It’s about to be the new year and the second half of the season. Teams have about two months and around 15 games to put themselves in the best position for the postseason. With that in mind, I’ve come up with some New Year’s resolutions for each program to propel them into the final eight weeks of the regular season.
Bemidji State – The Beavers are resolved to put together a solid 120 minutes every weekend. It’s not even necessarily game one compared to game two. Too often this season they’ve put together one very good game where they win or keep it very close and one game where they’re blown out. I’ll also break the rules and add a second resolution on the very first team. Bemidji needs a scoring touch. Beyond just scoring more goals, they need a player to step up and become their go-to and offensive leader.
Boston College – The Eagles have the third-worst power play conversation rate in the country. They’ve scored just three extra-attacker goals in 35 attempts so far this season. With three one-goal losses and a tie, their record and standing in Hockey East might be very different if they were able to convert even just a small portion of those opportunities. Their resolution has to be on special teams in the new year.
Boston University – The Terries have to prove more disciplined in 2023. They’re one of the top-ten most penalized teams, averaging eight minutes a game in the box. The penalties might not be so bad, but BU has an 80% penalty kill. They’re putting themselves in a hole they haven’t yet shown they have the firepower to get out of.
Brown – This has likely been the case since the moment last season ended, but Brown’s resolution is to make the ECAC playoffs. They currently sit in 10th place, but they are within striking-distance (points-wise) of at least four teams above them. The Bears have a tough second-half schedule where they will need to grab every possible point.
Clarkson – The Golden Knights are a bubble team for the NCAA tournament right now and one thing they’re missing is a marquee win. At the moment, their quality win bonus is 0 and they were outscored 14-2 in the games they played against the three teams above them in the ECAC standings.
Colgate – There is not a lot to pick apart about the Raiders. Their two losses are to Ohio State and Quinnipiac. They’re top ten in team offense, team defense, power play and penalty kill. Their resolution is to not get comfortable (something I don’t think is an issue for them). They have a pretty friendly second-half schedule, but they need to make sure they keep getting better, not complacent.
Connecticut – The Huskies are resolved to find more offense. UConn is quietly one of the best defensive teams in the country. They have the third best penalty kill and are seventh in team defense, allowing 1.77 goals per game. Unfortunately for them, they’re only scoring 1.86 goals per game. They’re 7-4 in the 11 one-goal games they’ve played this season, but I’m guessing they’d prefer to have a bit more breathing room.
Cornell – On the flip side, Cornell has to get better on defense. They’ve lived up to the hype on offense, scoring 3.5 goals per game. But they’re allowing 3.0 goals per game and that’s just not sustainable. Like many schools, they had a lot of questions in net heading into the season and I don’t think any of them have been answered by their tandem of Belle Mende and Deanna Fraser. Coach Doug Derragh is so good on defense, he coaches it for Canada’s senior women’s national team, so the Big Red’s resolution is to get better on the blue line to take some of the pressure off the goalies.
Dartmouth – My resolution for the Big Green is to not give up. The Big Green have five one-goal losses this year, including a stellar back-to-back of heartbreakers to Cornell and Colgate. This program is growing and learning and while they may not be getting the results they’d like on the scoreboard, it’s so clear that this isn’t a team anyone can take lightly. I see you, Dartmouth, and I can’t wait to learn what you’re capable of.
Franklin Pierce – This isn’t the season the Ravens expected to have, but there have been bright spots from the rookies and they are just five points out of third place. With the best goaltending in the conference, they have to believe they are able to win every game they play and can make a run in February and March. Franklin Pierce has to remember they’re the defending conference champions.
Harvard – The Crimson have scored more shorthanded goals (3) than power play goals (2) so far this season. They have the worst power play in the country, with a 4% conversion rate. My resolution for Harvard is for the boldness, vision and confidence that they show short-handed starts to bleed over into the rest of their play.
Holy Cross – All I want for the Crusaders is improvement. They have equaled last year’s conference win total and are one shy of last year’s overall wins, so I want to see them turn some of those close games into wins and put the program on the right track for even more future success.
Lindenwood – The Lions need to be more disciplined. The second-most penalized team in the country, I want them to be more controlled and less frustrated. That’s easier said than done, but it’s difficult to improve if you’re always down a player. I want to see them find a rhythm.
LIU – With a 10-1-1 conference record, the Sharks are sitting atop their conference and in prime position to earn the first-ever NEWHA auto-bid. Their non-conference schedule has been tough enough to set them up for the postseason and they’ve taken care of business when it matters. LIU needs to tighten up their play – take less penalties and be better on the penalty kill when they do end up in the box – but otherwise, stay the course and keep improving.
