Season previews for teams
The last time the Union Dutchmen were on the ice, they had just been defeated by Yale in five overtimes. For the second year in a row, the Dutchmen had earned home ice in the ECACHL playoffs, but could not advance to the next round. This year, the Dutchmen hope things will be different. The … Read more
The team that everyone had pegged as the one to beat the last few years in the ECACHL is not that team this year — or at least not according to the prognosticators. Cornell has been a favorite in the ECACHL the last few years, and with good reason, as the Big Red have become … Read more
To say that last year’s Princeton Tiger squad was a little young would be accurate. Only two regular forwards, two regular defensemen and one goaltender were seniors. But this year, there is a lot of experience coming back, so perhaps head coach Guy Gadowsky has started to put his team together in New Jersey. Grant … Read more
The Rensselaer Engineers will go into the new season with a new coach and a new attitude. Dan Fridgen’s contract was not renewed after last season and new bench boss Seth Appert hopes to bring his style to a team that has not advanced very far in the last few years. What is there for … Read more
As their first year in the ECACHL commenced last year, few knew what to expect from the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The results: a run close to a home-ice spot, and a first-round win over Rensselaer in the conference playoffs. Now people know what the Bobcats can do — challenge the best in the ECACHL. “As a … Read more
So much has changed since I last was in this spot. It used to be the ECAC; now it’s the ECACHL. There are seven new head coaches in the ECACHL since then. Mark Dekanich is the reigning ECACHL Goaltender of the Year (photo: Melissa Wade). There is a new team in the ECACHL. There is … Read more
What do you do when four of your top five point-producers, accounting for 129 points, from last season graduate? You retool and hope that some players step it up. That is exactly the scenario for St. Lawrence and head coach Joe Marsh this year. With the graduations of T.J. Trevelyan, Mike Madill, Mike Zbriger and … Read more
For several years now, the Dartmouth Big Green have been touted as the team to beat in the ECACHL. That expectation reached its fruition last season with a regular-season championship, shared with Colgate. The Big Green came so close to making the NCAA tournament, but couldn’t get over that hump. Perhaps this year, it’s time. … Read more
Youth, youth and more youth. That’s the story for the Brown Bears this season. Last season was one that head coach Roger Grillo and Brown hope to forget except for one simple thing — experience. The Bears will return their top 12 scorers this season, but, and it’s a big but, only one of the … Read more
The Colgate Raiders have been tabbed as the team to beat in the ECACHL this season — and who can blame people for thinking that? Three of the top four scorers return, as does most of the defense and preseason All-ECACHL selection Mark Dekanich in goal. Dekanich took over last season between the pipes and … Read more
The Harvard Crimson have been riding the wave over the last few years, and that doesn’t look like it’s about to stop any time soon. The Crimson were picked to finish second in the preseason coaches’ poll, and there’s no reason to think they won’t be there again. But head coach Ted Donato knows it’s … Read more
Six and Four This year, Hockey East looks like a two- or perhaps three-tier league. It will, of course, continue to feature great top-to-bottom strength and those teams on the bottom trying to move up will strike down the Goliaths on plenty of occasions. That said, there should be a significant gap between the top … Read more
Vermont’s inaugural season in Hockey East proved to be a rollercoaster ride. The Catamounts won their first seven games, giving them major attention in the national polls for quite some time. However, the season ended with only a single win after Feb. 3. Unfortunately for the league rookie, its stellar 8-1 record out of conference … Read more
For Husky head coach Greg Cronin, the return to college hockey was not exactly an easy ride on the welcome wagon. The team started off 0-6-2, and a stretch of a win and two ties in late fall was about as good as it got in terms of consistently picking up points. Cronin readily admits … Read more
It was a storybook season for Boston University last year in Hockey East. After an inconsistent first half with seniors David Van der Gulik and Jekabs Redlihs sidelined, the Terriers went into the heart of the season looking up at a seemingly insurmountable lead by Boston College in the standings. BU proceeded to go 17-1-2 … Read more
Providence was the surprise story in the early going, going 9-2-1 in its first 12 Hockey East games last season and cracking the national top ten. With first-year coach Tim Army emphasizing offense, the team proved to be vastly entertaining as well as successful. But the Friars faltered during the stretch run, going 3-7-2 in … Read more
And so it goes. Another year opens with Boston College as the top preseason pick within Hockey East, fresh off a great run at the national title followed by the departure of considerable talent. Have we heard this song before? The lyrics may change from year to year, but the beat remains the same. The … Read more
One of the most consistently good programs in the nation — UNH has not had a losing season or even won fewer than 20 games in one campaign since 1995-96 — the Wildcats had what was, for them, a good-but-not-great season last year. Sporting one of the most dangerous lines in college hockey with Jacob … Read more
Expectations had soared for last year’s veteran-laden Massachusetts-Lowell squad until the late offseason departure to the pros of 26-goal scorer Ben Walter. The River Hawks then got off to a poor start, lost go-to guy Andrew Martin to injury, and saw several key players suffer off-years. Although a closing 4-1 surge vaulted them into seventh … Read more
It was a trying debut behind the bench for first-year coach Mark Dennehy, as the Warriors suffered through a ten-game losing streak in December and January, ultimately going 2-16-3 in their last 21 games of the season after a promising 3-3 start. That said, Dennehy realizes that neither Rome nor North Andover were built in … Read more