College Hockey

ASU Sun Devil Hockey gets new Adidas Uniforms for 2018-19

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It’s still summer, but for college hockey fans the season is just around the corner. One of the newest teams to the Division One ranks has been the Arizona State Sun Devils who have officially unveiled their new uniforms for the 2018-19 season.

 

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The new uniforms mark provided by Adidas have given the Sun Devils an updated home and a completely overhauled road uniform. Event though there are just two uniforms, according to the ASU athletic department the hockey team will have 72 uniform combinations with four helmets (maroon, white, gold, and gray) along with three pairs of gloves  pants (maroon, black, and gray). Let’s take a look at what’s stayed the same and what changes have been implemented.

ASU will have 72 combinations of uniforms for next season.

What’s the same?

First the main crest on the uniform has remained the same with the devil’s pitchfork. This was a great logo in the middle of the uniform and I am really glad they kept this. The home uniforms remain a classic white color as opposed to going to a colored home uniform like Quinnipiac University that wears a gold uniform for home games. One minor feature that remains the same is the captain’s crest with the state of Arizona as the background. This is a nice subtle detail that I can see other state university’s copying in the future.

What has changed?

ASU’s old home uniforms. the school has changed the main logo color and dropped the ASU shoulder yokes.

There is a lot of changes to the ASU uniform set. First let’s start with the minor changes. The main logo on both jerseys is now a red trident with gold piping instead of the old combo which was the opposite last year. While it still pops on the white, I do think the gold trident would pop better rather than a maroon crest on maroon jersey.

From the top ASU has added four new helmets to the set each with the trident logos. Last season the team had a gold and red helmet but will now add grey and white helmets to the set.

ASU’s new lids look like football helmets with the trident logo and gives them four options for helmet options

The piping on the sleeves and socks have changed from a classic three stripe to now a layered look of red, gold, grey, and black. This style is very similar to what the Vegas Golden Knight Uniforms look like. Each jersey also features the state of Arizona embroidered under the back collar above the name plate.

ASU’s new road uniform not only has a new color, but continues to focus on the minor details.

The biggest change is the road uniform which drops the former black uniform in favor of a maroon uniform. This uniform features gold numbers and uses grey as the secondary color saving the gold as an accent color with the black. Overall this is a sharp set of uniforms with ASU quickly becoming the Oregon of college hockey with their multiple combinations. Don’t be surprised if other schools follow suit with additional helmets, gloves, and pants to pair with their uniforms.

What could have been improved?

Despite the great new set, ASU dropped their sharp-looking black uniform

Really my only complaint is that despite the combinations the team only has three uniforms. While they gold have easily added a gold or dark gray uniform to the set, personally I wish they kept their sharp-looking black road uniforms as an alternate. These were some of the sharpest uniforms in college hockey and the red, gold, and black combo was not only sharp but the black made the maroon and gold really pop. Hopefully the team can bring these back next year as a third uniform because this was the program’s best uniform.

 

 

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Connecticut #1 in all of college sports?

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The Champs are here!

The Champs are here!

In a span of 24 hours the melting pot of college basketball wasn’t Dallas or Nashville, but Storrs Connecticut. For the second time in history the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams are the National Champions at the same time. The school is now an incredible 13-0 in National Title games with four men’s championships and a record best nine National Championships for the women. 2014 will be remembered for the historic run of the men’s team after going through the ringer the previous season and the sheer dominance the women’s program which once again ran the table with 40 wins. After this week the main question shouldn’t be about UConn’s dominance, but the state’s dominance as a whole. Is Connecticut becoming one of if not the best state in the nation for college sports?

Hockey is on the rise in the Nutmeg state

Hockey is on the rise in the Nutmeg state

I can already hear the yelling and screaming already. What are you nuts? Connecticut the best state for college sports? Blasphemous! But is it? In the span of twelve months the state has won 4 National Championships. Last year, Yale won the hockey National Championship to go with the three championships the Huskies added, two in basketball one in field hockey. We all know about basketball. The UConn men remain one of the best programs in the country, and the women are in a league of their own. However, the nutmeg state has become a hotbed for college hockey. Last year both Yale and Quinnipiac made it to the finals in hockey and both have been perennial powers for years with consistent top 15 rankings in the country. With UConn hockey moving into Hockey East and steadily improving, the question is becoming when not if another team from the Constitution state will win the National Championship.

