This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
Michigan Tech deservedly grabbed national attention this week. The Huskies won the Ice Breaker tournament and picked up back-to-back wins against No. 16 and Union and No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth. Mark Auk was named WCHA Defensive player of the week and Justin Misiak was named the WCHA rookie of the week after scoring game-winning goal against … Read more
College hockey’s first weekend is usually something of a parade lap. Nonconference matchups dot the first days of the season, with fans and followers getting reacquainted with familiar colors. Chants and songs shake off summer dust, and the first semblance of winter’s cold blows in across the sport’s landscape. For teams like American International and … Read more
Guy Gadowsky coached in the ECAC for seven years, so he wasn’t surprised when Penn State came back from its opening trip to New York with a 1-1 record. The Nittany Lions dropped their season opener at Clarkson but salved a weekend split-opponent split by defeating St. Lawrence the next night. The road doesn’t get … Read more
Jake Kielly has picked up where he left off after a stellar freshman campaign for Clarkson. The Golden Knights’ sophomore goaltender only let one goal past him in the team’s opening weekend as they hosted Big Ten opponents Penn State and Michigan. Clarkson defeated the Nittany Lions 2-1 on Friday night, while shutting out the … Read more
Coming into the season, the expectations were high for St. Cloud State, who was ranked ninth in the USCHO.com preseason poll after not finishing last season ranked. St. Cloud opened on the road at No. 18 Minnesota State on Saturday, and posted an impressive 4-0 win. Before the season, coach Bob Motzko said he hoped … Read more
If anyone thought that this year’s New Hampshire team, the 28th and final for coach Dick Umile, might be a walkover on an opponent’s schedule, think again. There’s still plenty of hockey to play, but week one for the Wildcats, which featured a 4-3 road win and 4-1 victory at home over then-No. 5 UMass … Read more
With a win and tie/shootout win over Minnesota, Ohio State has realized it has all the pieces to push to the top of the WCHA.
Despite winning their second national championship in three years, it’s been business as usual in upstate New York at Clarkson University to start the season. Coach Matt Desrosiers has been very impressed with his team’s focus and work ethic. It was just weeks after their March win that the team was in the weight room … Read more
Listed on the roster at 5-feet-5 and 165 pounds, senior Tyler Piacentini plays much bigger on the ice for the No. 1 Norwich Cadets. Entering this weekend’s Frozen Four, Piacentini, a two-time captain, is excited to have reached the Frozen Four for the first time in his four years with the Cadets, but feels there … Read more
St. Norbert is headed to the Frozen Four this week, and it’s a familiar place for the Green Knights, who are in it for the 11th time in the last 15 years, winning four national titles along the way. They advanced with a thrilling 4-3 overtime win over Augsburg and now play 2015 national champion … Read more
Adrian’s hockey team hasn’t played a game since the first Saturday in March. The Bulldogs had a bye in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Coach Adam Krug isn’t thrilled about it. His team last played March 3 when it lost 4-3 to St. Norbert in the NCHA title game. “I’m not a fan … Read more
When the D-III NCAA tournament participants and matchups were named on March 6, newcomers Endicott and Hamilton faced big challenges in playing NCAA tournament teams with significant experience in Hobart and Oswego, respectively. Both took on the challenges of the completely new experience and won their way into this week’s quarterfinals with a determination and … Read more
One side of the Division III bracket features three-time defending champions Plattsburgh facing off against a Norwich squad that’s making its third appearance at the final weekend in the past four seasons. The other semifinal features an Adrian Bulldogs squad that’s never reached the semifinals against a Gustavus Adolphus squad that was the last team … Read more
This weekend’s Frozen Four has the same teams as last year’s, but the path back hasn’t been smooth for any of them. Injuries are inevitable through the long college season, but each of the four teams suffered setbacks that had the opportunity to end their hopes for a national championship. Overcoming adversity, proving people wrong, … Read more
Shortly after the final buzzer sounded following Game 3 Sunday night at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena, the line to buy tickets for this Saturday’s WCHA title game went halfway around the arena’s concourse. Michigan Tech beat Minnesota State 4-1 to win their best-of-three WCHA semifinal series and clinch a spot in the finals. And … Read more
As I mentioned on Monday, the Hockey East quarterfinals lacked a lot of the drama that one might have expected. Yes, UMass Lowell and New Hampshire needed three games and Boston University needed to rally twice against Northeastern. But in the end, all four home teams advanced. Which, as upset-light as that scenario is, might … Read more
While there rarely sits a shortage of playoff storylines heading into a championship weekend, it feels like the 2017 Atlantic Hockey championship is a certified soap opera. With three games remaining to whittle four teams down to the final roster hoisting a trophy, there’s a certain panache that is felt as opposed to defined. The … Read more
Finally, we’ve reached the Big Ten tournament – and by “we,” I mean every team in the league. After watching other conference playoff series these last few weeks, I’ve felt a little cheated out of the excitement and drama of best-of-three series and home-ice advantage. Given that Big Ten league play doesn’t start until just … Read more
Denver enters this weekend’s NCHC Frozen Faceoff in Minneapolis as the hottest team in college hockey, winners of 13 straight and currently ranked No. 1 in the polls. While hockey players have a reputation for being superstitious, Denver coach Jim Montgomery isn’t, something he discussed Friday night after winning for the 13th time in a … Read more
On Wednesday, the top ten Hobey Baker Award finalists were named. To no one’s surprise, Mike Vecchione and Spencer Foo are Union’s representatives as they third and fourth in the nation in scoring with 62 and 59 points, respectively. While they have earned the accolades for the sixth-ranked team in the country, the sophomore class … Read more