Showing posts with label Atlantic Hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atlantic Hockey. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

ASU to Add Division I Hockey

The story of the day -- the announcement that Arizona State University is going to add Division I Hockey. One of the places that ASU could land is the NCHC. As Brad Schlossman mentioned earlier this week, there's been some discussion between the commissioner and ASU.
House of Sparky --- Three years from now in 2017-18 the Sun Devils will join a conference and two stand out as the most likely landing spots. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) has shown interest, as has the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). It is to be determined which one Arizona State chooses.

Of the two, the NCHC would boost Arizona State's profile the most. It would guarantee games against one of the NCAA perennial powerhouses in North Dakota, a school with 20 Frozen Four appearances and seven national titles. Last season North Dakota lost in the Frozen Four to Minnesota.

Geographically the NCHC makes sense as well. Included in it are Colorado College and the University of Denver, the two closest schools to Tempe in either the NCHC or WCHA. The third-closest, Nebraska-Omaha, is also an NCHC school.

The NCHA is the more popular conference as far as fan attendance as well. Last season the most popular WCHA team was Bemidji State with an average of 3,562 fans per game, according to U.S. College Hockey Online. That ranked 22nd in the NCAA.


Sunday, November 16, 2014

USCHO Top 10 Round Up

As always, it should be interesting how USCHO will choose the men's top 10 tomorrow morning after yet another interesting weekend of college hockey. Here is how I think things will turn out:

1. North Dakota. UND split with Miami this past weekend and were close to sending Friday's game into overtime just missing on some chances late in the third.

2. Boston University. The Terriers had a one game series this weekend against Maine, and would find themselves in the winners circle with a 3-1 score.

3. Minnesota. The Gophers were swept in a home and home series against Minnesota Duluth this weekend so the Gophers lose the top spot.

4. Michigan Tech. The Huskies remain the lone undefeated team in the country with a sweep of Bemidji State this weekend.

5. Colgate. The Raiders beat St. Lawrence Friday and would tie the Clarkson Golden Knights Saturday.

6. UMass Lowell. Lowell split with Penn State this past weekend.

7. Miami. The Red Hawks come off of a split with UND.

8. Denver. The Pioneers come off of an 8-1 victory over Colorado College.

9, Boston College. BC lost in a Tuesday match up against Harvard 6-3 and would beat Michigan State on the road 3-2 Friday.

10. Minnesota Duluth. UMD looked very impressive this weekend in their sweep of the Golden Gophers.

Monday, August 25, 2014

NCAA Hockey: Six Part Must-See Non-Conference Series


I just finished up six blog posts: Five Must-See Non-Conference Series. I am in the process of writing a 10 Must-See NCAA Hockey Series. It should come out this week. As we move towards the 2014-15 college hockey season, this has been the most uneventful off-season that I can remember. For those that are wondering, the NCHC CBSSN television schedule is going to come out sometime in the next six weeks.





