Brian Lester
Last Year’s Champion: Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The Pointers won the championship for the 10th time in program history and for the first time since 2000. Favorites: Stevens Point, Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Wisconsin-River Falls are the top three favorites in the five-team conference. Dark Horse: Wisconsin-Superior could end up being the surprise team in the conference as … Read more
Blake Huppert isn’t his usual self in terms of production this season. His goal total is four less than a year ago and his assist number is four under his total from last season. But it’s not a big deal to Huppert, who has learned to embrace a different type of role with River Falls … Read more
Josh Ranalli has been a success on the ice throughout his career at Adrian. This season is no different. The senior forward out of Stoney Creek, Ont., is the Bulldogs’ leader in points. He has come through with 14 goals and 17 assists, putting the Bulldogs on the cusp of an outright NCHA championship. But … Read more
Jed McGlasson has spent a lot of time making himself a better hockey player over the course of a career where injuries have gotten the best of him at times. The work has paid off. McGlasson is having the best season of his collegiate career and playing a pivotal role in St. Mary’s second-half surge. … Read more
Jack Callahan didn’t know a lot about Wisconsin-Eau Claire hockey before he arrived on campus a few years ago. But he had some friends that played for the Blugolds and when he was looking to transfer from Quinnipiac after his freshman season, he decided to take his talents to Wisconsin. “I had some buddies from … Read more
Leo Podolsky has made his share of improvements to his game over the course of his career at Lake Forest. Yet, the junior goalie’s biggest improvement has nothing to do with actual work on the ice. “From a skill standpoint, I have made a few tweaks here and there, but where I have really improved … Read more
Neal Smith never really considered going anywhere else but St. John’s. His dad and brother both played baseball for the Johnnies and he spent a lot time on the campus while growing up. “I always liked the school and it was the only one I applied to,” Smith said. “I wanted to play hockey there. … Read more
Joe Kalisz was able to savor the thrill of a big win this past week. He and his Wisconsin-Stevens Point teammates stunned top-ranked and defending national champion St. Norbert, skating to a 6-5 victory on the road. It was the sixth-ranked Pointers’ first win over the Green Knights on the road since 2001. Kalisz scored … Read more
Mason Baptista learned right away about expectations at St. Norbert. As a freshman, he was part of a Green Knights team that had won the NCAA Division III national championship the previous season. “There were a lot of expectations and the standard was set to where winning was the only acceptable outcome,” Baptista said. “I … Read more
Andrew Deters’ athletic talent goes far beyond hockey. In high school, not only was he a hockey player, but he ran cross country and also played baseball. And then came his senior year when he decided to put his athletic skills to the test in another sport. “I decided to play football,” Deters said. “I … Read more
Tanner Milliron will tell you that one of the most instrumental things to the success of Wisconsin-River Falls’ early-season success can’t be found in the box score or on a stat sheet. It goes far beyond any of that as far as the junior goalie of the Falcons is concerned. “Everyone trusts each other, and … Read more
Dylan Nowakowski has been making an impact at St. Scholastica since he arrived on campus. As a freshman, he was named one of the top rookies in the NCHA, leading the team in assists (18). Last year, the junior forward out of Calgary once again led the team in assists, dishing out 16, as he … Read more
Cory Laylin has seen Hamline at its best. His first job as a coach was in an assistant role with the Pipers during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Hamline won 32 games in that two-year stretch, advancing to the MIAC playoffs twice, including a title game appearance in 2009. So he knows success isn’t out … Read more
St. Norbert won the national championship last year, its fourth in program history, but Green Knights’ coach Dan Coghlin doesn’t see his team as the defending champs. “We don’t look at it as defending a title,” Coghlin said. “It’s a brand new season and every team wants to be a champion. We want another shot … Read more
St. Thomas head coach Jeff Boeser wanted his top assistant, Parker Burgess, to do the inteview about the season ahead. As far as the Tommies are concerned, it really doesn’t matter who does the talking. The resutls speak for themselves. St. Thomas enters the year as the favorite to win the MIAC. The Tommies have … Read more
Wisconsin-River Falls coach Steve Freeman talked about how strong the WIAC really is from top to bottom. He noted that a year ago his River Falls team won the regular-season title, but Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Wisconsin-Superior played for the conference title, with the Blugolds prevailing in the championship game. Yet, it was Wisconsin-Stevens Point that … Read more
It wasn’t the way St. Thomas wanted to end its season, but despite the 3-0 loss to Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the NCAA tournament on Saturday, coach Jeff Boeser is pleased with the effort his team gave against the Pointers. The Tommies and Pointers were scoreless through two periods, before Stevens Point scored three goals in … Read more
Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been pushing all season for a shot at a national championship and the Pointers moved one step closer to that goal on Saturday with a 3-0 win over second-ranked St. Thomas. The fourth-ranked Pointers are now headed to the final four where they will take on Oswego on Friday night, marking the … Read more
When St. Thomas and Wisconsin-Stevens Point battle on the ice Saturday night in their quarterfinal NCAA tournament game, it will be a rematch of a game played earlier this season. The Pointers defeated the Tommies 3-0 on Nov. 15, but the game means little at this point. “It doesn’t really give you any advantage in … Read more
Perhaps the only surprise over the opening weekend of the MIAC tournament is that no surprises unraveled in a league that was once again competitive throughout the year. St. Thomas and Gustavus Adolphus, the top two seeds in the tourney, survived and advanced and will play for the championship Saturday night at St. Thomas. An … Read more