This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
When you looked at the Denver schedule for this first half of the season, a few weekends stood out, as the Pioneers had rematch series on the road against Notre Dame and Minnesota Duluth, the two teams Denver beat in Chicago to win its eighth national championship last April. Entering the series against Duluth last … Read more
In 2013, Niagara qualified for the NCAA tournament as an at-large entry. It was, to date, the first and only time an Atlantic Hockey team earned the reward in conference history. The Purple Eagles finished that season ranked No. 15 after losing to North Dakota in the West Regional’s first round, and they started the … Read more
After opening the season with two blowout wins over Wentworth and Curry, the Massachusetts-Boston Beacons started league play on the road against the defending national champions from Norwich. The Beacons lost 5-0, but found their game in the losing effort and since have reeled off seven straight wins to go 9-1-0 in their first 10 … Read more
“Be Prepared” is the motto of the Boy Scouts. It’s also something goaltenders must be if they are to have success at the college level. Gustavus Adolphus’ Chris Amsden definitely seems to be week in and week out, and he already has nearly as many wins as he did in his first two seasons, winning … Read more
Less than a year after finishing four games under .500 at home, Omaha and its first-year coach are working to make Baxter Arena a tougher place to play. Four games in, at least, the Mavericks are making progress. Eight of their first 10 games this season were on the road, but they’re now 3-0-1 at … Read more
Two weekends ago, Michigan went to Wisconsin and returned to Ann Arbor with two points, having lost to the Badgers on a Friday and earned an extra point in the shootout following a tied game on a Saturday. Even with the mixed results, Michigan still scored seven goals that weekend. And that has been a … Read more
The Mercyhurst Lakers have, in the words of coach Rick Gotkin, “flown under the radar” so far this season. They haven’t garnered much attention despite doing more than their fare share to help Atlantic Hockey to an improved record against non-league opponents. So far, Gotkin’s team has knocked off Penn State (ranked No. 17 at … Read more
Thanks to a slight scheduling snafu and some family build-up, this column is coming to you later that originally scheduled. For that I beg your forgiveness, dear reader. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s look at what each of the WCHA teams have to be thankful in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Alabama Huntsville: … Read more
When Natalie Darwitz took over the helm at Hamline University, the Pipers had just finished with a 6-17-2 record. There have been signs of potential from the Pipers in the past, but for the most part, Hamline had a reputation and it wasn’t one Darwitz wants to see repeated. She and her staff have been … Read more
In a league where every point matters, it’s imperative to open the season with a fast start. It doesn’t make or break the year, but it’s important to set a pace rather than play catch up. A bottom-line price is to simply “not lose” games since ties still add up points for the end of … Read more
The Holy Cross women’s hockey program has lived in a state of limbo for 18 seasons. Next season, the Crusaders will become the 10th member of the women’s Hockey East conference. Though the college itself is a Division I institution, the women’s program has competed as a Division II school and played a predominantly Division … Read more
Shawn Nelson didn’t get a chance to play in Lake Forest’s game against Aurora at Johnny’s West IceHouse, the practice facility of the Chicago Blackhawks, but the senior forward still enjoyed the experience. Out with a concussion, the experience of playing in that building meant a great deal to the Forresters captain, who happens to … Read more
While there have been plenty of anomalies in the first half of this season, one that has left many fans scratching their collective heads is the struggled that the Vermont Catamounts have suffered through to date. Vermont had high expectations coming into the season, returning a goaltender in Stefanos Lekkas along with a pretty experienced … Read more
Notre Dame and Minnesota will face off in their first Big Ten series this weekend, but the two teams are far from unfamiliar with each other. The two teams have played at least once during the last six seasons with Minnesota holding a 6-3 advantage in those nine games. The Irish, however, got the last … Read more
For Amherst College, the recent change in school mascots has conjured up an image of the ice age. The Mammoths of Amherst College usher in a new era with a unique mascot, but one whose attributes do fit the ice hockey players wearing the purple and white school colors. “They aren’t really known for their … Read more
In the spirit of the holiday, USCHO.com takes a look at what each NCHC coach has to be thankful for as they set their tables. We’ll go in alphabetical order by team. Colorado College Tigers coach Mike Haviland is happy to (finally) have scoring. In Haviland’s first three years as coach, the highest scorer he … Read more
The Clarkson Golden Knights hopped on a bus and started a journey to Belfast, Ireland, this past weekend with two very important ECAC games. First, they made the 163 mile trip down to Hamilton, N.Y., to face the Colgate Raiders, one of the early surprises in the conference. The Golden Knights were able to do … Read more
The rivalry between Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech transcends hockey. The two Upper Peninsula campuses are separated by just 100 miles. Marquette and Houghton, the cities in which they are located, share a similar climate as well as a Lake Superior maritime history. Both are hubs for their region within the UP. In actuality, the … Read more
It’s been an extraordinarily rewarding week for Mike Gabinet and his family. After Omaha completed a road split last weekend against Colorado College, the Mavericks’ coach caught a plane Sunday headed for Toronto. On Monday, when Clare Drake was among seven new inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Gabinet was there to honor his … Read more
It’s been a slow build and transition in Orono, Maine, as the Black Bears women’s hockey team looks to become a program of note in Hockey East. In recent years, it had felt like the program had plateaued. There was a lack of consistency, as marquee wins were followed by losses to team well below … Read more