The Clarkson Golden Knights were tabbed the preseason favorites by the 12 ECAC Division I head coaches in the conference’s annual preseason poll, which will be released today. The Golden Knights garnered eight of the 12 first-place votes after finishing second in the regular season last year, and then second in the ECAC championships. Since … Read more
The ECAC announced its television package for the upcoming 1998-99 season today. The ECAC will once again partner with NESN and Empire Sports Network to showcase the league’s teams. “Destination Lake Placid,” as the Game of the Week pacakge will be entitled, will include 11 games beginning on Jan. 8 and ending with the ECAC … Read more
Bill Watson, for the last three seasons an assistant hockey coach at Western Michigan, is departing his position, the school announced. “At this time, I feel it’s best to explore other options around hockey and outside the sport. The time I’ve spent here at Western has been invaluable and I look forward to putting the … Read more
Wayne State University has announced plans to add both men’s and women’s hockey as part of an overall upgrade in the school’s athletic department. Under the proposal put forth by unversity president Irvin Reid, WSU’s entire sports program would move up to Division I from its current Division II membership. A new, 7,000-seat multipurpose arena … Read more
Sherry Skalko, a sportswriter who has covered college hockey for the last nine seasons, has been named director of communications for the CCHA, the league announced today. Skalko, 28, a native of Cranston, R.I., will officially take the post Sept. 10, replacing Jeff Weiss, who departed to become hockey sports information director for CCHA member … Read more
The Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald reported Friday that goaltender Aaron Schweitzer, who anchored North Dakota’s 1997 NCAA championship run, will not return for his junior season this year, opting instead to try out for the Canadian national team. “We’ve heard rumblings in the past regarding Aaron moving on,” North Dakota assistant Jeff Bowen told the … Read more
St. Cloud State has named Kerry Brodt the Huskies’ first-ever women’s ice hockey coach. Brodt, a 1995 graduate of St. Cloud State, has coached girls’ ice hockey since 1994, currently with North St. Paul (Minn.) High School. She is also a coach for the U.S. Community Olympic Development Program for girls’ hockey, and is the … Read more
The first collegiate all-star team ever to participate in an overseas tournament finished with a modicum of success Sunday, as the WCHA All-Stars tied Germany’s Krefeld Penguins 3-3 at the Kolin Cup in Zug, Switzerland. The draw was reached on the strength of two goals by Minnesota forward Wyatt Smith — whose five tallies overall … Read more
Minnesota’s defense sustained a major loss this week, as the Minnesota Daily reported Wednesday that Gopher defenseman Ben Clymer is set to sign with the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins, forgoing his final three years of eligibility. Clymer, a WCHA All-Rookie pick two years ago when he scored seven goals and 20 points 29 games, … Read more
The University of Findlay plans to elevate its three-year-old men’s hockey team to Division I, and to add a D-I women’s program for the 1999-2000 season, the school announced Wednesday. The men’s team could be eligible for D-I play in the 2001-02 season, prior to which a scheduling alliance with Army, Air Force, Niagara, Bemidji … Read more
U.S. College Hockey Online has learned that Union assistant coach Kevin Sneddon will be elevated to head coach. He replaces Stan Moore, who resigned earlier in the week to join the Colgate coaching staff. Sneddon, 28, becomes the youngest head coach at the ECAC Division I level after serving as an assistant at Union for … Read more
In a surprising move on Monday, Stan Moore resigned as head coach of Union to return to the position of top assistant to Don Vaughan at Colgate, a post he held for four seasons from 1992-1996. No specific reason was given for the decision. “There’s more to it than meets the eye: my wife, myself, … Read more
New Hampshire’s Winny Brodt has been admitted to the University of Minnesota for fall quarter, 1998 and will play for the Gopher women’s team this season, Minnesota coach Laura Halldorson announced Friday. Brodt, the Most Valuable Player in the inaugural American Women’s College Hockey Alliance national championship, scored 11 goals and added 23 assists for … Read more
Notre Dame defenseman Mark Eaton has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, foregoing his final three years of college eligibility. According to Flyers president and general manager Bob Clarke, the 19-year-old, who was named the 1997-98 CCHA Rookie of the Year, signed a three-year deal with the Flyers as a free agent on July 28. Eaton … Read more
Boston College senior-to-be Marty Reasoner has decided to forego his final year of college eligibility to sign with the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues. Reasoner was the the Blues’ first round (14th overall) selection in the 1996 NHL entry draft. A source at Boston College told the Boston Globe, “Marty had to sign. What … Read more
New Hampshire forward Derek Bekar has signed with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, foregoing his final year of college eligibility. Bekar, who turns 23 in September, ranked fourth in NCAA Division I scoring last season with 60 points in 35 games and was named second-team All-Hockey East. He was also fourth in the nation in … Read more
Carol Mullins, for six years Cornell’s assistant coach, has been named the women’s program’s new head coach. Mullins succeeds Julie Andeberhan, who left Cornell to become head women’s coach at Wisconsin. “Carol Mullins has done a tremendous job as our assistant women’s ice hockey coach over the last six years and I’m sure she will … Read more
Julie Sasner (formerly Andeberhan), the head women’s coach at Cornell, has been hired as the first varsity women’s coach at Wisconsin. Sasner, 32, will receive a three-year contract with a base salary of $65,000 beginning Aug.1; her new team is expected to start play in the 1999-2000 season. Sasner compiled a 15-8-3 record last year … Read more
John Markell, who guided Ohio State to its first NCAA tournament berth and then into the Final Four last April, has been granted a four-year contract extension through the 2002 season, the school announced Thursday. “John is one of the rising stars in coaching today,” said OSU athletic director Andy Geiger. “We’re proud he’s a … Read more
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