4 Things to Know About Hockey East

by Rob Joyce

Tonight UConn men’s hockey opens up a new chapter in the program’s history when the Huskies play their first ever Hockey East home game at the XL Center against #3 Boston College. Although there has been a program since 1960 and they’ve been in Divison-I since 1998, tonight is widely-regarded as one of the biggest nights in the team’s history. Making the leap to Hockey East is no small feat, and as UConn garners thousands of new fans in the coming years, here is what you need to know about the move:

1) Hockey East is been among the premier conferences nationwide.

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Collegiate hockey has always been a two-region battle between Massachusetts and Minnesota/Michigan. A growing sport has expanded the national eye elsewhere, but a those three states have combined to win 35 of the 77 NCAA titles.

For Hockey East in particular, Boston College and Boston University are the two perennial powerhouses, as they have combined for 10 national championships, including five since 2001. However, the rest of the conference is just as good. In addition to BC and BU, Maine has won a pair of titles, New Hampshire has been to the championship game, and Vermont and UMass-Lowell have each been to a Frozen Four since 2009. Right now, six of the conference’s 12 teams are ranked, with BC, BU and UMass-Lowell all in the top-six nationally.

2) UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh has a history with the conference.

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It is fitting that the Huskies host Boston College in their conference home opener, because that is where Cavanaugh spent nearly two decades. Eagles coach Jerry York hired Cavanaugh as an assistant in 1995, where he would spend 18 years alongside the legendary coach. York is the NCAA’s all-time winningest coach with 967 wins, including 500 in Chestnut Hill, and a big reason why he became UConn’s coach in the first place. Cavanaugh is a perfect fit to lead the Huskies into Hockey East.

3) The Huskies have some catching up to do to be named the “Best Team in Connecticut.”

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The Nutmeg State barely caused a blip on the radar of collegiate hockey until recently. Yale made the 1952 NCAA Frozen Four, and that was for over 40 years. Since then, the state is making its presence felt. The Bulldogs have been to four of the last six NCAA Tournaments, and Quinnipiac had made it in back-to-back years for the first time ever.

The state’s coming out party, though, was in 2013, when the Bulldogs and Bobcats squared off in the national championship game, in which Yale won 4-0. Currently both teams are receiving votes in the latest polls, with Quinnipiac two spots out of a top-20 ranking.

4) Expect growing pains early on.

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UConn is historically a .500 team, with no NCAA Tournament appearances while playing in the Atlantic Hockey Association. Combine that with the jump to arguably the best conference in the country, and immediate success should not be expected.

However that doesn’t mean it will be all bad. Two of the Huskies’ three victories all-time against ranked teams have come in the last two seasons: last year UConn upset No. 9 Providence 3-2, and this year knocked off No. 15 Quinnipiac 4-1 in Bridgeport. The other victory came against No. 19 Air Force back in the 2011-12 season.