News from U.S. College Hockey Online: NCAA ice hockey news, features, scores, stats, fan forum and more. http://www.uscho.com/ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:45:01 -0600 FeedCreator 1.7.1 http://www.uscho.com/images/rsslogo.gif http://www.uscho.com/ NCAA ice hockey news, features, scores, stats, fan forum and more. http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17427/ThisWeekinDINovember62009.html Used to play “I spy with my wandering eye” with my kids, when both they (all six of them) and I were a lot younger. Found myself doing so again this week as I perused the D-I landscape. What Caught my Eye: WCHA Da Badgers. Just when you think you've got Wisconsin figured out, the Badgers hit you with a crate full of knuckle pucks. Yes, they are the defending national champs, but they've ... Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17412/ThisWeekinMIAC.html MIAC Showcase The inaugural MIAC Showcase was held at the Bloomington Ice Gardens this last weekend. From Friday through Sunday, all nine teams from the MIAC got to go out and face off against each other. It wasn’t a tournament format: there were no playoffs or seedings, no champion declared or trophy won, nor was there an all-showcase team. What there was though, were nine games of fast ... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17413/ThisWeekintheNCHAMCHA.html Welcome back for what should no doubt be another chaotic season. Though many things changed from a season ago, the preseason USCHO.com Division III men’s poll is not one of them: it remains littered with NCHA teams, six in all. Defending Peters Cup champion Stout was the highest of the bunch and checked in at No. 3 while Superior landed on their heels in fourth. The Blue Devils and Yellowjackets ... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17429/ECACWestPreview.html RIT Tigers Coach: Scott McDonald (62-14-4, 4th season) Last year’s record: 21-3-2 ECAC West Record: 15-2-1 (2nd) Coaches’ Projection: First My Prediction: First Key Losses: Keltie Jones and Sandra Grant Key Returnees: Jr. Sarah Dagg (16-24-40), Jr. Katie Stack (17-17-34), Jr. Traci Galbraith (6-14-20) Newcomers to watch: Kim Schlattman, Kayla Ross, Danielle Read Elmira College Soaring ... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17402/ThisWeekinSUNYAC.html First Big Upset It didn't take long for the first big upset involving a SUNYAC team. Morrisville, playing their first game of the season, stunned Elmira, playing their third game, 2-1, in the Thunderdomes. "A great win for our program," Morrisville coach Brian Grady said. "A great confidence boost. I think it's huge. I told my team afterwards, 'You beat a nationally ranked opponent on the ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17403/SurgeryWillEndSeasonforMinnesotasBarriball.html Minnesota forward Jay Barriball will have season-ending surgery to repair a knee injury he suffered in practice on Tuesday, the school announced Thursday. Barriball, a senior, is eligible to apply to the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver. If approved, he would be able to play another season in college. His surgery is scheduled for Friday. Barriball had four points through five games this ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17404/BookExcerptBurntheBoats.html An excerpt from USCHO Senior Writer Scott Weighart's book about Boston University's run to the 2009 national championship. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17405/ECACWestSeasonPreview.html ECAC West Preview When it comes to the ECAC West, you usually always immediately think the power trio of Elmira, Plattsburgh, and R.I.T. Once again, these three programs are at the top of the league’s pre-season rankings and are the odds on favorites to win the conference crown. However, the gap between this trio and the rest of the conference is slowly starting to close. All three teams sustained ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17406/ThisWeekintheCCHANov52009.html He Shoots! He Scores! He Shouldn't Have! There's only one thing more exciting than a shootout, and that's a shootout that helps to illustrate the idiocy of the shootout. When the game between Bowling Green and Nebraska-Omaha remained tied at the end of a five-minute overtime Friday, Oct. 30, a shootout ensued &#8212; as is the current fashion in the CCHA. The only player to score was Bowling Green ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17407/ThisWeekintheCHANov52009.html Every year when CHA coaches are asked about their nonconference schedules, they all usually say something along the lines of "in college hockey, anyone can win on any given night." Last Friday night, Robert Morris opened its home schedule against No. 18 Quinnipiac and was soundly defeated, 5-0. Sure, on paper, that looked about right. The next night, however, RMU busted an eight-spot on Quinnipiac ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17408/ThisWeekintheWCHANov52009.html Well, we're three weeks in and the two Colorado schools are leading the pack, with CC being the relative surprise. Red Baron WCHA Players of the Week Red Baron WCHA Offensive Player of the Week: Tony Lucia, UM. Why: Scored five points (3g, 2a) including two shorthanded goals, to help his Gophers sweep Alaska-Anchorage. Also Nominated: Jesse Martin, DU; Rob Bordson, UMD; Brendan Smith, UW. Red ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17409/ThisWeekinECACHockeyNov52009.html Boy, oh boy, it's that time again ... every team's in the game, and every game's a big one! Harvard kicked off the 2009-10 ECAC Hockey season with a statement win in Hanover, N.H., but there were plenty of other ECAC domestic disputes this weekend as well. Lots to look at, so let's get down to business. Yale Throttles Princeton in the Third In the weekend's most