This Week in … columns; weekly columns on a league, region or gender-division
Going into the last weekend of play, much has been left undecided in the NCHA. The regular-season title is on the line as the top-ranked team in the country, St. Norbert, is one point in front of number two-ranked Adrian. Teams in the middle of the pack are fighting for a home-ice spot in the … Read more
Salem State is sitting in first place in the MASCAC standings and a reason for that is that the Vikings take care of business at home at the Richard H. Rockett Arena. In their first 10 home games of the season, the Vikings have recorded points in nine of those games with an 8-1-1 record. … Read more
Two weeks ago, one wouldn’t have liked Potsdam’s playoff chances very much. Or not at all. At that point, the Bears were hibernating in the SUNYAC cellar, with just two standings points to their name, and with three conference foes to jump over just to land in the sixth and final playoff spot. It’s funny … Read more
Just three years after the school’s second Frozen Four bid, Vermont finished dead last in Hockey East. Now it’s on its way back.
With just two weekends left in the regular-season schedule, the sense of urgency for points is not lost on teams that are truly already in playoff mode. Case in point finds Hamilton as the Continentals are currently in ninth place in the NESCAC conference standings. In the NESCAC, being ninth or worse is a problem … Read more
The Broncos are 5-0-1 in buildings other than their own since the winter break.
Olympic seasons tend to be a little strange. It’s like removing the aces from the deck after sitting down to play poker. Eventually, everybody adjusts to the fact that the aces are gone, but in the hockey world, it can be tough on a team that was originally dealt a couple of aces. The 2014 … Read more
Under the veneer of a perfect conference record, struggle remains constant. From the outside looking in, No.4 Norwich’s run to the ECAC East regular season title has been nothing short of a pronounced success. For forward Tori Charron however, such achievements have transpired from pure inner strength among her teammates. “The most positive surprise … Read more
Suffolk needed a win against Becker in the final game of the 2012-13 season to get into the ECAC Northeast conference tournament. The Rams earned a 2-2 tie against Becker and Johnson and Wales slipped into the final tournament spot. Fast forward a year later and the Rams are sitting in that sixth and final … Read more
Winning on the road, especially while in a standings dogfight, can be just the sort of test that can define a team like, say, Elmira. The Soaring Eagles began last weekend with a slim, one-point lead one point lead in the race for first place over both Utica and Hobart. They had just one tilt … Read more
Minnesota State’s .917 winning percentage is tops not only in the conference but also in the country.
While the Crimson have lost the Beanpot opener six years running, over the last four seasons the program has finished the regular season 14-4-5 following that Beanpot-opening defeat.
Goaltender Christian Frey joined the team after the holiday break and is 5-1-2.
Justin Hochsprung had an opportunity to step away from hockey over Christmas break and take advantage of an opportunity of a lifetime. Hochsprung, a senior forward and team captain at St. John’s, was part of a select group of students who went to China as part of the E-Scholars Program. One hundred students applied for … Read more
Jon Waggoner was given a chance to step into a more prominent role for Wisconsin-Eau Claire this season and he has taken advantage of it. After playing behind talented upperclassmen early in his career, Waggoner has had a much bigger impact for the Blugolds, having tallied 10 goals and eight assists in 20 games. “I’ve … Read more
Bob DeGregorio was quick to point out the growth and improvements within the league’s programs.
Following a 1-13-1 start to the season, some teams might have considered mailing it in for the remainder of the schedule believing there was nothing left to play for. Not so for the Purple Knights of St. Michael’s, who have won five of their last eight games and qualified to play in the Division II … Read more
Heading into 2014, the Milwaukee School of Engineering had a surprisingly hopeful outlook to the second half the season. The Raiders ended 2013 with a 1-10-0 record, plagued with injuries and sitting at the bottom of the NCHA standings. Could it get any worse? On Jan. 3, the Raiders were set to take on Norwich … Read more
Life with those Ice Knights from Geneseo has been something of an elevator ride in recent weeks. Up and down. You need look no further than last weekend when the Knights, themselves SUNYAC title contenders, dispatched league leaders Plattsburgh one night, then were drubbed by last-place Potsdam the next. Yet even with those waves and … Read more
The Huskies swept Bowling Green last weekend to go into their Winter Carnival series with Alabama-Huntsville on a high note.