Season previews for teams
Last season was a big step for Alaska-Anchorage, which made just its second appearance in the WCHA Final Five in program history. In order for UAA to make a return trip to St. Paul, Minn., and improve on last season by earning an NCAA tournament bid, the Seawolves will have to find other sources for … Read more
The identity of Nebraska-Omaha is high-flying action and heavy offense. The Mavericks lost a lot of players in the offseason who contributed to that style, but there’s plenty of youth ready to not only fill in, but expand upon their roles. “Up front, we lost three of our top six scorers but we have a … Read more
Bemidji State enjoyed all the excitement of its entrance into the WCHA and the inauguration of a brand new arena in 2010. But when the season started, the Beavers had to endure an extremely difficult schedule to open the season, and after a 0-4-1 start, it didn’t look promising. But thanks to a goalie like … Read more
A year ago, the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs were still two months removed from moving into their sparkling new home and the idea of a national championship was but a dream. Fast forward 12 months and there is a decidedly different atmosphere surrounding UMD hockey. While Amsoil Arena’s fresh paint fumes may have faded, the facility regarded … Read more
Michigan Tech last played an NCAA tournament game on March 28, 1981, when the Huskies defeated Upper Peninsula rival Northern Michigan 5-2 for third place at the Frozen Four in Duluth, Minn. Mel Pearson, a center on that team who registered 16 points (6-10–16) as a senior in 1981, is now charged with the task … Read more
The fan base in Grand Forks always holds expectations high for North Dakota. But no one sets the bar higher than the Fighting Sioux themselves. “We set our own expectations,” said UND coach Dave Hakstol. “We have the great opportunity to be part of a great atmosphere in North Dakota where everyone is excited about … Read more
Denver garnered the top spot in this season’s WCHA coaches poll, and though honored by the confidence of his colleagues, Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky knows it will take much more than that to earn a March trip to St. Paul. “It’s nice to be recognized but, in some ways, I think we coaches like to … Read more
Three seasons removed from their last NCAA tournament appearance, Minnesota’s tournament hopes were crushed last March when they were swept out of the first round of the WCHA playoffs at home by Alaska-Anchorage. If the Gophers are to return to the Final Five and beyond in 2011-12, the path likely will be paved by senior … Read more
St. Cloud State’s offense went through struggles in 2010-11, but the main concern for Huskies coach Bob Motzko this season is the defense. “If we have a spot on our team where we’re going to start with an unknown, it’s on defense,” said Motzko, who returns for his seventh season behind the SCSU bench. “We … Read more
When Jaden Schwartz temporarily left Colorado College to play for Canada in the World Junior Championship last December, his absence was supposed to be only as long as the tournament. Then he suffered a fractured ankle in a preliminary-round game, sidelining him until mid-February. The Tigers went 8-7 in the stretch without Schwartz but when … Read more
Ask Mike Eaves to give a one-word description of his team and the Wisconsin coach is prepared with it on the tip of his tongue: Youthful. The Badgers enter the season with nine freshmen among 20 underclassmen on a roster that includes just one senior in defenseman Eric Springer. But Eaves was quick to emphasize … Read more
For a while there, they may as well have been the Brown Bear-skins, with which the rest of the ECAC warmed its feet and decorated its basement. But since the school welcomed native son Brendan Whittet back to the Meehan bench, the school has elevated its hockey program to something resembling the un-Bear-ables: unbearably physical, … Read more
Rensselaer may be the toughest team in ECAC Hockey to pin down this year. The coaches and the media like them enough to place them fourth and fifth, respectively, in the preseason polls. However, Rensselaer has lost some mighty talent in the last 12 months, including two-time ECAC player of the year Chase Polacek and … Read more
Rick Bennett doesn’t have to look too far back to remember when the Union Dutchmen were not among the ECAC Hockey elite. “I came in [before the 2005-06 season]. We went .500 that year and it felt like we won the Stanley Cup,” said Bennett, the head coach in his first season at Union after … Read more
The most consistently successful team in ECAC Hockey finished the regular season in the top four for the 11th consecutive time, and despite losing top-flight talent year in and year out, Cornell played in the league’s final four for the fourth year in a row. Coach Mike Schafer’s boys had a tough go of it … Read more
The “Kid Corps” at Quinnipiac avoided a total disaster in 2010-11. Considering only one senior (defenseman Zach Hanson) played more than four games, a 6-9-7 record in ECAC play is not so bad. Bobcats coach Rand Pecknold believes in his young team, which will have four seniors who saw significant time last year. A junior … Read more
When you have two seven-game losing streaks separated only by a win over Army, you’re probably having a bad year. That was the case for Harvard as last January came to a close: losers of 14 of 15, ultimately to become 17 of 19 following yet another first-round Beanpot defeat. The Crimson had mustered fewer … Read more
Go ahead and try to find a reason why Yale shouldn’t have swept the ECAC preseason coaches and media polls. Astounding freshmen coming in? Check. Scoring depth? Got it. Goaltending? Wait, what was the last one? Oh, goaltending. Yeah, that could be a reason. After all, with the departure of Ryan Rondeau to graduation, that … Read more
Dartmouth is like the Nashville Predators of ECAC Hockey: it doesn’t generate a whole lot of attention most of the time, yet every time you turn around, there it is, hanging around the top of the hill. It’s a credit to veteran coach Bob Gaudet and his staff that he can regularly draw the talent … Read more
It appears that the Joneses may be the ones trying to keep up this year. With the commencement of the Casey Jones era in Clarkson hockey comes a season of long odds and immediate challenges. The Golden Knights lost more than just their seniors last spring, as top-tandem blueliner Mark Borowiecki also bid adieu to … Read more