This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
First things first: • It’s rivalry week in the WCHA, with Colorado College and Denver squaring off while Minnesota hosts Wisconsin. But there are also some pretty important series in terms of points for teams lower in the standings who are looking to make a jump before the holiday break. • In saying that, there’s … Read more
Unrest in the West It can arguably be called the most exciting region in Division III college hockey. For the past few weeks, the teams in the West have proven the old adage true-anybody can beat anybody on any given night. In the annual NCHA/MIAC battle, Wisconsin-Superior was upset by Bethel, St. Norbert lost to … Read more
The post-holiday slate of games presents some intriguing matchups for the ECACHL teams, none more so than the set of games scheduled for the North Country this weekend. The games in Potsdam and Canton will feature three of the ECACHL’s five ranked teams in No. 12 St. Lawrence, No. 14 Harvard, and No. 19 Clarkson, … Read more
Time to Give Thanks For eight years I have been writing this column for USCHO.com, and over that time there have been few traditions that I’ve developed. One, though, has to do with Thanksgiving. Each year, my column published on Thanksgiving day takes a bit of a tongue-in-cheek look around the world of Atlantic Hockey, … Read more
Being that it’s Thanksgiving and all, the six teams that comprise the CHA all have much to be thankful for. First off, they have a league and that in itself has been a topic of choice the past several weeks. Will the CHA exist next year? How can it operate with five teams? What school … Read more
First things first: • Two years ago, Minnesota and Wisconsin completed an unprecedented road sweep of the College Hockey Showcase — unprecedented for the WCHA, that is. With the Gophers and the Badgers back in Michigan this weekend, the bar is raised. • When things go wrong for Michigan Tech, they really go wrong. But … Read more
A Video’s Worth A Thousand Bucks We live in a world in which Mariah Carey is considered the best current American female soul/R&B artist, so very little should surprise and shock us. But even the most jaded among us finds it hard to imagine that a Division I coach would compile a tape of what … Read more
Giving Thanks If you and your loved ones are healthy and you’re reading this column, then you have plenty of reason to be thankful. Not that this particular scramble of words is a sign that you’ve been fortunate. This week’s mishmash isn’t likely to be any better than the swill I offer up any other … Read more
Last weekend the action in the ECACHL was defined by strong play on home ice by a number of teams as Brown, Rensselaer and Union all swept weekend series in front of their fans. The other results of note were splits with ranked foes, as both Harvard and Dartmouth split their home series with then-No. … Read more
What’s Goin’ On? If you can figure out what’s going on in this league, there’s a Nobel Prize nomination in your future. In non-conference games, Hockey East is 3-7-0 against the ECACHL and 1-2-0 against Atlantic Hockey. In past seasons, league teams were expected to win all the games against the Atlantic and a clear … Read more
Everybody Hurts Well, everybody except for Michigan. The Wolverines moved to the top of the USCHO.com/CSTV poll this week with a record of 9-1-1 (5-1-1 CCHA) as nearly everyone else in the top 10 lost at least one contest. Given the 11 rookies on the Wolverine roster, some folks find Michigan’s quick start surprising. Certainly, … Read more
Being named the College Hockey America preseason player of the year hasn’t given Bemidji State goalie Matt Climie a big ego. In fact, he’s still doing what he does best: win hockey games for the Beavers. Last Friday, Climie made 25 saves in a 4-1 win at Wayne State, but sat the next night as … Read more
1,000 And Counting It may have taken what seemed like an eternity, but Army finally reached the 1,000-win plateau last Friday night. And the Black Knights did so in the greatest way imaginable. Army, which entered the season with 999 wins and entered the weekend winless this season, beat archrival Air Force at home on, … Read more
First things first: • Emotions ran high after Wisconsin’s Adam Burish hit Colorado College’s Scott Thauwald at the horn at the end of last Saturday’s game. It’s too bad, too, because that incident overshadowed a series of skill and tenacity. • On paper, it seems like a different Minnesota State team out there the last … Read more
First things first: • So which is worse, the bad press from Minnesota’s subpar start to the season or the bad press from the shocking — shocking! — reports of underage Gophers players being at a bar and some of them drinking alcohol? I’m guessing that being 3-3-2 doesn’t rank at the top of the … Read more
A Hero Among Us Sacrifice is a word invoked often in team sports. Without question, the collective willingness to subjugate the individual for the greater whole is often the difference between success and failure. Here, however, it’s time to look at sacrifice in an even more significant context, one particularly appropriate in light of the … Read more
Timing Is Everything. In the Friday, Nov. 4 game between Ohio State and Miami, there were a total of 178 penalty minutes, 101 of which — stop smirking — were assessed to the Buckeyes. Of course, I wasn’t there to see it. This is the way every week before moving households should go: Secure the … Read more
The weekend’s most anticipated ECACHL game, a rematch of last year’s ECACHL Championship, will take place on Friday evening as throngs of Big Red hockey fans attempt to turn Harvard’s Bright Hockey Center into “Lynah East.” Last season the two teams split during the regular season — Cornell won 2-0 in an early season encounter … Read more
Les Reaney is quickly becoming a household name in western New York. The Niagara freshman led the [nl]Williams Lake TimberWolves and the entire British Columbia Hockey League in scoring last year with 38 goals and 100 points and through eight games this year is tied for the NU scoring lead with senior Randy Harris. Both … Read more
Clash of the Titans, Part I It may only be November, but it’s highly likely that the attention of many in Atlantic Hockey will be focused on Worcester this weekend as the league’s preseason favorites, Mercyhurst and Holy Cross, lock horns for the first time this year. It’s a series that everyone involved would like … Read more