2024-25 Preseason Polls Flowing

Preseason polls for three of the six NCAA Division I men's hockey conferences are in. 

Boston College has been tabbed to finish first in Hockey East, while defending national champion Denver has been slotted to top the NCHC, and St. Thomas chosen likewise in the CCHA by its coaches (tied for first with Bemidji State in the media poll). 

In Division I women's hockey so far, Penn State has been selected as the preseason regular-season champion in the new Atlantic Hockey America conference, as the 2024-25 NCAA campaign draws closer.

NCAA Coaching Carousel Continues

The offseason NCAA men's ice hockey coaching carousel was in full swing over the past two weeks.

Foremost among all the moves made was the firing of Todd Woodcroft by Vermont, after a months-long investigation by UVM administrators concerning "inappropriate text messages" with a student at the university. Woodcroft, who registered an overall record of 20-55-9 at the helm of the Catamounts over the last four years, has been replaced by assistant coach Stephen Wiedler for the 2023-24 season. Wiedler played collegiately at Southern Maine, and was an assistant at Curry College and AIC before becoming an assistant in Vermont in 2020.

The rest of the recent coaching movements came in the assistant ranks, as also reported at USCHO.com. Alaska (Fairbanks) brought aboard former NAHL/NA3HL head coach Casey Mignone, who played collegiately at both Lebanon Valley and Westfield State. Michigan hired Mathew Deschamps (Maine) and Kevin Reiter (Alaska Anchorage) as assistant coaches, and also promoted Rob Rassey (Northeastern) to associate head coach. Colgate added Zach Badalamenti (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), while Brock Kautz (Minnesota) has joined Bemidji State.

Lastly, Arizona State associate head coach Mike Field (AIC), who has spent the last eight seasons with the Sun Devils since they joined the NCAA Division I ranks, has jumped to the major junior hockey ranks as an assistant with Everett (WHL).  Field, who has also coached at his alma mater and at Dubuque (USHL), helped ASU to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2019 as an independent.

Hughes, Woll, Beniers Star in NHL Playoffs

Several former NCAA players shined on Sunday in the second round of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Luke Hughes (Michigan) made his professional postseason debut with two assists as the New Jersey Devils upended the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 8-4, to climb back into that best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. John Marino (Harvard) also had two assists for the Devils, who now trail the series, two games to one. Miles Wood (Boston College) scored a goal for the second straight game for New Jersey.

Joseph Woll (Boston College) stopped 18 of 21 shots in relief as the Toronto Maple Leafs fell, 3-2, in overtime to the host Florida Panthers. Florida now leads that Eastern Conference series, three games to none. Woll came on in relief of injured starter Ilya Samsonov in the first period.

Matty Beniers (Michigan) notched a goal and an assist, and was also a plus-3, as the Seattle Kraken routed the visiting Dallas Stars, 7-2. Ryan Donato and Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) each posted an assist for the Kraken, who took a two games to one lead in that Western Conference series.

ADDENDUM: Jack Eichel (Boston University) scored one goal and set up another, and Zach Whitecloud (Bemidji State) also scored as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights dismantled the Edmonton Oilers, 5-1, on Monday night to take a two games to one lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. Warren Foegele (New Hampshire) tallied Edmonton's lone goal.

Bob Peters 1937-2021

Legendary college head coach R.H. "Bob" Peters" passed away on Feb. 15 at the age of 84.

A native of Fort Frances, Ont., Peters began his coaching career with two seasons at his alma mater, the University of North Dakota, where he played as a goaltender before becoming an assistant coach for three years. He went 42-20-1 overall behind the bench at UND, before he took the reins at Bemidji State University beginning with the 1966-67 campaign. 

In 36 seasons with the Beavers, Peters posted 22 seasons of 20 or more wins, and led BSU to five NCAA Division II national championships and one NCAA Division III national title. He also oversaw BSU's transition back to NCAA Division II in 1993, before overseeing its move to NCAA Division I and the now-defunct College Hockey America conference in 1999.

Peters retired after the 2000-01 season with an overall record of 744-313-61 (.694), including a 702-293-50 mark at BSU. He was named the WCHA Coach of the Year in 1964-65 with North Dakota, and earned the Eddie Jeremiah Award as the top head coach in NCAA Division III in 1983-84 with Bemidji State.

The Beavers are playing in their first season in the revamped Central Collegiate Hockey Assocation, after the dissolution of the men's WCHA. Last year's BSU squad made the NCAA Division I tournament for the fifth time in the program's history, and the first time since 2010, all under current head coach Tom Serratore.

Former NCAA Players Shine in NHL

 

Former NCAA players continued to shine in the early part of the 2021-22 NHL season.

Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored the first two goals ever by a New York Islanders player in their new home of UBS Arena, but the home team fell to the Calgary Flames by a 5-2 count on Saturday night. Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) had a goal and an assist for the visitors. 

Earlier that day, Jimmy Vesey (Harvard) registered the game-tying goal in the third period as the New Jersey Devils overcame the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 5-3 triumph in Florida. The loss snapped a nine-game points streak by the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.

Zach Whitecloud (Bemidji State) returned to the Vegas lineup with two goals in the Golden Knights' 5-2 victory over Detroit on Nov. 18. That same evening, Spencer Knight (Boston College) made a career-high 45 saves to lift the Florida Panthers to a 4-1 win over New Jersey, while Troy Terry (Denver) extended his personal point streak to 16 games (12g, 10a) with a goal as his Anaheim Ducks fell to the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1. 

