The second weekend of the hockey season is here, and a lot of crossover matches are on tap, including Hamline traveling to Wisconsin-Stevens Point. It will also be an emotional night at Northland, as the Lumberjacks retire the jersey of Chris Morgan, who was killed in a tragic accident over the summer. Check out my … Read more
So, week one is in the books and despite all the upsets, I managed to go 5-2-1 (.688) with my picks that included an exact score and call on the empty-net goal in St. Anselm’s hard fought 4-2 win over Bryn Athyn. Week two doesn’t get any easier and includes several major rivalries we usually … Read more
The first weekend of college hockey is in the books. Close games were a big storyline, as was one stunning upset when Milwaukee School of Engineering knocked off nationally ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The weekend also featured the debut of Trine. Check out the weekend recap to see how the action played out in the west. … Read more
Just this past week Norwich coach Mike McShane warned me that recruiting is such these days that “good young coaches are doing a great job recruiting and that all of the conferences are really competitive.” Gone are the days of wearing down just first line talent and blowing out opponents in the third period. So, … Read more
This is the week of total excitement for D-III teams. Playing teams with different color uniforms and having scores count. Coaches aren’t quite sure what they have yet and how all the pieces will come together, but that is what they are about to find out with real game action at hand. Picking games this … Read more
Friday, Oct. 27 Saint John’s vs. Bethel The Johnnies are picked third in the preseason poll. The Royals are slated to finish last. The Johnnies return just over 80 percent of their offense, including first team All-MIAC pick Sam Valerius. The Royals are hoping for a turnaround season, and the return of Kurtis Redding should … Read more
Saturday, March 25, 2017 Trinity vs. Norwich The fans are in for one extra special final between teams that have a history dating back to the interlocking schedule between NESCAC and the former ECAC East. Both teams are rich with senior experience, and while the Bantams have been in this position more recently, the Cadets … Read more
Saturday, March 25 Trinity vs. Norwich Norwich is coming off a thrilling overtime win over Adrian, holding off the Bulldogs 5-4 in overtime. Ian Williams scored the game-winner at the 11:40 mark to put the Cadets in the championship game. Norwich, unbeaten in 24 consecutive games, is seeking its first national title since 2010. Trinity … Read more
Norwich (25-1-3) vs. Adrian (20-6-2) Norwich and Adrian couldn’t have picked a better spot to have their first-ever meeting. The two teams are playing for a spot in the national title game. The Cadets are in the Frozen Four for the 12th time in program history and seeking their first national title since 2010. They … Read more
The Frozen Four matchups are set with East meeting West in each of two semifinals on Friday. My quarterfinal picks saw my upset pick miss and the defending champions bounced by a strong Adrian team effort. I finished at 2-2-0 (.500), which brings the season total to 93-45-9 (.663). My Western counterpart, Brian, matched the … Read more
The Memorial Auditorium in Utica was every D-III team’s ultimate destination for the end of March, and only now do we know the Frozen Four participants following Saturday night’s thrilling quarterfinals. There will be a new national champion, as there is only one repeat team, St. Norbert, among the four participants who will begin next … Read more
Saturday, March 18 Norwich (24-1-3) vs. Hamilton (20-4-4) Norwich defeated Salem State last weekend, stretching its unbeaten streak to 22 games. The Cadets are seeking their first NCAA championship since 2010 and are up against a Hamilton team that is playing in the tournament for the first time. The Continentals are in the midst of … Read more
The field is now set for the quarterfinal round, which means there will be two representatives from each region in the Frozen Four, but as always the question is who? My first-round picks did not give enough credit to the two newcomers that posted big road wins, so I finished at 2-2-0 (.500) which brings … Read more
All of the first round action was in the East on Saturday night, as four first-round games pitted all eight Eastern teams against each other with the hope of advancing to next Saturday’s quarterfinals. No surprise that two veteran teams played solid games to win at home but two newcomers in Hamilton and Endicott pulled … Read more
Saturday, March 11 Salem State (15-9-3) at Norwich (23-1-3) The No. 1 team in the nation begins its quest for a national title with a home game. The Cadets are in the NCAA tournament for the 17th time and aiming for their fourth championship in program history. Salem State is in the tourney for the … Read more
The field is set for the national tournament with eight teams from the East and four teams from the West. The four Western teams will wait a week before their quarterfinal matchups, while all eight Eastern teams will play first-round games to determine the quarterfinal participants. My championship week picks were of championship caliber, as … Read more
The expectations for championship weekend were great and the games delivered on the promise of great competition and high-energy hockey. One game went to overtime, while three games were decided in the final two minutes and one in the final 10 seconds. The auto-bid winners will soon know about their NCAA tournament schedule, while others … Read more
Augsburg claimed its second consecutive MIAC tournament championship Saturday night, rallying for a 3-2 win over St. Thomas on the road. The Auggies, the MIAC runner-up in the regular season, trailed 2-1 in the third period before fighting back to claim the title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Corbin Chapman scored … Read more
Three champions will be crowned in the West region this weekend. Below are my picks for the MIAC, NCHA, and WIAC title games. The winners of the MIAC and NCHA will clinch automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. The WIAC champ isn’t guaranteed a spot, but it’s hard to imagine Wisconsin-Stevens Point will be left … Read more
I guess I should finally just admit that any result at this point of the season is hardly worth a mention as an upset. This time, my semifinal picks were totally playoff-worthy as I finished at 4-0-0 (.1000) on Tuesday, which brings the season total to 83-40-9 (.663). It is down to the final games … Read more