This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
Former Minnesota Duluth forward Adam Johnson played two seasons with the Bulldogs, and earlier this week, UMD coach Scott Sandelin explained why Johnson would’ve gone on to captain the team if he hadn’t left early for pro hockey. Johnson’s intangibles on and off the ice helped make him a coveted prospect out of Minnesota high … Read more
Lleyton Roed was the top-scoring freshman in the CCHA last season, notching 31 points (13 goals and 18 assists). It was about as good a debut for any Bemidji State player ever. The last freshman to lead the Beavers in scoring was Matt Read, who scored 27 points in 2007-08 and remains the team’s Division … Read more
Jack Bar assumed his night was over. The junior defenseman was seated on the Harvard bench next to Kyle Aucoin, and the duo had every reason to believe their night was over. For the past three hours, they’d skated their season opener in a conference game against Dartmouth, and a third period goal by the … Read more
This weekend is the first full slate of Big Ten play, with three conference series plus a home-and-home tilt between Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth. Since the start of the season, Big Ten teams have played a total of 43 nonconference games with a 29-12-2 record for the best win percentage in interleague play – barely. … Read more
There’s a cliche that says that “games in October are as important as games in March.” Of course, each game is always worth three points, but it often feels like contests late in the season carry more intensity compared to ones played early. That wasn’t the case last weekend when Holy Cross hosted Rochester Institute … Read more
Wins over a trio of ranked opponents — including the preseason No. 1 team in the country — have put New Hampshire in the national spotlight as the college hockey season enters its second month. But what really exemplifies the Wildcats’ success, in the eyes of sixth-year coach Mike Souza, was a play that occurred … Read more
It can be a very unenviable task, being the guy who takes over for the guy. That’s the hand Denver junior goaltender Matt Davis was dealt entering this season, holding the most prior experience among the Pioneers’ three goalies who were looking to take over for the since-graduated Magnus Chrona. The Swede now plying his … Read more
After four close games with nationally-ranked St. Cloud State and Minnesota to open their first two weeks of the season, St. Thomas hosted Lindenwood for a series this past weekend. But just because the Lions don’t have the same kind of star power or high-end skill as the Huskies or Gophers have didn’t mean a … Read more
College hockey spent the last three weeks raging its way through a number of different storylines. Top-ranked teams came and went as early season wins and losses piled up. A couple surprising outcomes raised eyebrows and drew eyeballs to potential risers and fallers. Hotshot prospects and seasoned veterans battled into corners and along the walls … Read more
A week away from a full slate of Big Ten games, there are a number of interesting nonconference series for B1G teams, including No. 8 Michigan State’s pair at No. 3 Boston College and No. 16 Ohio State visiting an old CCHA foe, No. 20 Omaha. Last weekend, B1G play began with a single series, … Read more
American International has been on the wrong end of three close games to open their 2023-24 campaign — and one not so close — but last weekend, the Yellow Jackets flipped the script, picking up their first win of this young season. Eric Lang’s team opened with a 5-3 loss to Massachusetts that saw AIC … Read more
Boston College faced its biggest test of the young season last Saturday night, and passed, even though the final score would indicate otherwise. Yes, the Eagles were handed a 4-3 loss by visiting Denver before a standing-room-only crowd of 7,884 Saturday night at the Silvio O. Conte Forum. And second-year coach Greg Brown would rather … Read more
After all the changes that happened in Mankato during the offseason, one nearly expected to tune in to their game against St. Cloud State on Friday night and see something truly wild. Like maybe the Mavericks ditched purple from their color scheme in favor of teal and moved their home arena from Mankato to Sleepy … Read more
Whether it had been Omaha’s first series of the season or the Mavericks’ 15th, they were always going to have last weekend’s home set against Niagara circled on the calendar. Atlantic Hockey’s Purple Eagles were UNO’s curtain-raising opponent for a second consecutive year, and regular attendees at Baxter Arena probably won’t want to remember Niagara’s … Read more
Anthony Romano never realized how loud Cheel Arena’s goal horn really got. The Clarkson senior heard the steam whistle’s piercing blast for three-plus years, but it felt different in the stands. He appreciated how the crowd contributed to the overall volume and vibration rattling his bones after the Golden Knights scored, and he felt how … Read more
Two weeks into the season, and with only one game between conference foes in the books, Hockey East is already living up to its reputation as one of the deepest conferences in college hockey. Case in point, New Hampshire’s 6-4 victory over Boston University — the No. 1 team in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll … Read more
Under coach Bill Riga, Holy Cross has seen an upward trajectory. The 2021-22 season, Riga’s first at the helm, ended in a last-place finish and a 12-23-2 record. Last season, the Crusaders were picked to again finish last, but got on a roll in the second half of the season and really caught fire in … Read more
For the second straight season, the Big Ten has put up good numbers in nonconference games before the start of league play. Through three weeks and 22 nonconference games, the Big Ten is collectively 16-6-1 and has outscored opponents 81-57. It’s a solid beginning and a good omen. At roughly the same point last year … Read more
And then there were two… After today’s frozen four semifinal results, we’re left with two teams that will go at it for the national championship in Amherst, MA (Orr Rink) on Sunday March 19 at 3:00pm EST. Gustavus vs Plattsburgh (Gustavus wins 3-2 in double-overtime) Entering the game, Plattsburgh held a record of 26-2-0, while … Read more
Well, we made it. Months of meetings, interviews, practices, film sessions, refinements, power plays, penalty kills, shots, scores, saves, blocks, games, broadcasts, and anything else that anyone can think of. Five-plus months after the first puck dropped on St. Lawrence’s game at UMass Lowell, the final skate to award the Whitelaw Cup, occurs this weekend … Read more