This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha made history last weekend by taking over first place in the WCHA. It was the first time the Mavericks have led their league in the second half of the season, and they’re not ready to give that spot up. The No. 1 slot in the WCHA likely will be held by a … Read more
Perhaps 2013 will be a Crimson kind of year: It can’t possibly be a bad thing that the “other” Crimson — the fluid, Southern kind — just won another national title, can it? The scholastic, Cambridge kind of Crimson are having some troubles on the ice. (The males, at least… the females are ranked second … Read more
Well, kids, here it is, 2013. Those Mayans had it all wrong. The world hasn’t ended. The Earth spins, the sun shines, winter has returned to North America after delivering its warning call this time last year, Team USA captured gold in the World Junior Championship. In short, things are as they should be … … Read more
Erik Noack has been around enough hockey teams in his lifetime to understand the power of momentum. Win a few games, things start to snowball, confidence builds, and the next thing you know, a team’s season can turn around completely. Look no further than Johnson and Wales. Noack’s Wildcats — a proud group that … Read more
Michael Collins has certainly gotten off to a fast start in his first season at Elmira College. The freshman led the Soaring Eagles in scoring with five goals and seven assists for 12 points through his first 12 games, and had also registered 18 penalty minutes. “We thought he’d be good,” said Elmira coach Aaron … Read more
At Vermont, the end of the Hockey East regular season has always meant one thing: the start of the offseason. With the expansion of the league tournament to eight teams, the Catamounts are assured of their first taste of the postseason at the D-I level. However, under new head coach Jim Plumer, UVM likely … Read more
For Southern Maine coach Jeff Beaney, a look down the roster finds a lot of Fr. and So. abbreviations after players’ names. Eighteen of the 28 players on the roster are either first- or second-year players. That usually means a lot of development opportunities in real game situations and a maturation process that is battle-tested. … Read more
In his first year at Colby, coach Blaise MacDonald has taken the reins of a NESCAC team and is learning the ropes in his new conference. Coming from the D-I ranks, MacDonald has coached at Niagara, Massachusetts-Lowell, and BU among other schools before moving on to the D-III ranks and Waterville, Maine this season. The … Read more
Jon Whitelaw spent the greater chunk of November and December in street clothes, which is scarcely a fitting place for the SUNYAC’s reigning scoring champ. More to his liking would have been on ice, wearing the “C” for Oswego State, and leading the Lakers’ charge into the national championship fray. What Whitelaw, an education major … Read more
The Hamilton women’s hockey team is off to its best start in the 17-year history of the program. Under first-year coach Emily McNamara, the Continentals enter the second semester with a 6-2-0 record. McNamara is no stranger to success after playing for Middlebury and winning three straight national championships from 2004 to 2006. Upon graduating … Read more
With the arrival of 2013, the stretch run to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship is about to begin. Seven weeks remain in the season, and Bethel and St. Thomas enter January tied for first place with identical 5-1 records. The Royals and Tommies won’t play each other in games that count in the conference … Read more
As the WCHA begins to turn toward the finish line, some teams appear to have a more friendly road than others. Minnesota State has a weak schedule down the stretch with just two series against teams with an winning WCHA record (Minnesota and North Dakota), and three of those four games are at home. The … Read more
In a conversation I had with Air Force coach Frank Serratore before the start of the season, he was discussing players in the league that he thought were poised for greatness. “Watch out for [Robert Morris goaltender] Eric Levine,” Serratore said. “He’s waited his turn but this is going to be his year. He’s going … Read more
Games played right after the holiday break can be unpredictable. As a coach, you hope your players stay in tip-top shape during a time that may include a big Christmas dinner, a few family holiday parties, etc. You also hope that a number of days without practice don’t lead to sloppy play on the ice … Read more
The holiday tournaments are over and it’s official: Everyone Else 3, CCHA 0. Midseason play is a tricky thing. Some players are returning after time off having relaxed their discipline a little while visiting family and friends. Some are undoubtedly still recovering from tough semesters; yes, I do believe that most hockey players are students … Read more
There were some highlights for sure, but the biggest takeaway from the past weekend is this: ECAC Hockey teams competed in four holiday tournaments and came away with zero trophies. That’s a bit of a disappointment for the league, which between Union’s Frozen Four run last spring and a solid showing in non-conference play over … Read more
Hobart College senior goaltender Nick Broadwater has already surpassed most of his accomplishments from last season. After all, he only played in a dozen games a year ago. In 11 outings so far this season, Broadwater has gone 8-1-2, with the only blemish a 3-2 overtime loss to No. 2 Oswego on Dec. 8 in … Read more
A year ago, I wrote to Santa with suggestions of what each of the Division-I coaches might be wanting for Christmas, and he was kind enough to reply. Or at least his legal counsel did, although admittedly, cease and desist were about the only words I understood. Anyway, I got the idea that the gang … Read more
It’s going to be tough to outdo last season in terms of excitement, but Atlantic Hockey is poised for a strong second half. While not as ridiculously tight as last season, the standings are bunched up again with eight teams within five points. The league has its best non-conference record since 2006 and has three … Read more
It’s holiday break time in the WCHA. As usual, there is a logjam at the top the standings as teams vie for the MacNaughton Cup with a couple surprises, one big. No. 16 St. Cloud State is in first place by a point but No. 7 North Dakota, tied with Denver, is right behind with … Read more