A long wait is over. Minnesota, behind the clutch play of freshman phenom Thomas Vanek, blew open a tie game in the third period, defeating New Hampshire 5-1 to defend its NCAA title at HSBC Arena. The Gophers are the first repeat champion since Boston University in 1972. Vanek, the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player, … Read more
F Thomas Vanek, Minnesota F Steve Saviano, New Hampshire F Nathan Martz, New Hampshire D Paul Martin, Minnesota D Matt DeMarchi, Minnesota G Travis Weber, Minnesota MOP: Vanek
Boston College women’s coach Tom Babson has retired, ending his four year run at the helm of the Eagles. Babson directed BC to a 12-17-3 record in 2002-03, the most Division I wins in the history of the program. The Eagles were an inaugural member of Hockey East this past season. “We are very grateful … Read more
It ended suddenly. After 60 minutes of hockey produced a 2-2 tie, Minnesota’s Thomas Vanek scored his 30th goal of the year to give the Gophers a 3-2 win over Michigan Thursday evening, sending Minnesota to the NCAA title game for a second straight year. Vanek’s goal, at 8:55 of the extra period, came from … Read more
National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman made an appearance at HSBC Arena Thursday during the Cornell-New Hampshire semifinal, announcing the sale of the Buffalo Sabres to billionaire businessman B. Thomas Golisano. Gary Bettman discusses the Sabres deal (photo: Ed Trefzger). The bankrupt Sabres have been operated by the league pending the sale, which was approved … Read more
Steve Saviano’s first two-goal game of the season put New Hampshire in the national championship game for the first time since 1999. Saviano, a junior right wing, scored twice in the second period, giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead and sending them to Saturday’s title game with a 3-2 victory over Cornell in the first … Read more
The 2002-03 JOFA All-American teams are a picture of change, with only four returning selections among the 24 named Wednesday by the American Hockey Coaches Association. “Hobey Hat Trick” finalists Peter Sejna of Colorado College; Chris Kunitz of Ferris State; and David LeNeveu of Cornell were all named First-Team All-Americans. They join repeat First-Teamer Doug … Read more
Michele Amidon of Bowdoin has been named women’s Division III Coach of the Year by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Amidon led Bowdoin to a 23-2-3 record and third place at the NCAA championship after completing the NESCAC regular season undefeated. A 1994 graduate of St. Lawrence, Amidon was a three-time team MVP and an … Read more
On Wednesday, Minnesota-Duluth’s Shannon Miller was named Coach of the Year in women’s Division I by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Miller, a native of Melfort, Sask., led UMD to a third straight NCAA title, winning the championship with a 4-3 double-overtime victory against Harvard before a crowd of 5,000-plus in Duluth. For the season, … Read more
George Roll, who led Oswego State to a 25-7-1 record and a berth in the NCAA championship game for the first time since 1987, has been named the winner of the 2003 Edward Jeremiah Award, given annually to the coach of the year in men’s Division III. Roll accomplished this feat with a young team … Read more
St. Anselm’s College will add women’s ice hockey as a varsity sport for the 2004-2005 season. The school says a head coach will be named by this July and the team will compete as a club team in 2003-2004. Athletic Director Ed Cannon says the women will play in the ECAC, once the team attains … Read more
North Dakota defenseman David Hale became the second WCHA player to forego his senior season and turn pro, signing with the New Jersey Devils this week. Hale joins Peter Sejna, the Hobey Baker finalist who signed a free-agent deal with the St. Louis Blues. Hale was a first-round draft pick of New Jersey in the … Read more
Hobey Baker Award finalist Peter Sejna signed a free-agent contract with the St. Louis Blues on Sunday and quickly made an impact at the top level. Sejna, who played three seasons at Colorado College, scored a power-play goal in his first game for the Blues, beating Colorado goalie Patrick Roy in the second period of … Read more
Injured Merrimack goaltender Joe Exter has returned home after spending nearly four weeks in two hospitals in Boston. “Joe is making a remarkable recovery from the head injury. He will continue his rehabilitation from home,” said Heechin Chae, MD, associate medical director, Inpatient Brain Injury Program, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network. “It is too early to … Read more
Oswego has promoted longtime assistant Ed Gosek to head coach.
Alaska-Fairbanks coach Guy Gadowsky has dismissed two players from the team for unspecified violations of team rules during the 2002-03 season. The players are both freshmen, forwards Doug Auchenberg and Russell Spence. “They were dismissed for rules violations,” Gadowsky told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. “I don’t feel good about it. We lost two very talented … Read more
Ferris State forward Chris Kunitz, the leading scorer this year in the CCHA and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, signed a two-year deal with the NHL’s Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Kunitz was undrafted, and signed as a free agent. Kunitz, the CCHA Player of the Year, was second in the nation with 35 goals … Read more
For the third consecutive year, USCHO.com is sponsoring a Town Meeting to entertain and inform college hockey fans during the festivities at the NCAA Frozen Four. This year’s USCHO.com Town Meeting topic is “The Evolution of the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament,” and the panel will include the NCAA’s Director of Championships Tom Jacobs, NCAA … Read more
Cornell ascended to the top of the college hockey heap, garnering 25 first-place votes and 583 points in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, the last poll of the 2002-2003 season. The Big Red finished first in the ECAC regular season and the postseason tournament, and was rewarded for a 28-4-1 season with the … Read more
Joe Exter flashed a broad smile and thumbs-up sign to his surprised visitors yesterday during an impromptu walk from his hospital bed to a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center waiting room. A clear signal the worst appears to be over for the Merrimack College goaltender. Still dealing with complications brought on by a fractured skull … Read more