This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
The final four Atlantic Hockey teams will settle things this weekend, each on a different mission with the same goal in mind. “The teams here have different motivations,” said Rochester Institute of Technology coach Wayne Wilson. “For UConn, it’s been four years and Holy Cross is new to coming to Rochester. Air Force won three … Read more
The temperatures may be balmier than usual this week in southeast Michigan and the first day of Spring arrives Monday, but the only season that matters in Detroit this weekend is hockey season. It’s the 30th anniversary of the CCHA championship tournament in Joe Louis Arena, and for the first time since the 2005-06 season, … Read more
Well, we’re about to start the “Just got tougher” version of the WCHA Final Five … which has five games and six teams. But hey, no pointless third-place game, right? Also: Remember how Denver’s George Gwozdecky said a year or two back that the Final Five might be the best tournament in college hockey? Bemidji … Read more
Well, no one ever said it would be easy … or predictable. Another ECAC Hockey end-game is upon us, as four teams converge on Atlantic City for its inaugural league championship weekend. Each of these teams is compelling for its own reasons, with a story worth telling of challenges met and feats yet to achieve. … Read more
This year’s NCAA Tournament field offers a unique blend of historical programs and new kids on the block. The two-time defending national champion Amherst Lord Jeffs won’t have a chance to defend their title after falling to Middlebury, 4-3, in the NESCAC championship. Also, for the first time ever in the 10-year history of the … Read more
Now that the NCAA Field of Eight has been selected for this year’s tourney, the question so rightly asked as Saturday’s quarterfinal tilts approach is, ” “Who will win the Frozen Four?” The stock answer to that is, “Some team from the West.” It’s been that way for 10 years, and with three entries in … Read more
Though many fans and pundits alike could scarcely hide their glee at Cornell’s most uncharacteristic first-half flop, the Big Red rose from the mat once more to contend for another heavyweight title. Once 2-4-0 in ECAC play, Cornell played out the remainder of the league docket 9-5-2 to wrest a first-round bye. “We knew, obviously, … Read more
Three teams advanced from the first round of the CCHA playoffs last weekend. Congratulations to Alaska, Bowling Green and Lake Superior State. I was completely wrong in my predictions on the outcome of the first round, which surprises no one. That I picked as I did was as much a symptom of the real parity … Read more
Well, you can say this about the first weekend of the new Atlantic Hockey playoff format: There was plenty of drama. All four lower-seeded teams advanced and will face the four bye teams in best-of-three quarterfinal series this weekend. “When it’s a one-game series, anything can and does happen,” said Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin, whose … Read more
Well, it’s that time of year, once again, when we’ve finished the grind of the regular season and are ready for the playoffs. Before we go in depth, let’s see how we all did, shall we? (Here’s how the standings actually turned out.) My picks 1. North Dakota 2. St. Cloud State 3. Minnesota-Duluth 4. … Read more
The featured teams this week are Merrimack and Maine. The two will square off in what typically is the most gripping series of the quarterfinals. But to heighten the suspense — you can’t stand it, right? — we’ll go from top to bottom. No. 1 Boston College hosts No. 8 Massachusetts Could BC possibly be … Read more
ECAC Northeast No underdog stories this time around. A year after sixth-seeded Johnson and Wales roared their way into the championship game, the top two seeds are all that remains in the final contest before the NCAA Tournament. Top-seeded Curry knocked off Becker, 5-1, while second place Wentworth ousted No. 3 JWU 4-3 in overtime … Read more
When it comes to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties have held a firm grasp at the top of the standings and in postseason play for quite some time. The Gusties wrapped up their seventh straight regular season title with a 14-2-2 record and have compiled a remarkable 113-7-6 record over … Read more
Has it really been half a dozen years since the BU varsity women’s program came into being? That’s just too hard to believe. Seems like only yesterday that the Terriers were something of an hockey Hubanomaly. The lone club program in the Women’s Beanpot. The last place an elite New Englander would even think about … Read more
While both the ECAC East and NESCAC conferences play out the semis and finals of their conference tournaments this weekend, there really are more differences than similarities in the pairings for the final four groupings. However, one thing in common is the presence of teams from the lower half of the brackets, including three in … Read more
Here is a quick look at this weekend’s respective playoff championships in the Midwest, Minnesota and Northern collegiate hockey conferences. The winners in all three will get a ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament, which starts March 9 with the first round. The Final Four takes place March 25-26 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, … Read more
It’s not that this weekend’s games between Wisconsin and Colorado College never had anything on the line, but the series has taken on a whole new meaning since the end of January. At that point, Wisconsin was amid a five-game winning streak and sitting in fourth place in the WCHA standings, four points behind first-place … Read more
Three of the four teams earning a bye in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs go into the postseason on a roll. Air Force, Connecticut and Holy Cross are hoping that the extra down time doesn’t cool them off: • Air Force went 6-2-2 down the stretch, including 4-0 in its final two weekends, to leapfrog Niagara … Read more
All Notre Dame needed to capture the regular-season title was a win at home. Heading into last weekend’s games, the Fighting Irish were a point ahead of Michigan in the CCHA standings. Friday night, Notre Dame beat Western Michigan in Kalamazoo while the Wolverines kept pace by beating Northern Michigan in Marquette. When the season … Read more
Psst … it’s time. Wake up, grab some coffee and find your sweater: It’s the postseason, and everybody is back to square one. Crimson climbing fast Who’s the hottest team in the league entering the playoffs? If you said Union, you’re totally right. On a 10-0-1 run, the Dutchmen are just stupid-good right now. But … Read more