Chris Lerch

Chris Lerch has been writing for USCHO since 1999, first as D-III columnist, then covering Atlantic Hockey for the past 19 seasons.

D-III Proposal Passed at NCAA Convention

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The annual NCAA Convention recently wrapped up, with little implication for hockey. However, two proposals did impact Division III. (This item is discussed in further detail in Chris Lerch’s Division III column. ed.). Proposition 41 would have reduced the length of Division III winter sports, including hockey, from 21 weeks to 19 weeks. It was … Read more

This Week in Division III: Jan. 16, 2003

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By The Numbers Since I’m a stats geek, I love USCHO’s PairWise Rankings (PWR) and Rating Percentage Index (RPI). The PWR attempts to mimic the Division III selection committee’s criteria for picking at-large teams and seeding the field, while the RPI is used by many Division I sports as a key indicator of a team’s … Read more

This Week in Division III: Jan. 9, 2003

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It’s Crunching Time Whip out your slide rules. The coming of a New Year also means that its time for USCHO to release its PairWise Rankings (PWR) and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the current season. The PWR for each region approximates the Division III selection committee’s process for picking at-large teams and seeding the … Read more

This Week in Division III: Nov. 14, 2002

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Marian visits unfamiliar territory in MCHA play; Neumann gets (a little) more comfortable in the ECAC West; and as always, Chris Lerch picks some of the nation’s top D-III contests.

This Week in Division III: Oct. 31, 2002

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The D-III season is off to its usual slow start, with just 21 games played during the first two weeks. Things begin in earnest this coming weekend, as league play begins in the NCHA, MICA and SUNYAC. The ECAC Northeast will begin play next week, but we’re still two full weeks away from the season … Read more

This Week in Division III: Oct. 24, 2002

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With Division III play just getting under way, Chris Lerch rounds up the offseason news, including the (near-) demise of the minigame, potential NCAA tournament layouts, and the 15-second faceoff rule.

Poll Position

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And, they’re off … Wisconsin-Superior may be defending D-III champs, but it’s Norwich again on top of the polls.

Favorite Son

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Grant Potulny is Minnesota’s first out-of-state player in over a decade. That didn’t seem to mean much Saturday night.

Leo Leads The Way

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After a disappointing overtime loss to Maine in last year’s NCAA East Regional, then-junior Minnesota defenseman Jordan Leopold had a difficult decision to make. The WCHA’s top defensive player of 2000-2001, whose NHL rights are held by the Calgary Flames, could have left school early for a pro career. Minnesota’s Jordan Leopold, the 2002 Hobey … Read more

Notebook: Maine-New Hampshire

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Not Their Day New Hampshire got off to a very fast start, scoring just 21 seconds into the first period. But after that, the team that led the nation in scoring (4.67 goal per game), and backed by a goaltender who set a Hockey East record for save percentage (.938) could do very little right. … Read more

Wisconsin-Superior Wins D-III Title In OT

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Colin Kendall’s tying goal with 1:26 left in regulation and his game winner just 23 seconds into overtime — plus a little “HTD” — led Wisconsin-Superior to its first national championship.

Fair Play?

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All will probably end well this weekend. You can make a case that the four best teams made it to Middlebury, and that a worthy national champion will be crowned. But in the eyes of many fans, coaches and players, the 2002 NCAA Division III tournament has been tainted by a selection process that seemed … Read more