Forget about March for a moment. February is roaring in like a lion as we have two premier matchups on tap out west in NCAA Division III hockey. In the MIAC, St. Scholastica battles Bethel while Adrian takes on St. Norbert in a rivalry series in the NCHA. In both matchups, a lot is riding … Read more
Moving into February and for most conferences that means three weeks left in league action with the NEHC only having two weeks before the conference tournament begins. There is still a lot at stake in battles for playoff position and home-ice advantage so wins, points and tiebreakers are all part of the equation this time … Read more
Kyler Grundy battled through injuries last season, preventing him from maximizing his potential. Its a different story this year for the UW-Eau Claire standout as he has played an instrumental role in the nationally ranked Blugolds’ success. After tallying two goals and four assists a season ago, Grundy is the points leader for the Blugolds, … Read more
On the road against one of the nation’s best teams Friday, UW-Stout was unfazed by facing No. 6 UW-Stevens Point. Winning wasn’t easy, but the Blue Devils found a way to get the job done, grinding out a 3-2 win thanks to a game-winning goal from Boyd Stahlbaum and 30 saves out of Dawson Green. … Read more
There are statement wins of which we saw a few this weekend from Plattsburgh, Norwich, and Plymouth State and then there are the bigger statement sweeps as executed by Hobart, Curry, Utica, and Trinity. The upset bug continued with a big win from Nichols and a milestone win for coach Dean Fuller at Fitchburg State … Read more
While Plymouth State has a secure handle on first place in the MASCAC standings so far this season, there is a lot of battling amongst familiar opponents for playoff positions including coach Dean Fuller’s Fitchburg State Falcons who currently hold down third place on the leaderboard just two points behind Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Fuller has been a … Read more
It’s the last weekend of hockey in January and we have a full slate of conference games in the MIAC, WIAC and NCHA. The Auggies and Johnnies face off in a MIAC rivalry game while UW-Stout faces one of its biggest tests as it takes on the nationally ranked Pointers. Here’s a look at the … Read more
The slate of games this week is crazy good when you consider not only the ranking implications but maybe more importantly the league and seeding outcomes relative to tiebreakers, and the all-important head-to-head competition. As February approaches the stakes are certainly higher and like the games, I need to build momentum with my picks as … Read more
Aurora has been one of the better teams in the NCHA this season. And the Spartans made a statement Friday with a 4-3 win in overtime over then No. 12 Trine. The Spartans led 3-1 going into the third before the Thunder rallied to force overtime. It was there that Chayce Schmidt delivered the game … Read more
The American Hockey Coaches Association has announced its slate of recipients of its most prestigious awards for 2024. Six of the eight individuals being recognized will be honored at the 2024 AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla., scheduled for May 1-4. The recipients of the John Mariucci Award, presented to secondary school coaches, and the Jim … Read more
Another great weekend of hockey that continued to produce some big upsets where four ranked teams (Geneseo, Norwich, Trinity, and Salve Regina) in the east lost, playoff caliber hockey in several conferences where the races continue to tighten and a host of overtime games that produced a few sudden victory moments. Here is this week’s … Read more
Carsen Richels wasn’t sure what he was going to do from a hockey standpoint after leaving New Hampshire, where he had played the first two seasons of his collegiate hockey career. Returning to his home state of Minnesota made sense. “I definitely wanted to be close to home and in a more comfortable setting,” Richels … Read more
A look at the national rankings finds a number of New York-based teams among the very best in the nation and logjammed in the top 10. While a lot of focus and discussion has included teams like Hobart, Elmira, Plattsburgh, Utica and even Skidmore, a very strong Geneseo has sort of flown under the radar … Read more
As we reach the middle of the month here in Division III hockey we have come to learn that no pick is ever a lock. Any given night seems to be the theme and that probably won’t change this weekend. We are into full on conference play now and things really get interesting. So let’s … Read more
The 2024 NCAA Convention ended last Saturday, capping a busy week of progress and celebration. The Division III Management Council and Presidents Council approved expanding the men’s hockey championship bracket from 12 to 13 teams, starting with the upcoming 2024 tournament. The NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Committee recommended the addition of another team … Read more
The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation has announced 18 nominees for the 2024 Hockey Humanitarian Award. The award, which is celebrating its 29th season, is presented annually to college hockey’s finest citizen — a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism. The … Read more
The trend lately has been bonus hockey, upsets and games that generally have the look and feel of playoff games as teams battle for conference points and position in the standings. Still some fun non-conference action mid-week going on but for most the action is focused on conference play and building momentum over the remainder … Read more
And we are back to chaos following a weekend where multiple ranked teams fell, 15 overtime games were played and things tightened up across several conference races as the second half action across the east heated up as expected. While bonus hockey was in abundance, not all the games were decisive with overtime played. Elmira, … Read more
The two-game losing streak is history and one of the best seasons in program history continues for the Bethel Royals. Winners of just 10 games a season ago, Bethel is 11-4-2 overall and tied for first in the MIAC (5-2-1) after dominating Augsburg 5-0 Saturday night to salvage a split in their weekend series. The … Read more
The ECHL’s Worcester Railers have announced that defenseman Ryan Dickinson has been signed for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Dickinson joins the Railers in the middle of his senior season at Oswego. In three seasons with the Lakers, the Brighton, Mich., native totaled 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 65 games to go … Read more