U.S. College Hockey Return To Play Plans

[JMCx4]

A triplet of DIII team & conference announcements over the holiday break ...

• St. Norbert Will Not Participate In 2020-21 Hockey Seasons
• UCHC Presidents' Council Provides Return To Play Update for 2021 Season
  
• USCHO.com: NCHA announces men's, women's hockey conferences to resume play with 2021 schedule our early January

 

[JMCx4]

The College Hockey America women's hockey conference announced their second half schedule early this week ...

CHA Releases Second Half Schedule
1/4/2021 5:00:00 PM

College Hockey America, in a joint effort between the league office, directors, and coaches, have finalized a second-half schedule that brings the league’s six members right up to the start of the 2021 CHA Tournament.

The goal with the second half schedule remains the same as it did upon our return at the end of November, to maximize the number of playing opportunities available to our teams and complete a 20-game league schedule safely. After a few postponements before the holiday break, the number of games remaining span from 18 for Mercyhurst to 14 for Penn State, but all missing games are accounted for through February.

The CHA’s second half officially kicks off on Wednesday with Mercyhurst hosting RIT and continues over the weekend with all but Syracuse getting games in.

 

[JMCx4]

The DI Bentley University Falcons program has interrupted play ... Bentley University Announces Pause to All Hockey Activities-Jan. 5

 

[JMCx4]

College hockey postponements & program pauses have shot up again after the Christmas break. Too many for me to track & post here, with the exception of major announcements that I come across (like Bentley above). Interested parties can refer to USCHO.com or CHN or your favorite team's social media to keep up on the latest changes.

 

[JMCx4]

To wit ...

From: AP News

Changing on the fly: College hockey teams do it on, off ice
By ERIC OLSON
January 7, 2021

… On Friday night, more than a month (after they were scheduled to begin their season), BU will become the last Division I men’s team to start its season when Providence visits. The game will be at Walter Brown Arena because the team’s regular home, Agganis Arena, has been repurposed as a campus COVID-19 test site. ...

Boston University’s league, Hockey East, has issued news releases announcing schedule changes 19 times in the last 48 days. Big Ten teams are playing a 24-game conference schedule, plus an additional four games per school against Arizona State. The Sun Devils are an independent, and as a one-year Big Ten affiliate had to agree to play all 28 of their games on the road.

In the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, Northern Michigan has played six games and had eight postponed or canceled

In the Eastern College Athletic Conference, the six Ivy League members along with Union College and RPI opted out for the season. That leaves Clarkson, Colgate, St. Lawrence and Quinnipiac.

Another league, Atlantic Hockey, has had 22 of its first 81 games canceled or postponed. …

The situation is similar in Division I women’s hockey. St. Lawrence has yet to play. Top-ranked Wisconsin recently had four straight games called off. No. 3 Northeastern had games against Holy Cross canceled three days after they were scheduled. ...

Read more at: Changing on the fly: College hockey teams do it on, off ice

 

[JMCx4]

The continuing COVID saga for the Bentley Falcons men's hockey program ...

 

[JMCx4]

And in rinks west of there ... USCHO.com: WCHA series involving Ferris State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State rescheduled; Ferris to play Trine Jan. 16

 

[JMCx4]

Welcome back to hockey this evening for the BU Terriers women's squad. Their program had been paused for 43 days due to pandemic precautions, after playing just 3 games in the first two weeks of December. They are hosting the Maine Black Bears, who have almost as many postponements this season. Good luck to both teams.

 

[JMCx4]

The NCAA DIII Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) returned to play this weekend.

CAVEAT: "* St. Norbert (men and women) and Finlandia (women) will not participate in the abbreviated season due to decisions by their institutions."

 

[JMCx4]

And now that they're official, USCHO.com has a 2021 NCHA league preview to share ... NCHA Preview: Bulldogs, Sabres among teams to watch this season

 

[mk80]

Worth noting in the college hockey world the ACHA Nationals are being moved:




The full nationals tournament was supposed to be held this year at the New England Sports Center in Massachusetts. But restrictions are forcing the ACHA to move divisions to separate sites, and the full national tournament will be back next year hosted by Lindenwood University.

 

[JMCx4]

Another topic-adjacent feel-good story, from the Seamore Sports blogs ...

Colonial support: How RMU Men’s Hockey has dealt with the pandemic

ON MARCH 10, 2021
BY TERPANESE

... Part of the reason this team is rolling along is due to the great support it has received from its administration. Assistant Coach Mike Corbett detailed some of what the Colonials were given, saying, “the best thing for us has been the support of our administration through this pandemic.” Throughout the pandemic, the administration of Robert Morris has made life easier for the Colonials to, as best as they can stay healthy, and then while the program was paused the administration did even more. Corbett appreciates the continuity that the administration has provided for the Colonials during this season.

As Corbett noted about his administration more than once during this interview, money was not any object in finding solutions during their quarantine, and that money was no object in figuring things out for the administration. They went so far as to bring workout gear to players’ homes to facilitate Zoom workouts during their quarantine. As Corbett said of these efforts “that’s what they do at Robert Morris.” The group quarantined together as they went through it, and were able to minimize the effect of their pause as much as possible during this hectic year. ...

Read more at: Colonial support: How RMU Men’s Hockey has dealt with the pandemic