This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
The WCHA makes it a successful holiday season with four tournament titles; St. Cloud State faces a tough test to open the new year; and scheduling issues crop up in conjunction with the World Juniors. Todd D. Milewski reports.
Dave Hendrickson takes a hard look at Hockey East’s performance in the holiday tourneys, stacks up the league in the newly-released PairWise Rankings, and addresses a question of geographic bias for good measure.
Ferris State ends 2003 with the CCHA’s lone tournament title; FSU coach Bob Daniels and CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos address the notion of the league’s “down year”; and next, the impending debut of Paula C. Weston’s Blueliner of the Week award.
When Minnesota-Duluth coach Shannon Miller met with Harvard’s Katey Stone prior to the NCAA final last March, she said, “Let’s put on a show.” Almost nine months later, it’s time for an encore. This No. 3 Harvard vs. No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth series on Friday and Saturday won’t be mistaken for March’s double overtime 4-3 UMD … Read more
After a worrisome stretch, preseason favorite Bemidji State starts to find the net. Also: Mike Volonnino composes a list of Christmas wishes for the CHA.
Harvard’s netminding takes another step forward, thanks to Dov Grumet-Morris; the Ivies take charge of the league standings; and Vermont gets an unexpected change of leadership on the ice. Juan Martinez reports.
This season, the freshman class is making its mark on the WCHA — Todd D. Milewski asks around the league to try to learn why. Also: goaltending surprises at Colorado College and North Dakota, hockey fans get a lesson from Eastern Europe, and good news for CC assistant coach Norm Bazin.
With the holiday season in full swing, Hockey East coaches have a lot to discuss with jolly old St. Nick. — and Dave Hendrickson has managed to intercept some of their correspondence.
Miami exceeds preseason expectations as the CCHA’s non-Michigan teams push toward the top of the league. Meanwhile, Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks do not play each other this weekend, but that won’t keep USCHO’s Paula C. Weston from a little compare-and-contrast.
The snowstorms in the Northeast must have affected the mail: this week, USCHO’s Jim Connelly got hold of several Atlantic Hockey letters to Santa Claus. Lollipops or lumps of coal all around?
December may only have just begun, but the series that are going to make or break teams in March are already beginning. It’s not a subject that too many players or coaches like to think about, but such is the reality of a sport with only four NCAA tournament berths. In the WCHA, No. 5 … Read more
Wisconsin (unbeaten in 10 straight) and Minnesota (just now turning it on) give the WCHA bragging rights at the College Hockey Showcase; Alaska-Anchorage head coach John Hill starts to recover from last season’s crash; and Todd D. Milewski looks into Santa’s bag of goodies for the league’s coaches.
Mercyhurst’s out-of-conference success continues — could the Lakers be this season’s Niagara? — and a few overlooked teams are making noise within the league. And in the week’s biggest story, Quinnipiac breaks the ice against Hockey East, leading Jim Connelly to a little speculation.
Saturday night, one of the nation’s premier rivalries is renewed when Harvard hits the ice at Cornell’s Lynah Rink. Also: Yale looks for improvement after a tough start, and Dartmouth gets maximum performance from Dan Yacey in net. Juan Martinez reports.
Defending regular-season champion Ferris State starts to get its legs; Nebraska-Omaha gives visiting Massachusetts a rude welcome; and fresh off a disappointing College Hockey Showcase, Michigan and Michigan State get to take their frustrations out on each other in Paula C. Weston’s CCHA Games of the Week.
Improving Air Force gets all the leadership it needs from a pair of linemates; Niagara’s offense forges on without a big contribution from sniper Joe Tallari; and Bemidji State comes home. Mike Volonnino reports.
Boston University is getting its O from its D — which isn’t entirely a good thing; Maine bounces back from a tough road trip; Merrimack finds itself on the wrong end of an historic result; and to his chagrin, Dave Hendrickson finds that his mysterious power to curse is intact.
What a week. No sooner had we returned from a weekend road trip of hockey that we found ourselves back at the rink two days later as Harvard and Boston University squared off. Back on the road the next day, it was time for Thanksgiving. This year, it included friends, family and more food than … Read more
UMass-Lowell puts together a stunning run; Massachusetts continues its move into Hockey East’s upper echelon; and Northeastern’s frustrations continue. Dave Hendrickson reports.
The last time Dartmouth and Minnesota-Duluth dropped the puck, over 4,800 packed the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center to see UMD begin its run for a third straight Frozen Four title. The intensity of the building that night was unprecedented for a women’s college game, and it set the stage for a grander atmosphere in … Read more