Hockey has been celebrated as the state sport in Minnesota for many years. Recently, a tradition has been started by setting aside a day to illustrate the importance of hockey to the culture of the state. Hockey Day Minnesota is an annual statewide festival of the game. Saturday, January 21 will be this year’s day. … Read more
Last week, I examined the top four MCHA contenders and their January schedule as they go head-to-head against each other in the next few weeks. This week, I will take a look at both the MIAC and NCHA conferences games in January. The matchups in the conferences are not as clear cut as the MCHA … Read more
Big things will be happening in the MCHA when teams resume action January 13. For starters, the Stanley Cup will be making an appearance at the Ozaukee Ice Center as Concordia (Wis.) hosts Finlandia. Then, the top four teams in the conference will be in action against each other in the first two weekends of … Read more
When the puck drops on the 2012 portion of the schedule, Bethel will try to keep its recent success rolling. Every college team wants positive energy going into the winter break, and Bethel has it. Consider Bethel the surprise team in the MIAC this season. It is locked into a tight race in the conference … Read more
Now that the first half of the 2011-2012 hockey season has been hung by the chimney with care, let’s take a look at how the competition is shaping up in the MCHA/MIAC/NCHA conferences. Also, I will guess as to what the coaches would want from Santa Claus for the start of 2012. MCHA Adrian and … Read more
In my preseason review of the MIAC, I picked Concordia (Minn.) to win the MIAC. I made that prediction because the Cobbers had the luxury of two solid goaltenders returning and played good team defense and special teams. Although the Cobbers finished fourth in the MIAC last season, the team made it to the title … Read more
Looking back at the Thanksgiving tournament games has led me to believe that the NCHA is the strongest conference in the Midwest, from Wis.-Eau Claire’s run to the Adrian Thanksgiving Tournament title to St. Scholastica winning its two games at the MCHA/NCHA Showcase. St. Norbert fared well at the Showcase as well, with a victory … Read more
Sometimes those warm summer days just appear to fly by. That can be especially true in the life of a newly-hired hockey coach, professional and collegiate alike. Hired this past July 15, Chris Brooks had to have a quick introduction to Division III hockey at Wis.-Stevens Point after coaching professionally for the past three years. … Read more
The ice arena on the campus of Lake Forest College, in suburban Chicago, has gone through some recent renovations. Improvements have been made to the bleacher area and the locker rooms. There have been changes made behind the home team’s bench as well. Hired in early May, the 2011-12 season will be the first at … Read more
St. Norbert will probably once again claim the NCHA title.
Columnist Neal Jensen goes against the grain and picks Concordia to win the MIAC.
St. Thomas has named Jeff “Duke” Boeser full-time head coach, removing the interim tag he held this past season after replacing the retired Terry Skrypek in April 2010. Last year, Boeser, who played at St. Thomas from 1971-1975, led the Tommies to a runner-up conference finish in the MIAC and a 14-10-2 overall record. “I … Read more
Scott Steffen has been named Hamline’s head coach and will coach the Pipers on familiar ice this year at the Vadnais Heights Sports Center. Steffen, the owner of Steffen Elite Hockey Training and a 1997 Hamline graduate, runs his programs at the home rink of Hamline. Since 2001, Steffen has been the head strength and … Read more
Hamline Pipers Record: 16-6-5 Ranking: No. 9 USCHO poll, Leading scorer: Brian Arrigoni — 19 goals, 17 assists, 36 points Starting Goaltender: Beau Christian — 14-3-3, 2.39 goals-against, .912 save-pct. Coach: Scott Bell (sixth season) Hamline folks have reason to feel confident heading into the NCAA tournament this week. For one, the Pipers have beaten … Read more
St. Norbert, Plattsburgh State, Oswego State, Elmira and Adrian earned first-round byes as the 2011 NCAA Division III men’s tournament bracket was revealed Monday. Hamline, Wisconsin-Superior, Curry, Norwich, Neumann and Bowdoin also earned spots in the field of 11. Those schools will play first-round games Wednesday, with the winners advancing to Saturday’s quarterfinals. Get the … Read more
Here is a quick look at this weekend’s respective playoff championships in the Midwest, Minnesota and Northern collegiate hockey conferences. The winners in all three will get a ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament, which starts March 9 with the first round. The Final Four takes place March 25-26 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, … Read more
I was 6-2 in predicting the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association’s first-round playoff outcomes last weekend. Good, right? Well, this is where the old saying about statistics never lying but liars using statistics comes into play. Yes, I perfectly forecasted results in six regulation playoff games, but missed the mark entirely on two mini-games that eventually … Read more
Suddenly, coaches have started speaking in code, player body parts are now only referred to as upper and lower hemispheres, and if someone is clutching so much as a rabbit’s foot for a measure of good luck, not even Wikileaks is going to find out about it. Yes, the playoffs are here. This weekend, the … Read more
British author Oscar Wilde once noted that we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. When looking above, Finlandia first-year coach John McCabe only sees a brighter future for his Lions in the constellations. At 2-18, skeptics would suggest the former Alabama-Huntsville assistant is looking through the lens … Read more
While the regular season winds down, the D-III West region playoff picture gets clearer with every weekly coat of Windex in the form of pivotal games down the stretch. At stake in each of the three conferences is an automatic bid to the NCAA D-III tournament. Here is a brief synopsis of how playoff and … Read more