This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
Ben Syer had been around the block a few times. The first-year head coach possessed no prior experience as the leader behind the bench of a college hockey program – or at any other level, for that matter – but his 20-year journey through ECAC Hockey rinks made him uniquely qualified for Princeton’s forefront position … Read more
We’re past Thanksgiving, which means it’s OK to start looking at the PairWise rankings. At least that’s what my friends say. Here’s some early analysis from the USCHO Weekend Review podcast as well as our Tuesday Morning Quarterback column. If you follow Atlantic Hockey America, one quick peek is all you need. The highest-ranked AHA … Read more
When Notre Dame opened Big Ten play against Wisconsin at the start of November, the Fighting Irish carried a 4-2-0 record into the series and improved to 5-2-0 with an OT Friday win. The following night, the Irish lost 2-1, the first defeat in a string of seven that ended only when they traveled to … Read more
Checking in on a few trends around the league as the calendar flips to December. —When Boston College assembled the non-conference portion of its schedule well before this season started, it could bank on some serious competition against traditional power programs like Michigan State (B1G) and St. Cloud State (NCHC). But Western Michigan (NCHC) and … Read more
Arizona State coach Greg Powers didn’t mince words, about anything, during a Monday press conference after his Sun Devils made two signature wins last weekend at top-ranked Denver. Even when he was asked what he misses about the since-demolished Oceanside Ice Arena, ASU’s former home that sat fewer than 800 fans, Powers was deadpan in … Read more
Up until two weeks ago, Kirklan Irey would have described his season as inconsistent. The Bemidji State junior winger had only scored one goal in nine games coming into BSU’s nonconference series against third-ranked Minnesota. In game one of that series, Irey found himself playing as the extra skater instead. That was something of a … Read more
One glance through Brown’s men’s hockey record book is all it takes to understand the greatness once possessed by goaltender Yann Danis. The one-time Hobey Hat Trick finalist litters every page of goaltending stats with multiple entries into the program’s top single season numbers for goals against average, shutouts, saves and save percentage, and while … Read more
As we prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., it’s a good time to take a look at something for which each Big Ten team may be grateful. The Wolverines are road warriors with a power play that clicks After sweeping Penn State in Pegula Arena last weekend, Michigan improves to 9-2-1 on … Read more
It’s an old sports writing cliche, but at this time of the season, you’ll often see stories listing what teams have to be thankful for so far. Guilty as charged. I’m offering a slight variation – here’s a player on each Atlantic Hockey America team whose play inspires gratitude from coaches, players, and fans, at … Read more
When people think of Northern Ireland’s association with sport, their minds usually go to competitions such as hurling, Gaelic Football and rugby. Rarely do they think of ice hockey. Boston University and Merrimack are trying to change that, at least for one weekend, as the two Hockey East schools will participate in the seventh Friendship … Read more
A hockey scholarship funding pledge announced earlier this month by Omaha athletic officials stems from an idea hatched by some of the Mavericks’ original season ticket holders. The Yano and Cindy Mangiameli Goalie Scholarship, awarded to UNO’s starting goaltender, is a gift that was pledged this fall through the University of Nebraska Foundation. The intent … Read more
The fraternity of college hockey coaches is small. And the sub-fraternity of men’s college hockey coaches with 500 career victories is even smaller (17, to be exact). Even smaller yet? The number of active coaches with at least 500 career wins. Coming into the season just four active coaches were in the 500 club — … Read more
A couple of years ago, I scanned the Internet and found myself in a wormhole of older college hockey stories. It killed a good couple of hours while I sat in a nursery room with a rambunctious infant refusing to sleep, but it opened the lid on a time capsule capturing how we looked at … Read more
Last Tuesday, word began spreading that American International was downgrading its men’s hockey program to Division II at the end of this season. Yellow Jackets coach Eric Lang confirmed it to me in a text and later issued the following statement to social media: AIC has been the place I've called my home for over … Read more
Two weeks ago, Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said, “You don’t win championships early, but you can lose them.” After the Golden Gophers split a home-and-home series with Bemidji State, losing 3-1 in the Beavers’ barn last Saturday, Motzko made some remarks that echoed those he made about early season mistakes and successes. “We made a … Read more
If the well-worn phrase is true — that the best defense is a good offense — then the Massachusetts Minutemen might be onto something this season. The No. 20 Minutemen (5-5-2 overall, 1-3-2 Hockey East) overcame a sluggish effort in a 2-1 loss at home to Providence last Thursday to rebound with a 5-1 win … Read more
Heather Weems saw an example of how tight-knit the hockey community is when she attended a memorial service earlier this fall for former NCHC officiating supervisor Brent Rutherford. The NCHC’s commissioner had traveled from her home base in Minnesota to Madison Heights, Mich., a northern Detroit suburb, to help celebrate the life of Brendan “Brent” … Read more
Two weeks ago, Lake Superior State came back from their trip to Columbus, Ohio, in something of a daze. The Lakers were swept by Ohio State and took both games on the chin, losing 9-3 and 6-2. That caused a little soul searching for everyone involved with the program. “We talked about it that Ohio … Read more
The ride from Dartmouth to Princeton is one of the longest in ECAC Hockey. It’s certainly the longest commute between hockey-playing members of the conference’s six-team Ivy League contingent. The drive is nearly a straight shot traversing the north-south poles at either end of the league’s geographic footprint, but the 315 miles between New Hampshire’s … Read more
While Sacred Heart was the consensus pick to finish first in Atlantic Hockey this season, coach CJ Marottolo, in his 16th year behind the Pioneers bench, knows his team is a work in progress. His roster includes seven rookies as well as nine transfers, and it will take some time to gel. After a split … Read more