potent pairing, the visiting Bulldogs ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17410/ThisWeekinAtlanticHockeyNov52009.html Buzzing AIC is looking for a sea change this season, and so far, so good. The Yellow Jackets are currently 1-1-1 in league play, coming off a three-point weekend against Holy Cross. It's ridiculously early, but this is the best start in conference play for AIC since 2002. Freshmen are leading the way, with rookies accounting for nine of AIC's 13 goals so far this season. Frosh netminder Ben ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17411/ThisWeekinHockeyEastNov52009.html More Tightly Packed Than Ever? Hockey East has gotten off to a sluggish (at best) start against the other conferences. A 16-14-1 record doesn't appear all that bad at first glance, but once you get past the 5-0 record against upstart Atlantic Hockey, the results are decidedly underwhelming: 3-3 against the ECACHL, 6-5-1 versus the CCHA and an ugly 2-6 against the WCHA. Admittedly, only two teams ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17401/ThisWeekintheECACWest.html Splitting the Mustangs In a bit of a surprise, Elmira split a home-and-home series with the Morrisville Mustangs this past weekend. Coming off a rough and tumble weekend against Oswego, the Soaring Eagles are a bit dinged up and keenly felt the loss of the missing players against Morrisville. "The games were interesting to say the least," said Elmira head coach Aaron Saul. "We're still a young ... Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17399/TuesdayMorningQuarterbackNov32009.html A shootout controversy, series splits and a weekend preview are on the docket as USCHO.com senior writers Jim Connelly and Todd D. Milewski catch up on college hockey. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17398/UNOJoinsTop10forFirstTimeThisSeason.html Nebraska-Omaha has joined the top 10 of the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll at No. 10, and fellow undefeated team Bemidji State is knocking at the door. Related link: The full rankings Miami retained the top spot in the poll after a pair of one-goal victories at Northern Michigan. UNO, fresh from a weekend that featured a controversial shootout loss and a victory against ... Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17365/RebirthsintheMerrimackValley.html Two teams that were recently down on their luck, Merrimack and Massachusetts-Lowell, have put together good starts to the 2009-10 season, senior writer Jim Connelly reports. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17366/ThisWeekinDIWomensHockeyOctober302009.html Don't look now, but ... What's up with the CHA, anyway? Syracuse is suddenly respectable. Wayne State is, as we all know, still unpredictable. And Mercyhurst, is, well, still the top-ranked team in the land. Let's start with the Orange. The second-year program appears to be making great strides under head coach Paul Flanagan. Syracuse is fresh off its most impressive weekend in its brief ... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17367/MIACSeasonPreview.html Every season across Division III hockey it seems that parity becomes more and more prevalent. As one coach put it, “it used to be that you could look at your schedule and pencil in six to seven games as ones that you’d win; now you look at it and it’s maybe one to two.” This past season saw four MIAC teams separated by a whopping three points. With teams near the top losing in some cases ... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17358/SUNYACSeasonPreview.html It wasn't too long ago when the SUNYAC was stacked with talented goaltenders. Netminders like Brett Walker, Rick Scott, Craig Neilson, Sean Sheehan, Matt Meacham, Ryan Venturelli, Tyson Gajda, Greg Van't Hof, and Ben Binga. Now, there are a plethora of questions concerning goaltending for many teams. Plattsburgh lost Bryan Hince to the pros. Oswego is still searching for a solid replacement for ... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17359/ThisWeekinAtlanticHockeyOct292009.html Righting the Ship Pardon the mixed metaphor, but Air Force righted its ship last weekend, getting the better of RIT 5-4 and 3-2. The two wins in front of sellout crowds at Cadet Ice Arena were the Falcons' first and second of the season after an 0-4 start. "If you would have told me that we would sweep RIT and that our freshman line would score most of the goals, I would have laughed at you," ... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17360/ThisWeekintheCCHAOct292009.html Scary Good The start of every new season is nothing but sweet potential, a potent elixir of hope and talent that has yet to sour into a reality as cold and hard &#8212; and sometimes as lingering &#8212; as an Alaskan winter. The first month of hockey is perfect, no matter what your team's record. Here are a few things that make the start of the 2009-10 CCHA season scary good. Corey Tropp Tropp's ... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17361/ThisWeekinECACHockeyOct292009.html The league's half-dozen non-Ivy programs have been stamping their timecards for a few weeks now, so let's check in on a few percolating trends. Wild Knights Up in Potsdam, coach George Roll predicted growing pains for his young defensive unit, but also foresaw significant offensive depth that would allow for a rolling Green and Gold scoring threat. Lo and behold, the coach knows what he's talking ... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17362/ThisWeekintheWCHAOct292009.html It's Halloween week here and although that really means nothing in the world of college hockey, it happens to be one of my personal favorite holidays. So, please excuse the Halloween-y touches and the probably excessive use of Halloween hyperbole sprinkled throughout. Red Baron WCHA Players of the Week Red Baron WCHA Offensive Player of the Week: Bill Sweatt, CC. Why: Scored seven points (1g ... