Kelly Stephens, senior on the defending champion Minnesota Gophers, has left no question that she’ll be leading by example when the college season begins. For the second straight evening, Stephens led the U.S Under-22 team to victory over Canada with two goals, including the game-winner. Her pair was part of a three-goal explosion in the … Read more
The United States is in an unfamiliar position entering this week’s annual Under-22 series with Canada-defending champion and favorite. As usual, the three-game series offers glimpses of top U.S. college players from both countries, but what’s been different recently is that the glimpses are of younger Canadians. The average age of this year’s Canadian roster … Read more
If this afternoon’s game is any indication, U.S. Under-22 team head coach Alana Blahoski will have quite a decision to make when choosing her goaltender for next week’s series against Canada. Colgate’s Rebecca Lahar and Wisconsin’s Meghan Horras took turns putting on a netminding clinic this afternoon, combining to save all 26 shots they faced … Read more
The U.S. Under-22 team showed considerable spark during a late comeback bid, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Cammi Granato and the U.S. Red Team at the USA Hockey Women’s Festival in Lake Placid Friday night. Granato led the Reds with two goals in their 5-3 victory, and Angela Ruggiero and Minnesota junior Krissy Wendell … Read more
The newly expanded eight-team NCAA women’s hockey tournament in 2005 will be the first to award automatic bids, pending approval during the Sept. 21-22 meeting of the D-I Championships and Competition Cabinet. The ECAC, the WCHA and Hockey East were the three conferences recommended for automatic qualification, according to the recently released meeting agenda. Women’s … Read more
Dartmouth and St. Lawrence entered this weekend’s Frozen Four handicapped by the loss of three star players to the World Championships.
UMD coach Shannon Miller was back at the NCAA women’s Frozen Four on Thursday, but in an entirely unfamiliar role. She was sitting in the back of the press room watching questions being answered instead of taking them herself. UMD has won all three NCAA championships contested but just missed the NCAA cut this time … Read more
Minnesota women’s coach Laura Halldorson has suspended freshman defenseman Danielle Ashley for the remainder of the 2003-04 season for violating team policies. Ashley played in 26 games for the No. 1 Gophers, scoring two goals and 13 assists for 15 points. She was also the national leader in penalties with 37, all minors. Minnesota had … Read more
Natalie Darwitz, who, it was feared, would miss the remainder of the 2003-04 season due to torn ligaments in her right elbow, has been cleared by Minnesota to play this weekend. The injury was suffered on Jan. 10 at Minnesota-Duluth. At the time, Darwitz, a sophomore forward, led the nation in scoring with 41 points. … Read more
The bad news just keeps coming for the No. 1 Minnesota women’s hockey team. In a matter of days, the three U.S. Olympians in the Gophers’ lineup have dwindled to one. Minnesota revealed today that freshman defenseman Lyndsay Wall, the youngest member of the 2002 U.S. Olympic team, will be academically ineligible to compete for … Read more
Minnesota announced today that sophomore forward Natalie Darwitz, the leading scorer in Division I women’s hockey, will likely miss the remainder of the the 2003-04 season due to torn ligaments in her right elbow. The injury was suffered on Jan. 10 during the No. 1 Gophers’ 4-3 overtime victory at No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth. Natalie Darwitz, … Read more
The Ohio State women’s team will remain a member of the WCHA and not join College Hockey America for the 2004-05 season. Ohio State is a charter member of the WCHA’s women’s league, founded in 1999. The Buckeyes previously accepted an offer to join the CHA after the current season. With Findlay deciding to drop … Read more
When Minnesota-Duluth coach Shannon Miller met with Harvard’s Katey Stone prior to the NCAA final last March, she said, “Let’s put on a show.” Almost nine months later, it’s time for an encore. This No. 3 Harvard vs. No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth series on Friday and Saturday won’t be mistaken for March’s double overtime 4-3 UMD … Read more
December may only have just begun, but the series that are going to make or break teams in March are already beginning. It’s not a subject that too many players or coaches like to think about, but such is the reality of a sport with only four NCAA tournament berths. In the WCHA, No. 5 … Read more
The Ohio State women’s ice hockey team has accepted an offer to join College Hockey America and will begin league play in 2004-05, ending a five-year affiliation with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. “We have certainly enjoyed our stay in the WCHA. It has been very beneficial for the growth and development of our young … Read more
When last week’s column led off by saying “The Four Nations Cup’s disruption of the college hockey season is now past,” it was only referring to scheduling and the presence of bodies at games. It was not referring to the physical state of those bodies and whether the equipment for those bodies would come back … Read more
No. 5 Providence takes on No. 2 Dartmouth in a match between two teams on opposite sides of last year’s NCAA tournament bubble, and No. 7 St. Lawrence visits No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth for ECAC-WCHA competition. David De Remer reports.
Sure, there were signs that three-time defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth would be in for a tough time in Mankato last weekend. Consider a UMD team that was already adjusting to the loss of 12 players from its previous season, strip it of its head coach and four players (including two Canadian national representatives) for the … Read more
Minnesota forward Thomas Vanek, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Frozen Four, will return for his sophomore season. The Buffalo Sabres, who drafted Vanek in the first round of this year’s NHL Draft, said they believed it was best for Vanek to return to school. (Offseason coaching and player moves) “Our view is another … Read more
WCHA associate commissioner Sara Martin affirmed that written league policy did not guarantee Minnesota-Duluth coach Shannon Miller a tape of the Minnesota-Wisconsin semifinal during the women’s WCHA Final Five tournament in March, despite Miller’s claims last week that she had been victimized by league officials after waiting until 1:15 a.m. the morning of the final … Read more