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Saturday, December 07, 2013

College Hockey on Twitter

Boston University Men's Hockey: @TerrierHockey
Boston University Women's Hockey: @BUwhockey
Merrimack College Men's Hockey: @MC_MHockey
Merrimack College Women's Hockey: @MerrimackWHKY
Harvard Men's Hockey: @Harvard_Hockey
Harvard Women's Hockey: @HarvardWHockey
Alabama Huntsville Hockey: @UAHHockey
North Dakota Men's Hockey:‏ @UNDMHockey
North Dakota Women's Hockey: @UNDWHockey
Nebraska Omaha Men's Hockey: @UNO_Hockey
UMass Lowell Men's Hockey: @RiverHawkHockey
Minnesota Duluth Men's Hockey:‏ @UMDHockey
Miami-Ohio Ice Hockey: @MiamiOH_Hockey
Dartmouth Men's Hockey: @Dartmouth_MIH
Dartmouth Women's Hockey: @dartmouthhockey
Clarkson Women's Hockey: @CUknights
Robert Morris Men's Hockey:‏ @RMUHockey
Robert Morris Women's Hockey: @RMUWHockey
Quinnipiac Women's Hockey: @QU_WomensIceHky
Princeton Women's Hockey: @PWIH
AIC Hockey: @AIC_Hockey
Niagara Hockey: @NiagaraUHockey
Mercyhurst Men's Hockey: @HurstMensHockey
RPI Women's Hockey: @RPIWomensHockey
University of Denver Hockey: @DU_Hockey
UMass Hockey: @UMassHockey
Maine Men's Ice Hockey: @MaineIceHockey
Ohio State Men's Hockey: @OhioState_MHKY
Ohio University Men's Hockey (probably one of the next D1 teams): @BobcatsHockey
Ohio State Women's Hockey: @OhioState_WHKY
Northern Michigan University Hockey: @NMUHockey
Wisconsin Men's Ice Hockey:‏ @BadgerMHockey
Wisconsin Women's Hockey: @BadgerWHockey
Northeastern Men's Hockey:‏ @GoNUmhockey
Northeastern Women's Hockey:@GoNUwhockey
Yale Women's Hockey: @YaleWhockey
Colgate Men's Hockey:‏ @Colgate_Hockey
Colgate Women's Hockey: @gatewhockey
Boston College Ice Hockey: @BCHockeyNews
Union College Men's Hockey: @UnionHockey
Union Women's Hockey: @UnionWHockey
Michigan State Hockey:@MSU_Hockey
RIT Men's Hockey:‏ @RITMHKY
RIT Women's Hockey: @RITWHKY
Providence College Men's Hockey:‏ @FriarsHockey
Providence College Women's Hockey: @PCWHockey
Notre Dame Hockey: @NDHockey
UConn Men's Hockey: @UConnMHOC
UConn Women's Hockey: @UConnWHOC
Bemidji State University Men's Hockey: @BSUMHockey
Vermont Men's Hockey: @UVMmhockey
Vermont Women's Hockey: @UVMwhockey
UNH Men's Hockey: @UNHHockey
UNH Women's Hockey: @UNHWomensHockey
Penn State Men's Ice Hockey: @PennStateMHKY
Penn State Women's Ice Hockey: @PennStateWHKY
Princeton Hockey:‏ @puhockey
Michigan Tech Hockey:‏ @mtuhky
Western Michigan Men's Ice Hockey: @WMUHockey
St. Cloud State Men's Hockey: @SCSUHUSKIES_MH
Holy Cross Ice Hockey:‏ @HCHockey
Canisius Ice Hockey: @GriffsHockey
Army Ice Hockey: @army_hockey
Cornell Men's Ice Hockey: @CUBigRedHockey
Cornell Women's Hockey: @CornellWHockey
Sacred Heart Men's Hockey: @SHUHockey
Brown Men's Hockey:‏ @BrownMensHockey
Brown Women's Hockey: @BrownWHockey
University of Michigan Hockey:‏ @umichhockey
Ferris State Hockey:‏ @FerrisHockey
Minnesota Men's Hockey: @GopherHockey
Minnesota Women's Hockey:‏ @MNWomensHockey
Official League/Conference Accounts Official NCAA conferences list and feed
NCAA Ice Hockey: @NCAAIceHockey
Big Ten Hockey: @B1GHockey
CCHA (sadface):‏ @CCHAhockey
The NCHC:‏ @TheNCHC
ECAC: @ECACHOCKEYMWD1
WCHA Hockey: @wchahockey
Atlantic Hockey: @Atlantic_Hockey
Hockey East: @hockey_east
Reporters, News, Blogs and Interesting Accounts
College Hockey News: @chnews
USCHO.com: @USCHO
College Hockey, Inc: @collegehockey
Quinnipiac Ice Hockey Podcast: @HamdenHkyNight
D3 NESCAC account: @nescachockey
Independant Alabama Huntsville twitter: @WeLoveUAHHockey
Wisconsin State Journal UW Hockey Reporter: @AndyBaggotWSJ
BU sports blog (run by my dear friends) "Bloggin' On Babcock": @blogginbabcock
Everything University of Michigan Hockey: @MichiganHockey
ESPN anchor and college hockey proponent John Buccigross: @buccigross
