The Playoff Push Only three things are assured in life: death, taxes, and a close race among the top teams in the MIAC. Year after year, teams battle it out not just to slide into the bottom half of the playoff ladder, but for crucial positioning at the top that can be the difference between … Read more
Jockeying For Position Looking back on the first half of the MIAC season, one thing has become clear: reports of the conference’s immense depth have not been exaggerated. Last Saturday, all four conference match-ups went into overtime, and St. Mary’s was the only team in the conference to not come away with at least one … Read more
This Week in the NCHA/MCHA Returning from a two week hiatus, it’s easy to spot a bit of a shakeup for NCHA and MCHA teams on the national scene. The big mover has been University of Wisconsin-Superior. After defeating previous No. 1 St. Norbert two weeks ago, the Yellowjackets stand at 4-0 in the NCHA … Read more
Get Out The Brooms Fans of the MIAC were promised a league full of hard-fought games and parity: teams on the bottom improving against teams at the top. And they were promised a gobbled mess of league standings that would be an adventure to decipher every week. What a difference a week makes. The MIAC … Read more
It’s undeniable the MIAC is making strides. Top-to-bottom the conference is improving. This week Hamline will play Concordia. Several years ago, this would have been a matchup between basement dwellers with little significance no matter who emerged victorious. Now, it’s a series between the conference favorite and a young upstart that would love to define … Read more
Don’t sleep on the MIAC “The MIAC is the most underrated conference in the country, from top to bottom.†That’s the message heading into this season as the Western league that isn’t considered a powerhouse and doesn’t have Adrian within its ranks laces up the skates for the 2008-09 hockey season. With the national tournament … Read more
The NCAA announced Friday the final rosters for the 2008 Frozen Four Skills Challenge, which will be held April 11 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. For the East team, Will Engasser, Yale, Brad Flaishans, New Hampshire and David Leaderer, Massachusetts were all added to the roster. Meanwhile, Eric Ehn, Air Force, Nino Musitelli, Miami … Read more
St. John’s University hockey coach John Harrington resigned Monday, March 31 following 15 seasons with the Johnnies. Harrington has accepted a head coaching position with Hockey Club Ambri-Piotta, a professional team in the National “A” League of Switzerland. Harrington will continue serving as head coach at SJU until his contract expires June 30, and the … Read more
St. Norbert (24-1-4 overall record, 10-0-4 in NCHA) St. Norbert hosting a NCAA Quarterfinal game has become about as big of a life certainty as death and taxes. As such, the Green Knights will be hosting yet another this Saturday as they face MIAC Playoff Champion St. Thomas in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The game will … Read more
St. Thomas (19-6-2 overall, 11-4-1 in MIAC) Tonight’s NCAA Opening Round game between St. Thomas and University of Wisconsin-Stout features programs with very different histories. And it’s St. Thomas who has prestige on their side. With 21 more victories than Middlebury, the Tommies are the winningest program in Division III hockey history. Three times in … Read more
It’s a confusing time for many D-III college hockey teams. While some finish up their conference tournaments, others sit and wait. But all collectively look toward Sunday evening with great anticipation. Before the NCAA announces who will vie for the national championship, two of our intrepid writers, Matthew Webb and Josh Carey, breakdown the West chances of landing four teams in the big skate.
Setting the Field The quarterfinal matchups are set in the MIAC with Hamline hosting St. John’s and Bethel traveling to St. Thomas on Saturday. Let’s take a look at how we got here before we delve into this weekend’s match-ups. Bethel was idle for the final week of the regular season, with St. Thomas lurking … Read more
Battling For Position Just one week to go before the MIAC postseason begins in earnest and teams are frantically jostling for playoff positioning. Four teams have locked up playoff spots, leaving just one opening for the two teams battling for it. Before delving into the playoff possibilities this week, let’s take a look back at … Read more
Advantage Unknown Last weekend saw several series in the MIAC that could have provided some answers to the league’s muddled playoff picture. The conference’s second team, St. Thomas, was facing off against the fourth place, Hamline. A clear victory by the Tommies could have sent the Pipers flying out of the playoffs and had Bethel … Read more
Battle at the top Last weekend saw a crucial series of play in the MIAC with the two teams tied at the top of the standings playing a home-and-home series. Last year’s conference champions, the Bethel Royals, were facing the upstart Hamline Pipers, who have already set a program record with their 10 wins this … Read more
MIAC teams have a full slate of non-conference games against NCHA squads this week before returning to conference next week as each MIAC member faces difficult opponents. With all but two teams within three points of the MIAC leaders, next week’s games are extremely significant. However, we should not overlook this week’s tilts as just … Read more
With nine teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, one squad has to be the odd one out. This week that distinction goes to the Hamline Pipers. There are plenty of intriguing series for this coming weekend. If you had to pick just one, go see St. Olaf taking on Gustavus Adolphus. There is bad … Read more
There have been very few surprises so far this season in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. St. Thomas is atop the standings and everyone else seems to be falling into place. One surprise is how poorly the MIAC has performed against non-conference opponents. It is no secret that MIAC teams have had their struggles against … Read more
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams did not fair well against schools from Wisconsin last weekend by compiling a record of 2-9-3. This does not give much hope or optimism for MIAC schools looking to make a run in the postseason. Granted it is very early in the hockey season, but with that big of a … Read more
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference seems to be separated into three tiers of teams. In the first tier is Bethel and St. Thomas, the second consists of Augsburg, St. Olaf, Gustavus Adolphus, and St. John’s, and the third includes St. Mary’s, Concordia-Moorhead, and Hamline. Now, this breakdown of the MIAC might seem obvious since it … Read more