The field is set for this weekend’s Frozen Four in Lake Placid. Lots of great stories among the four entrants that include perennial national title contender St. Norbert, last year’s finalist looking for a better outcome in Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a team with a cause in Geneseo and this year’s first-time participant, Massachusetts-Boston. All four earned … Read more
It’s the quarterfinal round and all four games feature matchups that are great for fans who like great offense, strong team defense and terrific goaltending. The winning teams will need to have all on display to advance to next week’s Frozen Four in Lake Placid. Last week’s first round NCAA picks went 2-1-0 (.667) with … Read more
There were three games last weekend, including the defending national champion and three first-time participants in the national tournament, that all finished with perhaps a bit less drama than expected. Two first-timers won their matchups and this year’s tournament will see a new national champion as Trinity exits in the first round at the hands … Read more
Just 11 teams remain at the D-III level and all have the desire to win that coveted NCAA title. This year, the schedule breaks down more favorably for those teams playing first-round games as the mid-week games are all moved to Saturday with the quarterfinals to follow a week later. That means some welcome rest … Read more
What a weekend it was in the East. All of the conference titles have been decided and just as the entire season has shown, don’t take anything for granted when it comes to the final outcome on the ice. While some favorites proved why they were just that, others saw their conference title aspirations dashed … Read more
Way back in October, this was a weekend circled on the calendar that coaches and teams aspired to be playing meaningful hockey on – the time has come and now opportunity meets talent and desire with the hope of winning a conference championship and maybe playing for more on a bigger stage in the national … Read more
Playoff games typically bring out the best in teams and that should be the case this weekend in the MIAC, NCHA and WIAC. The margin for error will be slim. In fact, when Adrian and St. Norbert played in the regular season, both games were decided by a goal. The same goes for the two … Read more
Well, it was most certainly a Super Saturday in all of the conference tournaments that saw favorites win, shocking upsets, overtime thrillers and a championship game postponed due to an outbreak of Mumps. There was lots of excitement and drama and for the teams remaining, one step climbed in pursuit of a conference title and … Read more
The weekend that was in the West Region playoffs… MIAC Thrilling is perhaps the best way to describe the semifinal round of the MIAC tournament Saturday. St. John’s edged rival St. Thomas 2-1 in overtime while regular-season champion Augsburg used a three-goal outburst in the final seven minutes of action to knock off defending tournament … Read more
Wow, it is a SUPER SATURDAY! A total of 36 teams in 18 games showcasing great hockey across the Northeast and teams hoping that this is when they find their best hockey of the season. I am just like those teams when it comes to my season-long predictions. While I have not been great all … Read more
Some of the Eastern conferences didn’t even wait for the playoffs to create some drama this past weekend. A first-year program took a giant step in winning the regular-season title and all of the seeded teams took care of business in the opening rounds of the playoffs in the NE-10 and NEHC tournaments. Needless to … Read more
The end of the regular season and first round of conference tournaments is here. Yes there is much still to battle for in many of the conferences, NE-10 semifinals and for the NEHC teams in the quarterfinals, it is win or go home! The picks from last week saw a playoff-like performance at 6-0-2 (.875) … Read more
For one conference, everything is settled, while the top is clearer in one or two more. The penultimate week for most was an opportunity to make a move in the standings and many teams did their best to gain home ice or solidify their game coming into the all-important conference tournaments. Here’s the weekend East … Read more
The home stretch is here for D-III college hockey and several big games are on the schedule for this weekend, including a showdown of the top two teams in the MIAC as St. Thomas battles Augsburg. In the NCHA, the featured matchup pits two nationally-ranked teams against each other as St. Norbert and St. Scholastica … Read more
The end of the regular season is already upon some teams this weekend, while others have just two more weekends to control their destiny for playoff positioning. Every game is critical, but the battles for home ice feel even more like it is already the playoffs. The picks from last week saw a solid bounce-back … Read more
If it is at all possible, the playoff picture with just a couple of weeks remaining got cloudier, not clearer, across many of the conferences this weekend. Some teams with opportunity to create separation fell victim to upsets, while some other teams looking to make a late-season run made a statement about the fact they … Read more
February is here and that means we’ve reached the final month of regular-season action in NCAA Division III hockey. Here are my picks for key games in the West this weekend: St. Thomas (9-6-4, 6-2-2) vs. Concordia (Minn.) (8-9-2, 6-3-1) The Tommies are tied for second in the conference and have seen their last two … Read more
The road into February just got bumpy again and teams looking to be playing at their best when it matters most are now focused on the stretch drive. That is good advice for my prediction skills as well. The picks for last week regressed coming into February as I finished at 4-3-0 (.571) for the … Read more
The battle in every conference is on for regular season supremacy and playoff seeding. Some teams helped themselves a lot this weekend while others lost out on chances to move up with the remaining weekends in the regular season swindling down as the calendar turns to February. There are just three weekends remaining and a … Read more
We’ve reached the point of the season where things start to get interesting in conference play. Over the next few weeks, the best will separate themselves from the rest as titles are decided and playoff tickets are punched. So without further delay, here are some of the big games on tap for the weekend. Augsburg … Read more