For those that haven't picked up a copy of the recently resurrected
U.S. COLLEGE HOCKEY MAGAZINE, this post is for you. I was never a
subscriber to the original COLLEGE HOCKEY MAGAZINE, and I didn't
expect anything great from the new version. But USCHM has proven to
be a nice complement to Hockey-L. If you do get a copy or two of
USCHM, don't expect statistics, game summaries, boxscores or even
up to date standings. Hey, you can get those things from Hockey-L.
What USCHM offers is a small package of a variety of features,
often accompanied by sharp photos. For example, the March 5 issue
includes, among other things, the following:
 
     A cover photo of RPI forward Jeff Brick.
 
     A new scheme for the NC$$ tourney by John Gilbert.
 
     A Beanpot feature by Jim Halleran.
 
     An article on the ACHA's Iowa State University Cyclones.
 
     A profile of Jean-Yves Roy by Rufus Frost.
 
     A look at Merrimack Head Coach Ron Anderson by Roger
     Whittlesey.
 
     A feature on RPI by Thomas Baldwin, including a great photo of
     Bowling Green's Brandon Carper cross-checking an unidentified
     RPI player in what looks to be a near-empty arena.
 
     A report on the top freshmen among ECAC women by Jennifer
     Heppel, followed by a full-page b&w photo of Brown's Shannon
     Bryant.
 
     A feature on Miami by Dan Gretzner II.
 
     Around the WCHA by John Gilbert.
 
The issue ends with an article by Ed Granger that I will post to
Hockey-L. I'll also post John Gilbert's new NC$$ scheme. The
article mentions a gentlemen's agreement to have three teams from
each conference in the NC$$ this season.
 
Granted, USCHM is light [32 pages], but it appears in my mailbox
every two weeks and I usually can skim through it quickly and find
a couple of features that interest me. I spend 15-20 minutes with
it and come away thinking, "That was a nice, cool little refreshing
break. USCHM is an amicable cherry to put atop the Hockey-L pie."
 
My only current complaint is the lack of variation among writers.
For example, John Gilbert seems to author everything about the
WCHA. Let's hear from someone else once in awhile.
 
 
  John H
  U Mich