This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Sacred Heart hoping ‘incredible feat’ of three goals in 21 seconds against Mercyhurst is springboard for more victories

I had the chance recently to talk to Pierre-Luc O’Brien, who starred for Sacred Heart from 2004 to 2008. O’Brien was a three-time Atlantic Hockey all-star as well as a Hobey Baker finalist. He holds the school’s record for career points (156). When asked about his favorite college hockey memory, O’Brien related the “Miracle at … Read more

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Michigan State-Ohio State rivalry continuing this weekend in East Lansing, ‘tight games’ expected

When fans think of Big Ten rivalries, the classic that comes to mind is Michigan vs. Ohio State. It’s easy to forget that the mutual disdain between these two bordering states extends well beyond the Wolverines and Buckeyes. While it may not be as well known, the Michigan State-Ohio State rivalry is intense, especially when … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: St. Thomas aiming for better results with hard work ‘part of the process that we’re going through’

After dropping both games to Penn State two weeks ago, St. Thomas coach Rico Blasi said he wasn’t much for “moral victories.” The Tommies had lost to the Nittany Lions 6-2 in their series opener before rallying in Friday’s finale and losing 3-2 in overtime. Clearly, Blasi is attempting to build the newly-promoted St. Thomas … Read more

This Week in NCHC Hockey: After dropping U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game to Arizona State, North Dakota planning to ‘turn the page’

Many things come to mind when North Dakota fans think about their hockey team’s unique selling points. There are the eight national championships, but more recently, the Fighting Hawks have also become known for their destination games. The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, exempt from teams’ 34-game regular-season limit, is a tradition that has … Read more

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: No power outage for RIT as Tigers’ man advantage clicking during early part of ’22-23 schedule

Rochester Institute of Technology has opened the 2022-23 season 6-2-0, its best start in four years. While there are several reasons for the strong start, one number sticks out. The Tiger power play is clicking at 33.3 percent, tied for third nationally and double the 16.2 percent rate for RIT last season. And while Wayne … Read more

This Week in Hockey East: UMass prepared to get everyone’s best shot every night as conference play continues

It’s no secret that the Massachusetts hockey team plays close games against intra-state rival Merrimack. UMass won all four meetings last season by a single goal, including twice in overtime. Over the weekend, the teams split a pair of overtime contests during a home-and-home series, with the Minutemen winning 3-2 on their home sheet on … Read more

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Top-ranked Michigan squad playing with renewed identity where ‘everything’s a learning environment’

Michigan interim head coach Brandon Naurato is a teacher by nature, and that teaching approach to coaching is already bearing fruit for a Michigan team with a 12-member rookie class. “I feel like I’m so blessed to have really good people from the freshmen to the other kids around that they want to be the … Read more

This Week in ECAC Hockey: With traditional late Ivy start to season, Harvard looking to ‘learn a lot about your team in the first handful of games’

The banners at Harvard’s Bright-Landry Hockey Center tell stories of tribute to the champions of years past. They form a road of sorts along the ice sheet, and each flag links generations of hockey players who once wore the fabled crimson and white uniforms by listing the individual years’ glory next to one another. It’s … Read more

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Even after picking up sweep over Lindenwood, AIC team still ‘a work in progress’

It was mostly splitsville in Atlantic Hockey last week, with both conference series (Rochester Institute of Technology at Air Force and Sacred Heart at Niagara) ending in splits. In each case, the home team won the first game, with the visitors coming back the next day to get their three points. Mercyhurst and Clarkson also … Read more

This Week in NCHC Hockey: After three years at Colorado College, Cruikshank filling major role, playing top minutes for St. Cloud State

As he recalls it, on the day he learned current St. Cloud State forward Grant Cruikshank entered the transfer portal ahead of his fifth season of eligibility, Huskies coach Brett Larson met Cruikshank for lunch. Larson had been close to securing Cruikshank’s commitment before, but SCSU came up second to Minnesota after Cruikshank finished a … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Experienced Bemidji State transfers making impact with Beavers, have ‘all been a joy to coach’

Few teams lost quite as many impact players over the offseason as Bemidji State. Aside from the Sillinger brothers (Owen and Lukas) – the team’s joint leading goal scorers with 17 apiece – the Beavers also lost a big chunk of their leadership group. Fifth-year senior captain Ethan Somoza – an older, hard-working veteran who … Read more

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Penn State firing on all cylinders as Nittany Lions finding way back to scoring in bunches

The college hockey season is a six-month-long debate, but Penn State has already crafted an impressive opening statement. Averaging 5.17 goals per game through their first three series – six games, all wins – with all but three goals coming at even strength, the Nittany Lions are playing hockey that looks a lot more Penn … Read more

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Rensselaer ‘Godfather’ Hallbauer enjoying uber-veteran status in last season of NCAA hockey

Kyle Hallbauer knows all of the jokes. He’s old enough to remember when the members of One Direction weren’t heading in different directions. He was around when the Titanic sank, but at least THAT was the movie and not real life. His nickname in the locker room is “Grandpa” and the “Godfather.” This past weekend, … Read more

This Week in Hockey East: Surging offense has UConn ranked in top 10 for first time in team history

When he transferred to Connecticut over the summer, Andrew Lucas knew he was joining a hungry men’s hockey team. The Huskies were coming off a season where they missed an NCAA tournament appearance by one overtime goal. Lucas, meanwhile, was at Vermont, playing well but for a struggling team. The junior forward has been pretty … Read more