Boston University defenseman Tom Poti, a first-team All-America pick last season as a sophomore, renounced his final two years of collegiate eligibility Friday to sign with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. An Oiler press release touted Poti as the top defenseman currently outside of the NHL; the 6-foot-3, 205-pound native of Worcester, … Read more
Twenty-seven current U.S. college players, representing 16 Division I institutions, were selected during the 1998 National Hockey League Entry Draft. A complete rundown by round is as follows: First Round 26. New Jersey — Mike Van Ryn, d, Michigan (CCHA) Second Round 52. Boston — Bobby Allen, d, Boston College (HEA) 53. Colorado — Steve … Read more
National champion Alabama-Huntsville became the latest school to depart the vanishing ranks of Division II hockey Monday, announcing its intention to move the program to Division I. UAH could be eligible for D-I postseason play as early as the 2000-2001 season. “Membership in Division II has gone down,” said athletic director Jim Harris in the … Read more
Fourteen current college players and at least 18 college recruits make up the majority of the invited roster for the 1998 USA Hockey Summer Challenge, an under-20 tournament which will be held August 7-15 at Lake Placid, N.Y. The U.S. roster of 55 will be divided into East and West teams and compete against national … Read more
The CCHA has admitted Nebraska-Omaha as its 12th member, starting with the 1999-2000 season. The decision ended months of speculation about the affiliation of the program, which also was considering membership in the WCHA before that conference admitted Mankato State University last month. “We are delighted to welcome [Nebraska-Omaha] into the CCHA family,” said Anastos. … Read more
Lee Saunders, who played hockey at the University of Maine from 1991-94, was killed June 13 in the Netherlands when he fell from a train platform outside Amsterdam and was hit by an oncoming train. Saunders, 28, is best remembered by hockey fans for scoring the overtime game-winner for Maine against the University of Michigan … Read more
After a one-year absence, Brian McCloskey will return to New Hampshire as associate head coach, the school announced Tuesday. McCloskey replaces Chris Serino, who left to become head coach at Merrimack after last season. Prior to last year, which he spent as associate head coach at Dartmouth, McCloskey had been an assistant for five years … Read more
Despite a sixth-place finish in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, the University of Minnesota again led college hockey in attendance in 1997-98, topping the nation in overall (201,126) and per-game (10,056) home totals. All told, West teams occupied the top seven, and eight of the top ten spots in the Division I per-game rankings. Nascent … Read more
Northeastern goaltender Marc Robitaille has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, forgoing his final two years of eligibility. Robitaille earned First-Team All-Hockey East and All-America honors this past year while backstopping the Huskies to a surprising 21-15-3 record and fourth-place league finish. As a freshman, Robitaille stopped 1027 shots, a school record, on a 8-25-3 … Read more
Bentley College will move its hockey program to Division I and join the newly-formed Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, effective with the 1999-2000 season, director of athletics Bob DeFelice announced today. Bentley, formerly a member of the ECAC Central, will compete as a Division II independent this season before beginning play in the MAAC. The MAAC … Read more
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 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 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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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