This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
Mid-autumn in Cambridge brings with it visions of sculling on the Charles River with leaves of every hue serving as an idyllic backdrop. Then again, there’s just one color that really seems to matter in this corner of the hub, and that would be Harvard Crimson. To that end, veteran bench boss Katey Stone has … Read more
Last week, the New York Times’ Jeff Z. Klein reported on Mayo Clinic research that found women’s ice hockey to be the most concussion-prone sport endorsed by the NCAA. The results are certainly surprising, in no small part because women’s hockey is non-checking and therefore in theory less violent. While I don’t intend to delve … Read more
Eleven of the 12 WCHA teams play this weekend, and a couple of the series are extremely key for the participants. Here are what I think are the important series and why: Denver at North Dakota With this series, we’re treated to what has become one of the best rivalries in the WCHA. It may … Read more
American International experienced the highs and lows of college hockey, all within a 24-hour span last weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo. Last Friday, the Yellow Jackets overcame a 2-0 deficit and defeated Air Force 5-3. It was AIC’s first win in school history over the Falcons. It took the Yellow Jackets 21 games to accomplish … Read more
Three games into the season, things have played out pretty much according to expectations for the Vermont Catamounts. If the team knew there would be a challenge entering the season, it would be goal scoring. Still, at 0-1-2, the Cats’ record is hardly as bad as it may look. A 5-3 loss to Denver to … Read more
How much is too much when it comes to a good thing? When a team with a dozen freshmen coming off a season with a dozen wins knocks off the defending national champion, that’s a good thing. When that young team is the first team to hold the defending champ to a single goal in … Read more
Erin Cody can be glad she wasn’t born any time before 1988.You can bet her Bemidji State teammates are thankful for that, too. After all, she would have missed playing her senior season in the gleaming new Bemidji Regional Events Center. And they would have missed her contribution to what proved to be a most … Read more
Wednesday evening, I had a rare opportunity to catch Northern Michigan coach Walt Kyle as the Wildcats were preparing to leave for Oxford, Ohio, to face Miami this weekend. Given that NMU is 0-2-1 to start the season, I wasn’t sure what Kyle would say about his team. “I like our team,” he said. “I … Read more
To paraphrase the message Nebraska-Omaha sent its WCHA counterparts last weekend, the Mavericks aren’t intimidated by their new league and the tough teams that make it up. The Mavericks swept Minnesota by scores of 5-4 and 4-2 in their WCHA debut and are undefeated at 4-0. UNO has done it with a high-powered offense led … Read more
It has been a record-setting start for Robert Morris, which is 4-0 for the first time in school history. The Colonials defeated Ohio State and Air Force last weekend to stay perfect and are off to a 3-0 start in Atlantic Hockey play. “We’re obviously happy with our start,” Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley said. … Read more
Boston College came into this season with high expectations all around. Hockey East coaches unanimously picked the Eagles to finish first in the league. They were tops in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll. Northeastern coach Greg Cronin even suggested that BC could win 40 games, which would be close to an undefeated season. All … Read more
There is no question that the biggest news in college hockey this year — perhaps even this decade — has been Penn State’s commitment to go Division I. On the wings of a huge private donation, an immense and storied athletic department and a tradition of excellence at the club-hockey level, the Nittany Lions will … Read more
There is rebuilding, and then there is reloading. Funny how it is that the first rate programs never have to do the former, but are adept at doing the latter. Programs such as Mercyhurst. Success for the Lakers under head coach Michael Sisti has been constant throughout their nine-year run atop the CHA. You think … Read more
Atlantic Hockey grew to 12 teams this season, which pretty much everyone agrees is a good thing. Niagara and Robert Morris have a new home, and the presence of two more quality teams with good track records of success can only help the league as it continues to raise its image. On the other hand, … Read more
We’re in another year and we’ve got a new-look everything. New-look league, new-look USCHO and new-look WCHA coverage. This year, we’re following Hockey East’s lead and splitting the duties. Much like Jim Connelly and Dave Hendrickson have been sharing things over there, this year, I’ll be sharing this space with Tyler Buckentine. You’ve already read … Read more
Welcome to the USCHO of Tomorrow … today! Hope you’re getting a good feel for our new layout and material, and before rushing to judgment on the diminished length of the column, I’ll point out that we’re adding three weekly blog updates per league in order to better stay on top of timely events. Today, … Read more
The rookies Not only is it a shiny new college hockey season, it’s a potentially more interesting season for the CCHA than we’ve had in a long time. Three new head coaches and one single team with more freshman than returning players, plus the specter of the Big Ten and an 11-team conference with creative … Read more
Is it only me, or has the start date for college hockey gotten a bit out of control? When a team’s first practice is actually an exhibition game, I think teams are playing too early. When a club is 0-2 in the league eight days after it takes the ice, I think teams are playing … Read more
Let’s face it: Even though this is a pretty unusual quartet, Albany-wise, it’s not the first time we’ve seen them. If you want the nitty-gritty on each team, I recommend reading the past two columns … this is purely the final polish. Go get ’em, boys. No. 11 Brown The bear went over the mountain … Read more
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! Lucky you, you get the last column of the year a day early due to the WCHA switching around its awards banquet. So, onward, and if of legal age, hope you’ve been enjoying being Irish today. Around the WCHA As the season has ended, we’ve already seen two players sign … Read more