Yeah, but what about football? True Connecticut is not a football state, this isn’t Alabama with the Crimson Tide and Auburn. I think that is pretty obvious, but across the board the other sports in this state prove that Connecticut is the cream of the crop in college sports. Field Hockey? UConn won the National Championship in 2013. Baseball? UConn reached the regionals for the first time in 2013. Along with these national appearances the Connecticut schools have won numerous conference championships across the board.

Connecticut could soon be the place to be.

Connecticut could soon be the place to be.

With already established powerhouses, and strong up and comers, the Nutmeg state could soon be more than just the center of college basketball, but the NCAA universe as well. With some of the greatest underrated fan bases in the country, it’s not hard to see why Connecticut loves it’s college teams. With dominance in basketball and hockey, if Connecticut can establish another team or teams that become perennial powers, it will be hard to argue that Connecticut is not a great home for college sports, but “the home” for college sports.

 

U Conn Do it! Why UCONN needs to build a new hockey arena

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If UCONN hockey wants to make it to the big time, they need a new arena

If UCONN hockey wants to make it to the big time, they need a new arena

In 2014-2015 the Connecticut Huskies will enter new territory. Starting next year, the UCONN hockey team will be joining one of the better leagues in college hockey, Hockey East. At this point many people may even be asking “wait, UCONN has a hockey team”? It’s easy to be forgotten at a school known for its powerhouse basketball programs, and its recent dominance in soccer and baseball. Not to mention a school whose effort to build a national football program has gone off the rails in the past few years. By joining Hockey East, the hockey team will now be entering the big time. It’s been a program that’s been heading in the right direction. With more scholarships and an impressive 19-14-4 2012-2013 season, the program is ready to make some noise on the Storrs campus. There’s just one problem.

Let me see scholarships? Check. New uniforms? Check. A new coach with National Championship credentials? Check. A suitable arena to house the team? Oh there’s the problem. The Huskies do not have a suitable home which could be the final piece to the hockey puzzle. The solution? Give them the home they deserve. After years of pouring millions of dollars into the other athletic programs, it’s time for UCONN to invest in their hockey program’s future. Despite being built-in 1998, the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum is not a suitable home. This arena was built for a second-rate college hockey program,  which UCONN was at the time, but now it’s a joke that a Hockey East team calls this home. While the hockey program has announced that the Hockey East games will be played at the XL Center in Hartford, this is just another problem. The massive 15,000 seat arena can barely be filled for a UCONN basketball game and will look empty even if 5,000 fans show up to a hockey game. On top of that the arena is outdated, 30 minutes from campus, and will cost the school about 25,000$ to play a game there. What’s the solution to all of this? Build this team a new arena.

The Huskies need to build a facility that will not only house this team for the future, but to use as a tool to recruit top prospects. Let’s face it, despite the direction of the program, the arena situation is a major turnoff. If I’m a recruit do I want to play in two arenas that are terrible, or go to a beautiful arena of a Hockey East rival? Sounds like an easy decision easy to me. If UCONN wants to be successful in hockey just look 40 minutes south at Quinnipiac University.

After building their 52 million dollar TD Bank North Sports Center basketball and hockey complex in 2007, the Quinnipiac Bobcats program blossomed. Coach Rand Pecknold has even said that the arena is one of the biggest recruiting tools and why they have been able to become on of college hockey’s premiere programs. Six years after opening their new arena, the Quinnipiac Bobcats were playing for a National Championship, in large part because they used their arena as a major recruitment tool. UCONN has the resources and space to build a new arena. A 3000-4500 seat arena would be an adequate sized arena for this team. Bigger then their current arena but not as colossal as the XL Center. Plus, they can add all the bells and whistles to make it a state of the art home that will make Hockey East rivals envious. With Connecticut now becoming one of the better locations in the country for college hockey, thanks to Quinnipiac and the National Champion Yale Bulldogs, the state of Connecticut is becoming a major player in college hockey. We’ve seen how quickly the Yale and Quinnipiac programs have emerged onto the national stage, with nowhere near the resources that UCONN possesses. If UCONN builds a new arena and uses that as a great recruiting tool, I predict within 5 years after the arena’s completion UCONN will be a nationally ranked program. Hockey has always been a staple in New England culture, shouldn’t one of New England’s best schools share in the tradition of great hockey?  I’m not saying that UCONN can’t be great in hockey without a new arena, but it would defiantly speed up the process. Remember what they always said in Field of Dreams? If you build it they will come! If UCONN builds it, great hockey will come. Who knows. Maybe one UCONN hockey and basketball teams will be fighting over who can win the most National Championships and who is truly Connecticut’s team.

