This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
December brings Big Ten conference hockey – for a couple of weeks, anyway. Last weekend, four B1G teams played their first league games and this weekend two more will join in before the holiday break, before the new year brings a second half that seems to go at breakneck speed for a conference with just … Read more
Going into a rivalry series against Colorado College last weekend, there was some cause for concern for No. 2 Denver, which had struggled defensively the prior weekend in defeating Air Force in overtime 4-3 and holding on for a 6-5 win against Wisconsin. Given that the Tigers are capable of putting up goals in bunches, … Read more
I’ve once again intercepted mail from Hockey East arenas to the North Pole and am sharing it with you. On Boston College stationery: Well hello, Santa, this is Jerry York. It seems you brought us Christmas presents early this year. At 8-0-1, we’re sitting atop Hockey East and that sure is a position we love … Read more
Putting faith in a freshman goalie may have saved Michigan Tech’s season. After eight games the Huskies were 1-5-2 and their goalies had a combined .873 save percentage. It wasn’t the goaltenders’ fault that the offense was inconsistent, but the Huskies weren’t getting the timely save they would need once they got into the meatier … Read more
When you’ve won four of the last five national championships, there are not just expectations — there’s a standard that’s been set. The Minnesota Gophers are the no. 2 team in the country. They’ve lost once and tied twice. Yet there are people who think they might be having a down season. That might seem … Read more
Last week, the Elmira Soaring Eagles tied Plattsburgh for the top place in the polls. It was the first time someone other than the Cardinals held the No. 1 spot since Elmira themselves were first on March 2, 2015. It was a 25-week reign for Plattsburgh. It was an accomplishment to be proud of for … Read more
Kevin Entmaa was asked to play goalie for his team when he was only 8 years old. He gave it a shot and has stuck with it ever since. It turned out to be the right position for him as Entmaa, only a sophomore at Adrian, has developed into one of the top netminders in … Read more
For the current group of seniors at Colby, the opening four games in their prior three seasons had been anything but kind to the Mules. Collectively, the record over the first two weekends in their first three seasons is 2-7-3, so this year’s 3-1-0 start has everyone excited and very happy for a dedicated group … Read more
An 0-3 start for Merrimack wasn’t exactly what coach Mark Dennehy had in mind for his club. Every coach enters a season with high expectations for their hockey team. But this season, Dennehy understood that he has more talent up and down the roster than in years past. So when the Warriors started things off … Read more
It’s been a pretty good month for Clarkson’s athletic branding – and the results on the ice for the men’s hockey team has been impressive as well. The NHL’s expansion franchise in Las Vegas revealed earlier this month that it would go with “Golden Knights” as its nickname. According to ESPN, the franchise needed approval … Read more
Ohio State sophomore forward Mason Jobst said the team was “disappointed” after its game against Connecticut on Nov. 12. OSU junior forward Matthew Weis added “it’s definitely a sour taste in your mouth.” The Buckeyes didn’t lose that game, but hearing disappointment like that from the players after the team’s fourth tie of the season … Read more
Many college hockey teams are idle over Thanksgiving weekend. With the season’s midway point approaching, the fourth week of November is as good a time as any to recharge the batteries. Western Michigan’s are working pretty well so far this season. The Broncos entered an off week carrying a 7-3-2 record that includes a win … Read more
Niagara registered a couple of firsts back on Nov. 15. For starters, a 5-4 win over Mercyhurst on home ice was the first victory of the season for coach Dave Burkholder’s team after an 0-7-2 start. It was also the first career win for sophomore Guillaume Therien, who was a hard-luck 0-13-3 coming into the contest. … Read more
It hasn’t been the easiest start to a season for Matt Thomas and Alaska-Anchorage.It began this summer when a budget crisis in the state meant a number of programs at the university — including his Seawolves hockey team — were potentially on the chopping block.Maybe it was the lingering spectre of the program potentially being … Read more
The Norwich Cadets defeated St. Michael’s 8-0 Friday night, securing coach Mark Bolding’s 200th career win. He became just the seventh coach in D-III history to reach the milestone, but what makes it so much more impressive is that Bolding reached that mark just six games into his 10th season at the helm of the … Read more
When you are a second year coach and bring in 13 new players to your program, you don’t expect untested talent to gel quickly and get results fast, but that is exactly what is happening for coach Rob Hutchison and his young Skidmore team. The Thoroughbreds have opened the season at 5-1-0 in conference play … Read more
Barely on the radar last year, Russ Jordan has burst onto the Division III hockey scene this season.With eight goals and six assists, the junior forward leads Hamline in scoring and is one of the top offensive threats in the MIAC. It’s a stark contrast to last season, when Jordan managed only one goal and … Read more
There have been some adjustment and bumps in the road in the early part of this season for the Quinnipiac Bobcats, as they graduated what coach Cassie Turner called “six pivotal seniors.” But even with a few stumbles early on, the Bobcats are currently ranked eighth in the country and third in the ECAC as … Read more
A year ago, it began as a good idea that needed to prove itself.Four hockey teams – two from Hockey East and two from the ECAC – traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to play league games and games that counted in the NCAA. It seemed like a gimmick at best and had the potential for … Read more
Last Thursday night, senior cadets at the United States Military Academy (colloquially known as “firsties”) filed into historic Eisenhower Hall for one of their most special nights.After listening to speakers, the building crescendo culminated in the opening of envelopes and the reveal of what branch of the Army in which they would serve.It’s one of … Read more