This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
Bentley, like many Atlantic Hockey schools, expects to feel some growing pains early in the season. It will take time to gel with 13 new players on the roster. The Falcons took a big step last Saturday, defeating Maine 5-1 at Bentley Arena in front of a packed house. The impact of new players was … Read more
Minnesota State did the CCHA double a year ago, winning both the regular season and tournament title. The Mavericks were also 20 minutes away from their first NCAA Division I title. While all three of those are certainly in MSU’s sights this season, there’s another, more unofficial title the Mavericks can win this season: Minnesota … Read more
Not only is sixth-year Omaha coach Mike Gabinet one of the most experienced people on the Mavericks’ bench, but his history with the program also goes back longer than most. He spent four seasons (2000-04) at UNO, played 30 games as a freshman in only the Mavericks’ fourth year of existence and then captained them … Read more
There’s a certain level of required dissatisfaction that exists with national championship contenders in college hockey. They exist on a plane that other teams aspire to reach, but their ability to annually compete is built around an idea that winning, while expected, is never taken for granted. It sounds basic enough to fulfill a cliche, … Read more
Everyone in the Big Ten has played at least four games. Every team in the Big Ten, with one exception, has at least two wins to start the season. That exception is Wisconsin, which is 0-4 to start the season. The Badgers opened 2022-23 with 3-1 and 4-3 road losses to Ohio State. In each … Read more
No, Greg Brown does not feel like he has to win four NCAA championships anytime soon. It would be somewhat understandable if he did. The first-year coach of the Boston College men’s hockey team knew what he was getting into last spring when he was hired to replace the legendary Jerry York — he of … Read more
It has been an interesting first two weeks of the season for a Miami team in a unique spot both geographically and competitively. Fourth-year RedHawks coach Chris Bergeron has no complaints over Miami being rooted to the bottom of the NCHC preseason poll, after his team’s 1-4-1 start to the 2021-22 campaign continued at pace … Read more
Heading into this season and every season for the past decade, hope springs eternal for Atlantic Hockey to get more than its playoff champion into the NCAA tournament. That will require a team to have a strong enough record to not need the automatic qualifier awarded to the playoff champion. It also requires a strong, … Read more
Bowling Green hasn’t had much time to get settled into a “normal” routine this season. The Falcons have been a little busy picking up conference points and splitting some nonconference home-and-homes. “We tried to stress to our guys that we understand, we have not had a ‘typical’ week since we’ve gotten into our official full … Read more
It’s two weekends deep into Division I play and the Big Ten is already showing what it may do best this season: score. In a dozen collective games, four B1G teams have put up some impressive goal differentials. Yes, it’s far too early in the season to project too much, but these early numbers are … Read more
Any college hockey coach will tell you that, at the end of the day, you must judge things by wins and losses. Which is certainly true. But sometimes life changes that underlying philosophy. And that’s the case for the St. Lawrence men’s hockey team right now. When the Saints took the ice on opening night … Read more
Anyone doubting that expectations are high this season for the Northeastern men’s hockey team just needed to check out the scene in the lobby of Matthews Arena about an hour before the Huskies started their 2022-23 season last weekend. Enthusiasm for the team from the Northeastern student fan base is nothing new, of course, but … Read more
It’s difficult to predict what will happen in a college hockey season, but coaches and journalists try, issuing preseason polls and predictions at this time of year. It’s a difficult and usually futile effort, especially when it comes to Atlantic Hockey. Air Force coach Frank Serratore should know. His Falcons were picked ninth in last … Read more
New coaches at two of the league’s Boston-based schools, high expectations for the other, and the return of Frozen Fenway highlight the storylines heading into Hockey East’s 39th season. For the first time since almost fifty years, the Battle of Comm. Ave between Boston College and Boston University will feature neither longtime Eagles coach Jerry … Read more
Is this B1G Hockey’s big season? Finally? While Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin have 23 national championships among them, not one of those titles was captured as a member of the Big Ten. Since its inaugural season in 2013-14, B1G Hockey has sent teams to the Frozen Four seven times, and two B1G teams … Read more
The first season of the CCHA’s return to competition was nearly perfect. We’ll stress the word “nearly” there. Minnesota State came within a period of winning its first-ever national title, leading Denver 1-0 going into the third period of the NCAA championship game before ultimately losing 5-1. That, of course, wasn’t the way the Mavericks … Read more
You’ve clicked on a link to this conference season preview, so chances are you already know how strong the NCHC is. So does Heather Weems, who spent the last decade as St. Cloud State’s athletic director before being named in May as the NCHC’s new commissioner. She succeeds Josh Fenton, who previously accepted another NCAA … Read more
The past two years offered some of the most shape-shifting and chaotic times in college hockey. Conferences realigned, teams expanded and contracted, and new leagues formed. Future changes were thrust into a white-hot spotlight, and the bedrock emotional culture of the sport ranged from anxiety and fear to excitement and anticipation. Through it all, ECAC … Read more
At the start of this season, North Dakota goaltender Zach Driscoll told USCHO.com about how playing pickleball has reminded him of the importance of pressing the reset button following a setback. There haven’t been many of those lately for the graduate student netminder, or for his Fighting Hawks teammates. Driscoll has accounted for UND’s nine … Read more
And then there were four. The Atlantic Hockey tournament quarterfinal round had its fair share of drama and upsets, with two favorites and two underdogs advancing to Utica. Four of the nine games played last weekend went to overtime, including three of four on Friday. – Air Force kept its streak of postseason wins against … Read more