Sweet Redemption: 16 years later Yale rights CT’s greatest wrong

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After 16 years After our greatest tragedy CT can be proud

After 16 years After our greatest tragedy CT can be proud

16 years to the day that Connecticut sports suffered its greatest tragedy, the death of the Hartford Whalers, Connecticut hockey fans finally had their redemption. It was a day of pride  in Pittsburgh when the championship for College hockey came down to two Connecticut teams, the Quinnipiac Bobcats and the Yale Bulldogs. The Battle of Whitney Avenue was taking place in front of an entire nation who had no idea of the emotional state of the Constitution State. Sure we have the Uconn basketball teams but our greatest pride was our only pro franchise the Hartford Whalers, who were ripped from a passionate fan base that has never fully recovered. Connecticut hockey  entered a dark age as it fell into the shadows of New York and Boston hockey for 16 long agonizing years. While the Whalers may never return, without question 2013 was a landmark year for Connecticut hockey. The Quinnipiac Bobcats became the number one team in the nation and put Connecticut college hockey back on the map.  By the end of the Frozen Four tournament the two teams who remained were both from Connecticut. Forget Boston or Minnesota, Connecticut is now becoming the home for college hockey. You had the premier team in the land the, Quinnipiac Bobcats versus the sixteenth seeded cinderella team of the tournament, the Yale Bulldogs. Whoever won would bring the first national championship to the state and would bring a new dimension to arguably the best in state rivalry that no one could have dreamed about. As a hockey fan I thought it be incredibly if either team just made it to the Frozen Four but both teams squaring off in the finals? Talk about wildest dream scenario. The game itself was terrific with both teams playing their best hockey of the season but in the end Yale was able to pull off the upset with a 4-0 win. Yale became the lowest seed to ever when the tournament and only the fifth team to record a shutout victory over arguable the best team in the nation.

Despite the loss, The Bobcats put CT hockey on the map this season

Despite the loss, The Bobcats put CT hockey on the map this season

Despite the loss the Bobcats represented the state well by being the number one team in the country for weeks and laying the ground work for even better success in the future. Now with the national recognition and the TD Bank North Center as recruiting tools it’s not hard to imagine that now QU can bring in even better players and be back in the hunt for the National Championship sooner than later. It’s amazing that a program that once was a DIII club team and that only became a DI program in 2000 was in the national championship just 13 years later. Despite losing many seniors, including star goalie Eric Hartzell the Bobcats have established themselves among hockey’s elite and now can recruit top talent by saying they are a national contenders. Yale, who became a hockey program in 1893 has added to its programs rich history by finally adding the National Championship to its incredible resume. Years after the last minor league

Yale has made New Haven the college hockey capital

Yale has made New Haven the capital of college hockey

team played in the Coliseum, Yale has made New Haven the capital for college hockey. While this year was exciting whats even more exciting is the future these programs have. With the national exposure and now one of the best rivalries in college sports I truly believe that these programs best days are still ahead of them. Back in 2005 when Quinnipiac and Yale first faced off in the ECAC no 0ne could have imagined it would have led to this. Whether or a Bobcat or Bulldog fan you still have to be proud of Connecticut for what they have done to put our state on the map this season. While the Whalers have left a hole that will never be truly replaced, Yale and Quinnipiac have made hockey fans proud and given our great state some of the best college hockey. Even during the game the sound of the brass bonanza rang loud and proud from both bands and became the fight song for Connecticut once again. Finally after 16 long years the hockey gods are once again smiling over Connecticut and I have a  promise for all Connecticut hockey fans. This is not an ending, this is just the beginning. Thank you Quinnipiac and Yale for the amazing ride this year and the even brighter future that lies ahead.

