Michigan State forward Brock Radunske has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. As a result, the senior-to-be forgoes his final year of NCAA eligibility. Radunske, 6-foot-4, 196 pounds, was a third-round draft pick (79th overall) by the Oilers in 2002. The New Hamburg, Ont., native played in 42 games for the Spartans … Read more
Al Montoya, according to published reports, says he’s close to announcing a decision about whether he’ll sign with the New York Rangers and give up his final two years of eligibility at Michigan. But the 19-year-old goaltender has yet make that decision, and the official word out of Ann Arbor today is that the coaching … Read more
The ECAC appears to have all but finalized a decision regarding the league’s membership. USCHO has confirmed that Quinnipiac has been recommended for admission, and will get the spot, pending imminent approval by the ECAC’s Policy Committee. However, according to sources, Holy Cross, despite some support among ECAC ADs, is out of contention because it … Read more
The ECAC is down to Quinnipiac and Holy Cross for its choice of new membership to the league. Either, both or neither of the two schools will be chosen, as the ECAC’s Policy Committee makes its final considerations.
A proposal in front of the NCAA would increase the minimum games limit to 35, but also remove the exemption for preseason tournaments and games in the U.S. against foreign opponents. The current games maximum is 34, though exemptions are made for such preseason tournaments as the Icebreaker, and for occasions such as games against … Read more
What little suspense remained as to who would succeed Dean Blais as North Dakota’s head coach ended Friday when Dave Hakstol became the 15th head coach in the program’s 58-year history.
Jamie Rice has been named the new head coach of the Babson College men’s hockey program. Rice, a 1990 graduate of Babson, takes over a program that went 17-10-1 and came within one goal of defeating nationally-ranked Norwich in the ECAC East Championship game in the 2003-04 season. He succeeds fellow alumnus Paul Donato, who … Read more
University of North Dakota athletic director Roger Thomas says that he’s talked to potential head coach candidates outside of UND and has not ruled out the possibility of hiring one of them. “There are certainly great coaches out there and there are [Sioux] alumni coaches who have an interest,” Thomas said. “There’s also great passion … Read more
The ECAC has not renewed the contract of former Geneseo coach Paul Duffy as Supervisor of Officials, and is actively, and aggressively, seeking a new person to fill the role. “It was a very tough decision,” said ECAC commissioner Steve Hagwell. “Coming out of [the coaches convention in] Naples, I was charged with overseeing personnel … Read more
The NCAA has approved sites for the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Division III men’s hockey championships: • 2006, First Arena in Elmira, New York (hosted by Elmira) • 2007, Wessman Arena in Superior, Wisconsin (hosted by Wisconsin-Superior) • 2008, Lake Placid, New York (hosted by Potsdam State and the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority) … Read more
Harvard, a school steeped in more tradition than perhaps any in the land, dipped into its illustrious past to announce Ted Donato as the 11th coach of the men’s hockey team. Donato, a former Boston Bruin and the MVP of the 1989 Frozen Four — Harvard’s only national championship season — took the podium at … Read more
North Dakota will stay within the family and appoint Dave Hakstol its head coach, a newspaper reports. Hakstol, currently the team’s interim head coach after the departure of Dean Blais, will be given the full title as early as next week, the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald reported in a story in Thursday’s editions, quoting an … Read more
ECAC athletic directors and administrators will meet via conference call Tuesday, July 6 to discuss the final decisions on how many schools, if any, will be admitted to the league. If all goes well, an announcement could be made by the end of that week. “We’ve had some very good discussions following our site visits,” … Read more
North Dakota has decided to start its search for a new head coach within the university, giving interim head coach Dave Hakstol the inside track for the job. The school had been deciding between whether to start the search internally, or open it nation wide. The job opening has since been posted on the school’s … Read more
Ron Rolston, who recently was considered a finalist for the vacant Harvard head coaching job, has accepted the position as head coach of the U.S. National Development program and its Under-18 team. He replaces David Quinn, who recently went back to his alma mater, Boston University, as an assistant coach. “I’m very excited about the … Read more
Nate Leaman, who last week indicated he would remain at Union despite being regarded as a possible candidate for the vacant Harvard head coaching position, confirmed his position Wednesday in a release issued by the school. “I was flattered to be mentioned among several fine candidates for the open head coaching position at Harvard,” said … Read more
Ron Rolston, assistant coach at Boston College and former assistant at Harvard, is no longer a candidate for Harvard’s top job, according to sources close to the situation. That paves the way for Harvard to name former captain Ted Donato its new coach; an announcement is expected shortly. Six candidates were interviewed for the open … Read more
Scott Sandelin, who was earlier named the assistant coach of the 2004-05 U.S. World Junior Championships team, has been named to replace Dean Blais as head coach. Blais resigned from the position last week after recently leaving his job as head coach at North Dakota for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. The 2005 IIHF World … Read more
Niagara coach Dave Burkholder has agreed to a new multi-year contract, locking him up through the 2007-08 season. Burkholder, who begins his ninth year with the program, fourth as head coach, led the Purple Eagles to a CHA tournament title and automatic NCAA bid last season. “I’m pleased that Dave will continue to lead the … Read more
If the NHL Entry Draft were the Olympics, you might once again hear Al Michaels asking, “Do you believe in miracles?” In a shocker of a first round, a total of seven college or college-bound players were selected, punctuated by Phoenix’s fifth overall selection of Blake Wheeler, who still has another year of high school … Read more