This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
The Concordia (Wis.) women’s hockey program has gone through the growing pains of a young program. In their first varsity season in 2007-2008, the Falcons went the whole season without a win. Fast forward to the present, Concordia is having its best season yet and currently sits in third place in the always-competitive NCHA conference … Read more
This year’s edition of the Bowdoin Polar Bears has really not shocked anyone with their level of play and current position at the top of the NESCAC standings. At 13-4-0 overall and 9-4-0 in the league, Bowdoin has really shown off its offensive prowess this season behind big numbers from sophomore forward Daniel Weiniger (16-17-33) … Read more
Although this season has certainly seen it’s share of exciting games, surprising results, and competitive hockey, the races for positions have not been as riveting as the past few years. Oswego took off from the start and has never looked back. Their magic number to clinch first place is two points. The only way they … Read more
While the regular season winds down, the D-III West region playoff picture gets clearer with every weekly coat of Windex in the form of pivotal games down the stretch. At stake in each of the three conferences is an automatic bid to the NCAA D-III tournament. Here is a brief synopsis of how playoff and … Read more
For many, sports provide a release in which nothing matters outside of the field of competition. For Salve Regina sophomore Isaiah Carlson, athletics have provided an outlet for his talents to be used to reach out and give back to others. Carlson was one of the record 25 players nominated last Wednesday for the Hockey … Read more
Elmira made a statement last weekend by sweeping Manhattanville on the road. The pair of wins moved the Soaring Eagles into sole possession of first place, but they didn’t come easy. Manhattanville is always tough to play at home. “It was a little unexpected by a lot of people, but our guys are playing great … Read more
It wasn’t exactly an unintended consequence. However there was a tinge of irony attached to the Wisconsin’s wildly successful “Fill the Bowl” promotion for last Saturday’s game with rival Minnesota. Not only did the Badgers pull in 10,668 spectators to the Kohl Center — thereby smashing to smithereens all women’s college hockey attendance records — … Read more
Robert Morris has had a promising first year in Atlantic Hockey. The Colonials are 15-8-4 overall and 10-6-4 in league play, good for third place. RMU’s 15 wins is already the most in school history. Its 5-2 non-conference record is the best in the league. There’s no doubt in coach Derek Schooley’s mind that the … Read more
There are two sides to every story: While many were stunned by Yale’s sweep this weekend, there is also the matter of the Capital District’s recent supremacy. Union got a lot of attention early in the year as it slaughtered its way through an early schedule, simply annihilating all comers to Messa Rink, but Rensselaer … Read more
When Michigan and Michigan State faced off for their last regular-season battle last Saturday, two legendary coaches were facing off for perhaps the last time in their careers. MSU’s Rick Comley and UM’s Red Berenson are two of the best in the business and Comley’s hiring at MSU heightened what was already one of the … Read more
As I sit here surrounded by feet upon feet of snow, lack power and heat and am ready for the groundhog’s prediction of an early spring to come true, here are some random musings about Hockey East: • The Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks, who have been cannon fodder for this column this year, are seemingly playing … Read more
Many times this season, I’ve used this space to talk about a team’s journey, whether it be Colorado College’s roller coaster ride, St. Cloud State’s consistent inconsistency or Denver’s resiliency, to name a few examples. This week, I’m using this space to talk about Alaska-Anchorage’s journey (a story I feel has been a bit overdue). … Read more
After qualifying for the first eight NCAA Tournaments, Middlebury missed the NCAA postseason for the first time last year. The Panthers have been a model of consistency under coach Bill Mandigo since he took over in 1988, including winning an unprecedented three straight national championships. Middlebury has only had one losing season during his 23 … Read more
The French call it “potpourri” while the Hungarians call it “goulash”. Me, I call it this week’s column, a collection of odds and ends from the world of women’s Division I pucks. There is a common thread among those items; see if you can find it. Pour example’, in Madison, Wis., we see the Badgers … Read more
Oftentimes, top players on teams that aren’t at the top of the standings get overlooked. When they are doing well, they are sometimes dismissed as being the only go-to guy on the squad, so naturally their stats will be “inflated.” This would be a misnomer when it comes to Brockport’s James Cody and Fredonia’s Jordan … Read more
Two weeks ago, Manhattanville won its 200th game as a program against Curry. The Valiants accomplished that feat in only 305 total games. Winning two-thirds of their games after starting from nothing 12 years ago is quite an accomplishment. “We have had a lot of really good people around here,” said Manhattanville’s only head coach, … Read more
A close look at the Wesleyan University Cardinals results to date shows a lot of close games, overtime games that somehow didn’t quite go the right way for coach Chris Potter’s squad. Ties are nice, especially when you are not scoring a lot of goals, as was the case for the Cardinals, especially in the … Read more
Making an adjustment to college hockey can be difficult for some players. Some, like Plymouth State goalie Jack Astedt, need a year or so to adjust to the new surroundings and tendencies of the game. However, a large number of freshman have already made an impact thus far this season, including a pair of goalies … Read more
The respective Division III West conference races have turned into a sprint for the finish where standout goaltending will remain at a premium. Here is a quick look at those the star performers between the pipes who will have a large say in how their respective teams perform down the stretch as the battle for … Read more
With five weekends left in the regular season, the Atlantic Hockey standings are shaping up a lot like the coaches expected at the beginning of the season. The six western scheduling “pod” teams hold down the top six spots in the standings. This will make for a very unbalanced playoff bracket if things stay that … Read more