This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
Having grown up a Catholic, I know the value of confession. And given the email I’ve received recently from fans of a certain CCHA team, I know what I have to do. Bless me, Readers, for I have sinned. It has been too long since I’ve been to confession, and this is my sin: I … Read more
Well, it’s finally here — the "real" start of the ECAC league season. Yes, we know Harvard and Brown played last weekend, but this is where the race for the good loot begins. Speaking of the first ECAC game of the season, it was Brown getting a quick jump on the entire league with a … Read more
BU will turn around its 0-4 start and go undefeated the rest of the regular season. But the Terriers won’t finish first because UMass-Amherst will. And Merrimack will win the national championship. Ya gotta believe. Why? Heck, if former pro wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura can become the governor of Minnesota, anything can happen. Gov. … Read more
Hoooooooooo!!! Just one more week to go before the action in the ECAC really heats up, but the appetite is whetted this week with the first league game. Brown travels to Cambridge to play Harvard as the second century of this rivalry begins. As for last week, it was success for Colgate and Rensselaer over … Read more
Thank goodness it’s November. With ten points, No. 8 Notre Dame sits atop the CCHA waiting for everyone else to catch them. The Irish were idle last week, and head out East this weekend for single games against Boston College and Northeastern. No. 9 Michigan and Ferris State are tied for second with eight points … Read more
WCHA Preview: Nov. 6-7, 1998 by Todd D. Milewski In these days, where the 30-second campaign commercial is the difference between being elected and being left behind, brevity is the key. In honor of the recently-completed election season, this week’s preview will give you just enough information to make your decision. Oh, and with no … Read more
No need to dance around it — this week’s themes in the MAAC are pretty straightforward. Canisius, a preseason pick to contend for the MAAC title, is on a four-game slide after dropping two games to Quinnipiac last weekend. It doesn’t get any easier this week as the Ice Griffs head out to Holy Cross. … Read more
Their own John Campbell took Player of the Week honors with two goals and two assists against the Engineers and an assist against the Minutemen. Maine Black Bear defenseman David Cullen earned the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week award for the second time in two weekends of action. He’s looking poised for the … Read more
We’ve had a little feeler for this year’s ECAC in the past three weeks; now it’s time for three more teams to get into the action with some exhibitions. Meanwhile, last week was a good week for some ECAC teams, and not for others. St. Lawrence swept a pair from Hockey East rival Merrimack, while … Read more
The true opening of the WCHA schedule is finally upon us, as all nine teams see action on the same nights, with a full complement of four conference series. It’s awful early to even look at the standings, considering three of the league’s teams have yet to take the ice in conference play. Denver, North … Read more
Ghosts? Goblins? Martha Stewart spinning hot caramel around unsuspecting apples? Things that go bump in the night? Try things that go bump in the rink. Try Notre Dame beating Ohio State 3-0, then losing for the first time this season to…Western Michigan. Try playing Michigan State and Michigan…back to back. Now that’s scary. It isn’t … Read more
So the Griffs can show where they stand with a good showing at Quinnipiac Friday and Saturday. Or can they? There have been grumblings that the Braves’ 19-3-1 record last year was a soft one. Then, in last week’s Quinnipiac Cup, they struggled to get by an allegedly weak Iona squad in the first round, … Read more
OK, the season isn’t quite kicking into full gear yet; the first complete slate of conference games comes next weekend. But when Iona and Quinnipiac face off in the first round of the third annual Quinnipiac Cup in East Haven, Conn., on Friday, Metro Atlantic hockey will finally become a reality. “We’re extremely excited about … Read more
Surprise, surprise. Western Michigan ties Michigan State. Michigan leaves a home series with two points. Ohio State is 1-3-0. Notre Dame is 5-0-0. Northern Michigan is 4-0-0. Wait a minute–is any of this surprising at all? As anyone who follows CCHA hockey knows, the Irish have been on the verge of waking up for two … Read more
Okay, enough already with the exhibition games against Canadian teams. Boston College outshooting Toronto 27-1 in one period? Methinks we’re ready for the real thing. Of course, there have been "real" games already, starting with BC winning the Icebreaker Invitational. But all such contests have been on the road. In these parts, we’ve still been … Read more
Three ECAC teams have gotten their seasons underway already, and this weekend, three more begin the march towards Lake Placid. Last weekend the conference earned a split with its Hockey East foes. Vermont’s late comeback was not enough to down New Hampshire, but Rensselaer shocked Boston University with an overtime win. In the process, the … Read more
The human skull can be shattered by an impact at 7-10 kilometers per hour. When stationary, however, it can apparently survive blows from faster-moving objects with such little consequence as a bump, loss of blood, and a couple of staples to the scalp. It’s estimated that head injuries occur with the frequency of 610 per … Read more
In most collegiate sports, teams get a couple non-conference games to get themselves acquainted with each other and get ready for the conference season. Just another reason why college hockey does not fall within the realm of "most collegiate sports." Eight of the nine WCHA teams see action this weekend, and for four of them … Read more
Boston College gave credence to its number-one national ranking by taking the Ice Breaker Cup with an overtime 4-3 win over then-fourth-ranked Ohio State, followed by a 3-2 victory over upstart St. Lawrence. Brian Gionta earned Hockey East Player of the Week honors for his hat trick and game-winner over OSU. In the four exhibition … Read more
The word of the week for the CCHA is cautious, as in cautiously optimistic. It was the first week of regular-season play for some teams, while others have yet to see league or even NCAA play. Several winning coaches are happy with what they saw–to a point. "We played well for this early in the … Read more