This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
The playoff picture has become a lot clearer now with two weeks left in the regular season. New Hampshire, Maine, Boston College and Providence have all wrapped up tournament home-ice berths. While it’ll go down to the final weekend between UNH and Maine for the top spot, BC and PC are all but mathematically locked … Read more
Whoever said the MAAC isn’t exciting Division I hockey, they’re crazy. As we end February, no other league in the country still has three teams battling for the top spot. To add to that, the MAAC has three other teams tied for the final home-ice bid in the playoffs. If that’s not exciting, I don’t … Read more
Simply put, the MAAC season has come down to three weeks. Six games for each team to position themselves for the playoffs. And last weekend’s action is what set up the whole ball of wax. With first-place Quinnipiac taking the weekend off from conference play, the two teams sitting on the doorstep had the privilege … Read more
Attention, those who doubt the power of North Dakota: The Denver Pioneers have a message for you. It would probably involve their game with the Sioux on Saturday. Things looked good for George Gwozdecky’s team early. They managed to stay with Dean Blais’ UND squad through 20 minutes, and even pulled two goals ahead early … Read more
Hmmm. Seems like the North Country duo is pulling away in the race for the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Let’s see, four more points for Clarkson and St. Lawrence after sweeping Rensselaer and Union. Hmmm. Looks like Princeton is trying to catch up to the frontrunners. Of course, a loss to Harvard and … Read more
My apologies for a skeleton preview this week. I’m on the road with minimal Internet access and no hope of contacting coaches. The usual verbosity will return next week. Hockey East Standings Record in picks last week: 6-3 Season’s record in picks: 105-56, .652 Game of the Week No. 4 New Hampshire (22-5-2, 14-3-2 HEA, … Read more
For the second week in a row, four CCHA teams are ranked among the top ten teams in the country. Last weekend, one of those teams, Notre Dame, lost to a team that was sixth in the conference standings before the start of last weekend’s action. Another of those teams, Ohio State, lost to a … Read more
Among all the competition, the struggles in positioning for the upcoming Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs, we finally get to take a little bit of an aside. The University of North Dakota’s Student Senate has proposed legislation that would change the school’s nickname from the "Fighting Sioux." Although the students do not have the power … Read more
Ah, the rites of spring, or at least late winter. They warm the cockles of the heart. If by that you thought of the Beanpot just past, or of this week’s Maine-BC or UNH-BU matchups — as opposed to Valentine’s Day, you dummy — you’ve earned a few evenings of sleeping on the couch, but … Read more
Okay, so my first shot at picking games didn’t turn out too good. I did pick the split between UConn and Quinnipiac (though not the fact that the visiting team would win both games). And how about those Ice Griffs? They walked right into Iona and took two games from the Gaels. Okay, enough about … Read more
Last year at this time, we learned that hockey means never having to say you’re sorry. In fact, we learned that the word hockey can be substituted for the word love universally–when used as a noun and not a verb, of course, but let’s save that for another column. Hockey makes the world go ’round. … Read more
In a situation no different from any other year, ties for position in the ECAC standings abound. There’s a tie at the top, between Clarkson and St. Lawrence. The Knights swept a pair last weekend from Dartmouth and Vermont while the Saints picked up three points against the same two teams. There’s a tie for … Read more
Can it get any better than No. 2 Maine and No. 3 New Hampshire on Sunday, followed by the Beanpot championship on Monday? Get them VCRs running…. And speaking of the Beanpot, is there any better way to spend the first Monday in February than watching two overtime games in the Battle for Boston? Writers … Read more
It’s heating up now. With only five weeks left in the regular season, the jockeying for positions to get into the ECAC playoffs has already begun. After this weekend, every team will have eight games left with which to determine their postseason fate. Speaking of weekends, the last one was huge for four teams. St. … Read more
Recently, the sparring on the USCHO Message Board among college hockey fans has reached an all-time high–or low, as the case may be. The flip side of such animosity is sportsmanship, even friendship. As CCHA Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online, I’ve met my fair share of poor sports; however, the majority of people I’ve … Read more
It’s just one of those things that always seems to happen in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Last weekend, conference leader North Dakota — also the No. 1 team in the nation — squared off with Minnesota-Duluth, the last-place team in the league. Looks like a sure sweep for the Sioux, right? Maybe in some … Read more
Well, here I am — sitting in front of my computer, realizing that I’ve got the crystal ball now. And it’s time for me to gaze into it for the first time as the new MAAC correspondent here at USCHO. And what a week to do it! This week we have the two best teams … Read more
Ever notice how much Metro Atlantic hockey resembles the TV series The Simpsons? First, The Simpsons is set in the mythic town of Springfield…and there’s a town called Springfield in New England, where most of the MAAC schools are located. Coincidence? I think not. Next, how often does The Simpsons come on? Every week. And … Read more
And UMass-Amherst gave hope to Red Sox fans everywhere by defeating Boston University for the first time in 79 years. If the Curse of Elton Mansell — the Minuteman coach who won his only game against the Terriers back on Jan. 16, 1920 — is over, can an end to the Curse of the Bambino … Read more
Ever notice how much Metro Atlantic hockey resembles the TV series The Simpsons? First, The Simpsons is set in the mythic town of Springfield…and there’s a town called Springfield in New England, where most of the MAAC schools are located. Coincidence? I think not. Next, how often does The Simpsons come on? Every week. And … Read more