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17363/ThisWeekintheCHAOct292009.html Pop quiz: Who's the hottest college hockey team in Minnesota right now? Sorry, Gophers, but you need to score goals to even be considered. Duluth? Nah. Minnesota State? Try again. St. Cloud State? Nupe. Ladies and gentlemen, Bemidji State is the hottest college hockey team in Minnesota right now after getting a hard-fought tie and a dominating win on the road last weekend at Northern ... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17364/ThisWeekinHockeyEastOct292009.html Terriers Make Much Needed Rebound Could everyone hear that collective sigh of relief coming from Commonwealth Avenue on Saturday evening? That was the Boston University Terrier faithful breathing once again after the defending national champions earned their first win of the season, 3-2, over Michigan. After opening the season with losses at Massachusetts two weekends ago and then falling at ... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17351/200910ManhattanvilleSeasonPreview.html Manhattanville stumbled early last season, going 0-2-1 against Neumann within the first five games of the year, despite having what appeared to be a more talented team. The Valiants got rolling, though, losing only once in its next 19 contests and finished second in the regular season standings. Looking at the Manhattanville roster before this season, it seems like the rich have gotten richer. "On ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17352/200910ElmiraSeasonPreview.html After eight seasons at the helm of the Elmira Soaring Eagles, Tim Ceglarski retired last April. The college immediately started a search for a new coach and landed former player and former assistant coach Aaron Saul, who had been the head coach of Potsdam State the past two seasons. Transitions are always a disruptive time, both personally and professionally, but returning to his alma mater was an ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17353/200910NeumannSeasonPreview.html It is most definitely a cliché, but Neumann stunned the college hockey world when they walked away with the 2009 national championship last March. After stumbling through most of the season, the Knights got hot in the playoffs and ran the table all the way to the final buzzer in Lake Placid. That team was led by a group of 12 seniors, who as freshmen joined a perennial doormat team that was also ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17354/200910HobartSeasonPreview.html After a trip to the NCAA semifinal game last season, where Hobart lost to eventual champion Neumann, the Statesmen are hungry to get back to the Promised Land this year. Hobart has played in the NCAA tournament three of the last four years, but the team knows it needs to take care of all of the little details throughout the season to get there again. "We want to do exactly what we have been doing ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17355/200910UticaSeasonPreview.html Despite starting out last season with all sorts of promise, the Utica Pioneers struggled during much of the year. The Pioneers were strong out of conference, going 6-2-2 in 10 non-conference games, and amassed a 4-1-1 record by the middle of November. But the defense faltered when league play began in earnest and Utica dropped seven straight league games in December and January. "We opened the ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17356/200910LebanonValleySeasonPreview.html The last couple of seasons have not been friendly to the Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen. Two seasons ago, Lebanon Valley went 1-23-1 and barely survived an effort to kill the program. Last year, with 17 freshmen on the roster, the Flying Dutchmen continued to struggle going winless during the season. Needless to say, the challenges are many in central Pennsylvania. "Hopefully we can do something ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17357/ECACWestSeasonPreview.html The 2008-2009 season was remarkable for the ECAC West. The Neumann Knights ran the playoff table in stunning fashion and captured the national championship. As if that wasn't enough, other teams in the ECAC West also had extended seasons. Hobart made it to the NCAA semifinal round, riding the coat tails of senior All-American goaltender Keith Longo and Elmira also carried its season into the NCAA's ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17349/TuesdayMorningQuarterbackOct272009.html USCHO.com senior writers Jim Connelly and Todd D. Milewski give their takes on the topics <i>du jour</i>, including the number of losses for top-10 teams last week, how things shake out in the polls and some of the key games this weekend. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17347/NCHASeasonPreview.html For the past nine seasons, the NCHA has been a modicum of stability. It has been a highly competitive eight team league with a balanced 14 game league schedule and a nice symmetrical playoff bracket. Though there is no question the league will remain as competitive as ever this season, it’s time to throw everything else out the window as Lake Forest’s move from the MCHA this offseason has forced ... Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17348/LowellJumpsIntoTop10MiamiMaintainsLead.html Massachusetts-Lowell vaulted into the top 10 of the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll on Monday, checking in at No. 9 after home wins last weekend over Colgate and Northeastern. That moved the River Hawks up four spots. Related: The full poll Miami kept the top spot in the poll despite a Saturday night home loss to Michigan State. But the RedHawks now have just 26 first-place ... Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17350/StandardBearerPlattsburghTopsPreseasonDIIIPoll.html MINNEAPOLIS &#8212; Controlled chaos. How else to better explain USCHO’s inaugural USCHO.com Division III men’s hockey poll? Eight different teams received first place votes, with six each having a lone supporter. The top two squads&#8212;Plattsburgh, last year’s top ranked team for much of the year and Neumann, the defending national champion&#8212;are separated by a mere eight points, with ... Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17345/BroadcastsArentPerfectbutItsAllAboutAirtime.html Sure, local and national broadcasts of college hockey may not be everything to everyone, but the exposure the game gets is the important part, USCHO national columnist Dave Starman writes. Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17316/ThisWeekinDIHockeyOctober232009.html Goal-goal-goal-goal-hanchuk The week past sure gave us some eye-popping performances, n'est ce pas? Lets begin with BU sophomore Jenelle Kohanchuk's enormous four-goal eruption against Wayne State on Saturday. Such four-spots don't occur every day ... certainly not at BU, where it had never happened, and where only three Terriers had ever registered hat tricks. None of those snipers were named ... Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17309/ThisWeekinECACHockeyOct222009.html Annual "Fear the North Country" Warning This is your official public service announcement: The North Country trip will never be "just another road game." Clarkson and St. Lawrence swept last weekend against fellow upstaters Niagara and RIT, and now sit at a combined 5-3-0 despite widespread preseason dismissals from the ECAC Hockey community. But before hopes get too high, let's take a closer ... Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17310/ThisWeekintheWCHAOctober222009.html We've entered the early part of the season, where everything still feels new, on both the spectators' side and that of the coaches and teams, who are still feeling everything out. This weekend, we get all ten teams in action against each other for the first of five total times this year, an early way to gauge competition. It'll be an early glimpse to see how our respective teams match up with others ... Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17311/ThisWeekinAtlanticHockeyOctober222009.html It Could Be Worse... What could be worse than a 1-9 opening weekend for Atlantic Hockey? How about an 0-14 record last weekend to plunge the league to 1-23 in nonconference games to date. "I'm sure the coaches aren't any happier than I am," said league commissioner Bob DiGregorio. "(Atlantic Hockey) teams are just not getting the bounces. Teams have been in plenty of those games but weren't ... Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17312/ThisWeekinHockeyEastOctober222009.html Undefeated UMass There's only one Hockey East team still standing with an unblemished record &#8212; the Massachusetts Minutemen. UMass followed up a season-opening, non-league win over Rensselaer with its first points in Hockey East, a 3-2 win over defending national champion Boston University. There isn't a coach in the universe who wouldn't choose to be 2-0 rather than 0-2, but neither UMass Coach ... Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17313/ThisWeekintheCCHAOctober222009.html Youth in a Young Season This season is a scant two full weeks old, and already some interesting tidbits &#8212; too early to call them patterns &#8212; have emerged. Last season, the CCHA seemed to have had a particularly promising freshman class. Notre Dame's Billy Maday, Michigan's David Wohlberg, Ohio State's Ian Boots and Zac Dalpe, two great goaltenders at Miami and a slew of rookies at Western Michigan ... Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17314/ThisWeekintheCHAOct222009.html How 'bout them Alabama-Huntsville Chargers? Paying attention, CCHA? UAH is off to a 3-1 start. Yes, you read that correctly. Three wins and just one loss. Granted, we're only two weeks into the season, but to put this into perspective, the Chargers won just five games all of last year. What makes the CCHA cringe is the fact one of their top schools, Notre Dame, was the victim of one of ... Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17307/TuesdayMorningQuarterbackOct202009.html USCHO's weekly look back at the goings-on around college hockey and glance ahead at the upcoming weekend returns with Jim Connelly and Todd D. Milewski writing about early-season surprises. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17277/SelflessActDefinesProvidenceFreshmansCharacter.html Providence freshman Tim Schaller defies the concept of a me-focused society. Mike Scandura reports. Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17306/VermontUNOClimbasMiamiHoldsTopSpotinPoll.html Miami reigns as the top team in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll, but Vermont and Nebraska-Omaha made the biggest jumps. Related: The full poll Vermont impressed the voters with a 4-1 victory over Boston College on Sunday, and that moved the Catamounts up four spots to seventh. Nebraska-Omaha earned a win and a tie at Colgate over the weekend and moved up four spots to ... Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,17278/FreshmanRyanLeavesBCforMajorJuniors.html Freshman winger Kenny Ryan has left Boston College, coach Jerry York said Thursday. Ryan is expected to join the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. The move comes after Ryan played in two exhibition games with BC. The Eagles open the season Sunday at Vermont. A second-round draft pick of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs this year, the 6-foot, 204-pound Ryan played two seasons with ... Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0600