This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
The first half of the season has seen its share of surprises, peaks and valleys. The top stories? Boston College coach Jerry York tied Ron Mason for the all-time winningest coach, but he’ll have to wait until after Christmas to try to break the mark at the Mariucci Classic. BC and New Hampshire swapped the … Read more
‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the league … wait a minute. What rhymes with “league,” anyway? Intrigue? Fatigue? Well, that’s not very jolly. As the calendar year 2012 comes to a close, it’s impossible to ignore that only one half of one season of CCHA hockey remains. Given that sobering realization and … Read more
We’re waist-deep in holiday madness, so here’s a shimmering lifeline of hockey happiness to hold on to for the next two weeks. Assuming the world doesn’t end, of course. This isn’t all, you know: Check out the last two entries in the ECAC Hockey blog for more reflections and wrap-ups on the semester that was. … Read more
Here’s what Northern Collegiate Hockey Association coaches have on their holiday wish list. On Wisconsin-Eau Claire stationary: Dear Santa, Matt Loen here, My wish list isn’t very long this year. We’re 11-2-1, currently in first place in the NCHA, and ranked third in the latest USCHO.com D-III poll. I couldn’t have asked for a better … Read more
Somewhere at the North Pole… “Hey guys, hey elves gather round. It’s always great to get the Christmas lists from all of the hockey coaches and this year the NESCAC boys have out done themselves.” “Really Santa? Why do you say that?” “Well, not only is everything neatly typed and alphabetized in convenient Excel spreadsheets; … Read more
Rather than the regular column this week, here’s a look at what each of the six ECAC West schools might like to see under their Christmas tree (or Hanukkah menorah) this month. Hobart (11-1-1 overall, 5-0-1 ECAC West) The No. 4 Statesmen would like to still be undefeated, following Saturday’s overtime loss to No. … Read more
The Christmas season has returned, and as we all know, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. I always try to be more about giving than receiving, so this year, I’ve opted to write you a letter Santa, about what I believe each team in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference would like to have … Read more
“Calm down everyone! There is room for everyone’s stockings on the mantle.” “No, Brad, you can’t take down Mike’s stocking — he gets to ask Santa for things too.” “No, we are not putting things in any order Jamie and yes, Damian and Ed you get equal space for your stockings despite what Jeff says. … Read more
The ECAC Northeast has hit its holiday break, and as we look forward to the second half of the season, the league is one big jumbled holiday stew. As coaches prepare for Christmas parties, the primary theme is likely to be conference parity, and will there be any separation anytime soon? That’s all still … Read more
Twelve months ago, Boston University went into the break with a record of 10-9-1. When the Terriers started slowly in January, losing three of the first four, they were a game under .500, and with 12 losses, in poor position to capture an at-large bid to the national tournament. Even after winning nine of 10 … Read more
Naughty or nice? That’s for Santa to decide. Still, if you were to ask each of the SUNYAC’s nine head coaches, they would swear that none of them are deserving of any stockings chucked full of coal. Indeed, they’d convince you that they’ve all been good lads who deserve something special under the tree. We … Read more
During the Holiday time, it is not uncommon to see little ones run off to mailboxes with their letters in hopes that Santa will read it and grant their every wish. Now, what would a letter look like if all the MASCAC teams dropped of their “wish list” to the jolly big-man up at the … Read more
Few people around Hockey East will deny that this was one pretty crazy first half of the season. We mentioned weeks ago that the league began separating into two parts: a top three and a bottom seven. Truth be told, at some point a middle will almost inevitably be defined. And the leader of that … Read more
Last weekend was a good one for Robert Morris. The Colonials came back to defeat Ohio State 3-2 in Columbus on Friday and then played an entertaining 2-2 tie with the Buckeyes on home ice in front of a record 1,589 fans. It was a good lead-in to Frozen Four tickets going on sale to … Read more
With its sixth win in a row and third league sweep in as many weeks, No. 20 Minnesota State, picked by most to be a bottom-three team in the WCHA, sits in a tie for third place in the league headed into the final weekend before the holiday break. Now, the purple Mavericks (9-5-2, 7-5 … Read more
Gustavus Adolphus is no stranger to the top spot in the MIAC conference. The Golden Gusties have dominated the league for over a decade, and so far, this season has been no different. Gustavus Adolphus is 8-0-0 overall and 6-0-0 in MIAC play heading into a crucial home-and-home series with rival Wis.-River Falls, which starts … Read more
As most colleges in the U.S. wind down for the fall semester and many people are gearing up for winter holidays, I can’t help but think that in three months from Christmas Eve, we’ll be saying goodbye to the CCHA. I know that early in the season I said I’d focus on the here and … Read more
Colgate coach Don Vaughan went against his instincts at the start of the year — and it has paid big dividends so far for the Raiders. Freshman Kyle Baun and twins Tyson and Tylor Spink have been Colgate’s most productive line to date. But that they’re even together goes against what Vaughan has done during … Read more
Three new varsity programs joined the varsity Division II/III ranks at the start of this season, with the University of New England, Stevenson University, and Franklin Pierce all playing their inaugural seasons. Stevenson and Franklin Pierce each announced their intentions of starting varsity hockey well in advance, leaving their respective coaching staffs nearly a full … Read more
A typical day for a Milwaukee School of Engineering Raider starts in the classroom, and then they could be designing and testing mechanical devices for a real-life client before heading to the rink for a grueling practice. The rest of the evening is spent doing homework. Ah, what a life. In conversations I have had … Read more