Another Michigan hockey blog: @YostBuilt
UMass hockey blog "Fight Mass" @FightMass
Penn State Hockey coverage by The Daily Collegian: @TDC_MHockey
University of Minnesota Duluth Hockey Blog: @UMDHockeyBlog
Boston College blog "Around The Res": @AroundTheRes
Former BU hockey reporter, still tweets a lot about college hockey, Scott McLaughlin: ‏ @smclaughlin9
College hockey television analyst Dave Starman: @DStarmanHockey
Voice of Bowling Green hockey Kevin Meyers: @KevinMeyersBG
Bowling Green hockey correspondent Evan Pivnick: @EvanPivnickBG
College Hockey News writer Joe Meloni: @JoeMeloni
CHN and Merrimack writer Mike McMahon: @MikeMcMahonCHN
Cornell Men and Women's hockey blog "Big Red Faceoff": @BigRedFaceoff
SCSUHockey.com fansite: @scsuhockey
BU centric blog (without the blog):‏ @BurntBoats
NCAA Hockey's Future coverage:‏ @DJPowersHF
UMass blog "Fear The Triangle":‏ @FearTheTriangle
Quinnipiac University Hockey Blog: @QUHockeyBlog
ECAC Hockey Blogs:‏ @ECACHockeyBlog
Clarkson Hockey Blog: @ClarksonHockey
Union Hockey Blog: @UnionHockeyBlog
Nanooks Hockey Blog: @NanookHockey
BU Hockey Blog:‏ @TheBUHockeyBlog
Boston University Terrier Hockey Fan Blog: @thfblog
College Hockey News reporter Josh Seguin: @JoshSeguin24
SB Nation College Hockey: @SBNCollegePuck
UMD Bulldog commentary: @runwiththedogs
In-Game Updates for St. Lawrence Hockey: @SLUhockeylive
St. Lawrence Hockey Blog: @sluhockeyblog
Union Hockey News: @unionhockeynews
ECAC College Hockey News and QU hockey reporter Bryan Lipiner: @Bryan_Lipiner
Very biased BU blog "BayState RoadSports": @bsrs_blog
Yale and Quinnipiac hockey reporter Chip Malafronte: @ChipMalafronte
NCAA, NCHC, College Hockey, thehockeywriters: @goon48
North Dakota hockey for the Grand Forks Herald:‏ @SchlossmanGF
Rensselaer Hockey news: @rpihockeydotnet
Northeastern hockey blog "Husky Hockey News":‏ @HuskyHockeyNews
Cornell men and women's hockey blog "Where Angels Fear to Tread": ‏ @CornellWAFT
NBC Sports Network college hockey announcer Dave Goucher: @DavidCGoucher
Over the Boards, college hockey recruiting news: @OTBPuckWatch
UMaine twitter, good guy John Forsyth: @blackbear93
Union and RPI writer for the Albany Times Union Ken Schott: @slapschotts
Maine student sports radio: @SportsWMEB
Lowell fan, CHN contributor, and sarcastic hockey pundit Ryan Lambert: @twolinepass
Northeastern's Ryan Lambert and "good fan" Sean Hathaway: @seanphathaway
Boston University Terrier Hockey Pictures: @BUTerrierPics
USCHO writer Pat Bradley:‏ @PatBradleyUSCHO
USCHO writer Alex Faust: @alex_faust
USCHO writer and RIT commentator Chris Lerch:‏ @chrislerch
USCHO writer Jimmy Connelly: @jimmyconnelly
USCHO writer Paula Weston: @paulacweston
USCHO Hockey East writer Dave Hendrickson: @HendricksnUSCHO
USCHO writer and tech Ed Trefzger: @EdTrefzgerUSCHO
USCHO ECAC writer Brian Sullivan:‏ @SullivanHockey
All things Michigan Tech hockey: @TechHockeyGuide
Boston University's Boston Hockey Blog: @BOShockeyblog
Wisconsin Ice Hockey reporter Andy Johnson: @AndyJohnsonB5Q
St. Cloud hockey blog "Center Ice": @CenterIceClub
UND hockey blog "Sioux Tradition" ‏ @SiouxTradition
Princeton hockey blog "Eye On The Tigers": @PUHockeyBlog
Minnesota Gophers Hockey stats: @GopherPuckStats
CHN/SBCollegePuck and Minnesota writer Nate Wells: @gopherstate
Minnesota Duluth radio guy and blog writer Bruce Ciskie: @BruceCiskie
RIT Mens Hockey live updates:‏ @RITMHLive
College Hockey News writer Adam Wodon: @CHN_AdamWodon
UMaine hockey reporter Matt Booth:‏ @Mainely_Hockey
St. Cloud men and women's hockey news:‏ @KVSCHockey
UMD and NCHC reporter Andrew Craig: @CollegeHockeyHH
Everything Minnesota hockey (High school, college, NHL):‏ @MNState0fHockey
