The best Hockey coverage is at HockeyJournal.com http://www.hockeyjournal.com Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:10:12 -0600 RSSCreator 1.2 http://www.hockeyjournal.com/images/design/logo.gif http://www.hockeyjournal.com New England Hockey Journal http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/03/03_everyone.php It only took half of ECAC Hockey’s final weekend to get significant clarity around the top of the standings, as much of what remained to be decided was settled after Friday night’s action. All four byes were locked up, with Yale clinching its second consecutive top seed in the ECAC Hockey tournament and at least a share of the league title with a 7-4 win at Princeton Friday night, although ... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/03/03_burke.php Count Brian Burke (Providence, R.I.) among those who don’t want to see the NHL involved in the 2014 Olympics. Among his contentions: “Imagine some of our markets where we're challenged attendance-wise, and you get into a situation where (they) are fighting for a playoff spot, actually generating interest, and then we close our doors for 2½ weeks and say, ‘Thanks for your ... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/03/03_bsmake.php BOSTON – Peter Chiarelli anticipated the questions. He just didn’t have the answers Bruins fans wanted. Chiarelli’s Bruins are the league’s lowest scoring team, and Wednesday’s trade deadline provided the last chance this season to improve the offense. Instead, Chiarelli brought in four defensemen – three who won’t see the inside of an NHL arena without a ... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/03/02_quinnipiac.php In any tournament quarterfinal round, the game or series pitting the fourth-place team against the fifth-place team is typically tight, but this was ridiculous. After trading one-goal wins in the first two games of their ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series, No. 4 Quinnipiac and No. 5 Rensselaer hooked up for a dandy rubber match in Hamden, Conn., on Sunday. The result was a five-overtime RPI win, which ... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/03/02_at42.php There's a certain amount of independence that comes with being self-employed. You want to take the day off to go skiing, you do it. You want to sleep until the crack of noon, you do that. That is, if business is good. And business has been good enough for 42-year-old Bryon Lewis (Springfield, Mass.), who owns a screen printing business, BLTees of Palmer, Mass., to take the occasional day off. And ... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/03/02_paton.php New Hampshire forward Kelly Paton, Dartmouth forward Sarah Parsons and Northeastern goalie Florence Schelling were named top 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, USA Hockey announced Tuesday. Paton, a senior and captain on fifth-ranked UNH, is ranked fifth in the nation in points per game (1.65), as well as fourth in assists per game (1.03) and 17th in goals per game (0.61). Her Wildcats take ... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/03/02_bruins.php BOSTON – Consider this a cry for help. The Bruins virtually to a man spoke of the faith they had in their teammates and the hope that they would be able to continue their quest for a playoff spot with the team as currently constructed. But their actions on the ice spoke otherwise. Once again, the Bruins – the lowest scoring team in the NHL – failed to put away a team when it had ... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/28_heartbreaker.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia – An afternoon of high drama ended with everything but a gold medal for Team USA. Zach Parise scored the game-tying goal with 25 seconds left in regulation, but the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team fell to Canada, 3-2, in overtime in the gold-medal game of the Winter Games. Team USA claimed its second silver medal in the past three Olympics (2002). "It was ... Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/26_bowdoin.php Any regular reader of this column knows that we readily believe that the best defense is actually a hot goaltender. But being a believer in equal opportunity, we bring you the NESCAC champions from Bowdoin. While Polar Bears senior Chris Rossi was very good, he was not one of the league’s goaltenders that regularly stood on his head, finishing fifth in save percentage at .917 and third in goals-against ... Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/26_usrouts.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia --The U.S. Olympic men's hockey team scored six first-period goals en route to a 6-1 win against Finland in the semifinal round of the Winter Games. With the victory, the U.S. improved to 5-0-0-0 and advanced to the tournament's gold-medal game on Sunday against Canada or Slovakia. Team USA exploded for six goals in the opening period, including five markers in ... Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/25_rit,sacred.php RIT and Sacred Heart have taken care of business and nailed down the top two spots for the Atlantic Hockey tournament. Other than that, the playoff picture is wide open heading into the last regular-season weekend of the year. The Tigers are in familiar territory: They shared the regular season title with Air Force last year and have earned at least a piece of the crown in three of the last four ... Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/25_afterunh.php Last year at this time, with two weekends left in the season, the Hockey East standings were nearly settled. Northeastern and Boston University had healthy leads on the rest of the pack, and the two teams that weren’t going to make the playoffs were just about out of contention. The top four teams, who would host quarterfinal series, did not change in the final two weeks, nor did teams five ... Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/25_uswomen.