Wednesday Women: Finding confidence

Kassidy Sauve of Ohio State (Tim Brule)

Arlan and Nicole look at teams that had a hit to their confidence, like St. Lawrence and Colgate, and teams that may have gained some confidence from their surprise results, such as Mercyhurst, Providence, and St. Cloud State, as well as some of the favorites and what will happen in the PairWise in the second half.

Santa’s wish list for women’s D-I

It’s the midway point of the season, and all but a few teams are done with their schedule until after the new year. As the students prepare for finals and we all head into the holidays, I’ve prepared a letter to Santa to let him know what I wish for each of the Division I … Read more

Robert Morris not chasing teams any longer

Maybe it’s that the CHA has just six teams and their tournament autobid status is just a year old. Maybe it’s that Mercyhurst has had such a stranglehold on the CHA that it seems impossible to imagine another team taking over. Maybe it’s just that we don’t give the CHA enough credit. Whatever the reason, … Read more

Wednesday Women: The rest of the pack

RMU womens hockey. Photo by Jason Cohn (JASON COHN/RMU ASSIGNED)

Arlan and Nicole look at some other potential NCAA tournament teams besides Minnesota and Wisconsin, especially in the CHA, and go in depth on the ECAC, as well as what teams in Hockey East have the potential to knock Boston College from the top of the roost.

CHA announces one-game suspension to Syracuse forward Sibley

The CHA announced Saturday that Syracuse forward Jessica Sibley has been suspended for today’s game against Mercyhurst. The play in question was not called on the ice, but was put under review following yesterday’s contest. After review of the play, the CHA determined that a major penalty for contact to the head and a game … Read more

Wednesday Women: New records

Grace Harrison (St. Lawrence - 29) made 27 saves and improved to 8-0-1. ((c) Shelley M. Szwast 2016)

Candace and Nicole take a look at Ann-Renee Desbiens setting a new shutout record, the strengths of Wisconsin and Minnesota, what the Boston College-Boston University split portends in Hockey East, St. Lawrence’s continued early success, and the parity in the CHA.

Wednesday Women: Moving on up

Erin Hall of Holy Cross, one of the tri-captains. (Mark Seliger)

Candace and Arlan look at Holy Cross moving up and compare the Crusaders to previous teams that have moved up to D-I, try to make sense of the many contenders in the ECAC, look at whether Boston College is the favorite in Hockey East, ponder whether North Dakota or Minnesota-Duluth has an edge in the at-large bid battle, and also debate the strengths and weaknesses of teams in the CHA.

Mercyhurst looks to build success via challenging schedule

The Mercyhurst Lakers have one of the most consistent and impressive resumes in women’s college hockey. They earned an NCAA at-large tournament bid for 10 consecutive seasons, starting in the 2004-2005 season and ending in 2013-2014. They’ve won the CHA regular season title all but one year since its inception and the CHA tournament title … Read more

Ending the streak

When the Union Dutchwomen left the ice on Saturday afternoon, it was as winners for the first time since December 12, 2014. The first win in 56 games was a big moment for the players and the program, but new coach Josh Sciba has never highlighted “win games” as a goal for the team or … Read more

Wednesday Women: Surprise teams

In the first Wednesday Women column of the year, former USCHO women’s columnist Arlan Marrtila discusses the surprises out West with our new columnist, Nicole Haase. They also look at St. Lawrence, preview this weekend’s big games, and discuss scoring. Arlan will periodically appear going forward, as will women’s editor Candace Horgan.

CHA 2016-17 season preview

The CHA has, in its history, been about one team: Mercyhurst. The Lakers have finished first in the league in 11 of 12 seasons, and even before the CHA tournament gave the winner an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, Mercyhurst usually qualified as an at-large team. Other CHA teams have challenged the Lakers at … Read more

CHA preseason coaches poll shows Syracuse at No. 1

Syracuse received five first-place votes in the annual CHA preseason coaches poll, which was released Monday, and was deemed the top team heading into the 2016-17 season. Mercyhurst garnered the other first-place vote and is slotted second in the poll.

Dawes replaces Downey as Penn State’s director of hockey operations

Penn State announced Thursday the hiring of Alex Dawes as its new director of hockey operations. Dawes replaces Bill Downey, who has accepted the role of manger of hockey operations for the American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms . “Alex Dawes has impressed the athletic department, our administration and … Read more