North Dakota Hockey and Minnesota writer @SchlossmanGF
Wisconsin fan, but ECAC reporter Jason Klump: @Jason_Klump
Providence hockey reporter Mark Divver: @MarkDivver
Gopher Puck Live: @GopherPuckLive
Clarkson hockey reporter Cap Carey: @CapCareyWDT
UMD hockey writer Matt Christians: @Matt_Christians
BU hockey blog "Bleed Scarlet": @BleedScarletBU
Student-run Quinnipiac hockey twitter: @QUBobcatHockey
UMass Lowell hockey news "Hawk Squawk"‏: @UMLHawkSquawk
Unofficial Bowling Green hockey twitter: @BGSU_Hockey
Miami hockey blog "Blog of Brotherhood": @MiamiHockeyBlog
Hockey East blog "The Puck Drop": @HockeyEastblog
Hockey East/Atlantic Hockey/ECAC radio show "Hockey on Campus": @HockeyonCampus
Bentley Falcons hockey blog "JAR Pride": @JARpride
RPI hockey blog "Without a Peer":‏ @without_a_peer
BU's unofficial mascot Sasquatch: ‏ @busasquatch
"Cawlidge Hawkey Organization":‏ @CawlidgeHawkeyO
College hockey (among other things) writer Joshua Kummins: @JoshuaKummins
CollegeHockey.info, a larger directory of current and former players:‏ @USCollegeHockey
UML hockey blog "View From 123":‏ @VIEWFROM123
Student Sections/Fan Groups
Michigan's Children of Yost: @ChildrenOfYost
Wisconsin's Crease Creatures: @CreaseCreatures
Minnesota Duluth's Penalty Box: @umdpb
Ohio State's Knucklebucks: @OSUKnucklebucks
Union College's Messa Faithful: @MessaFaithful
New Hampshire's Cat Pack: @UNHCatPack
Boston University's Dog Pound: @BUDogPound
Cornell's Lynah Faithful: ‏@LynahFaithful
Bowling Green's Falcon Fanatics:‏ @FalconFanatics1
Ohio University's Gang Green: @GangGreen14
Michigan Tech's Mitch's Misfits: @mitchsmisfits
Northeastern's DogHouse: ‏@NUDoghouse
Bowling Green's Bleacher Creatures:‏ @bg_creatures
RIT's Corner Crew:‏ @ritcornercrew
North Dakota's NoDak Nation: @NoDak_Nation
Providence College's Friar Faithful: @PCFriarFaithful
RPI's First Church of RPI: @FirstChurchRPI
Nebraska Omaha's The Red Army: @RedArmyUNO
UMass Lowell's RiverHawk Nation: @RiverHawkNation
Penn State's Roar Zone: @TheRoarZone
Minnesota Duluth's Hockey Cheerleaders: @UMD_HockeyCheer
Official Arena Accounts
Union College's Messa Rink: @MessaRink
North Dakota's Ralph Englestad Arena: @TheREA
Boston University's Agganis Arena: @AgganisArena
UMass Amherst's Mullins Center: @MullinsCenter
UMass Lowell's Tsongas Center: @TsongasCenter
Bentley's Ryan Arena: @RyanArena
Coaches
Providence College Head Coach Nate Leaman:‏ @CoachLeaman
Michigan State Head Coach Tom Anastos: @TomAnastos
Princeton Head Coach Bob Prier:‏ @coachbobprier
St. Lawrence Head Coach Greg Carvel: @SkatingSaints
Army Head Coach Brian Riley: @Coach_BRiley
Merrimack Head Coach Mark Dennehy: @MarkD4224
Miami Head Coach Rico Blasi: @CoachBlasi
RPI Head Coach Seth Appert: @SethAppert
UMass Head Coach John Micheletto: @CoachMicheletto
Ohio State Associate Head Coach Brett Larson: @BrettLarson18
Dartmouth Associate Head Coach Dave Peters: @AcademicHockey
Princeton Assistant Coach Greg Gardner: @coachgards
Wisconsin Assistant Coach Gary Shuchuk: @gshuchuk
Boston University Assistant Coach Steve Greeley:‏ @SGreeley8
Cornell Volunteer Assistant Coach Matthew Michno: @MMichno30
Quinnipiac Assistant Coach Bill Riga:‏ @BillRiga
Quinnipiac Assistant Coach Reid Cashman: @ReidCashman
Northeastern Assistant Coach Jerry Keefe: @KeeferJ_
Miami-Ohio Assistant Coach Nick Petraglia: @NickPetraglia
UMass Amherst Assistant Coach Ryan Miller: @rkmillertime
Michigan State Assistant Coach Tom Newton:‏ @CoachNewtonMSU
St. Lawrence Assistant Coach Kristofer Mayotte: @Mayotte_K
UConn Assistant Coach Joe Pereira: @JoePereira91
S/T to @BartRhett for supplying the list. Any omission should be addressed to him. 
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Monday, July 22, 2013

