Columns, excluding “This Week” columns
The final month of the season is here and conference games headline another weekend. None will be bigger than the games taking place in the NCHA, where Adrian hosts St. Norbert and Trine takes on Aurora. All four teams are nationally ranked. Here’s a look at predictions for those matchups and more. St. Norbert (14-5, … Read more
If you are going to win your first game of the season, might as well do it in style. That was the case for the Dubuque Spartans on Saturday in their showdown with nationally ranked Adrian. They shook off an early deficit, rallied to force overtime and then won the game 5-4 just 33 seconds … Read more
The final full weekend of January is here and conference action is heating up. It’s the time of the year where teams really begin to battle for position and every game means a little more. Here’s a look at the picks for the weekend. Augsburg (5-11-1, 1-6-1) vs. Hamline (6-11, 4-4) The Auggies are winless … Read more
A quick look at the conference standings in the east sees some familiar and expected names at the top of the tables. That is until you get to the SUNYAC where a very young Buffalo State roster currently sits atop the standings with a 5-1-0 record in league as they prep for the stretch run … Read more
Reed Stark has an interesting story to tell when it comes to how he ended up at UW-Superior. It was late summer, 2021, and he reached out to one of his former coaches about trying to find a place to play at the collegiate level. Fortunately, his former coach happened to be good friends with … Read more
Lake Forest came to play in Friday’s NCHA series opener against No. 6 Adrian, stunning the Bulldogs 5-2 on Friday night for its first win over a ranked team this season. Dylan Kruss played a key role in the win, stopping 38 shots against the Bulldogs, who came into the night on an nine-game winning … Read more
It’s the middle of January and the action on the ice isn’t slowing down. We’ve got a handful of MIAC-WIAC crossover games and a full slate of NCHA games, with all three ranked conference opponents in action. Here’s a look at this week’s picks. Concordia (5-9-1, 1-4-1) at St. Scholastica (8-6-1, 3-3) Both teams come … Read more
After suffering their first loss of the season last weekend to a familiar antagonist in Elmira, the Geneseo Knights rebounded in a big way with a decisive win over Fredonia and now face their final twelve games of the season in their new UCHC affiliation looking for a conference title and more. “Candidly, I was … Read more
Two top 10 teams battled in NCHA play and it was Adrian that prevailed, holding off Trine 4-3 at home. The seventh-ranked Bulldogs scored three times in the final frame to secure the win over the No. 5 Thunder. It was David Clarke that delivered the game winning goal, scoring with a little over five … Read more
After winning the Northfield Savings Bank Tournament hosted by Norwich with wins over Plymouth State and the host school just after the New Year, the Hamilton Continentals are nationally ranked in the top ten and are looking to make a strong run for a NESCAC title with only conference games remaining on their schedule. “We … Read more
January is flying by and the action on the ice is heating up. We have several big games on tap this weekend, including a key matchup in the MIAC featuring Gustavus and Saint Mary’s. The biggest matchup of the weekend, though, pits Trine against Adrian in a battle of nationally ranked NCHA opponents. Without further … Read more
Brennan Boynton didn’t get a chance to play at UW-River Falls last season after transferring in from Division I American International. But this year is he back on the ice, holding down the role as starting goalie for the Falcons. “It’s been awesome. I haven’t played a full season since my second year of juniors … Read more
Nothing like ringing in the new year with a matchup featuring nationally ranked teams. That’s what hockey fans were treated to on Saturday as No. 15 UW-Stevens Point knocked off second-ranked St. Norbert by a 4-1 score at home. The Pointers (7-4-1) avenged a 6-2 loss to the Green Knights (12-3) and stayed unbeaten at … Read more
Christmas is history and we have are ready for a new year and a full slate of hockey as the second half of the D-III West season gets rolling. St. Norbert at UW-Stevens Point What a way to begin 2025 by having two ranked opponents square off for the second time this season. The No. … Read more
For Keene State head coach Bobby Rodrigue, the 2024-25 season is an opportunity to see his new NCAA level team play an independent schedule and get acclimated to the D-III game before they become part of the new Little East hockey conference next season. After a slow start to the campaign, the Owls entered the … Read more
It’s the day before Christmas, and all through the D-III hockey world, rinks are as silent as the night. The hockey sticks are hung by the chimney with care in the hopes of them soon being used to score plenty of goals in the second half of the season. Coaches, athletes and fans are home … Read more
Concordia accomplished what no opponent could do over the last six games – beat Gustavus. The Falcons ended the Gusties’ six-game winning streak on Friday with a 3-2 win and then capped the weekend with an 8-6 victory on Saturday. Concordia has suddenly become one of the hotter teams in the process, with its own … Read more
Jack Suchy is enjoying the chance to play college hockey in his home state one final time, and the experience has been made even better by the fact that Gustavus is on a roll. After starting the season 0-3, the Gusties have won six in a row, surging to the top of the MIAC with … Read more
One final weekend of NCAA Division III hockey remains before Christmas and there are a handful of games on the slate. The MIAC and NCHA are both out of conference this weekend while the WIAC continues play within the league. Let’s take a look at what is ahead and predict the outcomes. Hamline (3-6) at … Read more
Dear Santa – we all know the greatest team sport is the game of hockey! It is where “we” is more important than “I” and where everyone doing their job from the crease out makes the difference in consistent performance and results. Wow, Big Guy, that kind of sounds like all your elves who always … Read more