Season previews for teams
This season is shaping up to be a big one for the Robert Morris Colonials both on and off the ice. The Colonials are hosting two tournaments this season. One is the inaugural Three Rivers Classic at Consol Energy Center on Dec. 28 and 29 that also features Penn State, Miami and Ohio State. The … Read more
The reasons for Sacred Heart’s lack of success last season were obvious: an average offense paired with a defense that was the worst in the league by almost a full goal per game (4.52 goals against average). Some of that was due to an ineffective penalty kill, and some to goaltenders struggling, especially early in … Read more
The Connecticut Huskies are lame ducks for the next two seasons in Atlantic Hockey, having been accepted by Hockey East to join that conference beginning with the 2014-15 season. But before they go, the Huskies could make some noise in the AHA. The school has started to offer athletic scholarships as it ramps up to … Read more
Chris Luongo believes the time is now for Alabama-Huntsville to get started in the right direction. “If there is a spot on our schedule that is key, it’s between now and mid-November because we have four series at home between now and then,” Luongo said. “The second half of the year is going to be … Read more
Since finishing in a tie for fourth place in the WCHA in 2007-08, Minnesota State has endured a steady fall toward the bottom of the conference standings. If the Mavericks are to climb even a few rungs up the conference ladder in 2011-12, last season’s ninth-ranked scoring offense (2.39 goals per game) must be improved … Read more
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