Ruh Roh! Small school complaining

NCAA Hockey- Sacred Heart University at Army
I was reading this article in USCHO and it's interesting, but not all is equal. The Atlantic Hockey Association while they have made big-time improvements, they still aren't on the same level as the other major conferences. That's the brutal reality. That doesn't mean that they're not going to win games in the NCAA tourney, because they have in a few isolated cases.

Also, these schools in most cases, just  don't have the facilities a lot of the other big schools have, I checked on line and not one of the current schools in the AHA has an arena that seats over 3000 fans.  So, good luck getting the bigger schools to visit the R.I.T., Sacred Hearts and or the Bentley's of the AHA.
Chris Lerch, USCHO.COM -- Atlantic Hockey posted the highest number of non-conference wins (25) and tied for the best non-conference winning percentage (.365) in the league’s history. That was despite AHA teams playing the vast majority of their non-conference games on the road.

And that, according to Wilson, is where change has to happen.

Atlantic Hockey teams hosted 23 non-conference home games (16 with conference-affiliated teams; seven against either Alabama-Huntsville or Penn State) plus three more neutral-ice games where AHA squads were the designated home team (RIT’s game with Penn State at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena and Robert Morris’ contests with Penn State and Ohio State at Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center).

In contrast, the league’s 12 teams played 52 pure road games and another five on neutral ice (not including NCAA tournament games). That’s more than a two-to-one disparity.

Mercyhurst played all seven of its non-conference games on the road. Niagara played six of its seven non-conference contests away from Dwyer Arena, where the Purple Eagles were 15-0-2 last season.

In comparison, teams that will form the National Collegiate Hockey Conference played 35 non-conference home games to just 15 road games and 10 neutral-site games. Denver did not play a road non-conference game; no NCHC school played more than two.

Big Ten teams (not including Penn State) played 20 non-conference home games, eight road games and nine neutral-site games out of league. Wisconsin and Michigan did not play any non-conference road games.
Sure, it's true that AHA allows the NCAA tourney to have 16 teams in the NCAA tourney, but now it appears that the smaller schools in college hockey want to start dictating the terms to the bigger schools of college hockey. Yeah, okay! We'll see how that works for them.

I have a feeling this isn't going to play well for these smaller schools and I really don't see them setting the terms. I mean, what's next? The smaller schools start asking that we move the start of the season back a couple of weeks? Or that we start limiting that number of scholarships that teams can give out to level the playing field. The AHA isn't fully funding their hockey teams to the maximum scholarship levels that the other schools are.

Of course that's going to change, a little bit. It was announced back in May, that the Atlantic Hockey beginning with the 2014-15 season will add one additional scholarship bringing the total allowed to 13 scholarships. The following season, Atlantic Hockey will again add one more scholarship for the 2015-16 season, bringing the total number of scholarships to 14.

UND travels on a couple of non-conference series every season. Last year, UND went to the Alaska Goal Rush Tourney in Fairbanks Alaska and played at Notre Dame. So, actually, Mr. Lerch’s article isn’t exactly correct, one NCHC team played three non-conference games away from home. Alaska Fairbanks was the host for the Goal Alaska Rush Tourney.

Break down of UND travel in recent years.