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The U.S. Olympic women's hockey team fell to Canada, 2-0, in the gold medal game of the Winter Olympics on Thursday. Team USA settled for its second silver medal since women’s hockey became a medal sport in 1998. While on the power play, Team USA generated several quality scoring opportunities in the first period. Defenseman Caitlin Cahow (Branford, Conn.) ... Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/25_olympics.php WILMINGTON – David Krejci wasn’t in Wilmington on Thursday when the Bruins returned to the ice, but his presence was felt all over Ristuccia Arena. Krejci hasn’t returned yet from Vancouver, where his Czech Republic squad was eliminated by Finland in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night, but the slick center’s impressive play in the Olympics had all of his Bruins teammates ... Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/24_future.php Czech Olympic star Jaromir Jagr is kidding no one when he “hints” about a return to the NHL. Of course, Double J wants back to the highest form of pro civilization. A year in the Kontinental League has proven to Jagr that, at best, the KHL is a glorified form of the American Hockey League. No more, no less. Sure, the big dough was tempting and still will be in the future. For now, put ... Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/24_hatsoff.php Hockey seasons are marathons, not sprints. Eh, Providence College and Cornell? Neither regular-season champion exploded out of the gates, but both crossed their league finish lines ahead of everyone else over the weekend. Start in Hockey East. Providence sat at 4-7-6 overall after a 4-1 home loss to gutted reigning Division 1 champion Wisconsin closed its Thanksgiving weekend, and had just one win ... Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/24_entering.php With just one weekend left, three teams remain in contention for the ECAC Hockey regular-season title. After a home weekend sweep of St. Lawrence and Clarkson, fourth-ranked Yale sits alone in the top spot with 30 points, two points ahead of No. 15 Union and No. 9 Cornell. That means the Bulldogs need three points out of weekend matchups at Princeton and Quinnipiac to clinch the conference crown ... Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/24_region.php The news rippled through the New England hockey community like a shock wave. Matt Brown, a Norwood High School hockey player, went head-first into the boards during a game against Weymouth on Jan. 23. The play happens all the time, and though it usually induces a crowd-wide cringe, it’s also usually followed by the player, perhaps a little shaken up, getting back on his feet and skating away. But ... Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/24_usmen.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Zach Parise scored his first two goals of the tournament and Ryan Miller turned aside all 19 shots faced as the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team survived an upset bid by Switzerland, 2-0, in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday. Team USA (4-0-0) will play in the semifinals on Friday (3 p.m. EST, NBC) against the winner of the Finland vs. Czech Republic game later Wednesday ... Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/23_rising.php Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of New England Hockey Journal. Brian Billett is a rising star in a deep 2010 NHL Entry Draft class. The N.H. Jr. Monarchs goaltender and Kennebunk, Maine, native’s season got off to a rough start when he missed time due to an ankle injury, but if his recent performance is any indication, he should be a solid selection ... Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/23_nuproduct.php Free agent goalies have been good for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in recent years. Especially those with Hockey East collegiate resumes. Boston University’s John Curry comes to mind. The latest in a line of New England-trained Pens' keepers that also includes Ty Conklin (UNH) and Nolan Schaefer (Providence College) is youngster Brad Thiessen, late of Northeastern. Overlooked by ... Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/22_julien.php Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of New England Hockey Journal. By the time the Boston Bruins went to bed on Jan. 23, they were tucked in ninth place in the East, looking up at the eight postseason qualifiers in the conference. Not pretty. January felt too much like early May of 2009, which still sits uneasily in the bellies of Bruins fans. Too many ... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/22_growing.php PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence Bruins had seemingly turned things around after limping through much of January, as they followed a 5-12-1 skid by winning 8 of their next 11 games. Then they were shutout at Manchester Saturday night and followed that up with a sloppy 5-2 loss to Abbotsford Sunday afternoon, and suddenly the questions about the club have reemerged. Only this time, in addition ... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/22_uswomen.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The U.S. Olympic women's hockey team defeated Sweden, 9-1, in the semifinal round of the Olympic tournament Monday. With the win, Team USA advances to the gold-medal game, which will take place Thursday at 6:30 p.m. EST against either Canada or Finland, who were scheduled to face off in their semifinal Monday night. Monique Lamoureux scored three goals, including ... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/22_drury.php Chris Drury (Trumbull, Conn.) and his fellow Team USA hockey players have gone 3-0 in the preliminary round of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver to lock up the top seed entering the medal round, and have also silenced some of the doubters who questioned the team’s youth and experience.  “We’re still the underdogs with our lack of experience,” Drury said during a media ... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/22_elitegirls.php Beginning with the 2010–11 season, the Seacoast Women’s Hockey Association, home of the Seacoast Lightning, will offer a unique program tailored specifically for the elite girls hockey player. This program is the first program situated in the northern Massachusetts/New Hampshire area and designed specifically for players that aspire to compete at the national level. The program is being ... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/21_kirks.php With his first collegiate hat trick under his belt, Joe Colborne’s impressive offensive exploits while skating on the right wing of what is arguably Division 1’s most lethal line is further proof of his status as the Boston Bruins top prospect. A natural center, Colborne joined Denver University’s captain and leading scorer Rhett Rakhshani  on center Tyler Ruegsegger’s ... Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/21_stunner.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Ryan Miller turned aside 42 shots as the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team stunned Canada, 5-3, in its final preliminary-round game of the Winter Olympics on Sunday. With the victory, the U.S. clinched first place in its group with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record and secured a berth in the tournament's quarterfinal round. It will be seeded first or second based on the ... Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/20_providence.php PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Not all the Bruins are resting during the Olympic break, and it’s not just the half dozen players representing their countries in Vancouver that are in action. Down in Providence, the Bruins’ American Hockey League affiliate is trying to follow in its parent club’s footsteps and battle its way back into playoff position. Like Boston, Providence struggled ... Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/19_unhs.php Perhaps no player in Hockey East entered 2009-10 with more expectations and pressure than Bobby Butler. The Marlborough, Mass., native started his senior year as the New Hampshire captain, and was expected to be a player in the league scoring race as the Wildcats tried to rebound from a disappointing 2008-09. The captain has delivered. Butler, a right wing, has been one of the league’s finest ... Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/19_goaltending.php If you believe that there’s nothing more important in the postseason than a hot goaltender, suffice to say, you should look no further than Suffolk for a postseason dark horse. While only the biggest gambler would pick against Norwich in the ECAC East and the NESCAC is too wild to even attempt to handicap, the Rams have come on strong in the ECAC Northeast, charging all the way from the bottom ... Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/18_holycross.php Pick sixth? The battle for the No. 6 seed in the playoffs is a hot spot in the Atlantic Hockey standings as the league heads into its final two weekends of regular-season play. Teams in the top six earn a bye for the first weekend of the playoffs and get a week off -- and an extra week of practice -- before opening play with the quarterfinals. Teams that finish from seventh to 10th play an opening-round ... Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/18_usmen.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Twelve different players factored in the scoring for Team USA, which downed Norway, 6-1, Thursday in its second game of the Olympic Winter Games. The U.S. improved to 2-0, and will face Canada on Sunday in the final game of pool play. "I thought we played real well in the first period and were able to dominate the game," said Team USA coach Ron Wilson (Riverside ... Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/18_teamusa.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Over and on. The U.S. Olympic women's hockey team scored three first-period goals in less than four minutes en route to a 6-0 victory against Finland. Team USA will face Sweden in the semifinal round Monday. Natalie Darwitz set a U.S. record for points in a single Winter Games, scoring once and adding two assists to boost her tournament point total to 11. Meanwhile ... Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/17_aroad.php It seemed like the absolute last thing the Bruins needed. Boston was mired in its longest losing streak since the 1924-25 season, dropping 10 straight games. That included failing to earn a single win in a four-game homestand. And the Bruins had to follow that by hitting the road for four games in seven days against a quartet of clubs battling with Boston for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. But ... Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/17_yale,cornell.php With two league weekends left, things may be starting to shake out at the top of the conference. Yale briefly separated itself in the top spot with a weekend road sweep — including a 2-1 overtime victory over then-No. 6 Cornell on Saturday night — to extend its winning streak to four games, but the Big Red climbed back into a tie with a 6-2 victory at Colgate Saturday night. Meanwhile ... Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/17_fourfrom.php Three players from New Hampshire, including two of the top four scorers in Division 1, and four players from Harvard are among the 45 players nominated for the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented annually to the top player in women's college hockey, it was announced by USA Hockey. Nominations for the award, which is presented by The USA Hockey Foundation, were made by NCAA Division 1 ... Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/16_windsof.php Intentional or not, Portland has managed to nose itself into the spotlight (AHL Atlantic Division-style) quite a bit recently. Hosting last month's AHL All-Star Classic narrowed the focus here, of course, and then the long winning streak enjoyed by the Pirates (nine games and counting) have garnered some attention. However, in the past week, it was the reports coming out of Albany that had the ... Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/16_usmen.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- David Backes, Ryan Malone and Bobby Ryan each scored goals to pace the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team to a 3-1 victory over Switzerland in its tournament opener Tuesday. "This was a very good opening game for the whole team today," said Team USA coach Ron Wilson (Riverside, R.I.). “It was the first Olympic experience for a lot of our players and I ... Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/16_records.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The U.S. Olympic women's hockey team scored an Olympic record seven power-play goals en route to a 13-0 victory over Russia Tuesday, improving to 2-0 and securing a spot in the tournament's semifinal round. Jenny Potter logged her second-straight three-goal game, making her the first woman ever to record two three-goal games in a single Olympics. "I like ... Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/15_2010vancover.php Group A CANADA Current NHL players: 23 Coach: Mike Babock 2006 Finish: Seventh Medal History: Won gold in 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1948, 1952, 2002; silver in 1936, 1060, 1992, 1994; bronze in 1956, 1968 Bruins Connections: Current Bruin center Patrice Bergeron will be reunited with former teammate Joe Thornton for the first time since the infamous 2005 trade with San Jose, though he was playing ... Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/14_uswomen.php VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The U.S. Olympic women's hockey team beat China, 12-1, on Sunday, opening the tournament by matching a U.S. record for goals. Jenny Potter set a U.S. Olympic women's single-game record with five points (three goals, two assists) and also became the United States' all-time Olympic career points leader with 26. "It was a great way for us to start ... Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/12_vermont.php The four forward lines and three defensive pairs hockey teams are a work in improvisation. In a perfect world, they are a thoughtfully matched series of groups, with playing style, experience and general cohesion factoring into the way a coach designs them. But it’s not always a perfect world for a coach making lines, and that’s what Vermont Kevin Sneddon experienced last weekend on a ... Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/11_rasks.php Seeing a Bruin goalie atop the league leaderboard for goals-against average and save percentage isn’t all that surprising. After all, last season Tim Thomas led the NHL in both categories en route to winning the Vezina Trophy. But what is surprising is that it’s not Thomas’ name listed among the best goalies in the league. That honor belongs to rookie Tuukka Rask, who is tied for ... Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/11_ecacs.php Don’t mark Cornell down for the ECAC Hockey regular-season title just yet. A Big Red slip-up — in the form of a 5-3 loss at Princeton Saturday night — gave both Union and Yale an opening, and both capitalized with weekend sweeps to tie Cornell at the top of the ECAC Hockey standings (although the Big Red have played one fewer game than both the Bulldogs and the Dutchmen.) Union ... Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/11_atlantic.php The playoff push is on. Only three weeks remain in Atlantic Hockey’s regular season, most teams have six games left and the jockeying for playoff positions is heating up on several fronts. There are points battles raging at various spots in the standings. Perhaps the best, and arguably the most important, is just up from the middle of the pack, where Sacred Heart, Mercyhurst and Canisius are ... Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/10_beanpot.php Harvard didn’t gain any ground in the ECAC Hockey standings by beating Northeastern, 1-0, in the finals of the 32nd Women’s Beanpot Tuesday night. You could say it made some points instead of receiving them. With just two weeks left in the regular season, and fourth-ranked Clarkson with a three-point cushion at the top, the next five teams in the ECAC standings are separated by just four ... Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/09_pirates.php His ability to slap the bejeebers out of the puck is well known. If nowhere else, Mark Mancari proved that much with the 102.5 cannon shell he unloaded two years ago in the AHL All-Star Skills Competition. He has a flair for drama, too, as he showed with his recent game-tying blast against Bridgeport with just 1 second left in regulation. But a puck dangler? Who knew? That's the last think ... Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/09_fischler.php Brendan Burke’s untimely death is tragic – but not in the typical hockey sense of the word. Our Rob Del Mundo reports from Toronto: It’s impossible to comprehend the loss for Brian Burke (Providence, R.I.) and his family with the sudden passing of the Maple Leafs general manager’s youngest son, Brendan, at 21 years old. When the Leafs skated off the ice at New Jersey's ... Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/08_eagles.php BOSTON– Call it mystique, call it luck, call it simple confidence based on traditional dominance, but Boston University seems to always have one more trick up its scarlet and white sleeve in the Beanpot. So when the Terriers, down by three goals with less than 15 minutes remaining in the tournament title game Monday night, started to find a rhythm – and the net, twice – the script ... Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 CST