Kevin Hayes (Boston College) notched the game-tying goal and Cam Atkinson (Boston College) won it in overtime as the Philadelphia Flyers edged the Calgary Flames, 2-1, on Nov. 16. Lastly, Rem Pitlick (Minnesota) notched his first career NHL hat trick as the Minnesota Wild upended the Seattle Kraken, 4-2, on Nov. 13.

2021 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Regionals - Day One

 

The first day of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship is in the books, with the first day of regional competition completed.

Bridgeport, CT Regional

Bemidji State 6, Wisconsin 3

The fourth-seeded Beavers jumped to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes and then made it 4-1 after 40 minutes en route to eliminating the Badgers, who got two goals from Cole Caufield. Brendan Harris led Bemidji with a goal and two assists, while Zach Driscoll made 30 saves. 

Massachusetts 5, Lake Superior State 1

The Minutemen spoiled Lake Superior's first NCAA tournament appearance in 25 years by breaking a 1 1-1 first period tie with four unanswered goals. Jake Gaudet scored twice and Oliver Chau set up two goals for UMass, which got 20 stops from Filip Lindberg. 

Fargo, ND Regional

North Dakota 5, American International 1

The Fighting Hawks raced out to a 4-0 advantage in advancing to the regional final. Collin Adams and Jasper Weatherby scored two goals apiece for UND, while Adam Scheel stopped 18 AIC shots.  

Minnesota-Duluth over Michigan

No contest, Michigan ruled out of tournament due to positive COVID-19 tests.

The regional winners will now meet in their respective regional finals on Saturday:

 

Bemidji State versus Massachusetts, 5 p.m. ET, ESPNU (Bridgeport)

North Dakota versus Minnesota-Duluth, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU (Fargo)

The other two NCAA regionals will both begin tomorrow:

Albany, NY Regional

Boston University versus St. Cloud State, 1 p.m. ET, ESPNews 

Boston College over Notre Dame (no contest, Notre Dame out due to COVID-19)

 

Loveland, CO Regional

Minnesota State versus Quinnipiac, 5 p.m. ET,  ESPN3

Minnesota versus Nebraska-Omaha, 10 p.m. ET, ESPNU

 

The Albany and Loveland regional finals will each be contested on Sunday. All schedules and telecasts are subject to change.

CCHA to Return in 2021-22

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association appears to be coming back—at the expense of the current Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan will be leaving the WCHA to start up the new CCHA in 2021-22, according to several published reports. The original CCHA disbanded in 2013, after more than 40 years of prestigious NCAA Division I men's hockey, following the formation of both the new Big Ten Hockey Conference and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and the loss of CCHA member schools to those two leagues plus the WCHA.

The logo, commissioner, playoff format and other details of the new CCHA have yet to be determined. The seismic shift to the WCHA at the end of next season will leave Alaska Anchorage, Alaska (Fairbanks) and Alabama-Huntsville without a conference home. All three were previously Division I independents in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The only current NCAA Division I men's ice hockey independent is Arizona State.

Seven Schools Plan to Leave WCHA

Seven of the 10 schools in the current Western Collegiate Hockey Association are seeking to leave and form a new NCAA Division I men's ice hockey conference, according to published reports.

The seven schools making the proposed move include Bemidji State University, Bowling Green State University, Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University, Minnesota State University (Mankato), and Northern Michigan University. The new league would begin play in the fall of 2021, and according to bgsufalcons.com, the seven schools have already independently submitted formal letters of notice to the WCHA office regarding their intent to leave the conference.

The "original" WCHA split up in 2013 when Minnesota and Wisconsin went over to the new Big Ten conference, and Colorado College, Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota and St. Cloud State joined the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Bowling Green, Ferris State Lake Superior and Northern Michigan all left the dissolving Central Collegiate Hockey Association that year and transferred to the new WCHA.

The loss of the seven aforementioned schools would leave the WCHA with just three members in Alabama-Huntsville, Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska (Fairbanks).

At Last it Begins ...

The 2018 Stanley Cup Final begins tonight in Las Vegas, and both the cinderella Vegas Golden Knights and the upstart Washington Capitals feature several former NCAA players on their rosters.

For Vegas, the college roll call includes Ryan Carpenter (Bowling Green), Erik Haula (Minnesota), Jason Garrison (Minnesota-Duluth), Brad Hunt (Bemidji State), John Merrill (Michigan), Brandon Pirri (Rensselaer), Nate Schmidt (Minnesota), Reilly Smith (Miami), Alex Tuch (Boston College) and Zach Whitecloud (Bemidji State), according to hockeydb.com.

For Washington, its NCAA alumni include Jay Beagle (Alaska Anchorage), Travis Boyd (Minnesota), Alex Chiasson (Boston University), Pheonix Copley (Michigan Tech), Aaron Ness (Minnesota) Matt Niskanen (Minnesota-Duluth), Brooks Orpik (Boston College) and T.J. Oshie (North Dakota). 

Game Two of the NHL's championship tilt will be held Wednesday in Nevada, before the best-of-seven series shifts to Washington, D.C. on Saturday.