This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
Colgate, Dartmouth and Harvard all answered the challenge last weekend, recording four points apiece and securing first-round byes for the ECACHL playoffs. Cornell’s stumble on Friday night in a 2-0 loss to Rensselaer enabled Colgate and Dartmouth to capture a share of the Cleary Cup as the co-champions of the ECACHL regular season. Raider assistant … Read more
First things first: • Lo and behold, we finally picked a first-place finisher right. We — myself and the WCHA’s coaches — have been notoriously wrong about that subject when polled before the season but a preseason favorite finally came through with Minnesota’s first outright MacNaughton Cup championship since 1992. • Wisconsin was at “rock … Read more
Hand out the Hardware Could it really be true that the season is coming to an end? College sports’ longest season is just about over and it’s time to go through my list of accolades and tell you who I believe deserves the hardware come day’s end. Talking to coaches and others around the league … Read more
NCAA Tournament Bids on the Line March Madness is upon us. No, not the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament, but the MIAC and NCHA championship games. If anyone from the MIAC wants to be playing in the NCAA Tournament, they will have to win the conference tournament. It doesn’t look as if any team has played … Read more
Awards, Part 2 Last week, I dished out the virtual hardware for a list of categories all of my own making, honoring many a CCHA player who deserved his nanosecond in the spotlight. I received a bit of flack for my pick of Jack Johnson as Rookie of the Year. None of the criticism came … Read more
March, it’s the month of March. And if your team is still playing this week it’s a pretty big deal. Conference bragging rights and a chance to play in the national tournament is what it all comes down to before Sunday, March 5th. At the beginning of the year every team had goals set out … Read more
Three CHA schools hosted Senior Night last weekend and three more honor their soon-to-be graduates this weekend. The six games on the docket will finally clear up the fuzzy CHA playoff picture. Thus far, only Robert Morris, in fourth place, has sewn up a seed for the CHA Tournament next week in Detroit. At the … Read more
The Promised Land After 45 league contests, four teams have reached the promised land of the ECAC West playoffs this weekend. Manhattanville clinched the regular season title last Friday and will host the extravaganza. But not only will the Valiants play host to the men’s tournament, they are also hosting the women’s ECAC East playoffs … Read more
All Rookie Team and Defensive Awards For years, the SUNYAC has issued first and second All SUNYAC teams as well as Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year awards. After a suggestion from the coaches, it was felt that there was also a need to name an All Rookie … Read more
First things first: • If it seems like WCHA teams have been having a harder time than usual defending home ice, it’s not your imagination. Through 122 league games this season, the home team is 55-55-12. Should make for some interesting first-round playoff series two weeks from now. • One second, we’re ready to pencil … Read more
Down The Stretch So much can happen over these final two weeks — just ask Boston College on the negative side and Maine on the positive — but the Hockey East playoff picture has gotten a good deal clearer. Even though the potential exists for a five-way tie for first place. Yup, a five-way tie. … Read more
The Envelope, Please Given the mild January and February many CCHA fans have experienced, it’s hard to believe that winter is two-thirds over. It’s harder still to believe that this is the last weekend of regular-season CCHA play. The season was shortened by a week to accommodate the new playoff format, and I’ve yet to … Read more
Fact or Fiction? Frequent readers of this column know that I love playing the game “Fact or Fiction” at least once a year. It’s based on the ESPN segment of the same title that picks various sports topics, makes a statement about them, and then gives in-studio guests a chance to say whether they believe … Read more
Last weekend was an eventful one in the ECACHL, with a number of exciting games and a few surprise outcomes. Clarkson and St. Lawrence both recorded much needed sweeps of Brown and Yale. And among the quartet of league leaders — Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Harvard — that faced off, each came away with two … Read more
Now all Air Force has to do is keep the momentum rolling. And keeping Peter Foster in net wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. The Falcons swept Alabama-Huntsville last weekend to serve notice they should not be taken lightly, especially with the CHA tournament coming up in two weeks in Detroit. Alabama-Huntsville was at the … Read more
Jim Connelly is out of commission for a few days, but never fear, he will return next week with another edition of “This Week in Atlantic Hockey.” First In Line With six regular-season games left for every Atlantic Hockey team, three teams are left with realistic hopes of winning the title. Holy Cross, Mercyhurst and … Read more
First things first: • Many eyes will be on Minneapolis this weekend as Minnesota and Denver, the top two teams in the WCHA, square off for control with the number of remaining games dwindling. Our thoughts? Enjoy the show. • Brian Elliott will return to the goal for Wisconsin for one game this weekend. Is … Read more
Can it be? Yes, as hard as it is to believe for both players and coaches, this next week represents the final games in the regular season. For some, it’s a chance to improve a playoff position; for others an opportunity to play more hockey in February and beyond. And for others, it’s a must-win … Read more
What an oddball year this has been in College Hockey America. Alabama-Huntsville and Bemidji State are 1-2 in the standings and Niagara sits tied with the Beavers. Was that much expected? Perhaps. But for the bottom three, most figured Wayne State would be in the No. 4 range, maybe even No. 3, and Robert Morris … Read more
It’s Go Time The postseason is upon us, at least in the NCHA. And how about that nagging question-will MSOE make the NCAA Tournament? I’ll give a quick rundown of the first round matchups in the NCHA tournament and make a case for why the Raiders are for real. NCHA Playoffs No.8 Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2-19-4 … Read more