So here’s the current state of the PWR Rk Team               GP W- L- T Win% Rk    RPI Rk PWR 1 Mercyhurst         24 21- 1- 2 0.9167 1 | 0.6272 1 | 17 2 Wisconsin          26 22- 1- 3 0.9038 2 | 0.6090 2 | 16 3 Dartmouth          21 15- 4- 2 0.7619 6 | 0.5995 … Read more
It’s a common line when teams become No. 1 in December — it’s being No. 1 in March that matters. But is being No. 1 in December a good predictor of being No. 1 in March? We’ll take a look at the history. Here are the No. 1 teams in the last November poll, since the USCHO poll … Read more
One agonizing consequence of handing out weekly awards is that timing is everything – it’s possible for the best weekly performances of the season to all happen in one week, yet only one individual can be honored. I think that’s the case this past weekend, in the case of USCHO Defensive Player of the Week Kim Martin and first runner-up Laura Hosier. Hosier’s 30 of … Read more
If Mercyhurst ascends to No. 1 in the USCHO poll for the first time in program history on Monday, the Lakers will be the just the 10th program ever to earn that distinction, since the poll started in the 1998-99 season. The other nine teams and the dates of their first No. 1 ranking are listed below. What … Read more
Time for some thoughts on the Four Nations Cup: First, congratulations to Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson for leading Team USA to a 7-0 win over Sweden on Friday (USA Hockey press release), as well as assistants Erin Whitten Hamlen of UNH and Hilary Witt of Yale. Also props go out to Wisconsin sophomore Erika Lawler, who … Read more
This is about as much shakeup as I can recall seeing in a single USCHO women’s poll. This kind of thing happens regularly on the men’s side, so it’s a good thing to see. I’ll admit I’m a little surprised that the Gophers jumped four spots, as impressive as the UMD sweep was. Though it’s natural that … Read more
With four of the top six teams losing, and some impressive results from teams No. 7 through No. 10 (though Princeton still has a game to play at Yale Sunday), it’s going to be the one of the toughest weekends ever to rank the top teams going into Four Nations Weekend (a break for most … Read more
What was shocking about No. 9 Princeton’s 6-5 win over No. 3 St. Lawrence was not the final score, but the pattern of penalties called. Four straight on SLU to open the game, then 13 of the next 15 on Princeton? I’ve never seen anything like that before. The chances of duplicating that pattern of … Read more
A few of the big stories this weekend — Mercyhurst certainly has proven itself among the elite now, if there was any remaining doubt. Minnesota keeps finding a way to be competitive. And how about UConn? Minnesota 3, Wisconsin 3 — Just when it looked like the Gophers were going to fall to 0-3 in … Read more
Valley News on Dartmouth’s Sarah Parsons — the article captures the two things I’d associate with Parsons: she finds ways to score, and she’s not verbally or physically imposing. The last quote struck me a bit. “She is experiencing college for the first time, and everything that goes with that,†Hudak said. “Her father was saying the other day, … Read more
SLU 3, Clarkson 1 — Game draws 781, a little disappointing given last year’s crowd but not surprising considering the time of year. For the second week in a row, Clarkson fails to answer the bell and gives up a goal in the opening seconds. SLU dominated this game, but given the way Clarkson rebounded in … Read more
The first result of the weekend is in — Princeton 2, BC 2. Recall Princeton opened its season last year with a tie against BC by the same score. Neither team scored after the first minute of the second period. Not a surprising result, since both teams do a good job taking care off their own … Read more
Aside from the UNH-Minnesota game a few weeks ago (and what a game that was!!!), there haven’t been a whole lot of marquee D-I matchups to date. That all changes this weekend, as three pairs of top 10 teams clash, plus St. Lawrence and Clarkson. Princeton at BC — Both these teams sit at the bottom … Read more
To all readers: I’d like to offer a belated welcome to another season of USCHO’s women’s hockey coverage. As I am sure you have noticed, our coverage continues to evolve every season. On the positive side, we’ve added two regular women’s columnists — Terese Karmel for D-I and Matt Rennell for D-III. Look for new columns every … Read more