Bill Wilkinson, who coached Western Michigan for nearly 17 years before being relieved of his duties midseason, will be behind the bench for Wayne State’s newly-reconstituted hockey program, the school announced. “This is a great opportunity for me and I’m excited to be part of this new program,” said Wilkinson. During his tenure at WMU, … Read more
Don Lucia, one of the leading candidates for Minnesota’s vacant coaching position since former coach Doug Woog’s resignation last week, was named the Gophers’ 13th head coach at a press conference Friday at Mariucci Arena. This is Lucia’s third head coaching position. He spent six years at Alaska-Fairbanks, where he led his team to four … Read more
Ohio State goaltender Jeff Maund announced Friday that he has signed with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, forgoing his final two years of eligibility. The two-year deal struck Thursday — Maund’s 23rd birthday — includes a $700,000 signing bonus and a guaranteed $75,000 for minor-league play. “There’s an education clause so that I can finish my … Read more
Dean Blais has accepted a five-year contract to continue at North Dakota, the university announced Wednesday. The contract, part of which will be paid through private donations made to the UND Foundation, includes $115,000 each year, use of a car, a membership in the Grand Forks Country Club, and a deferred $500,000 annuity. “We have … Read more
New Hampshire head coach Dick Umile was named Tuesday as the 1999 All-New England Division I Coach of the Year, in balloting conducted by the New England Hockey Writers Association. Umile coached the Wildcats to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA championship game as well as the Hockey East regular-season title and a school-record 31 … Read more
Clarkson defenseman Willie Mitchell, the 1997-98 ECAC co-Rookie of the Year and a 1998-99 All-America, has opted to give up his remaining two years of collegiate eligibility, signing with the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils. After a rookie season in which he compiled nine goals and 26 points, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder — an eighth-round … Read more
Following weeks of speculation about his job security after two consecutive sub-.500 seasons, Doug Woog stepped down Tuesday as head coach at Minnesota. “This is an end, and yet a beginning,” said an emotional Woog at an afternoon press conference at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. “It’s important for people to know it was a volunteer … Read more
Alaska-Anchorage goaltender Gregg Naumenko will renounce his remaining three years of collegiate eligibility to sign a two-year guaranteed contract with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Times and the Anchorage Daily News reported Wednesday. Naumenko, the 1999 WCHA Rookie of the Year, led the conference in both goals-against average and save percentage, setting … Read more
Fourteen different Division I schools are represented, including all four Frozen Four participants, on the 1999 Titan University Division All-American teams, as announced today by The American Hockey Coaches Association. Nine All-Americans are playing this weekend: Brian Gionta and Mike Mottau of Boston College; Steve Kariya and David Cullen of Maine; New Hampshire’s Jason Krog … Read more
At a news conference held today here, award foundation officials announced the 10 finalists for the 1999 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, presented annually to college hockey’s most outstanding player. The finalists were determined by a vote of head hockey coaches from all Division I NCAA schools, and are listed below in alphabetical order: Name Yr … Read more
Eric Hoffberg, the winningest coach in RIT history, resigned today to pursue a position at the Division I or professional level. Hoffberg was 188-82-22 in his ten-year career at RIT, including 47-7-7 the last two seasons. The Tigers made the Division III NCAA Tournament five times during his tenure, including a fourth-place finish this season. … Read more
The NCAA Wednesday placed the University of Wisconsin’s athletic programs on two years’ probation, mostly for violations in the use of booster club money by various staff members. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 77 UW staffers received reimbursements from booster club accounts without proper authorization from the chancellor’s office. The payments themselves were for legitimate … Read more
The four qualifiers for the second-ever American Women’s College Hockey Alliance national championship have been announced, as defending champion New Hampshire, ECAC champion and top-ranked Harvard, host Minnesota and Brown will battle Friday and Saturday at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. Harvard (31-1-0), the top seed, faces No. 4-seeded Brown (20-5-4) at 5 p.m. CT Friday … Read more
U.S. College Hockey Online is pleased to announce the finalists for the first annual USCHO Division II/III Player of the Year. Nominations were solicited from coaches and media, and ten finalists selected. A panel of coaches and media will select this year’s winner and a runner-up, to be announced at the conclusion of the NCAA … Read more
Members of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, the WCHA regular-season champions and the nation’s No. 1 team, took home three major individual awards, and the Sioux placed six players on the first two all-WCHA teams in awards announced Thursday. UND senior Jason Blake, who led the conference in scoring with 20 goals and 49 points, … Read more
Hockey East regular-season champion New Hampshire took the league’s top three 1998-99 individual awards, announced on Thursday at the Hockey East Awards Banquet at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Mass. Jason Krog, Darren Haydar and Richard Umile were all unanimous choices as the league’s Player, Rookie and Coach of the Year, respectively. The Hockey … Read more
St. Lawrence, a surprise second-place finisher in the ECAC regular season, led the way at the annual ECAC awards banquet by dominating the major awards — winning four, including Eric Heffler’s double as Player of the Year and as the Dryden Award winner, for Goaltender of the Year. Saints forward Brandon Dietrich was named ECAC … Read more
The MAAC announced its end-of-year awards at its banquet Thursday night here. Iona freshman forward Ryan Carter was named Offensive Player of the Year, as well as Offensive Rookie of the Year. Carter finished the season with 62 points (32 goals, 30 assists) and leads all Division I players in goals per game (1.0). Quinnipiac … Read more
Michigan State, the top team in the CCHA, claimed four of the six honors announced at the annual CCHA awards banquet Thursday. Mike York was named Player of the Year and Best Defensive Forward, while Ron Mason was named Coach of the Year, and Mike Weaver was the league’s Best Defensive Defenseman. Bowling Green’s Mike … Read more
Michigan State players Jeff Kozakowski and Bryan Adams are currently under investigation by East Lansing (Mich.) police for their roles in a Sept. 18, 1998, incident, and criminal arrest warrants for both players have been issued. Adams, a senior forward and assistant captain, is charged with illegal entry and malicious destruction of property. The charges … Read more