Maine – The youngsters are leading the way on this team, so I’d like to see the more veteran players step up a bit. I think the team will need to lean on their experience in January and February. Their schedule over the final month of the season gives them a good opportunity to pick up points and I’d like to see them take advantage and not leave those points on the table. In order to do that, the defense needs to be better and more players have to commit to really developing their 200 foot game.
Mercyhurst – Having played two fewer games than the rest of the CHA means the Lakers are currently third, but have every opportunity to battle for the conference crown. Both parts of their special teams could use improvement, but I love how good they are at picking their shots and making the most of opportunities. I want them to hone that ability while protecting the puck.
Merrimack – The Warriors have struggled to string wins together and the scores in a weekend series have varied quite a bit. They need to focus on consistency and replicating their success. The scoring has been streaking in an all-or-nothing sort of way, so I’d just really like to see them regulate the peaks and valleys a bit more, so the highs and lows aren’t quite so far apart.
Minnesota – Easier said than done, of course, but I hope we get to see more of the Gopher team that went to Columbus at the end of October and left with a win and a tie. I hope they don’t have to rely on Emily Oden as a defender and overall get healthy, but I’d like to see that spark again. That team, on that weekend, looked like a champion. They’ve got to figure out how to replicate that because the chemistry, focus and precision they showed has only been seen again in fits and starts since.
Minnesota Duluth – They made it through the toughest schedule of the first few months and now get to see the rest of the conference beat each other up a bit. Their focus has to be on maintaining their level of play and not losing their momentum and motivation through a relatively easy next two months. I’d like to see a bit more from Naomi Rogge, Gabby Krause and Maggie Flaherty. All three have shown they can play bigger roles in the offense. The Bulldogs need them to be taking smart shots and making plays.
Minnesota State – The Mavericks are on pace to score more goals and allow fewer than last season. They’ve been streaky through the first few months and were so close to pulling off some upsets, so I’d love to see them find that extra gear that we saw glimmers of early this season. Yes, their opponents have improved, but so have Minnesota State and I’d love to see them get that big win.
New Hampshire – It’s been a roller coaster in Durham this season and the Wildcats have managed to win back-to-back games just once – in a series against Holy Cross in late October. A resolution to be more consistent with an eye to passing Boston University in the standings should be their goal.
Northeastern – After finishing the first half with four straight wins over ranked opponents, the Huskies need to carry that momentum through to March. They seem to be firing on all cylinders, so they need to block out distractions and put themselves in the best possible place to win when it comes time for the NCAA tournament.
Ohio State – I’m hoping to see a few more starts from Raygan Kirk in net. I want Gabby Rosenthal and Emma Maltais to shoot a little more and pass a little less. Honestly, shooting a bit more is probably a good directive for everyone on the team not named Sophie Jaques, who has more than double the amount of shots of all but one of her teammates. Sophie is doing it all, but it’s never good to rely on a single player, so I think the whole team can resolve to step up just a bit more in the second half. And as long as we’re manifesting things, let’s get OSU a new rink for the women (and with that, hopefully a better streaming setup).
Penn State – The Nittany Lions need to be resolved to keep playing as big as they have been and not lose sight of their goal of an NCAA bid. They have played some big games against big opponents and now need to buckle down, stay focused and take care of business within the CHA.
Post – Nearly half of Post’s goals have come with the skater advantage. They move the puck well and find openings on the power play and I want them to be able to carry that energy over to even strength.
Princeton – The Tigers are better than what they’ve shown so far. I hope their winter break resolution was to work on finding the equilibrium they seemed to be missing in the first half so that in the second half, their resolution can be to play to their potential. They’re simply so much more talented than eighth place in the ECAC.
Providence – If the season ended today and there were no conference upsets, the Friars would be an NCAA team. But that’s leaving a lot to chance and they want more security than that. They aren’t going to catch Northeastern in Hockey East, but do need wins over teams like Vermont and Connecticut to keep those teams behind them in the Pairwise. Their resolution has to be to play a clean second-half. Their margin of error is slim.
Quinnipiac – Let’s all be resolved to give the Bobcats the respect they’ve earned this season. They have allowed two power play goals all season. They lead the nation in Team Defense, allowing just one goal per game. They average just two penalties a game. They have two losses, both to ranked teams. And for QU, finish strong. They have a tough January and will feel like they’ve run the gauntlet, but they have to be at their best come March and can’t pull back at all in February.