UND traveled to Kendall Classic in Anchorage, Alaska and to Maine for the 2010-11 season.
UND traveled to Cornell during the 2009-10 season.
UND traveled to Boston for the Ice Breaker during the 2008-09 season to play BU and UMass and also played a two game set at Harvard as well. So, that team made two trips to Boston.
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Tuesday, November 06, 2012

AHA Commissioner explains stiff suspension for Griffins forward

English: National Collegiate Athletic Associat...
English: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) logo. Source: http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/Public/mlp/promotions_special_events/pe_web/promo_manual/memos/identity.pdf Converted by User:King of Hearts from :Image:National Collegiate Athletic Association logo.png using Inkscape. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Sunday, Atlantic Hockey commissioner Robert DeGregorio explained his very lengthy suspension to Canisius sophomore forward Matthew Grazen for his check from behind on Air Force Academy junior Forward George Michalke who is still out with an apparent head injury.
Ben Kirst, USCHO Arena Reporter --- On Sunday, DeGregorio explained the punishment.

“I know that people are trying to compare this to what happened in other leagues,” DeGregorio said. “But I am the commissioner for Atlantic Hockey. My job is to provide a safe environment and to apply the rules of the NCAA to our league.

“I’m not responsible for what happened in Minnesota a year ago,” the commissioner continued, in apparent reference to Gophers forward Kyle Rau’s one-game suspension for an illegal hit on Denver’s Jason Zucker, “or in Hockey East or in any of the other leagues. Nor do I comment when I get calls. I am responsible for my league. In viewing what had happened, and the extent of the injury — and one of the things that I do and others don’t, is they don’t weigh the extent of the injury — I felt it was important.”

DeGregorio took a unique approach to the suspension. Grazen, who missed the Griffs’ road trip to Minnesota on Oct. 28 as part of his NCAA-mandated suspension for a disqualification penalty, was prohibited from playing in Canisius’ two-game series against Clarkson last weekend and will miss upcoming contests with Robert Morris on Nov. 9, RIT on Nov. 10 and archrival Niagara on Nov. 16.

Grazen will then complete his punishment later in the season when the Griffs travel to Colorado Springs to face Air Force on Feb. 15-16, a move made by DeGregorio in an attempt to diffuse potential on-ice retribution.
Frist, I have not been able to find video of the hit in question any but everything that I have read is that the hit was vicious and violent and worthy of a suspension.

I have to applaud the AHA Commissioner for having the stones to make a tough call. I believe that Degregoiro is right; his job is to ensure that the league provides a safe environment and to apply the rules of the NCAA to his league. Unlike another league office that comes to mind – almost immediately – whose threshold for handing out a suspension has to be very high before he will act upon an on ice hit or incident. Thank God, my favorite school is leaving said league after this season.

Hockey is a physical game but unnecessary and dangerous hits need to be addressed. You can have a physical game without decapitating an opponent or causing him to be a drooling vegetable.
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Friday, October 12, 2012

College Hockey to fill the void left by the NHL



s/t Fargo Sioux from Sioux Sports. 

The NHLPA and the NHL owners have not scheduled any more negotiations and there appears to have been little progress made during the recent CBA talks this past week.

As each week goes by, I get the feeling that NHL hockey fans are in for a long winter with no hockey. 

No NHL Hockey – no worries – hockey fans have some great options tonight. 

So what would have been the opening week of hockey in the NHL – hockey fans can turn their attention to a pretty nice schedule of Division I college hockey on the television screen tonight.  
Here are the channels these games are all times are Central Standard Time and the games are on Directv. 

603 (6:00 pm) - Maine @ Notre Dame – NBC Sports Net
603 (9:00 pm) - Army @ Nebraska-Omaha– NBC Sports Net
623 (6:30 pm) - St. Cloud @ New Hampshire – Fox College Sports
626 (7:30 pm) - USA U18 @ North Dakota– Fox College Sports
668 (6:00 pm) - Michigan State @ Minnesota – Fox Sports North

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Thursday, June 21, 2012

UConn Men's Ice Hockey To Join Hockey East for the 2014-15 season

Hockey East Association logo
STORRS, Conn. - The University of Connecticut has been offered and has accepted an invitation to join the Hockey East Association in the sport of men's ice hockey in a joint announcement made on Thursday. Connecticut will join the league for men's ice hockey in 2014-15 and is already a member of the league in women's ice hockey.

Connecticut's membership in the men's league will put the conference at 12 teams for the 2014-15 season, including: Boston College, Boston University, Maine, Merrimack, UMass-Lowell, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Notre Dame (beginning in 2013-14), Providence and Vermont.

