2001-02 Colgate Season Preview
Hit hard by graduation the last two years, Colgate missed the playoffs last season. Don Vaughan leads a young team with a strong recruiting class into 2001-02, hoping to show that last year was just a speed bump.
Season Preview
Season previews for teams
2001-02 Clarkson Season Preview
Perennial contender and regular-season champion Clarkson got a nasty shock in the first round of the ECAC playoffs last year, and missed the NCAA tournament as a result. This year, the Golden Knights will relay on defensive strength and the netminding of all-ECAC pick Mike Walsh.
2001-02 Harvard Season Preview
The perhaps-surprising pick of the coaches to top the ECAC, Harvard has captain Peter Capouch to stiffen a young defense. Mark Mazzoleni’s skaters are on the rise, but has their time truly come already?
2001-02 Cornell Season Preview
Coaches ordinarily say that polls don’t matter, but this season Mike Schafer is motivating Cornell with one. An apparent snub by the ECAC media gives the Big Red — who return their top ten scorers — something to shoot for.
2001-02 Minnesota-Duluth Season Preview
Scott Sandelin endured a tough year in his debut as Minnesota-Duluth head coach. The Bulldogs let opponents too near the net far too often, something UMD looks to change with a young, puck-moving defense.
2001-02 St. Cloud Season Preview
St. Cloud may have won its first WCHA tournament title, but the Huskies still feel the sting of an NCAA quarterfinal loss — and the loss of four all-WCHA players. Still, a balanced roster is St. Cloud’s strength as it looks to repeat last year’s success.
2001-02 Colorado College Season Preview
In Scott Owens’ third year at Colorado College, the Tigers may be ready to put the puzzle together. A strong finish, including a double-overtime win in the NCAA tournament, gives Mark Cullen and CC a boost coming into the new year.
2001-02 Michigan Tech Season Preview
This time, Mike Sertich will be there from the start. The Michigan Tech head coach, who leads the Huskies for his first full season after replacing Tim Watters last year, will count on senior Paul Cabana to buoy the MTU attack.
2001-02 Minnesota Season Preview
Minnesota might have the top returning talent in the WCHA, including the Defensive Player of the Year in Jordan Leopold, but the Gophers could be haunted by their finishes in big games. Can Don Lucia’s squad continue its return to prominence?
2001-02 Minnesota State-Mankato Season Preview
Troy Jutting knows well that the college hockey season doesn’t open with the drop of the puck in October, and it doesn’t start with practice in September. It starts the day after the previous season ends because you can’t take summers off in the collegiate game anymore. Your opponents are going to come back stronger … Read more
Unfinished Business
The WCHA put a record five teams into the 2001 national tournament, including two of the four bye teams, but only runner-up North Dakota made it through to the Frozen Four. The league which sports more NCAA champions than all others combined looks to better its already-impressive effort this season.
2001-02 Wisconsin Season Preview
The question for Wisconsin this season is simple: who’s in goal? Scott Kabotoff and newcomer Bernd Bruckler vie to replace workhorse Graham Melanson, while seven seniors anchor the Badger offense — similarly missing a compatriot in Dany Heatley.
2001-02 North Dakota Season Preview
Once again, North Dakota will have to rebound from the loss of key contributors to challenge for the WCHA championship. And that’s the point — Dean Blais and the Sioux have done this before, and may again thanks to the likes of Ryan Bayda, Andy Kollar and Chad Mazurak.
2001-02 Alaska-Anchorage Season Preview
There’s a new coach in Anchorage, and if he has his way, you’ll hardly recognize the Seawolves. John Hill looks to install an up-tempo game at UAA as he tries to instill a winning tradition.
2001-02 Denver Season Preview
With two capable goaltenders, including Wade Dubielewicz, and a solid defense, the Denver Pioneers are ready to move up in the WCHA. Standing between DU and a home playoff berth, however, may be a lack of scoring.
2000-01 WCHA Women’s Season Preview
No longer the weak sister, in just its second year of existence the WCHA could challenge the ECAC for dominance of women’s hockey. Zevi Gutfreund weaves a tale of two conferences.
2000-01 NCHA Season Preview
Check your calendars, because it might be a little hard to tell this year from last in the NCHA, where the top teams have a similar look to the 1999-2000 season. Tim Somers rounds up the conference’s outlook for 2000-01.
2000-01 ECAC Women’s Season Preview
With several traditional powers losing key players, Dartmouth enters the 2000-01 season as the favorite in the ECAC women’s race. Don’t expect a walkover for the Big Green, however, as there’s still plenty left in the tank elsewhere. Zevi Gutfreund profiles the new year.
Season Preview: ECAC West
With expansion on the horizon for next season, the ECAC West prepares for battle, with RIT and Elmira again expected to fight things out for the top spot. Meanwhile, Hobart, under new coach Mark Taylor, and second-year Manhattenville, look to make an impression.
Season Preview: SUNYAC
Optimism is the word of the day before a new sports season starts, and on the eve of the 2000-2001 SUNYAC campaign, that’s exactly what every team has.