This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
There are a handful of freshmen who have made a quick impact on this season so far. Heading that list are the Geneseo forward duo of Zachary Vit and Rich Manley. They are certainly hard to miss on the ice. Vit stands at 6-3 and 200 lbs. while Manley is 6-5. Sometimes, these numbers are … Read more
Junior Kevin Willer has improved each season of his college career, and he has continued that this season, leading Elmira in goals with 12 and is third in assists with 11. This compares to the 15 goals and 19 assists he tallied all of last season. Willer scored both goals in Elmira’s 2-2 tie last … Read more
With 26 players returning from last year’s squad that went 17-9-1, including 12-5-1 in the MASCAC, first-year Plymouth State head coach Craig Russell had every reason to believe this season could be just as successful. However, while their are still some kinks to be worked out (the Panthers are 7-1, but have four ties on … Read more
Their record stands at 10-1-2 inside the conference and they hold at least two games in hand over their closest competition in the Hockey East standings. With a strong offense, defense, and special teams, they have no perceptible weakness. I speak, of course, of the New Hampshire Wildcats. Their only league loss came on Nov. … Read more
At the Great Lakes Invitational, I ran into John Markell for the first time since he was replaced as Ohio State’s head coach. I’ve known John for a long time; he became head coach when I began as USCHO’s CCHA columnist (known as a “correspondent” back in 1996). As I watched his career wax and … Read more
Air Force pulled off another last-second comeback last Friday, scoring an extra-attacker goal with 0.6 seconds left to earn a tie at Sacred Heart. It was the fifth time in the last three seasons that the Falcons had either won or tied a game in literally the last second. • Feb. 13, 2009: Mike Phillipich … Read more
Being a fan is about being biased. It’s about believing in something, regardless of what objective analyses might tell you, always waiting for the Next Big Thing: The next Gretzky, The Drive Part Two, the next Kirk Gibson whoda-thunkit. But while between phenomenal phenomena, being a fan is also about being opinionated. It’s about debate, … Read more
Jake Marto of North Dakota and Minnesota’s Aaron Ness both grew up in the Upper Midwest following the WCHA, so they understand the significance of the schools’ rivalry. Marto, a Grand Forks, N.D., native, went to high school across town from Ralph Engelstad Arena and Ness grew up in Northwest Minnesota, where there’s a mix … Read more
One of the most historic weeks in the history of the Worcester State men’s ice hockey program was followed by….nothing. The Lancers started their final week of play in 2010 by knocking off Fitchburg State, who they hadn’t beaten since 2003. Following that was a 4-1 win over Westfield State, who swept the season series … Read more
A more positive thinker in college hockey than Sacred Heart coach Tom O’Malley, you’re just not gonna find. Rain pours in through a leaky roof, and he’s likely to collect the drips to water the office plants. That wellspring of optimism has carried him well through his coaching career, which is a darned good thing. … Read more
Todd Sheridan’s playing days at Brockport may be over, but that hasn’t slowed him down when it comes to his charitable foundation, Saves For A Cure. In fact, he is expanding the effort. A cancer survivor himself, he got a second chance to play college hockey as the goaltender for Brockport. He rewarded the team … Read more
“It’s a done deal,” stated Bowdoin coach Terry Meagher. “The league approved the change last fall and the schedule has just been finalized for next season, with the NESCAC becoming a separate playing conference and the ECAC East mirroring the change. This will be really exciting, playing everyone at home, and should make for a very … Read more
Wisconsin-Stevens Point coach Wil Nichol’s announced departure this week left a few lingering questions, notably the timing. Nichol is leaving June 1 to take an unspecified operations job with an unnamed NHL team. A national search for Nichol’s successor will start in spring, with the intent of having a new coach in place by July … Read more
Hobart hit the road on December 30, straight up Route 14 to the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic tournament. The Statesmen opened the tournament against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, giving them a rare opportunity to measure themselves against a respected Western team. Despite being outshot 18-7 in the first period, Stevens Point built a 2-1 lead in … Read more
Those who tuned into any of the United States’ preliminary games at the World Junior Championship saw a half-full HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., with an upper deck that was mostly vacant. The seats were full in America’s semifinal game Tuesday — full of people wearing cardinal red and cheering for Canada. It’s easy to … Read more
It’s a familiar refrain. You can fill in the coach or player following in a press conference following a midseason tournament win. “Winning this year’s Fantastico Tournament will help us in the second half of the season. Our goal is the league championship, and this is a step in that direction.” But is it? After … Read more
The number of league games played for each Atlantic Hockey team is starting to even out as schools put their non-conference games behind them and begin to focus on the home stretch. Air Force has been cashing in its games in hand, taking seven points in its last four league contests. After an 0-4 start, … Read more
As we welcome in the new year, we also welcome the meat of the season: It’s pretty much ECAC Hockey from here on out (the Beanpot and a smattering of other non-conference games notwithstanding). We’re rounding the bend into the final straightaway (albeit an eight-week straightaway), with our teams starting to show their true selves. … Read more
The attention paid to this year’s Merrimack team has been so great that coach Mark Dennehy admits his friends are sick of reading about it. “We’ve got a lot of attention because we’re kind of the darlings right now,” Dennehy said. The headlines, though, haven’t slowed down the Warriors, who began the second half of … Read more
PathFinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic It’s the fifth year for this tournament which tries to get one team from New York State, another team from New England, and a team from out West. Now, if you look at this year’s field, you may think there are two teams from New York. Well, technically that’s true. … Read more