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
The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association announced their year-end awards and all-NCHA teams Thursday and St. Norbert senior goaltender B.J. O’Brien led the way being named the league’s player of the year. “B.J. has been the backbone of our program the past two seasons,” said St. Norbert coach Tim Coghlin. “Not only are his statistics compelling, … 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
The respective Division III West conference races have turned into a sprint for the finish where standout goaltending will remain at a premium. Here is a quick look at those the star performers between the pipes who will have a large say in how their respective teams perform down the stretch as the battle for … Read more
A record 25 players have been unveiled as the nominees for the 2011 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award. The list includes returning nominees Sam Kuzyk of Adrian, Mario Mjelleli of Augsburg and Brigid O’Gorman of Connecticut College. Finalists will be announced in mid-February, with the award scheduled to be presented on Friday, April … Read more
Lake Forest’s coach hopes to parlay last weekend’s pair of wins over Concordia (Wis.) into a better second-half campaign. Interim coach Seamus Gregory makes the case his Foresters are a better team than their 4-11 overall record indicates. The team (4-6 MCHA) travels to Ashland, Wis., for games against Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association-rival Northland (4-11, … Read more
No. 8 Adrian holds a 14-0 series advantage over No. 9 Milwaukee School of Engineering heading into this weekend’s clash of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association titans. “The record speaks for itself,” MSOE coach Mark Ostapina said. Said coach Ron Fogarty: “What’s happened in the past is irrelevant.” While stating the obvious, both coaches are … Read more
Wisconsin-Stevens Point coach Wil Nichol’s announced departure this week left a few lingering questions, notably the timing. Nichol is leaving June 1 to take an unspecified operations job with an unnamed NHL team. A national search for Nichol’s successor will start in spring, with the intent of having a new coach in place by July … Read more
Wisconsin-Stevens Point head coach Wil Nichol has announced that he will step down from his position as head coach on June 1 to take an NHL front office position. “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and one that I and my family are extremely excited about,” Nichol said in a statement released by … Read more
With No. 2 St. Norbert’s vice-grip lock on the top spot, the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association may be mistakenly viewed as a one-horse race. The ongoing battles for the second through seventh spots continues to make for compelling viewing. The campaign’s roller-coaster ride is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that all seven NCHA teams … Read more
A pivotal battle for first place in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference features familiar foes who have a habit of crashing each other’s party. This weekend, No. 6 Gustavus Adolphus faces first-place St. Thomas, a team that upset Gustavus in last season’s MIAC championship game, only to see the Gusties beat the Tommies in the … Read more
Chris Lerch saw a lot in 28 years of covering Division III hockey. As he says good-bye, he takes a look back at the highlights.
East meets West in Adrian College’s Hackett Builders Thanksgiving Showcase Friday and Saturday. The second-annual hockey revue at Arrington Ice Arena features three Top-10 ranked teams with No. 5 Hamline, No. 7 Adrian and No. 9 SUNY Geneseo, as well as Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Geneseo takes on Hamline at 3 p.m. Friday, followed by UW-Eau Claire … Read more
Milwaukee School of Engineering players remain grounded, despite getting a sniff of rarefied air with the team’s Top-15 ranking and first place standing. The Raiders pierced the NCAA Division III’s upper tier after a weekend sweep of then No. 15-ranked Marian. The victories in the home-and-home series lifted MSOE (6-0) into first place in the … Read more
All three respective D-III Western Region conference favorites — Adrian, St. Norbert and Hamline — were upset last weekend, which always makes pundits wonder how they will respond the following week, if not the remaining season. Like a claims adjustor, the first task was to assess the damage: were they substantial losses so seismic in … Read more
Such is St. Norbert College’s successful history and perennial depth that the loss of three of its top scorers merely brings a shrug of the shoulders and a reflex check of the pencil at the Green Knights name to repeat as Northern Collegiate Hockey Association champs. They are that good: 11 NCHA titles in 14 … Read more
Such is the depth of the Green Knights that their coach regard their fourth line as a strength. “Our fourth line might be our most effective group on any given night,” said coach Tim Coghlin, whose lengthy roster gives him the option of sending out a large-sized or a skating squad, depending on the opponent. … Read more