Season previews for teams
Last season, Maine ranked seventh in the country in team offense and featured since-departed stars Spencer Abbott, Bryan Flynn, Matt Mangene and, on the blue line, Will O’Neill. It’s not as though the cupboard has been left bare, but don’t expect another top-10 offense. “Like coaches often say, we have to replace those elite players … Read more
It isn’t possible to discuss Boston University hockey without first addressing the elephant in the room, namely the sexual assault charges against two Terriers players last year and the resulting task force report that found a celebrity culture among players. “Every kid on every campus who’s an athlete should have the idea that they’re looked … Read more
The movie “Hoosiers” gave us one of the best lines in sports movie history when the crotchety old Hickory fan Opal Fleener said to coach Norman Dale, “Sun don’t shine on the same dog’s [behind] every day, but mister, you ain’t seen a ray of light since you got here.” For Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon, … Read more
A year ago at this time, Northeastern bench boss Jim Madigan had barely unpacked his office when he was forced to be thinking about serving as head coach for the first time in his career. Hired in August, Madigan had just two weeks before players arrived on campus and a short six-week window before the … Read more
Few Massachusetts-Lowell fans will forget the season of 2011-12. Entering with low expectations and a new head coach in Norm Bazin, many fans would’ve been satisfied just making the playoffs. Bazin and his team, though, took things a major step further. The River Hawks finished second in Hockey East, tying the best finish in program … Read more
Possibly the most shocking news in Hockey East this offseason came from Amherst, Mass., when coach Don “Toot” Cahoon tendered his resignation early in the summer. Many felt that the Minutemen were on a positive-looking path, so Cahoon’s sudden decision to leave sent shock waves through the league. After an exhaustive coaching search wherein reports … Read more
There is a lot of buzz as the 2012-13 campaign kicks off for the defending national champion Boston College Eagles. BC returns a solid piece of its core group from a season ago led by goaltender Parker Milner. But as often happens with a national champ, the Eagles were hit hard with players leaving early … Read more
The year 2012 has not been kind to Brown so far, as a dismal second half rife with injuries was capped with a high-profile recruiting defection. Coach Brendan Whittet was never one to lament, though, and is ready to learn from past mistakes and move on to a new year. “Looking back on last year … Read more
A respectable finish last spring was all well and good in coach Casey Jones’ first season in charge, but Clarkson’s improvement is hardly assured in 2012-13. Nine freshmen compose a full third of the Golden Knights’ roster, and the players who received their sheepskins in May left big skates to fill. First and foremost, the … Read more
“The Austin Smith era is over.” So began head coach Don Vaughan’s remarks during the preseason news conference. They’re not unreasonable words, either, considering what Smith meant to the program during his exceptional four years in Hamilton. But those memories are only that — memories — and it’s time to look ahead to a new … Read more
One of the first things anyone looks for from Cornell is, paradoxically, its opposition. This year’s schedule doesn’t disappoint, as five of the Big Red’s seven non-conference opponents played in the NCAA tournament last spring. “It’s a tremendous opportunity not just for our team but for our league,” coach Mike Schafer said. The table includes … Read more
Dartmouth appears to be the baby of the league this season with a 10-man freshman class and eight sophomores on top of that. The Big Green’s top two goalies of the past four years have gone, and a team that was wracked by injuries last season now faces the challenge of regrouping with new faces … Read more
For the first time in a half-decade, Harvard put together a truly sharp campaign. The 2011-12 season was record-setting for its number of ties (11, a national record, and a league-record nine ECAC draws), but the Crimson lost consecutive games only once all year and finished among the top four for the first time since … Read more
Give Princeton coach Bob Prier credit. The Tigers had a myriad of injuries last season and dressed only 16 skaters in their final game of the year, a 7-3 loss at Yale in the ECAC Hockey first round. But Prier isn’t about to use that as an excuse for Princeton, which tumbled to 11th place … Read more
The pieces, including the head coach, are there. Now it’s time to get results. Quinnipiac returns a strong group of players entering the 2012-13 season and should be in a good position to capture its first top-four spot since joining ECAC Hockey in 2005. “We have a nice core of returning players,” Bobcats coach Rand … Read more
For Rensselaer, last year’s offseason came far too quick. After making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995 two years ago, the Engineers staggered through a horrible first half in 2011-12. Things improved a bit in the second half as RPI knocked Clarkson out of the first round of the ECAC playoffs before … Read more
Head coach may be a new title to St. Lawrence’s Greg Carvel, but it’s not a new role. Carvel split coaching duties with Mike Hurlbut last season after long-time head coach Joe Marsh took a medical leave of absence. Marsh retired in March after 26 seasons and Carvel slid into the top spot, with Hurlbut … Read more
In a way, Union goalie Troy Grosenick is a microcosm of what the Dutchmen are all about. After ranking near the top of virtually every national category and leading the Dutchmen to their first Frozen Four in his inaugural season as a starter, it might seem easy for the junior to relax a bit entering … Read more
There’s an old rule, mentioned by Boston College coach Jerry York during last year’s national tournament, that holds true for virtually any college hockey program: Get a good goaltender. Yale had one two years ago in Ryan Rondeau and was the No. 1 seed in the Bridgeport regional of the NCAA tournament. Last year? Not … Read more
Last year, Northern Michigan’s season ended when Bowling Green took two of three games from the Wildcats in Marquette during the CCHA playoffs. It was deja vu for NMU, the second year in a row that the last-place Falcons had come into the Wildcats’ own rink and sent the home team packing in the playoffs. … Read more