Hockey East Player Spotlight 4/25/13 — Nick Bonino

I am so excited to begin this Hockey East Player Spotlight here on CTNB with one of my favorite players from Boston University, Nick Bonino. Nick Bonino attended Boston University from 2007-2010, when he left after the 2010 hockey season at Boston University to join the Anaheim Ducks for the remainder of the season. Bonino was an integral part of the Boston University (Dominating) Terriers of 2008-2009, when they won EVERYTHING (literally – I remember the parade and they had a trophy for every senior graduating that year, which I guess was seven), including the NCAA Frozen Four title in Washington, D.C. against University of Miami (OH). Read more about Nick Bonino at Boston University, see some awesome Youtube clips, and more after the break.

Quinnipiac advances to ECAC semifinals in dramatic double overtime win

This weekend at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden, Connecticut brought unrelenting excitement to the world of college hockey. Top-ranked Quinnipiac squared off against ninth-ranked Cornell in a gritty three games series to determine who will advance to the ECAC Tournament semifinals. Still riding their top ranking in the USCHO Poll and PairWise Rankings, the Bobcats were heavily favored in this match-up. But it’s always important to remember that the playoffs are a completely different animal. The Bobcats were reminded of this after they dropped the first game of the series 3-2, putting them in a must-win position going into the next game.

Quinnipiac Dethrones Minnesota

After endless weeks of coming up short, the Quinnipiac Bobcats have dethroned Minnesota and have taken hold of the #1 spot in the USCHO Poll. This team is on top of the college hockey world.

Quinnipiac Bobcats Continue to Roll

Photo credit: QU Chronicle

Upon the release of the USCHO Poll on Monday morning, some Quinnipiac fans were disappointed to discover that Minnesota is in fact still ranked #1 in the country. Despite not having played this weekend, Minnesota received 30 first-place votes as opposed to Quinnipiac’s 20.

The Bobcats skated to a 1-1 tie with sixth-ranked Brown University on Friday, February 1^st.  But the real test, the biggest and most anticipated matchup of the season belonged to the infamous battle of Connecticut: Quinnipiac vs. Yale. Quinnipiac rolled into Ingalls Rink for the first time this season looking to take down their bitter rival. Prior to the game, Yale was ranked 8^th in the USCHO poll and sat right behind Quinnipiac in the ECAC.

Hockey East Representin’ the NHL – Dominating In College and In the NHL

Hockey East has dominated in college hockey for decades (well, since it was created in the mid-80s). The schools that make up Hockey East have many players in the NHL currently. Because I love Hockey East and all that they represent, in the next few weeks, I will be putting the spotlight on as many Hockey East alumni in the NHL currently as I can.

The schools that make up Hockey East for the 2012-2013 season are: Boston College, Boston University, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Merrimack College, University of New Hampshire, Northeastern University, Providence College, and the University of Vermont. Next season, Hockey East will add two more schools: University of Notre Dame and the University of Connecticut.

Hockey East alumni include the wonderful Jimmy Howard from the Detroit Red Wings, the fiery Nathan Gerbe from the Buffalo Sabres, Martin St. Louis from the Tampa Bay Lightning, and recent Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Quick from the L.A. Kings.

So stay tuned to learn about their collegiate days (maybe even some bad hair cuts or crazy rumors) and see just where these boys came from.

Quinnipiac University Bobcats rolling through ECAC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Team on the Rise

Last season, the Quinnipiac men’s hockey team finished in 5th place in the ECAC. Their team was far from a powerhouse in the conference.

But that was last season and that story is no more.

The Quinnipiac Bobcats are the top dogs in ECAC hockey. The Bobcats hold a 10-3-2 record overall on the season and dominant 6-0 record in the ECAC. After suffering an embarrassing 2-1 loss to American International, one of the worst teams in collegiate hockey, the Bobcats began to roll. Since the loss on November 6th, QU has gone 7-0-1. Oh and AIC hasn’t won a single game since narrowly defeating Quinnipiac.

Quinnipiac is undefeated in conference play, defeating the likes of Colgate, Cornell, Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Union and Rensselaer. 3 of those teams were ranked higher than Quinnipiac at the end of last season (Colgate, Cornell and Union).

Frozen Four Hits Tampa

Most people equate March with “March Madness” – the crazy tournament consisting of 64 college basketball teams all vying for being the best in the nation. People become obsessed with this idea of “bracketology” and end up spending away their hard earned money to see if they can beat the odds and make the best brackets. Even the President creates a bracket for the tournament.

But this is a hockey blog, not a basketball blog.

Eagles Win Third Straight Beanpot in OT

Nothing divides the city of Boston like a championship game between Boston College and Boston University. Whenever these two schools meet on the ice they play their best form of hockey. It took almost four full periods for the Eagles to top the Terriers in the 60th annual Beanpot. This is the first time since 1985 that the Terriers have gone three consecutive years without winning the Beanpot championship. Read about the highlights of the game after the break.

Terriers Set To Face Eagles In 60th Beanpot Championship

It’s no surprise that No. 1 Boston University and No. 5 Boston College will be in the 60^th Beanpot Championship game next Monday at 7:30pm. The Terriers and Eagles are no strangers to the Beanpot Championship round, especially when it comes to playing against each other. This will be the 21st time the Terriers and Eagles will meet in the championship round. Boston University’s appearance will be its 49^th time while Boston College will try and win the Beanpot for the third year in a row.

After the break, read the game summaries of Boston University vs Harvard and Boston College vs Northeastern.

Pre-Game Notes: The Beanpot – Round One

Boston College. Boston University. Harvard University. Northeastern University. It’s that time of year again. The first two Mondays of February are revered in the historic city of Boston. Four colleges, only a few mere miles apart from each other, compete for bragging rights as the greatest collegiate hockey school in the city of Boston and the chance to raise the esteemed Beanpot trophy in front of their loyal fans in TD Garden. The champion’s name will hang in the rafters among the Bruins’ and Celtics’ championship banners for all of New England to see. With all four schools making national headlines in the collegiate hockey world, the 60th annual Beanpot has a lot more stake in it than a regular season game. It is a winner-take-all throw down.

If you can’t make it to the Garden on February 6th and February 13th, don’t fret. NESN will air the games so you can watch from home or at your favorite local bar in New England. The first game will air at 5pm and the second game will air at 8pm. So pull up a chair, put your hockey sweater on, and watch as four power houses in collegiate hockey battle on the ice.