Well the schedule has been out for a while now so it’s probably a good time to start laying out the road trip possibilities for the upcoming year.  I enjoy getting out of the confines of the Mullins and seeing the Minutemen hit the road.  You get to see other teams, arenas, fans, and traditions.  It gives you an excuse to see parts of the surrounding states that you may not get to otherwise.  You also get to know other UMass fans you may not have the chance to interact with otherwise.  Plus the fact is that since I moved from WMass a few years ago UMass is actually the third longest trip in Hockey East for me after Maine and UVM.

I’ve been travelling to see the team for a few years now and have gotten to a fair share of arenas; all of the ones in Hockey East plus a number of Atlantic Hockey and ECAC.  This upcoming season in addition to the usual trips to watch Hockey East I’m looking forward to seeing hockey at The Whale (Yale’s Ingalls Rink) and Quinnipiac’s newish arena for the first time.  I’ll also be making a return trip to Storrs for the Toyota UConn Classic.  If possible I’m going to try to squeeze in trips to check out some non-UMass games at places I still have to get to like Holy Cross and Brown.

So since I have had the chance to see hockey at many rinks in this part of the country, I thought I’d share what I know to those who are thinking about taking a trip to see what the Minutemen look like in their road maroons.  Up above you’ll find a new Road Trip page where I share my thoughts and recommendations for both in and around opposing teams’ arenas.  Feel free to add comments to the page if you think there’s anything I missed.  I’ll be updating this page as I am able to get to new venues in the future or perhaps find a previously unknown spot to meet friends before the game at a town already listed.  I’d be remiss if I didn’t put a plug in for the College Hockey Travel Guide which is a resource I always have used when going somewhere new.

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I mentioned a few days ago that the 36 team Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League not surprisingly decided to split this offseason.  Here’s one article I found on the mess that is trying to divorce another conference in your league.  And here’s an article from the same site about the launch of the new conference.  Welcome to the CCHL.  How about launching a website?  Recruit Joel Hanley and his Newmarket Hurricanes kicked off their CCHL season last night with an exhibition game.  Still trying to track down a result but I have a feeling info is going to be tough to get while they straighten out this league stuff.

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Recruit Eric Filiou is featured on this poll from a Penticton Vees blog.