Friday-Saturday, Feb. 17-18 Augsburg (14-3-6, 8-1-5) vs. Saint John’s (11-9-3, 6-6-2) (home-and-home) Augsburg is looking to secure at least a share of the MIAC title when it battles the Johnnies this weekend. The Auggies are unbeaten in the month of February and haven’t lost a game since Jan. 14. The Auggies have the most dangerous … Read more
With Mother Nature providing a blizzard that postponed Thursday night’s action, it is a good thing I added a few more games to try and move my success rate higher on the penultimate weekend of the regular season. I will count the three postponed games when played so my record is complete. The theory clearly … Read more
It was an interesting weekend of action, with Wisconsin-Stevens Point clinching the WIAC championship. The Pointers did it by rolling to a 4-1 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a pivotal showdown that closed out the regular season for both teams. Lawrence Cornellier scored his 19th goal of the year in the win. He also dished … Read more
The stretch run in every conference has been right down to the wire as teams are bunched tightly in the standings and literally every point is a significant one. In many conferences, just a couple of points separate the top four or five teams, so taking care of business and possibly at the same time … Read more
As the season winds down, the matchups become more important. St. Thomas and Augsburg square off in a crucial MIAC series while WIAC play wraps up this weekend and features a showdown between Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Wisconsin-Eau Claire. St. Scholastica is on the road for a key series with St. Norbert and Concordia is playing … Read more
As Sunday’s Super Bowl showed clearly, it’s not how you start the game, it’s how you finish that ultimately matters. While Thursday’s and Friday’s picks saw me pick correctly at 4-0-1, Saturday’s 0-3-0 day dropped me to 4-3-1 (.563), which brings the season total to 58-29-9 (.651). Time is running out, so I will add … Read more
St. Thomas stayed in first place in the MIAC, despite splitting a series with Concordia (Minn.). The Tommies lost 5-4 in overtime Friday, but bounced back with a dominating 5-0 win Saturday. St. Thomas scored four times in the final period to secure the win, including one by Johnny Panvica, who ended his night with … Read more
For many teams, these final weeks of the regular season are already feeling like playoff hockey. Some leagues are already decided at least for the top spot, while others, like the NESCAC, are going to be a clear battle right to the very end in determining playoff position and the top seed. Just two weeks … Read more
February has arrived and the conference races continue to heat up. St. Thomas will try to maintain its hold on first place in the MIAC and Wisconsin-Stevens Point faces two WIAC tests this weekend. Concordia looks to keep its momentum rolling in the NCHA and St. Norbert will try to bounce back. Friday, Feb. 3 … Read more
The sky is not falling, even for those teams, like me, that may not have had the best of weekends and lost a bit of momentum heading into the February stretch run. Redemption is as close as the next game away and there is still time to get on a streak and build confidence for … Read more
Concordia (Wis.) pulled off the biggest wins of the weekend, sweeping national powerhouse St. Norbert in a crucial NCHA weekend series. The Falcons topped the top-ranked Green Knights 4-2 Friday and then earned a stunning 3-0 victory Saturday to complete the sweep. Nick Malvin recorded the shutout in goal on Saturday while Connor Hogg scored … Read more
Holding down the fort. Keeping the puck out of your own net. Taking care of the defensive end. There are all coaching clichés heard every weekend of the season. However, at this time of the season, the need to take care of the puck and be smart in the defensive end is even more important … Read more
Every game counts a little more at this point in the season as January winds down. Augsburg is looking to maintain control of first place in the MIAC standings while Saint John’s and St. Thomas write the latest chapter of their rivalry. Wisconsin-Superior will be tested against both Wisconsin-Stout and Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the WIAC, … Read more
The battles now are virtually all in conference, so teams really need to take care of business in the one thing they can sort of control — the game they are playing. No scoreboard watching just yet. Finished at 5-2-1 (.687) last week, which brings the season total to 51-22-7 (.681). I have been consistent, … Read more
The game can be simple. The game often is anything but simple. Effort, emotion, and momentum are all ingredients that ebb and flow in a way that creates great angst for coaches and often the most entertaining hockey for fans. There were many games that came down the final seconds this weekend showcasing the “never … Read more
Two pivotal matchups were on tap over the weekend, including a two-game series in the NCHA featuring Adrian and St. Norbert. Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Wisconsin-Eau Claire squared off as well in a key WIAC battle, with the reigning national champs escaping with a narrow victory. In the MIAC, Augsburg knocked off Concordia twice to surge … Read more
January is winding down and conference title races are heating up. Perhaps the biggest matchup of the weekend is a showdown between Adrian and St. Norbert in the NCHA. In the WIAC, Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Wisconsin-Eau Claire square off in a key showdown, while Saint Mary’s and Hamline battle for positioning in the standings in … Read more
It is all about consistency and playing at a high level now and for the next several weeks if teams expect to be contenders and playoff ready. Last week’s picks saw a pair of ties to open and close the weekend picks, which actually didn’t hurt me too much. I finished at 5-1-2 (.750), and … Read more
The holidays are finally fully behind everyone, so there are no excuses for not having “any jump” to start out any game played now in conference or out. There were some games with a lot of scoring this past weekend as coaches looking for those breakout games or “puck-luck” seemed to find goals in abundance … Read more
MIAC flexes muscle The MIAC flexed its muscle over the weekend in pivotal crossover matchups with teams from the WIAC Friday night. Augsburg rolled to a big win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and Saint Mary’s took down Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Augsburg completed a season sweep of the Blugolds with its 5-1 win Friday night. Ryan Cagnoni scored … Read more