Season previews for teams
Last year proved to be a Jekyll-and-Hyde one for Northeastern. After breaking out to an 11-8-5 record, culminating in an undefeated January, the Huskies were looking like an NCAA bubble team. Then they lost seven of eight games in February and finished with nine straight losses and 11 out of 12. They won’t have an … Read more
The Black Bears returned to the Frozen Four last year, but were foiled in the semifinal game by North Dakota in their attempt to repeat as national champions. All of which moved to the background during the offseason when coach Shawn Walsh was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He’ll miss the season opener against North Dakota … Read more
“We recognize Hockey East is the strongest league in the country right now. For anyone that finished in the bottom half last year, something special has to happen to get into that top half of the league.”— UMass Lowell coach Tim Whitehead Last year, Boston University, New Hampshire, Boston College and Maine all spent virtually … Read more
It was almost fitting, looking around the room at MAAC media day, to see UConn coach Bruce Marshall sitting close to Holy Cross benchman Paul Pearl. The two have something in common — they’ve guided their teams to MAAC tournament championships, Pearl in 1999, and Marshall last year. And both coaches face similar challenges one … Read more
Last year they were an X-factor, but the Mercyhurst College Lakers marched into the MAAC and took the league by storm. As one of two new entries in the conference’s second year of existence, Mercyhurst used a combination of depth and experience from the tough ECAC West league to post an impressive second-place finish. This … Read more
Anybody out there remember being picked on as a little kid? I know I sure do, and I hated every minute of it. But somewhere, somehow, you always swore that your day would come. That there would be a day that you weren’t so little anymore, and that, even though you wouldn’t be able to … Read more
If Bentley College becomes known for one thing around the MAAC, it will be their head coach Jim McAdam. At age 61, McAdam has the feistiness of a coach just starting his career, coupled with the honesty of a man who has been around for a while. So much was apparent at MAAC media day. … Read more
The Sacred Heart Pioneers made their statement loud and clear throughout the 1999-2000 MAAC season, a statement that they are here to stay. An eighth-place pick last season by the MAAC coaches, Sacred Heart used heart, determination and a lot of skill from a talented group of players to muscle into a tie for fourth … Read more
The darkhorse in the MAAC this season is Iona College. The Gaels, in their first two seasons, have shown signs of brilliance. Two years ago, Ryan Carter, then a freshman, burst onto the MAAC scene to win the scoring title as well as the league’s Offensive MVP. Last year, coach Frank Bretti knew that it … Read more
You might think that a feeling such as winning a championship, especially the inaugural championship in the MAAC hockey league, is something that you never forget. And though that is probably the case, Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl, who led the Crusaders to exactly that berth two seasons ago, probably wishes that the memories of … Read more
How much is goaltending a factor in deciding championships? If it were up to AIC coach Gary Wright, a major factor indeed. That is the one area where his Yellow Jackets will be strong this year. With returning seniors Chance Thede and Ben Brady, AIC will have the most experienced goaltending tandem in the MAAC. … Read more
For the second consecutive year, Rand Pecknold and Quinnipiac University will sit on the bench each night not dressed in their typical purple, white and gold uniforms, but rather wearing the biggest bullseye money can buy. J.C. WELLS Without a doubt, Quinnipiac is the MAAC’s preseason favorite — possibly the biggest favorite in all of … Read more
Fairfield coach Jim Hunt has two challenges in front of him. The first is obvious: take a program that has amassed just four wins in the last two seasons and make it respectable. The second challenge, though, may be the tougher – to survive at Fairfield University. With Hunt its fourth coach in five years, … Read more
As one of the oldest men’s ice hockey programs in the country, the United States Military Academy, known better in hockey circles as Army, will watch tradition meet youth in its first season as a member of the MAAC. About to enter its 98th season of men’s ice hockey, Army is not really a stranger … Read more
It may be the start of a new hockey season, but there must be one thing fresh on the mind of Canisius College head coach Brian Cavanaugh — his early exit from last year’s MAAC playoffs. A 4-3 loss to eventual runner-up Iona brought a sad close to perhaps the finest season in Canisius hockey … Read more
It’s a new era for Minnesota State-Mankato, but one era may go out with another. Longtime coach Don Brose finished his career at the end of last season with a fourth-place finish in the team’s first year as a member of the WCHA and with an appearance in the Final Five. But Brose may have … Read more
Where do you go from here? Nowhere but up, Tim Watters hopes. The Michigan Tech coach endured his worst season in a four-year collegiate coaching career last year, going 4-34, the most losses in a season in college hockey history. All the more reason to think there’s nowhere to go but up. The best thing … Read more
Yes, North Dakota lost a few important players, and the Sioux are somewhat smaller this year, but Dean Blais may be looking at his team’s situation a little drastically: “We’re rebuilding this year.” Blais has a great poker face, but that’s line’s easy enough to see through. Offensively, Lee Goren, Jason Ulmer and Peter Armbrust … Read more
Scott Owens maintains this year is no more important than any other for his Colorado College program. But after so much success under Don Lucia, there are now certain expectations of the Tigers. And two consecutive years of missing the NCAA tournament might be more than the Colorado College brass can take. No pressure or … Read more
In a sense, former Minnesota-Duluth coach Mike Sertich picked a good time to retire and look out for the future of the program simultaneously. Scott Sandelin was looking for a head coaching job. With Sertich’s retirement after 18 years with the Bulldogs, Duluth was looking for a coach. And the rest is history. Duluth grabbed … Read more