The ECAC West will be changing to a three round playoff format starting with the upcoming 2006-2007 season. The league’s athletic directors approved the change unanimously on June 15. Under the new format, five of the league’s six teams will make the playoffs, which will consist of three single-elimination rounds. The first round will be … Read more
The lengthy and heated battle between the University of North Dakota and the NCAA could be headed to the next level. After a decision by the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education, UND has been granted the authority to sue the NCAA over the association’s policies on “hostile and abusive” Native American nicknames and … Read more
St. Cloud State University Director of Athletics Dr. Morris Kurtz has announced the appointment of Jeff Giesen as the head women’s hockey coach. A native of Blaine, Minn., Giesen becomes the third head coach since the inception of the women’s program in 1998. He replaces Jason Lesteberg, who served as head coach at SCSU from … Read more
Vermont has named Tim Bothwell, an assistant on the Canadian Women’s Olympic Team that won a gold medal this past winter at the 2006 Olympics, as its new head women’s hockey coach. “We are very fortunate to have attracted a coach as accomplished as Tim Bothwell to UVM,” said UVM Athletic Director Robert Corran. “His … Read more
Former St. Norbert All-American goalie Mike Szkodzinski has been named the new head hockey coach at Lawrence University. Szkodzinski comes to Lawrence from St. Norbert, where he has been an assistant with the Green Knights for the past two seasons. SZKODZINSKI “We are pleased to secure a coach of Mike’s caliber to lead the Lawrence … Read more
Peter Belisle has been named head men’s hockey coach at Mass.-Boston. “We are very fortunate to attract a ‘young hockey lifer’ to the UMB family of coaches,” said Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreational Programs Charlie Titus. “His background, college hockey knowledge and overall experiences lead us to believe that Peter will be an outstanding … Read more
Mass.-Boston will have its third hockey coach in two seasons. Interim head coach John Giuliotti has withdrawn his name from consideration for the permanent position. A search for a new coach is underway. Giuliotti took over the reigns from Mike Bertoni, who resigned last December. The Beacons were 0-9-1 at the time and finished 0-23-3. … Read more
NBC has announced that 2004 Patty Kazmaier winner and Harvard graduate Angela Ruggiero will join 17 other candidates selected to compete on season six of “The Apprentice.” The season will begin in January and will be filmed entirely in Southern California. Last February, Mark Burnett, creator and executive producer, allowed viewers to choose one of … Read more
Bemidji State announced the hiring of Steve Sertich as the fourth head women’s ice hockey coach in the eight-year history of the BSU program. “Steve comes from a long line of successful hockey,” Director of Athletics Dr. Steve Goeb said. “He was an Olympian and was an enormous talent as a player. He’s reached that … Read more
Plymouth State has hired a new women’s ice hockey coach to lead the program in its first varsity season in 2006-07. The new women’s ice hockey coach at Plymouth State is Heather Hoffay, a graduate of Hamilton College who has served as assistant women’s ice hockey coach at both Trinity College and Wesleyan University. She … Read more
Danton Cole has been named assistant hockey coach at Bowling Green State University, BGSU head coach Scott Paluch has announced. Cole replaces Jamie Dumont, who was named associate head coach of the Junior Pirates’ AJHL team. “I couldn’t be more excited about joining Scott and Ron at Bowling Green,” said Cole. “It is a great … Read more
When Seth Appert coaches his first Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute men’s hockey game in October, he will have new assistant coaches helping him. Appert announced Tuesday that he won’t retain assistant coaches Frank Bretti and Jeff Matthews. Appert, who was hired by RPI April 21 to replace Dan Fridgen, cited the need for the program to … Read more
After serving this past season as the associate head coach of the Wentworth hockey team, R.J. Tolan today was named the fifth head coach in the program’s varsity (1992-present) history. Tolan replaces Jonathan Deptula, who stepped aside at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season to pursue opportunities outside of coaching. In making the announcement, director … Read more
The outflow of players from Grand Forks, N.D., continued as Rastislav Spirko became the fourth North Dakota player to leave school after the end of the 2005-06 season. Spirko, a 5-9, 175-pound native of Slovakia, confirmed that he will play professionally in Europe next season, joining Travis Zajac, Matt Smaby and Drew Stafford as Sioux … Read more
Lawrence head coach Dave Ruhly will not be offered a new contract after his current contract expires in June at the end of the 2005-06 academic year. The announcement was made today by Lawrence athletics director Robert Beeman. A 1998 graduate of Providence College, Ruhly served as Lawrence’s head coach for seven seasons. Ruhly was … Read more
Alaska-Anchorage assistant coaches Jack Kowal and Keith Morris resigned this week after UAA head coach Dave Shyiak called them into his office this past week and told them that their contracts were not going to be renewed per a report in the Anchorage Daily News. Shyiak just completed his first season as the head coach … Read more
The CHA may survive as a five-team venture, but the league isn’t saying much just yet, Matt Mackinde reports.
The House of Representatives is getting involved in the dispute between the NCAA and member institutions over the use of Native American names, logos and mascots. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Rep. Timothy Johnson, both Illinois Republicans, introduced legislation on Thursday that they say will limit the authority of the NCAA “in the … Read more
The site of the ECACHL playoffs and NCAA East Regionals in 2008 and 2010 is getting a new name. Albany, N.Y., County Executive Mike Breslin and Mark Aldam, Publisher of the Albany Times Union, announced Thursday that the newspaper has purchased the naming rights to the Pepsi Arena, effective Jan. 1, 2007. The agreement for … Read more
The late Ralph “Cooney” Weiland, the coach of the Harvard men’s hockey team for 21 seasons, has been announced as the 2006 recipient of the Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey Award and will be honored Thursday, May 11, at the Hobey Baker Award Banquet in St. Paul, Minn. A 1971 inductee to the Hockey … Read more