be in Minneapolis next Tuesday after spending the weekend in Naples, Fla., where he will talk with league officials and coaches attending the American Hockey … Read more
The WCHA announced Monday that Minnesota State women’s coach Eric Means has been served a five-game suspension due to a violation of the WCHA Code of Conduct during a game on Feb. 17 against Minnesota-Duluth. The five-game suspension, which includes one first round WCHA playoff game that Means sat out voluntarily on Feb. 24, will … Read more
North Dakota forward Danny Kristo announced Tuesday that he will return for his senior season in 2012-13 instead of signing with the Montreal Canadiens. A second-round pick of the Canadiens in the 2008 NHL draft, Kristo enjoyed the best season of his collegiate career in 2011-12, achieving career highs in points (45), goals (19), assists … Read more
Hamline has announced Jason Verdugo as its new athletic director, effective May 1. Verdugo, Hamline’s baseball coach for the past 11 seasons, has also served as director of compliance for all of Hamline’s 19 sports teams for the past eight years and has spent the past 11 years involved in fundraising for the athletic program. … Read more
The NCHA and WIAC announced Tuesday that the two conferences have reached an agreement that will see the WIAC members leave the NCHA following the upcoming 2012-13 season – a year earlier than originally planned. According to a news release, the conferences elected to expedite the departure of the WIAC members due primarily to the … Read more
Penn State celebrated the official groundbreaking for Pegula Ice Arena on Friday as coaches, fans and dignitaries gathered at the Penn State field hockey complex to mark the occasion. Penn State president Rodney Erickson, board of trustees vice chairman Karen Peetz, acting director of athletics Dr. Dave Joyner and Terry Pegula, who along with his … Read more
North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol signed a new six-year contract Thursday that will keep him behind the Fighting Sioux bench through the 2017-18 season. Through his first eight seasons as UND head coach, Hakstol has become the third-winningest coach in program history, compiling a 213-106-30 overall record and a 129-75-20 mark in WCHA play. “I’m … Read more
The Big Ten announced Thursday that the conference’s postseason tournaments will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., in 2014 and 2016, and at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit in 2015 and 2017. The inaugural tournament is slated for March 20-22, 2014. Tournament play will feature all six teams — … Read more
USA Hockey announced Monday the creation of the first-ever All-American Prospects Game that will be played on Sept. 29, 2012, at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The All-American Prospects Game will include 40 of the top American-born prospects eligible for the 2013 NHL draft, including players already in college, junior players, and those … Read more
Bob Perani, founder of the hockey equipment superstore chain that bears his name, passed away over the weekend while on an international flight from Detroit to Tokyo. Perani, who was a goaltender at St. Lawrence from 1964-66, was 69. “He was a great guy,” Perani’s daughter, Lahna Ward, told the Flint (Mich.) Journal. “If somebody … Read more
Mike Hastings is going from one Mavericks’ team to another. Associate head coach at Nebraska-Omaha since 2009-10, Hastings was announced Saturday as the new head coach at Minnesota State and will begin his new role April 16. Hastings replaces Troy Jutting, who was relieved of his duties earlier this month after 12 years behind the … Read more
Denver sophomore forward Beau Bennett has decided to forgo his final two years of NCAA eligibility after signing a three-year contract Friday with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bennett, drafted in the first round (20th overall) by Pittsburgh in 2010, finishes his DU career with 38 points in 47 games. Bennett tallied 13 points in 10 games … Read more
And the honors keep rolling in for Jack Connolly. The Minnesota-Duluth senior captain, already the Hobey Baker Award winner, WCHA player of the year, Premier Player of College Hockey winner and Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner, has now been named USCHO’s player of the year. Finishing the season second in the nation in scoring with … Read more
Chatham has named Denver senior associate athletics director/major gifts officer Scott Koskoski as its new director of athletics. Koskoski returns to his native Pennsylvania after an eight-month stay at DU. With Denver, Koskoski managed various external efforts for the athletics division. He also directed fundraising priorities, worked closely on capital project development, oversaw sport coach … Read more
The second-best turnaround in NCAA Division I history was worthy of the award as best coach of the year. Massachusetts-Lowell first-year coach Norm Bazin has been selected USCHO’s coach of the year for the 2011-12 season after leading a 19-game improvement over last season. The River Hawks won just five games last season before Bazin … Read more
Johnny Gaudreau put away the national championship for Boston College with a highlight-reel goal, but his qualifications for honors as the nation’s top rookie started well before that. Gaudreau has been named USCHO’s rookie of the year for the 2011-12 season, and a strong stretch run was one of his primary selling points. Gaudreau, a … Read more
Tuesday was another banner day at Boston College, where the school held a parade and ceremony for the newly crowned national champions. The team boarded trolleys in front of Conte Forum with all their trophies from this season in hand. The trolleys then took the Eagles around lower campus and up Commonwealth Avenue, turning down … Read more
Boston College junior forward Chris Kreider and junior defenseman Brian Dumoulin both signed NHL contracts Tuesday, forgoing their senior seasons with the Eagles. Kreider inked an entry-level deal with the New York Rangers, while the Carolina Hurricanes signed Dumoulin. The Rangers drafted Kreider in the first round (19th overall) in 2009 and Carolina tabbed Dumoulin … Read more
The final rankings for this summer’s NHL draft were released Monday by NHL Central Scouting and many future NCAA players were listed, as well as a handful of current collegiate players. The NHL draft is June 22-23 in Pittsburgh. Current NCAA players Future NCAA players Per a list of college commitments maintained by Chris Heisenberg … Read more
Four players from national champion Boston College and three repeat selections are among 18 players picked for All-USCHO teams for the 2011-12 season. Eagles defenseman Brian Dumoulin (first team), forward Barry Almeida (second team), goaltender Parker Milner (third team) and defenseman Tommy Cross (third team) were named to the national teams that were selected by … Read more