Did you know that when the Spartans beat the Wildcats last weekend, they made a little bit of NCAA history? Wait a minute, you say — wasn’t it the Wildcats who beat the Spartans 5-3 in the CCHA semifinals? Yes, but there were two sets of Spartans and Wildcats playing that weekend: one on ice, … Read more
The NCAA championship tournament opens up in Worcester, Mass., this year. The Centrum Centre hosts the East Regional, which features several intriguing matchups — as well as the intriguing nonappearance of one Eastern power. Boston College fans made their discontentment known on the Internet and elsewhere last weekend, as the Eagles were shipped West despite … Read more
Teams that reach the NCAA tournament almost always have their game-breaking stars: the top scorers, the all-league selections, perhaps even All-Americans. But sometimes in the march to a national title, the game-breakers get stymied and the unsung players get their chances to be heroes. While Maine’s stars were hardly stymied in its 4-2 win over … 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
At its meetings in Chicago last week, the NCAA Championships Cabinet rejected a proposal to expand the NCAA men’s Division I championships from 12 teams to 16. The proposal, brought by the newly-formed MAAC, would have taken effect either next season or possibly for the 2000-01 tournament, and would probably have required a move to … Read more
U.S. College Hockey Online has learned that a forthcoming proposal from Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference sources will suggest expanding the NCAA men’s Division I championship tournament from its current 12 teams to 16. The NCAA Championship Cabinet is expected to take up the proposal in two weeks. If approved, a 16-team tournament featuring four regional … Read more
“I think we can win it.” Win what? Hockey East? Further than that? “Further than that.” — Brian Gionta, Oct. 17, 1997 On the face of it, Gionta’s prediction, made with a grin and a sparkle in the eye after the first game of the season, appeared so outlandish as to be laughable. Win it? … Read more
After losing to Michigan in their NCAA semifinal game, New Hampshire’s Mark Mowers said that Michigan had one of the toughest defensive teams his team had faced this season. He also mentioned Miami as a tough, grinding hockey club. But he and coach Dick Umile were quick to say that there’s little difference between East … Read more
On Saturday, the winningest goaltender in NCAA tournament history was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1998 tournament at the FleetCenter in Boston. Michigan senior Marty Turco turned in a 28-save performance in a 3-2 overtime win over Boston College in the title game after making 19 saves to earn a shutout against New … Read more
In downtown Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall, in front of an adoring home crowd, Boston University senior center Chris Drury was named the 1998 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner. With 28 goals and 27 assists in his final collegiate year, the native of Trumbull, Conn., is the 18th recipient of the award given annually to college … Read more
Steward Raygor’s eyes welled with tears. Raygor, with four family members at his side, had just watched his son Erik accept the 1998 Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented to college hockey’s finest citizen, and the emotions hit him like a tidal wave. “This is, I believe, every father’s goal,” said Raygor, whose son recently finished his … Read more
If, a fortnight ago, you had asked a hundred fans which four teams would meet this weekend at the FleetCenter for college hockey’s glittering prize, about two might have gotten the list right — if even that many. The Eagles of Boston College stormed through the Hockey East playoffs to earn a bye, then collectively … Read more
For the edification and (equally likely) amusement of college hockey fans everywhere, the USCHO staff predicts the outcome of this year’s championship. Mike Machnik, Staff Analyst The Wolverines and Wildcats are on emotional highs after big wins last week, and both clubs have good special teams. The edge goes to UNH with four of the … Read more
The Wolverines are in Boston this year, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, given that Michigan has made a college hockey Final Four appearance seven of the last eight seasons. But this year, Michigan has advanced without The Michigan Nine, the phenomenal class led by 1997 Hobey Baker winner, Brendan Morrison. Gone are Morrison, Botterill, Madden, Luhning … Read more
What: The 1998 NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey semifinals and championship. Where: The FleetCenter, in Boston, Mass. Who: Four teams — Boston College, Michigan, New Hampshire and Ohio State — qualified through the two NCAA regionals. Of the four, only Boston College had the benefit of a first-round bye, while New Hampshire is the … Read more
New Hampshire forward Mark Mowers, whose two shorthanded goals Sunday included the overtime game-winner against Boston University, was named Most Valuable Player of the NCAA East Regional. Overall, Mowers was 3-2-5 for two games in regional play. Meanwhile, in the West, Ohio State goaltender Jeff Maund made 46 saves while allowing just three goals in … Read more
It’s Monday, two days after Andre Signoretti’s overtime goal sent Ohio State to college hockey’s Frozen Four, and the Buckeyes are back in Columbus, where it’s 85 degrees. It’s the first day of Spring Quarter classes. After Buckeye hockey practice, the players linger a little. There are a couple of reporters, a couple fans. Everyone … Read more
The only real dust kicked up by this year’s selections lay in East Lansing and Columbus, where some fans are grousing about the committee’s decision to leave the Ohio State Buckeyes West as the fourth seed, setting up a potential second-round collision with top-seeded (and top-ranked) Michigan State. That contest would be a repeat of … Read more
A balanced draw of six West and six East teams, led by top seeds Michigan State and Boston University, makes up the 1998 NCAA tournament field as announced today by the selection committee. For the first time ever, the field includes three teams from each of the four major Division I conferences. MSU and BU, … Read more
Middlebury claimed its fourth consecutive NCAA Division III championship Saturday, beating Wisconsin-Stevens Point 2-1. The four straight titles are an NCAA record for any level of hockey. Filip Jirousek scored in the first period, and Nickolai Bobrov on the power play in the second to give Middlebury a 2-0 lead, before UWSP’s David Boehm narrowed … Read more