The Lions enter their third season in the MCHA hoping to continue the progress they have made in their first two. Following up a fourth place finish in their inaugural season with a third place finish last year, Finlandia returns every single player from last season which is reason enough to instill hope in head … Read more
First Round, First Times It’s been three years since Wisconsin-Superior has played in the NCAA Tournament. It’s the first time St. Olaf has ever played in the NCAA Tournament. Fittingly, those two teams will square off in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The Yellowjackets stunned St. Norbert in the NCHA Playoffs to … Read more
NCAA Tournament Bids on the Line March Madness is upon us. No, not the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament, but the MIAC and NCHA championship games. If anyone from the MIAC wants to be playing in the NCAA Tournament, they will have to win the conference tournament. It doesn’t look as if any team has played … Read more
Coming Down to the Wire After one round of the NCHA playoffs, three teams made it through as expected, but one did not. I’ll give you a preview of the semifinals and what you can expect from the four teams vying for the Peters Cup. The MIAC has one weekend of play remaining and while … Read more
It’s Go Time The postseason is upon us, at least in the NCHA. And how about that nagging question-will MSOE make the NCAA Tournament? I’ll give a quick rundown of the first round matchups in the NCHA tournament and make a case for why the Raiders are for real. NCHA Playoffs No.8 Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2-19-4 … Read more
Changing of the Guard It’s no surprise that St. Norbert is leading the NCHA with one weekend to play, but it may be a surprise to see the Green Knights in the top spot in the recent USCHO.com poll. St. Norbert stole the number one ranking away from defending champ Middlebury after the Panthers lost … Read more
Critical Weekends Last weekend was huge in the NCHA as the top two teams squared off for conference supremacy. The MIAC has its own version this week as two of the top teams battle for the conference title. The St. Norbert Showcase One point separating them. Two critical points on the line. Three weeks left … Read more
Big Weekends in the West The next two weekends feature some of the most exciting match-ups and biggest rivalries in the West that will have serious playoff implications. The MIAC and NCHA races look like they will come to down to the wire, while MSOE is getting closer and closer to locking up the MCHA. … Read more
The Calm Before the Storm While hockey in the West has hardly been smooth sailing this season, one player has had a calming influence on his team this year, and throughout his career. Johnnie on the Spot For three years, Adam Hanna has been St. John’s saving grace. The senior netminder has posted a 46-9-3 … Read more
Holiday Happenings While most teams had a lengthy layover for the holiday break, there were a couple of teams in the West that played some rather important games-games that could be pivotal in determining where they wind up at season’s end. Surprising Results in Vermont Expectations were high for St. Thomas when they began the … Read more
Midway Madness It’s the holiday season once again and the teams in the West have wrapped up an exciting first half of hockey. After a bumpy start to the season, things have started to smooth out and the perennial powers are sitting on their lofty perch atop the NCHA, MIAC and MCHA. But none of … Read more
The Western Jinx Only one thing is relatively certain in Division III West Region hockey; if I write about a team in one of my columns, odds are they are going to have a terrible weekend. This theory does not apply to the conference previews, but to my first two columns. In the first column, … Read more
Surprised? Join the Crowd The first few weeks of hockey in the West can be summed up with two words: what happened? The MIAC and the NCHA have been battling for supremacy in the West for years, with the NCHA sitting atop the mountain. But the past few years have seen the MIAC climb further … Read more
In 2004-2005, the Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles saw their hopes of a MCHA tournament three-peat get swept up in a pair of losses to the Raiders of the Milwaukee School of Engineering. While the Raiders have all the tools necessary to repeat as champions, there are plenty of teams looking to snatch away the Harris Cup. … Read more
The MCHA has appointed Terry Brand as league commissioner. The six-team league, which enters its eighth season of play in 2005, had been headed by Northland College athletic director Steve Wammer, who served as league president for three years, succeeding Milwaukee School of Engineering athletic director Dan Harris, the league’s founding president. Brand is the … Read more