This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
The expansion of the Hockey East Tournament this season to all eight teams means that the entire conference is included in the postseason in the three of the four D-I leagues. Only in ECAC Hockey, where only two thirds of the 12 teams advance, must a team earn its way into the playoffs. That requirement … Read more
With the final playoff seedings only being determined after Monday’s make-up game between Trinity and Bowdoin, the quarterfinals are now set for the NESCAC tournament. While not every team qualified for postseason play, the final games went a long way in determining who was in and out, and who stayed home vs. getting on a … Read more
As No. 6 North Dakota’s last glimmer of hope to win the MacNaughton Cup fades, the focus turns to the national tournament picture with three weeks to go. Tied for fourth place in the WCHA standings, UND is sixth in the PairWise Rankings, where a team’s rating is more meaningful as March nears. No. 10 … Read more
Niagara has been at the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings for virtually the entire season. With few exceptions, the Purple Eagles have been the lone AHA representative in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, holding down one of the top 20 spots for a school-record 13 weeks in a row. Coach Dave Burkholder’s team … Read more
A few decades ago, Tigran Petrosian earned the reputation in grandmaster chess circles as a player who almost couldn’t be beat. The World Chess Champion for six years and a candidate for 30, he won fewer games than most players of his caliber but rarely lost. His name became synonymous with draws and impenetrable defense. … Read more
The second season is about to begin in the ECAC West. The league’s 2012-13 regular season ended on Saturday, with Utica winning the league title by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker against Hobart. Both schools finished 11-3-1 in conference play for 23 points apiece, but the Pioneers claimed two of their three meetings with the … Read more
Following a monumental year, this season’s Union Dutchmen are finally “over it.” “We have had our peaks and valleys this season,” coach Rick Bennett said. “I think the guys are starting to get it — they’re settling down. It took them a while to get over the expectations and all that. Once we got over … Read more
This week’s edition is a little of this, a little of that. It’s chattiness may recall columns of old. I’d advise you to grab a cup of coffee. It is February, after all. You know how much I like reversals of fortune As a life-long Red Sox fan and an ardent follower of the Buffalo … Read more
With the final weekend of regular season upon us, five teams in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association will be fighting for a spot in postseason playoff action. Adrian, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Marian have sealed their fate for the first-round of playoffs. This week, I’ll examine the possible outcomes for this weekend with Finlandia, … Read more
Hands up: who had Oswego’s Bobby Gertsakis in your SUNYAC Fantasy League last weekend? (Still looking — still looking — crickets chirping…). Nobody, not even the sophomore defenseman himself, could have foreseen his three-goal eruption last weekend that helped the league-leading (and nation’s No. 2 squad) to road wins at Buffalo State and Fredonia. Why … Read more
The Wisconsin-Eau Claire men’s hockey team hopes the history it made this season is only the beginning of something special. On Saturday, the Blugolds (19-4-2, 14-3-1 in NCHA) locked up the NCHA title with a 4-1 victory at Wisconsin-Superior. It’s the first conference championship in the program’s history, and the last league title for the … Read more
Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery. Junior goaltender Braely Torris did, and it’s Neumann University that has been reaping the benefits this year. “We went into the season with three periods of (goaltending) experience,” said Neumann coach Dominick Dawes. “That’s all we had.” A native of Red Deer, Alb., Torris has gone 8-4-2 … Read more
The aftermath of Winter Storm Nemo certainly caused some scheduling headaches for collegiate hockey teams all across New England this past weekend, but for one coach, the date and time changes weren’t looked upon as a bad thing. Jack Arena at Amherst College has noted that his team has seemingly struggled on Saturdays in recent … Read more
In another language, Mercyhurst means, “My dream just died.” What language is that? I don’t know, but I’m sure that with the exception of Mike Sisti and Paul Colontino, every CHA coach over the years spoke it fluently. Syracuse coach Paul Flanagan can remember a time when that was not a part of his vocabulary. … Read more
Over its six seasons of existence, the Norwich women’s hockey program has developed a knack of coming on strong in the second semester of the season. This season has been no different, as the Cadets are currently riding a 12-game win streak heading into the final weekend of the regular season. In four of NU’s … Read more
The coaches have talked about it all season. They knew just how close the talent was in the ECAC Northeast this season. They knew that, on any night, any team could beat the other team. For the most part, they’ve been spot on. As a result, you have one heck of a playoff race in … Read more
When you are the number one team in the country and have a number of consecutive league titles and Frozen Four appearances on your resume, it might be easy to get just a bit complacent entering the final weekend of the regular season. Having wrapped up the regular season title, the Norwich Cadets don’t really … Read more
St. John’s has put itself in a position to win the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. Yes, the Johnnies still need a few breaks to go their way, and sure they need to take care of business against Bethel this weekend in a crucial home-and-home series that will cap the regular season. But St. John’s, … Read more
Sunday will see outdoor college hockey move from the River City to the Windy City as Chicago takes the baton and hosts the OfficeMax Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Just as Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota took part in the Mutual of Omaha Battles on Ice last weekend, two … Read more
Five days after a monstrous blizzard buried Milford, Conn., the Sacred Heart Pioneers finally got to practice on Tuesday. The Milford Ice Pavilion had been inaccessible since last Friday due to the snow. ABC News reported on Saturday that Milford had the dubious distinction of receiving the most snow in the record-setting storm: officially 38 … Read more