This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
And then there were eight. Since October, 50 teams have been playing for the chance to make it to the NCAA tournament and now they’ve been whittled down to an elite group of eight. Once again, there are the traditional faces of Plattsburgh, Norwich, Gustavus Adolphus, Middlebury and Wisconsin-River Falls making up more than half … Read more
What would March Madness be without a Cinderella or two? Colgate and Maine made inspired attempts to assume that role and provided Cornell and Boston College with some tense moments, but ultimately only three-lower seeded teams were able to go on the road and advance to the next round. Ohio State, Providence, and St. Lawrence … Read more
Ben Hanowski knows that one win this weekend for him and St. Cloud State would mean a historical breakthrough for the program. The Huskies haven’t won a MacNaughton Cup in 23 seasons as a member of the WCHA, but one win against Wisconsin would clinch a share of their first regular season title. Three points … Read more
In the second period of American International’s game at Bentley on Saturday, Yellow Jackets coach Gary Wright caught a puck to the head and had to be attended to by the team’s trainer. “It was a deflection from about 15 feet away,” Wright said. “It came at me so fast. I guess I’m getting old. … Read more
When a Hockey East team plays a school from outside the league, I always hope the Hockey East team wins. But when two league teams are playing, I play no favorites. That said, I’m hoping Massachusetts-Lowell takes the regular season title this weekend. No offense to my good friends at all the other schools in … Read more
Just when you think the St. Norbert men’s hockey team is letting their guard down, the NCAA Division III powerhouse reaffirms itself as one of the most resilient programs in the country. On Saturday, in a battle with Wisconsin-Eau Claire for the NCHA tournament title, St. Norbert blanked the favored Blugolds, 3-0, on the road. … Read more
R.J. Tolan persevered through a season of ups, downs, and all-arounds for Wentworth. Easily the preseason pick to win the ECAC Northeast, the ultra-talented Leopards struggled at times for offense, among other things, and there was many a time that their coach struggled to define his team along the way. “As a coach, I should … Read more
Most coaches can push buttons. The best coaches know when to keep their hands to themselves. Count Oswego bench boss Ed Gosek among the latter. Gosek, who has one Frozen Four championship ring on his finger, realized late in the season that whatever emotional tweaks his No. 3 Lakers might have needed could be applied … Read more
This one is a little bit sweeter. The Massachusetts-Dartmouth Corsairs have punched their ticket to the NCAA D-III men’s ice hockey tournament after defeating Plymouth State in the MASCAC championship, 2-1, this past Saturday. This is the second title in four year for the Corsairs; however, their first title did not give the program an … Read more
In what had been predicted to be a stop-and-start kind of campaign for Dartmouth, all lights appear to be Green entering the postseason. “Our team is playing really, really hard, and I think this is going to be the healthiest we’ve been in a while,” coach Bob Gaudet said. “For a young, young team — … Read more
Playing in their third conference championship game in the past four seasons was the charm for coach Jamie Rice and his Babson men’s ice hockey team. A hard-fought, 2-1 win, backstopped by resurgent senior goaltender Zeke Testa, earned the Beavers the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament and a first-round game at home against the … Read more
Norwich’s four-for-four conference tournament bid went awry when Babson and goaltender Zeke Testa eked out a 2-1 victory in Northfield in a game where the Cadets outshot their opponents by a 40-13 margin. Sometimes having the better of the play isn’t enough against a hot goaltender and a team that has had Norwich’s number this … Read more
Progress for St. John’s men’s hockey team has been more of a grind than a smooth ride. Senior forward Michael Palmiscno, a two-time team captain, will tell you as much. In his first three seasons, the Johnnies won a total of 26 games and made one appearance in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs. That … Read more
The 2012-13 ECAC West campaign will continue for at least one more contest. Seventh-ranked Utica (20-5-1 overall) will represent the conference in this year’s national tournament, in the Pioneers’ first-ever NCAA appearance. They will host a second-round game on Saturday night at the Utica Memorial Auditorium against the winner of Bowdoin and Massachusetts-Dartmouth, who will … Read more
The smiles that one sees on the faces of Bowdoin hockey players, even after the most grueling of workouts, really aren’t much different than those of elation seen after Sunday’s 2-1 win over Williams College for the NESCAC Conference championship. If it involves playing hockey, this Bowdoin team knows how to have fun playing the … Read more
The Adrian Bulldogs are more than ready to take the national tournament by storm this weekend. Since the program at Adrian went to the Division III level in the 2007-08 season, the Bulldogs have won the MCHA league regular season championship each year. Head Coach Ron Fogarty has led the Bulldogs to five MCHA Harris … Read more
Here we are. The championship. What every practice, morning workout, extra on-ice skills session, special teams drill…is all about. The MASCAC will crown its champion on Saturday, March 2, as the defending conference champion, the Plymouth State Panthers, takes on the Massachusetts-Dartmouth Corsairs. In a battle of no. 1 versus no. 2, the Panthers look … Read more
A different team will be celebrating this year’s NESCAC championship and automatic NCAA bid, following the elimination of last season’s title holder Amherst in its quarterfinal with Middlebury. The number one seed and host Bowdoin Polar Bears are hoping to repeat the magic from just two years ago, but will have their work cut out … Read more
This is the last regularly-scheduled SUNYAC column of the season, and, of course, there is a wide-open stretch of ice to cover, not the least of which is Saturday’s league championship tilt pitting No. 1 Oswego and No. 2 Plattsburgh. How fitting. Those two old foes are about to meet for the SUNYAC title for … Read more
The Harris Cup field is set, with Adrian and Marian getting back into the action after earning a bye weekend through the first round of the tournament. Rounding out the Harris Cup Four participants are Milwaukee School of Engineering and Northland. Both teams forced a mini-game in their second quarterfinal game to earn a berth … Read more