RIT – The Tigers have to get at least one conference win. They’ve played very good teams so close this season and lost to Lindenwood in overtime. They have a difficult schedule to close out the regular season, but I believe they can get rid of their goose egg.
RPI – Maybe more of a wish than a resolution, but I want the Engineers to find a spark on offense. They continue to be above average on defense, but are still scoring a goal less per game than they allow. They have to take some more chances and trust in their blue line and goaltender. There’s a ceiling on how much they can improve if they can’t muster more offense.
Sacred Heart – The Pioneers have the no. 2 penalty kill in the nation, allowing just four goals on 68 opportunities. They need to extend that shut-down defense to even-strength play. SHU plays a lot of close games and would serve themselves well to control the puck on defense and start the breakout from the back. They’re great at getting in lanes and blocking shots and need to turn that into a quick transition.
Saint Anselm – After losing their first six games of the season, the Hawks have bounced back, going 11-3-1 since and ending the first half tied for the top spot in NEWHA. Like LIU, they’ve filled their schedule with tough non-conference games that help them prepare for the postseason. LIU has a few games in hand, so Saint Anselm needs to reign in the penalty minutes and finish strong. Their final four are against the bottom of the NEWHA standings and they can’t take those games for granted.
St. Cloud State – The Huskies are playing loose and having fun and I’m just excited they brought us all along for the ride. One side effect of their style of play is that they’re one of the most penalized teams in the country. So far, they’ve been very good on the penalty kill, so SCSU might tell you that they’re willing to take the penalties as part of a more aggressive approach, in which case this may be more my resolution than theirs.
St. Lawrence – I like how offensive-minded the Saints have been so far. They’re putting more shots on net and scoring more goals and that’s important for them to keep pace in the ECAC. St. Lawrence needs to keep the pressure up in the offensive zone while tightening things up on the blue line. Their goal is to finish in the top five in the conference.
St. Michaels – The Purple Knights have been better in pretty much every statistical category in conference games than against non-conference opponents and I want them to keep bringing that focus to NEWHA matchups. I love their fight, playing some of their best and closest games of the season against the top two teams in the conference in Saint Anselm and LIU. They are showing sparks of potential and I want them to keep pushing to reach it.
St. Thomas – They’ve already tied last season’s total in wins and have shown tremendous growth in just their second year in the WCHA. Their resolution is to carry the momentum they had to close the first half into the second half and keep building on the solid foundation they’ve set. They’re scoring more goals and allowing fewer than they did last season. Don’t get frustrated, keep pushing and the results will keep coming.
Stonehill – In their very first season, the Skyhawks are 9-10-1 overall and 6-6 in conference. Nobody told Stonehill inaugural seasons don’t usually go very well. They need to be resolved to keep believing their own hype and not get in their own heads about what first-year squads could or should do. NEWHA has a tradition of scrappy upstarts making postseason waves and if I were on this team, my resolution would involve being the next program to win it all in their first year.
Syracuse – There were a lot of changes for the Orange on and off the ice this offseason and they’ve handled it pretty well. All the CHA focus has been on Penn State, but Syracuse is just two points back in second place. My resolution for Syracuse is to play like they have nothing to lose and cause a little chaos while they’re doing it. I want them to use the speed and hockey IQ that has already netted them four shorthanded goals to up their game in all areas of the ice.
Union – I want the Dutchwomen to keep believing in what they’re capable of. They look composed and dangerous this season and have only lost one of their five overtime games so far. I love that they’re pulling out these games and not just coming close to pulling off wins. Union has already tied the program’s second-highest win total ever and is three wins away from setting a new record. I want that new record for them.
Vermont – The Catamounts are 11th in the nation in team offense and team defense, fifth in power play and 39th in penalty kill. A full third of the goals they’ve allowed so far this season have been on the penalty kill and they only average 5.76 penalty minutes a game. They’re on the bubble for the NCAA tournament and need to clean up their game if they’re going to earn a bid.
Wisconsin – The talk all season is about how great the Badgers are at peaking at the end of the season, so now they actually need to do that. They seem to have all the pieces, now they need to put them all together (particularly on the power play). Their resolution has to be to reach their full potential.
Yale – I started with a double resolution and it feels like maybe I’m ending with no resolution? Yale has done most everything right so far and I’m not sure I would advocate for them to change much of anything. They could use a tighter power play, but they’ve got the stingy defense to shut opponents down and enough even-strength scoring to mean that hasn’t had an impact, but they need to learn from how their season ended in March. The Bulldogs went 0-2 on the PP in the national semi-final while OSU scored with the extra attacker, so improving their ability to get a timely goal is in their best interest.