The Huskies will continue to compete in the Atlantic Hockey Association for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

"This is a historic day in the history of the University of Connecticut and its Division of Athletics," said Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. "Hockey East is the premier men's ice hockey conference in the country and we are proud to say that the Huskies are now part of it. I would like to thank Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna and the Athletic Directors at the institutions that comprise Hockey East for providing us this special opportunity.  We are committed to developing a men's ice hockey program that can and will perform successfully on the national level and compete for Hockey East and NCAA championships.

"I would also like to recognize Commissioner Robert DeGregorio and our fellow Atlantic Hockey institutions for their support during this decision making process."

The Hockey East Association was founded in 1984 and league teams have won eight NCAA championships in the past 20 years. Hockey East teams have made 37 appearances in the Frozen Four and 21 appearances in national championship games in the 28-year history of the league. Since 1999, Hockey East has won six NCAA Championships and has placed 20 teams in the Frozen Four, along with 53 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Thirty-two Hockey East alums have won the Stanley Cup with their respective NHL teams.

"This is one of the most historic and significant days in the history of our conference," said Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna. "We have enjoyed a terrific relationship with the University of Connecticut for more than a decade through our involvement with its women's hockey program. Today we start a new chapter in this relationship and we couldn't be more pleased.

"Warde Manuel and his staff did a commendable job in preparing for this moment and I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the role played by the state's biggest hockey fan, Governor Dan Malloy. Our directors have always said that we would welcome growth through any institution that brings value to our conference. No other school was better positioned to do this than the University of Connecticut."

UConn plans to play its home Hockey East conference games at the XL Center in downtown Hartford and will continue to play non-conference games in Storrs at the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum. The XL Center is the longtime off-campus home of both the UConn men's and women's basketball teams.

"The State of Connecticut is very excited that UConn is joining Hockey East and will be bringing the passion of college hockey to downtown Hartford," said Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy. "I have been a longtime fan of college hockey and believe that this is an incredible opportunity for the University. It is also a great opportunity to bring more top-flight events to the XL Center and further enhance the quality of life in downtown Hartford."

"We are thrilled with the University of Connecticut's decision to join Hockey East," said Chuck Steedman, AEG Management CT/XL Center Senior Vice President and General Manager. "AEG is extremely excited about the opportunity to play host to UConn Hockey at the XL Center and will support UConn's program in a variety of areas.

"We commend the forward-thinking vision of both the University of Connecticut and Governor Malloy, as Hockey East represents a major win for the state of Connecticut and the capital region will see the direct impact of these games being played downtown."

Connecticut currently does not offer athletic scholarships in men's ice hockey, but plans to elevate to the NCAA maximum of 18 scholarships as a participant in Hockey East. UConn will also add additional athletic scholarships to women's sports to ensure compliance with gender equity regulations.

UConn joins an elite group of seven other schools that compete on the national level as a member of the BCS Conference in football and play college basketball and college hockey in a national elite conference. Those other schools with their future conference hockey affiliation are: Boston College (Hockey East), Michigan (Big Ten), Michigan State (Big Ten), Minnesota (Big Ten), Notre Dame (Hockey East), Ohio State (Big Ten) and Wisconsin (Big Ten).

"It is a very exciting time to be part of the University of Connecticut and the joining of Hockey East is a reflection of the continuing efforts to advance our great university," said President Susan Herbst. "UConn is one of the top 20 public research institutions in the country, and our athletic prowess has been a terrific part of our overall success.  I would like to thank Governor Malloy for his support of our membership in Hockey East.   I am also extraordinarily grateful to the leadership of Hockey East, and to the university presidents of the league.  We are honored to stand alongside such excellent institutions and look forward to meeting them on the ice." 

The University of Connecticut first fielded a varsity men's hockey team in 1960-61. UConn elevated its program to Division I status in 1998-99 as a founding member of both the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and Atlantic Hockey in 2003-04.

"The entire UConn men's ice hockey family is very excited about this announcement," said UConn head coach Bruce Marshall. Marshall is a 1985 UConn graduate and former men's ice hockey student-athlete. He has been the head coach of the program since 1988 and is the winningest coach in program history as he enters his 25th season in 2012-13. "We are very grateful to the administration of the University and to the entire state for bringing Connecticut into Hockey East. From our current student-athletes to our dedicated hockey alumni base, there is great anticipation about this move. I believe that there is a strong appetite for this level of college hockey here in Connecticut and that Husky fans will embrace our entry in Hockey East."




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