Division II Powerhouse Bemidji Jumps To D-I

Bemidji State University announced Tuesday that its men’s ice hockey team will play the 1998-99 season as a Division I independent, ending the school’s run as a Division II powerhouse. Official notification, expected to be filed with the NCAA shortly, will confirm that the Beaver men’s team will play a mixed independent schedule next season … Read more

Women’s Hockey To Be Added As MIAC Sport

Women’s hockey will be a championship sport in the 1998-99 season, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has decided. A vote was taken on the issue at a meeting of the conference’s faculty athletic representatives May 22 at Macalester College. “I am pleased and excited about the conference decision to expand opportunities for women in collegiate … Read more

St. Olaf Hockey Reinstated

St. Olaf College has announced that more than 75 donors have pledged $250,000 to help preserve varsity hockey and wrestling at the institution. The pledges were made only weeks after an announcement by the college that the two sports would be dropped to club status as part of a budgeting move. “We are delighted and … Read more

Merrimack’s Scoville Signs With Calgary

Merrimack’s Darrel Scoville has opted to pass up his final year of college eligibility to sign a two-year contract with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Scoville, 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, ranks among Merrimack’s all-time leading defensemen in scoring with 17 goals and 61 assists for 78 points in 107 career games. In 1995-96, Scoville was named … Read more

UMD’s Doell Forgoes Two Remaining Years

Curtis Doell, who led Minnesota-Duluth defensemen in scoring last season, has decided to forego his final two years of college eligibility, signing a three-year deal with the Florida Panthers of the NHL. The 21-year old Doell, a 6-1, 220-pounder from Saskatoon, Sask., skated in 39 games last year and racked up nine goals and 23 … Read more

Vermont Elevates Women’s Hockey

Beginning next season, the University of Vermont has lifted women’s hockey to varsity status. The team will continue to play in the ECAC Women’s Alliance, where it has been a member since the team’s inception in 1995. “This university has a strong history of promoting the personal development of its student-athletes by providing a comprehensive … Read more

Mankato State To Join WCHA For 1999-2000

After hearing a final presentation from representatives of Mankato State University, WCHA members voted unanimously today to admit Mankato as a full member of the conference, beginning in the 1999-2000 season. Mankato’s admission has been viewed as likely for several months, especially considering the school participated in the WCHA playoffs last season — and will … Read more

St. Thomas Moves Women’s Hockey To Varsity Level

The University of St. Thomas announced Tuesday that it will upgrade women’s hockey, which has been played as a club sport the past two seasons, to varsity status beginning in 1998-99. The Tommies’ first head coach will be Tom Osiecki, who coached the Burnsville High School girls’ team to state runner-up honors in 1996 and … Read more

RPI Loses Number-Two Scorer Garver To D-III

Rensselaer junior right wing Matt Garver has withdrawn from the Institute and is expected to enroll at Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall. “It’s an unfortunate situation,” said head coach Dan Fridgen in a prepared statement. “But we’re certainly appreciative of what Matt has contributed to the program over his three years and we … Read more

OSU To Open 1998-99 Season Without New Home

The Schottenstein Center, the new multisport facility which will house Ohio State University’s basketball and hockey teams, is not expected to be ready for hockey until the middle of the 1998-99 season, according to recent reports. OSU athletic director Andy Geiger told the Columbus (Oh.) Dispatch that although the arena may be ready in time … Read more

Merrimack Tabs Serino As New Coach

Merrimack has named New Hampshire assistant Chris Serino as its new men’s ice hockey head coach. “What we want is respect and for the players to be treated like Division I players,” Serino told Foster’s Daily Democrat. “That’s my main goal right now, to go in there and help earn the respect that they deserve.” … Read more

CC Ends Goaltender Cugnet’s Scholarship

Colorado College head coach Don Lucia has decided not to renew the scholarship of last season’s No. 1 goaltender, Jason Cugnet, ending the sophomore’s hockey career at CC. “We felt that Jason didn’t have the commitment to this team,” Lucia told the Colorado Springs Gazette. “We laid out certain expectations for our players and our … Read more

Former Canadian Olympic Coach to Lead UMD Women’s Team

Shannon Miller, former head coach of the Canadian Olympic women’s ice hockey team, has agreed to become the first coach of the nascent women’s varsity team at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The UMD squad will compete on a club level next season, then move into an independent varsity schedule in 1999-2000. Miller, 34, led Canada … Read more

Wisconsin Adds Women’s Hockey

Following a unanimous recommendation from its planning committee, the University of Wisconsin athletic board voted to add women’s ice hockey as a varsity sport beginning in 1999-2000, athletic director Pat Richter announced Friday. “Ice hockey was a preeminent thought even before the success of the United States women’s ice hockey team at the Olympics,” Richter … Read more

Drury Leads New England Writers’ Awards

Thursday, the New England Hockey Writers honored the region’s top Division I, II and III men’s and women’s hockey players and coaches at their annual banquet, led by Hobey Baker Award winner Chris Drury. Drury took the Leonard Fowle Award for New England’s Most Valuable Player, the Herb Gallagher Award for top forward and the … Read more

Army Assistant Haggerty Felled at Age 29

United States Military Academy assistant coach Paul Haggerty, 29, passed away Monday while running the steps of Michie Stadium, on the West Point campus. The exact cause of death has not been determined. Haggerty, a 1991 alumnus of the Academy, served two seasons as assistant to head coach Rob Riley. He was a three-time hockey … Read more

St. Olaf to Drop Hockey After 1999

St. Olaf College, a Division III institution and a member of the MIAC, has announced its intention to drop men’s hockey from varsity status as part of an overall cost-cutting measure effective after the 1998-99 season. Said head coach Sean Goldsworthy in Tuesday’s Minneapolis Star Tribune, “My first obligation is to the kids on the … Read more

Yale’s Taylor Takes Spencer Penrose Award

Tim Taylor, who led the Yale Bulldogs to their first-ever ECAC regular-season title, has won the Spencer Penrose Award, given by the American Hockey Coaches Association to the Division I Coach of the Year in men’s ice hockey. Yale, which won the ECAC title with a record of 17-4-1 after being picked tenth in the … Read more

U.S. Tops Canada At North American Championship

Miami goaltender Trevor Prior blanked the opposition in a tough first period and Lake Superior forward Terry Marchant notched two assists as the United States beat Canada 3-1 at the second annual North American University Hockey Championship, held Friday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Prior, named the U.S. team’s player of the game, stopped … Read more

Division III All-Americans Named

The first- and second-team East and West Division III All-Americans: East First Team Pos West First TeamFrancois Bourbeau, Middlebury G Bobby Gorman, UW-Stevens Pt.Jason Desloover, Plattsburgh D Tom Maryshak, St. NorbertRyan Goldman, Middlebury D Tryg Sarsland, St. John’sSteve Moffat, Plattsburgh F Steve Aronson, St. ThomasSteve Naughton, Potsdam F Forrest Gore, UW-Stevens Pt.Mark Spence, Middlebury F … Read more