Season previews for leagues
Unlike the three other conferences, where the league tournament is all-inclusive, ECAC Hockey leaves four teams on the outside looking in when the playoffs commence. It becomes a mad scramble to get into the field, and last season’s final week saw no fewer than four teams alive for the final berth. That makes it competitive … Read more
With a national stage thanks to the Big Ten Network, the six teams set off on the new conference venture.
Defending national champion Yale and the 11 other ECAC Hockey teams were unchanged by conference and head coaching changes.
In a league as powerful and competitive top to bottom as the new NCHC, it’s tough to tell in preseason how much the eight teams will have left in their tanks come playoff time.
We preview Atlantic Hockey, which last season got two teams into the NCAA tournament for the first time.
For the first time in three years, the lineup of teams in College Hockey America looks exactly the same as it did the year before. How long that will last remains to be seen, but at least for now, the rumors all involve teams joining the CHA, not leaving it. “For the women’s game, … Read more
This promises to be a transitional year in the WCHA, as players like Brianna Decker, Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux, and Noora Räty that have formed the identity of the conference have completed their eligibility. Their former schools all bring in strong recruiting classes, so while the personnel losses leave the door open a crack for … Read more
“The Olympic year is an equalizer for all of college hockey, not just Hockey East,” said Providence coach Bob Deraney. “There’s increased parity because some of the marquee players throughout the country are with their national teams at this time. I think that’s a wonderful thing, because it really shows the parity in women’s hockey … Read more
Always the last conference to kick off its regular season, the NESCAC comes together this year as maybe the most balanced conference in the nation. Last season saw two new coaches join the conference and add to its illustrious group of hockey minds. This season sees the addition of former Mass.-Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald to … Read more
R.J. Tolan’s been through it all before. As the Wentworth coach set out on his seventh season at the helm of the Leopards last month, another cloud full of expectations hovered over him. Such is life when you run the ECAC Northeast’s marquee program, one that has a culture and an identity synonymous with … Read more
With hope and prayers that everyone in the Northeast has safely come through the effects of Hurricane Sandy, I now turn to what is sure to be turbulence and shifting winds throughout the ECAC East season set to begin on Friday night. While the picture at the top seems quite clear in what Norwich and … Read more
For six out of the seven teams in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, the goal is clear: try to somehow weaken St. Norbert’s grip on the NCHA title. The Green Knights have won the last three regular season and playoff championships, along with at least a share of the regular season title 10 of the … Read more
The Plymouth State Panthers pulled off one of their most exciting wins in program history last season with a double-overtime victory over the Salem State Vikings to not only capture the MASCAC title, but head to the NCAA D-III Tournament. For the rest of the teams, the extra two periods of play should serve as … Read more
It was a tale of two seasons in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last year. St. Thomas was the most dominant team in the league during the regular season, winning the title, but it fell short in its bid to win the conference tournament. The Tommies lost, 4-3, to St. Olaf in the semifinal round, … Read more
Competion. That’s the SUNYAC calling card. Or at least that is the feeling held throughout the league at dawning of the new season. While it’s true that Oswego and Plattsburgh — who between them have won every SUNYAC regular season title since 1998 — remain the teams to be in the nine-team loop, there are … Read more
There are a few shared themes throughout the MCHA when looking at the 2012-13 season: Youth, change, and excitement can be felt collectively throughout the conference. The always-successful Adrian Bulldogs have 18 underclassmen on their roster. They will look to pull on the experience of the 14-member sophomore class as they strive to take back … Read more
The ECAC West will have a slightly new look this season. The conference still doesn’t have an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, but it has a sixth school again in nascent program Nazareth. It’s the first time the league will be at at a half-dozen teams since Lebanon Valley College downgraded to … Read more
The 2012-13 season will be bittersweet for the teams leaving the WCHA, especially for Colorado College coach and alumnus Scott Owens. “For me, it is,” Owens said. “I have been connected to the WCHA as a player and coach for 22 years. I will miss being part of the WCHA. On the other hand, I … Read more
A year ago, Boston boasted itself as the City of Champions. With titles in all four major professional sports in a mere 10-year span — an unprecedented achievement — the proverbial shoe fit. Hockey East partisans may similarly be ready to call themselves part of the League of Champions. Over the past five years, Hockey … Read more
So, Union is the new powerhouse in the conference. But wasn’t Yale hoisting the Whitelaw chalice just a couple of days ago? Or Clarkson, or St. Lawrence? Or was it Cornell? Or Harvard? The short answer: Yes. Welcome to ECAC Hockey. The tightest top-to-bottom conference in the country kicks off another season on Nov. 2, … Read more