As we all wait for the results of the NCAA selection committee conference call…here’s what I think. In: East: 1. Plattsburgh 2. Norwich 3. Elmira 4. Manhattanville 5. Hobart 6. Trinity 7. Mass-Dartmouth West: 1. St. Norbert 2. St. Thomas And then you have five teams left for one spot: Oswego, Middlebury, UW-Stout, UW-River Falls … Read more
First, if you haven’t done so already, read Matt Webb and Josh Carey’s excellent analysis of the West’s NCAA predicament. It points out the problems and highlights some solutions for the West getting three teams in the tournament in the event St. Norbert beats UW-Stout. I’ll cover the high points here, in an updated version … Read more
I’m a fan of The Daily Show. During the writer’s strike, when Jon Stewart went back on the air with essentially no material except his own, he refused to call his program “The Daily Show”. Instead, he changed the name to “A Daily Show”. That’s how I feel trying to do the D-III Bracketology this … Read more
Alas, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a PWR for Division III this season. The NCAA has published its criteria for selecting teams for the national tournament, but has not, and, according to sources, will not say how they are weighing the criteria. One source indicated to me that the weighting is not … Read more
Now’s the time of year when I usually break out the D-III version of Bracketology. Unfortunately, it’s going to have to wait a little longer this year. The NCAA revised its selection criteria this year, moving away from the (frankly) goofy point system to assess a team’s strength of schedule. The new process is closer … Read more
Middlebury head coach Bill Beaney won his 500th game last Saturday with a 6-3 win over New England College, ironically the school where he won his first college hockey game. Beaney won 86 games at NEC before making the move to Middlebury, where he has compiled a record of 414-115-28, including eight national titles. Beaney … Read more
It’s been a fairly uneventful third period as things are getting a little chippy at the midway point. Elmira gets its fifth goal, its first non-special teams goal, with 6:52 to play. Karl Linden finds Jan Velich all alone on the weak side, and he buries it to make it 5-1. The Eagles finish it … Read more
As the team takes the ice for the second period, the Genny band is playing a kicking version of “Don’t Stop Believing”. Elmira scores it second power play goal of the evening at 1:06, with just six seconds left on the man advantage. Sebastian Gulder’s shot from the point is stopped by Jokic, but Stefan … Read more
With the fairly small crowd still finding their seats, Elmira scores on the power play just 3:11 into the contest. Ryan Amrone took a feed from Michael Richard and beat Kights goaltender Derel Jokic to make it 1-0. There’s a nice contingent of Elmira fans who made the trek up route 390 for this one. … Read more
I’m not traveling with RIT this weekend – I get one off after trips to AIC, Minnesota and Holy Cross – and had fun last night at home with the family tracking several games at once. I was watching the AHA games on B2, following D-III scores on the USCHO.com message board, and switching between … Read more
This year’s crop of Christmas/New Year’s tournaments bring several intriguing matchups, and I’m impressed by the number of Western teams that are coming east to participate. Five of the seven tournaments have a Western team in the mix. Let’s take a look at the seven tourneys on tap: Salem State Tournament When: December 27 & … Read more
We’ve had quite a cluster you-know-what at the top of the Division III poll for several weeks, with as many as six teams getting first place votes. This week we had a tie for the first time that I can remember, and I’ve been with USCHO since the inception of the poll. I think there’s … Read more
It’s that time of year again – Thanksgiving Tournaments! It’s a little disappointing that there are no tournaments in the West this year (Augsburg and MSOE hosted ones last season). Oldtimers like me miss the MIAC tournament that used to kick off their season. Let’s take a look at the seven tourneys on tap: Primelink … Read more
Finally, finally finally, everyone is in the game as the NESCAC and ECAC East begin play. Some intriguing matchups are on the docket: Middlebury at Conn College – The first time in four seasons that the Panthers don’t start the season as the defending champs, but look at the poll – they’re Number One right … Read more
A new season brings new changes. New programs, new coaches, new chances for every team and player. Like last season, this blog will complement the excellent job done by our league correspondents. Over the summer, on the D-III section of the Fan Forum, a user wanted to know what people could change about D-III hockey. … Read more
I regret not being able to make it to Superior – what an amazing three games. All one goal games, with two needing overtime to settle things. Here’s the winning moment, courtesy of Oswego’s Sports Information Department: A big congratulations to Ed Gosek and his team. He’s one of the classiest guys in college hockey … Read more
I’ve only missed one D-III Frozen Four in the past 10 years (back to when they weren’t even called “Frozen Fours”) but I unfortunately not be in Superior this weekend. Duty calls as the Atlantic Hockey Finals are taking place, and I am covering them for USCHO as well as providing analysis for the B2 … Read more
Here’s the latest on the UMass-Dartmouth saga. Interesting comments from Louise Goodrum, Athletic Director at UMD: “It’s an oversight on my part,” Goodrum said, “We went through the bid process and it covered the first round. I didn’t put down for the quarterfinals, because I didn’t suspect we’d be in position to host at the … Read more
I talked with Vincent Eurizone, chair of the NCAA Division III Selection Committee today, and he took me though the process. Interesting stuff: Read it here.
I’ve updated this blog entry three times now as the story develops – see below. ORIGINAL POST: According to sources, if Middlebury defeats Fredonia on Wednesday, the Panthers will HOST Mass-Dartmouth, the top seed, this weekend. However, if Fredonia wins, the Corsairs will be allowed to host. This is beyond dumb – it’s not about … Read more