It was quite the championship weekend across the region with titles being claimed by Curry (CNE), Stevenson (MAC), Fitchburg State (MASCAC), Hobart (NEHC), Hamilton (NESCAC), Oswego (SUNYAC), and Geneseo (UCHC). While the Cinderella stories of MCLA and Plattsburgh came to an end, all the winning teams fought through hard and competitive opponents seeking to take … Read more
St. Norbert has now gone back-to-back as the NCHA champions. The Green Knights completed the repeat Saturday night with a 7-4 win over rival Adrian to claim the Harris Cup. Ranked fourth in the USCHO.com poll, St. Norbert trailed early but scored four goals in the second to take control. The Green Knights eventually led … Read more
This is it. Three conference championships will be decided this weekend in the west region of NCAA Division III hockey. And a lot is riding on the games as not only is a conference title at stake, but an auto bid to the NCAA tournament is on the line as well. MIAC Gustavus (15-9-2) vs. … Read more
Here we are at the final weekend with everything on the line for conference titles and berths in the NCAA tournament. While some top seeds survived last week’s playoff carnage, no team can possibly be looking past any opponent regardless of their seeding. At this point the stakes are too high not to bring your … Read more
If ever there were two teams that showed that the regular season was not necessarily an indicator of playoff performance, look no further than MASCAC’s Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and SUNYAC’s Plattsburgh. Both teams struggled in the regular season to qualify for the playoffs but have found the magic formula in their game … Read more
Since the regular season was not enough of a roller coaster ride for results, upsets and drama, enter the conference playoffs where form fell apart over the weekend in many areas including seven overtime games, top seeds bowing out in MASCAC (Plymouth State) and SUNYAC (Cortland), and No. 2 seeds exiting in the CNE (UNE), … Read more
Oh what a wild game it was between UW-Eau Claire and rival UW-Stevens Point in a decisive mini game of a WIAC semifinal series on Saturday night. The Blugolds had lost 4-1 to the Pointers, ranked ninth in the USCHO.com poll, in Game 2, giving up four goals in the third as their dreams were … Read more
Hassan Akl has played a huge role in Aurora’s rise to one of the nation’s best Division III hockey teams. He’s top 10 in the NCHA in goals and assists, and actually leads D-III in assists. And none of it should be a surprise considering the work the junior forward puts in, especially in the … Read more
Here is Part II of this week’s two-part game predictions with a smorgasbord of quarterfinals (NEHC & NESCAC); semifinal action (CNE, MAC, MASCAC, SUNYAC & UCHC) and one title game in the NE-10. The upset bug hit big with MCLA’s win as an No. 8 seed on Thursday and now the remaining teams are all … Read more
Beloit College has announced the addition of NCAA Division III men’s and women’s hockey teams to its athletic program. Beloit has also extended an invitation to Northland College’s men’s and women’s hockey teams to join the Beloit community, following the news that Northland will close at the end of the semester. The Northland coaches have … Read more
Are we ready for some playoff hockey? There will be plenty of it this weekend as the MIAC, WIAC and NCHA tournaments take place. The MIAC is beginning postseason play while the WIAC and NCHA are continuing on with their tournaments. Time to dive in with some picks and see who is going to advance … Read more
With tonight’s quarterfinal home playoff game against Massachusetts-Dartmouth just hours away, the Salem State Vikings will be hosting a home conference tournament game for the first time since 2017 – ironically the last year they won the MASCAC title. The Vikings have found a winning formula that has led to an 18-6-0 record and a … Read more
Here is Part I of this week’s two-part game prognostications with several conferences playing quarterfinal round action before semis on the weekend. Playoff hockey is here and surely there will be some upsets along the way as teams battle for conference glory and an opportunity to play on a national stage in March. Not much … Read more
Gustavus is the regular season champion in the MIAC for the first time since 2010 after beating Hamline 6-5 in overtime on Friday night. The Gusties lost 7-4 to the Pipers Saturday but it had bearing on a MIAC race that was tightly contested. Gustavus led 3-1 after one and 5-3 going into the third … Read more
Well, wasn’t that some playoff-style hockey to finish out the regular season! Everyone had to be scoreboard watching and calibrated on what the tiebreaker formulas looked like with shootout points, head-to-head and regulation wins coming into play across the conferences. There was great drama in the NE-10 playoffs where St. Anselm had to rally back … Read more
Northland played the final game of its men’s hockey season Saturday night. And like 25 other times this year, the Lumberjacks lost. They fell 4-0 to UW-Eau Claire in the second and final game of an opening round WIAC tournament series. But this loss feels different. It has a colder and harsher reality to it … Read more
It’s the final weekend of hockey in the MIAC as far as the regular season is concerned. In the WIAC and NCHA, the first round of action gets underway in their respective tournaments. Here’s a look at some of the games and picks for the weekend ahead. Gustavus (13-8-2, 9-3-2) vs. Hamline (7-16, 5-9) The … Read more
While there are many things yet to be resolved in the conferences across the east in D-III, only NESCAC finds the final weekend where every team is still alive with playoff hopes and positions among the ten teams are pretty much all up for grabs with the exception of Hamilton’s first place perch. Just two … Read more
Tyler Braccini was once told by a coach that he’d never be that great of a college hockey player, not even at the Division III level. “I was told some harsh things,” Braccini said. “One coach, I won’t name names, told me I’d never even be an average D-III hockey player. That’s been on my … Read more
The Northland College Board of Trustees today voted unanimously to close the college at the end of the 2024–25 academic year. Founded in Wisconsin in 1892, Northland was the first United States college to fully integrate an environmental focus with its liberal arts curriculum. Located on the south shore of Lake Superior, surrounded by northern … Read more