Cats and Dogs: College Hockeys next biggest rivalry

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Yale and Quinnipiac could bring a hometown rivalry to the National stage

Yale and Quinnipiac could bring a hometown rivalry to the National stage

Cats and Dogs have always been natural enemies. So it was only natural when the Quinnipiac Bobcats joined the ECAC in 2005 that their biggest rival would be none other than the Yale Bulldogs. Fast forward to February 2013. Under the bright lights of the TD Bank Center in front of thousands of passionate fans wearing yellow “Beat Yale” shirts the Quinnipiac defeated those pesky Bulldogs to win the Heroes Hat 4-1. The Heroes Hat is the annual trophy  that the winner of this rivalry claims. This year Quinnipiac scaled the Everest in college hockey by becoming the number one team in the country and winning the ECAC Cleary Cup. Not to be outdone the Bulldogs have been a consistent top ten team for years and have solidified themselves as a top program. With the absence of Uconn Mens basketball in March Madness, hockey has been center stage in the Constitution. Quinnipiac backed up its number one ranking with a come from behind win against Canisius and beating Union in Providence to make it to the big dance in Pittsburgh. Yale has been the opposite, by playing the role of Cinderella by knocking off Minnesota and North Dakota to also punch their ticket to Pittsburgh.

From heroes hat to National hardware at stake

From heroes hat to National hardware at stake

Now the Bobcats and Bulldogs not only give Connecticut its first team to represent them in the National Championship but the possibility of them playing each other for the championship. QU and Yale make such great rivals because they are so different. You have the class and history of the Bulldogs, who were the first program in College hockey in 1893. Yale who represents the prestige and class of the Ivy league and the great tradition of college hockey. However, Quinnipiac has taken a much different route. They’ve gone from D3 club team to the best team in the country in just thirty years and have established themselves as the new hot shots in ECAC. Old school vs. new school, brainiacs vs frat boys, tradition vs. new success, little brother vs, big brother, Hamden vs. New Haven this rivalry has everything. Even their arenas reflect their teams. Ingalls rink represents the class and long running history of the Yale hockey program and is a cathedral f college hockey. Meanwhile on the top of a mountain in Hamden, the TD Bank center is the latest in innovation and technology with all the bells and whistles a hockey fan could hope for at a game. Despite their many differences there is no question that these teams have talent.

With Hartzell between the pipes the Bobcats believe they can make history

With Hartzell between the pipes the Bobcats believe they can make history

Quinnipiac Boasts a senior squad loaded with talent from goaltender Eric Hartzell to scoring machine Matthew Peca. Despite losing the first two match ups to the Bobcats Yale still has a dangerous lineup and these two teams know each other incredibly well. Yale also has been on a hot streak knocking off higher teams and gaining more confidence on the road to Pittsburgh. This will be Yale’s first Frozen Four appearance since 1952 and despite all of the hardware accumulated over its hundred history, they still don’t have a national championship. But before the dream showdown first the Bobcats must get past St. Cloud State while the Bulldogs have to knock off UMass Lowell. Either way

Forget backing in to the Frozen Four these Bulldogs are more bite then bark

Forget backing into the Frozen Four these Bulldogs are more bite then bark

this is a huge step for Connecticut hockey. Since the Hartford Whalers left in 1997 there has been a massive void to fill but the success of these two teams could soon make New Haven the hockey capital in the nation. Either way these two teams will bring the rivalry to the next level and I know people are praying for a Yale Quinnipiac final, it would be prefect. While the fan bases may scold if their counterpart wins the National Championship, it will be a win for Connecticut and could be the opening chapter to even greater college hockey in the New Haven area.  How do you think will win the National Championship? Think there will be a Connecticut final?  Who do you think win win Yale or Quinnipiac? Don’t forget to comment and subscribe!

The stakes have never been higher

The stakes have never been higher