The best College Hockey coverage is at CollegeHockeyNews.com http://www.collegehockeynews.com Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:12:01 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/images/design/chn2006-text-180px.gif http://www.collegehockeynews.com College Hockey News http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/gamegab.php Wrapping up the latest games, with summaries of the results, and analysis/insight from the CHN staff. roundup Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/02/03_michigan_tech_back_on_course.php For all of the progress Michigan Tech has made this season under first-year coach Mel Pearson, you couldn't tell by what had happened through the first half of last Friday's game at Minnesota-Duluth. The Huskies had run into a juggernaut that was making them look silly, falling behind 4-0 in hostile territory to the nation's top-ranked team, and reminding Tech of all it still hadn't ... Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/02/01_big_man_on_bemidjis_campus.php Undersized and under-recruited out of Madison (Wis.) Edgewood High School, Jordan George left Wisconsin's hockey hotbed and trekked to Topeka, Kansas, to play in the North American Hockey League. Three years later, George is one of the WCHA's most underrated and unknown stars. With former linemate Matt Read playing in last weekend's NHL All-Star Game, George has found himself the target ... Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/02/01_team_of_the_week_colgate.php Sometimes a high-risk, high-reward posture will go your way, and sometimes it won't. Such is the nature of the beast. But sensing an opportunity, Colgate had that mindset in the back end of a weekend home-and-home with Cornell on Saturday, and it paid off. Of course, it helps when Austin Smith is the one finishing the job. Colgate trailed 3-1 against Cornell at home Saturday, one night after ... Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/02/01_humanitarian_award_finalists.php From 23 candidates, the Hockey Humanitarian Award committee has narrowed its field to five finalists. The five are Norwich (D-III) defenseman Shawn Baker, Yale women's forward Aleca Hughes, Colgate defenseman Kevin McNamara, St. Anselm (D-III) forward Tucker Mullin, and Miami goaltender Cody Reichard. All but Mullin are seniors. From Mont-Laurier, Quebec, Baker is Norwich's captain, and has ... Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/31_umass_stuck_in_neutral.php The arms of Tom Fyrer and Tom Quinn remained at their sides for nearly 42 minutes. Neither referee observed an infraction worthy of the penalty box for Massachusetts until that time. Then the Minutemen reverted to their typical behavior. After playing one of their best periods of hockey this season in the second on the road against UMass Lowell, a rash of penalties stifled any potential comeback. UMass ... Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/31_new_hampshire_struggling_to.php Throughout the first half of the season, New Hampshire’s defense struggled to stop anyone and the offense was scoring at a pace of more than 3.5 goals per game. You'd think, then, that the recent defensive improvement exhibited by the Wildcats defense would lead to wins, but in retrospect putting the two aspects of the game together has been a challenge. Riding freshman goalie, Casey Desmith ... Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/31_nchc,_cbs_reach_multi-year.php CBS Sports Network and the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference have agreed on a multi-year television package, beginning in the 2013-14 season, when the NCHC begins play. CBS Sports Network will be the exclusive national television partner for the conference. Some of the member teams, like North Dakota and Denver, already have local television deals, which would presumably remain in place as ... Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/31_going,_going__gron.php A year after scoring a career-high 32 points, Northern Michigan right-winger Tyler Gron knows he's now about to play the final regular season month of his NCAA career. Said the undrafted senior, "I think, almost subconsciously, just knowing it's my last year to really prove anything -- that's really helped motivate me." That subconscious motivation, then, may help explain Gron's ... Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/31_2_goalies,_no_problem_for.php Taylor Nelson is a lot older than C.J. Motte. And if Nelson had his way, he wouldn't be sharing time in net with the freshman for [[Ferris State]] during his senior year. But splitting time between the pipes isn't a brand-new concept to Nelson. Earlier in his Bulldog career, Nelson and former Ferris State netminder Pat Nagle were also playing on a by-committee basis. Though Nelson undoubtedly ... Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/29_the_other_guys.php Spencer Abbott's Hobey Baker campaign began some time ago. The senior, the first line left wing for Maine, has amassed quite the resume in the first 25 games of the 2011-12 season. With points in 18 of Maine's 25 games and 11 multi-point games part of his 13 goals and 27 assists this season, the chance of at least one Black Bear making the trip to Tampa, Fla., in April grows greater with every ... Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/29_present,_future_rivals_headed.php Much has been said and written about the direction college hockey is headed in the fall of 2013. Often times, we've focused too much on the power players in these new leagues -- why the National Collegiate Hockey Association was formed, and why are the teams in that league, actually the ones in that league. Those questions haven't been answered yet, but they will. When 2013-14 actually comes ... Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/29_north_dakota_pulling_together.php Karma by one definition pertains to the cycle of cause and effect. It certainly was demonstrated by UND junior defenseman Andrew MacWilliam as UND beat Wisconsin 4-2 to complete a sweep of the Badgers at Ralph Engelstad Arena. MacWilliam appeared to most of the 11,898 fans at REA to have been tripped from behind late in the first period, his takedown by Wisconsin's Keegan Meuer at 19:15 freeing ... Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/29_bc_gearing_up_for_annual_run.php Usually the start of January means Boston College is about to go on a tear and ride a tidal wave of momentum through the rest of the regular season. That didn't happen this year, though. The Eagles entered this weekend's series against New Hampshire with a 1-3-1 record in the new year and a 2-5-1 mark since Dec. 9. After getting swept by Maine last weekend, the Eagles had plenty of questions ... Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/27_hobey_hopefuls.php On Saturday April 7, NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey will crown its national champion at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. The ultimate moment in college hockey's 2011-12 season will be preceded by the awarding of the 32nd Hobey Baker Memorial trophy on April 6. Last year in St. Paul, Minn., Miami's Andy Miele picked up the award, with Boston College's Cam Atkinson and North ... Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/25_team_of_the_week_maine.php A visit from Boston College rarely means good things for Hockey East teams. Entering last weekend's pair with the Eagles in Orono, though, [[Maine]] knew it caught the Eagles at the best possible time. For once, it seems a second half hasn't gone exactly as BC coach Jerry York would have liked, and, more importantly, the Black Bears have improved game to game since late November. Despite a ... Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/24_skating_towards_a_dream.php Sometimes it doesn’t take much to inspire one to greatness. With Terry Broadhurst, all it took was a broken stick someone gave him at his father’s baseball game. The rest is history. Terry Broadhurst, a native of Orland Park, Ill., is the captain of Nebraska-Omaha. He has always had a passion for the wonderful game of hockey, one that has made him a dark horse Hobey Baker Award candidate ... Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/23_conference_call.php Wins against top national competitors Minnesota, Michigan and Notre Dame should be highlights amid a successful season for any team talented enough and lucky enough to defeat all three. For Northeastern, they may turn out to be but a high point of a disappointing season. After an eight-game non-losing streak that included four non-conference wins and one non-conference tie, the Huskies haven’t ... Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/19_commentary_enough_is_enough.php It wasn't long ago that dangerous hits from behind in hockey were quite rare. While in college, I covered Minnesota State hockey for three years. Over that span, I missed perhaps one home game and would travel to away games a few times per season. I don't think it's a stretch to say I'd see maybe three or four checking from behind majors in a season -- at least with my own two eyes. This ... Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/18_russian_exploration.php Adding players midseason is rare in and of itself. Adding 17-year-old Russians who haven't played since last March is unheard of. But that's exactly what Massachusetts-Lowell did this week, as the team announced on Tuesday that it has added 6-foot-2 defenseman Dima Sinitsyn to its roster. Sinitsyn, who is now the youngest player in Division-I hockey and the first-ever Russian to play for ... Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/17_hakstol_removes_bloods_captaincy.php North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol has revoked senior defenseman Ben Blood’s assistant captaincy due to an altercation that occurred during the post-game handshake following Saturday night’s game against Minnesota. “Regardless of any provocation, Ben’s actions in the post-game handshake were not acceptable,” said Hakstol. “The handshake line is a traditional, gentlemanly ... Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/16_best_served_cold.php On October 21, 1997, the Cleveland Indians hosted the Florida Marlins in Game Three of the '97 World Series. The game time temperature in Cleveland that night -- 38°F -- remains the coldest recorded in World Series history. On Sunday night, in front of an announced attendance of 25,864 who braved a gametime temperature of 28°F, [[Michigan]] and [[Ohio State]] -- wearing helmets in the ... Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/13_north_dakota_looking_for_annual.php Injuries are unavoidable, they are simply part of the game. But while North Dakota has seen its roster dwindle, it has been able to turn its season around and create the sort of the success that is synonymous with the reigning WCHA regular season and Final Five champions. “We’ve gone through a lot of struggles throughout the year,” head coach Dave Hakstol said. “I think it’s ... Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/13_beaudry_tries_to_find_his.php Every game is a series of ups and downs for a goaltender, one minute the opposition is skating toward you with the puck and you’re preparing to dart, leap or shift in order to make the save, and the next your defense has cleared the puck and the pressure is off -- if only for a second. For senior goaltender Alex Beaudry and Providence, it’s the entire season that has felt like a rollercoaster ... Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/10_happy_returns_for_merrill.php On his end of the phone on Friday, Dan Merrill was near tears as his son on the other line, Michigan freshman defenseman Jon Merrill, brought the news they had waited for since the start of the hockey season. For the first time in eight months and 28 days, and after a suspension that lasted more than half of the regular season, Jonny would play for the Michigan hockey team in a game against Lake Superior ... Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/10_between_the_lines.php Between the Lines is back. It's time to stop letting our great, cracked staff of bloggers have all the fun. Defected And so another player has defected from college hockey to major junior, and done so mid-season. Another misguided soul. That is not a polyanna statement on the value of an education -- although, that's a good thing too. Rather, that is a commentary on his future as a hockey ... Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/10_team_of_the_week_minnesota-duluth.php During last season's national championship game against Michigan, Minnesota-Duluth did something nobody ever thought possible: For one night only, they united Minnesota fans and North Dakota fans under one banner -- a Bulldog one. This season, they're re-writing the history books again, as the Bulldogs, following a sweep last weekend at Western Michigan, have pushed their school record unbeaten ... Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/10_reid_departs_scsu_for_whl.php St. Cloud State forward Cam Reid has left the St. Cloud State hockey team for the Portland Winterhawks, according to a story first reported by Mick Hatten of the St. Cloud Times. The sophomore was fifth on the team in scoring in 2011-12, potting 6 goals and adding 9 assists. Reid made a big impact as a freshman last season, finishing third on the Huskies in scoring and dishing out 21 assists among ... Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/10_mcmillan_finalizes_transfer.php North Dakota announced today that forward Mitch MacMillan has transferred from St. Cloud State to UND and will join the team immediately. MacMillan is eligible to begin practicing with the team, but will not be eligible to compete until January 2013. MacMillan will have two years of NCAA eligibility remaining when he resumes competition next January. A native of Penticton, British Columbia, MacMillan ... Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/08_the_setup_man.php What normally provides passionate Fenway Park fans with an update on the American League East standings on the Green Monster scoreboard, read like this on Saturday evening: Abbott, ME, 30. The scoreboard operators replaced the typical information with the scoring leaders for each team participating in the Frozen Fenway celebration of hockey, with Maine senior forward Spencer Abbott listed first by ... Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/07_another_chapter.php The setting shifted Saturday afternoon. Instead of the classic old barn in Burlington or the cavernous venue in Amherst, Massachusetts and Vermont continued their rivalry in Boston's Fenway Park -- a stadium that just began the celebration of its 100th year. While students, fans and alumni from the pair of New England flagship state universities turned out in greater numbers than usual for Frozen ... Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/07_hobbs_shines_in_umass_frozen.php Senior co-captain Danny Hobbs was there for Massachusetts in the first semester; he just wasn't himself. Although Hobbs, the team's leading scorer a season ago, only missed three games, he was battling through a slew of injuries that limited his effectiveness. He missed opening night, but appeared to be in prime form the next weekend when he registered five points in two games. It was an ... Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/06_a_face_in_the_crowd.php Last season could not have been any worse for [[Colgate]], or for Austin Smith. Picked to finish near the top of the ECAC, Colgate finished dead last, without a league win until February. Smith, coming off two strong seasons, saw his goal total plummet into single digits. A pair of series victories in the ECAC Tournament did a little to soften the blow, but not much. As the old adage says, however ... Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/06_michigan_defenseman_merrill.php After missing 22 games following his suspension prior to the start of the season, Jon Merrill will return to the Michigan lineup on Friday, making his season debut against Lake Superior. Michigan head coach Red Berenson confirmed Merrill's reinstatement on Friday, effective immediately. "Jon's indefinite suspension has been lifted," said Berenson. "He has paid for his poor ... Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/06_fresh_perspective.php College freshmen have a lot to adjust to; being in a new place, being away from home, not to mention classes. Throw hockey into the mix and it’s no surprise many coaches don’t expect their freshmen to carry the team. But for Rick Gotkin and the Mercyhurst Lakers, that is exactly what’s happened. Through the first half of the season, Gotkin’s 12 freshmen have made quite the ... Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/06_roadblock.php The extended break between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second arrived at an ideal time for [[Ferris State]]. The Bulldogs closed the first portion of the 2010-11 season with a 4-1 loss at Notre Dame to close a six-game stretch that saw FSU go 3-3-0 after starting the year 8-2-1. Beginning the second half with a pair of non-conference games against RIT and Vermont provided FSU ... Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/06_north_dakotas_rodwell_out.php North Dakota sophomore forward Derek Rodwell will miss the remainder of the 2011-12 season with a shoulder injury. Rodwell injured his left shoulder in UND’s Dec. 30 game against Harvard and will have season-ending surgery later this month. The Taber, Alberta, native had one goal and one assist in 19 games this season. As a freshman last season, he appeared in 39 games and registered five goals ... Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/05_bruneteau_brothers_battle.php Anyone who stuck around for the team handshake following the completion of the Vermont vs. Lake Superior State game in last week's Catamount Cup might have noticed that LSSU’s Matt Bruneteau spent a few extra seconds embracing two UVM players. Upon further inspection, it’s easy to see why. The two UVM players Bruneteau embraced had something in common with the Lake State player -- ... Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/05_from_top_to_bottom.php Rob Madore waited in his net. Just watching as his [[Vermont]] teammates, led by talented freshman winger Colin Markison, rushed toward the Ferris State net. Leading the Bulldogs, 2-1, midway through the second period, Markison sparked a sequence that lifted the 3,424 packed into brisk Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt., to their feet. Markison breezed past the blue line, drew a defender and ... Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/04_rit_still_with_more_to_prove.php Rochester Institute of Technology isn't quite a household name in college hockey. They aren't Boston College or Minnesota, but watching their level of play, you might think they belong in that league. Head coach Wayne Wilson and the RIT Tigers are looking to advance a program that made it to the Frozen Four in the 2009-10 season and sits tied for second in a conference that has no shortage ... Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/04_nchc_tabs_former_usoc_chief.php The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), the new eight-school, Division I men’s hockey conference that will start play in the 2013-14 season, today introduced Jim Scherr as its first Commissioner. Scherr spent nine years (2000-09) with the United States Olympic Committee, first as Chief of Sport Performance, then as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he was the head of USA Wrestling ... Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/04_notre_dame_legend_lefty_smith.php Charles W. “Lefty” Smith Jr., who re-started the Notre Dame hockey program in 1968-69 and spent 19 seasons as its head coach, died yesterday of natural causes in his South Bend, Ind., home. He was 81. After his final season as Notre Dame head coach in 1986-87, Smith became facilities manager at the University’s Loftus Sports Center until retiring from that role last month. He took ... Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/04_team_of_the_week_rit.php If there was a perfect way to end 2011, RIT found it. Winning the Catamount Cup was only the icing on the cake. En route to that title, the Tigers defeated then-No. 11 Ferris State and then-No. 16 Lake Superior State. It was the first since the 2010 NCAA Tournament that RIT had won two straight games against ranked opponents. Along with the consecutive wins against ranked opponents, RIT shut out Ferris ... Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/04_north_dakota_rebrands_itself.php New uniforms won't come until later in the year, although the women's team already unveiled its redesign. North Dakota's athletic programs turned a new page as of January 1, the culmination of a lengthy battle with the NCAA to keep its nickname. And while the Fighting Sioux moniker is still likely to live on, unofficially, the school is no longer allowed to use the name or its logo. The ... Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/02_something_bruin_with_brown.php Coming into the Whittemore Center on Friday night the Brown Bears had not won a game since 1930 in Durham, but all that changed with a win against a struggling New Hampshire. Brown then followed it up with a thorough 5-2 win over cross-town rival Providence in the Mayor's Cup game on New Year's Day. So far this season the Bears have defeated perennial ECAC powers Cornell and Yale as well ... Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2012/01/02_north_dakota_rebounds_against.php With a lineup depleted by injuries and unable to even field a full lineup, North Dakota was looking help from anyone. UND found it again in the form of its freshmen class. As in Friday's 4-4 tie with Harvard, the freshman class contributed four more goals Saturday in a 7-3 victory over the Crimson at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The all-freshman line of Brendan O'Donnell, Connor Gaarder and Mark ... Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2011/12/30_disappointment_for_team_usa.php Team USA was upset for the second straight game Friday afternoon, losing 5-2 to the Czech Republic, and will not qualify for the medal round of this year's World Junior Championships. It's a disappointing tournament for the Americans, who were considered among the favorites and are coming off a bronze medal last year. The game New Year's Eve between Canada and the U.S., which has become ... Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2011/12/29_make_or_break_for_whitehead.php Tim Whitehead has heard all the moaning and groaning. A growing number of Maine fans have taken to social media and petitions to voice their displeasure with the current state of their beloved hockey program and demand that Whitehead be removed as head coach. They're unhappy with the fact the Black Bears have missed the NCAA tournament each of the last four seasons after reaching the Frozen Four ... Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2011/12/29_case_in_points.php While it's true that T.J. Tynan's on-ice play for Notre Dame is often described as other-worldly, the story of Tynan's ascension to the top of the CCHA is, in fact, somewhat global in nature. After all, cities all over the world have contributed some small role in the sophomore's rise to stardom -- among them, Des Moines, Columbus, Anaheim, Orland Park, Moscow, Calgary and St. Paul ... Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2011/12/27_travis_roy_foundations_new.php The holidays traditionally encourage a spirit of giving. The Boston-based Travis Roy Foundation is hoping to give also -- most notably, to those who have had something taken away. With approximately 1.3 million people in the United States currently living with a spinal cord injury -- and with an estimated 13,000 new injuries each year -- the Travis Roy Foundation has funded $1.5 million in research ... Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2011/12/23_uconn_investigating_its_options.php Connecticut has hired a consulting firm to d a "complete evaluation of its men's ice hockey program," according to a news release from the school. Stafford Sports was hired to "assess the program’s current level of support to that of Atlantic Hockey league members and other programs in the region. The assessment will include financial support, staffing, facilities and potential ... Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0100