Hamline wins first MIAC title since 1948

For those of you who don't follow the MIAC, it should be noted that Hamline won their first regular season MIAC title since 1947-48. In the Star Tribune today, there was an article about the Pipers big weekend, as well as some information I never knew about Scott Bell and how he helped rebuild the Hamline hockey program as quickly as he did.



Click on the below link



http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/15957782.html



Congratulations to the Pipers. Now if they can win the MIAC tournament and make an NCAA appearance, that would be even crazier.

NCHA Playoffs - First Round

"Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game, another game." - Jim Mora

Yes, its that time of year again in the NCHA...playoff time. This season, the Peters Cup playoffs mean much more than in season's past, because if any team (besides SNC) wants to go to the NCAA postseason, they will need to win the Peters Cup in order to do so.

Here is my analysis of the first round series of the NCHA Peters Cup playoffs.

#1 St. Norbert vs #8 Lake Forest:

This is a series that is pretty straight forward. The best and worst of the NCHA collide as SNC brings their undefeated conference record against a Lake Forest team that was lucky to win even one conference game this year. SNC will have an easy weekend in my opinon as their offense should easily put up 6+ goals each game this weekend against LFC. When you add in the fact that Kyle Jones is in net for the Green Knights, it adds up to SNC being an easy favorite to pick here. Heck, for all we know, Coach Coughlin may even rest Jones Saturday and start Blake Bashor depending on how things go Friday night.

On the other side of the puck, Lake Forest does not have much going for them. I will admit that if they had better defense, Scott Campbell would be recognized as one of the better goalies in the NCHA, but with weak defensive corps, Campbell ends up facing a staggering 44.4 shots per game while making a stunning 40.4 saves per game. Lake Forest has had no offensive support this season, as the offense has averaged a whopping 1.6 goals per game this season. These numbers just go to show why they finished 3-21-1 this season.

Even with Campbell standing on his head for two games in this series against SNC, it wouldn't be enough for Lake Forest to manage a win in this series. This first round prediction here is an easy one as the Green Knights play the role of a lumber company and cut down the entire "Forrest" in their opening round matchup. SNC takes the series 2-0.

#2 UW-River Falls vs #7 St. Scholastica:

I cannot help but cringe at the fact that River Falls is playing at home versus St.Scholastica...again. The Saints have beaten River three straight times in the friendly confines of Hunt Arena, and are very comfortable in what has become their underdog role come playoff time (See 2007 NCHA Playoffs).

Although River has lost three straight home games to this team, as the old addage goes, "What goes around, comes around", the Falcons are due to win at home against the Saints. River played a great game last Friday against Stout, scoring early and often, and they will need to replicate that effort if they want to beat a pesky Scholastica team. Generating offensive chances in the Scholastica zone, getting powerplay opportunities, and keeping the pressure on the Saints for sixty minutes are just some of the the keys to victory in my opinon. Also, they will need to avoid the penalty box, as last weekend against Stout, the Blue Devils scored all three of their goals on the PP against River Falls. If the Falcons can played disciplined hockey, the offensive firepower of Dahl/Hansberry/Borgestad, plus the defensive corps and solid goaltending from Stephen Ritter should be able to seal the deal in this one.

Looking at the Saints, they are coming into this game with high hopes of winning. Based on their past three road wins at Hunt Arena, and their successful run in last year's playoffs, they will be a confident team entering this series. Also being the 7th seed, Scholastica will have that laid-back underdog attitude on their side as well for this opening series tilt against River Falls. It should be noted that Scholastica comes into this series having played some of their best hockey of the year in beating Point/River Falls on the road, and tying Superior in their final game of the regular season. If they want this success to continue, they will need to have good offensive and defensive production. That means Tucker/Chong/Martini getting points up on the board offensively, and goaltender Steven Bounds coming up big in net defensively. If one of the two above does not happen, I think River Falls wins this series...but if the Saints can play two perfect 60 minute games of hockey, they will be having one hell of a fun bus ride back up to Duluth Saturday night.

When looking at this series overall, if the Saints can get on River's nerves early and often, it should be a very interesting weekend of hockey at Hunt. On the other hand, if the Falcons sets the tone early like they did against Stout last Friday, then this series may be over in two games. Personally, I see this series going to the decisive mini-game, as River Falls wins it 2-1 with the mini-game win.

#3 UW-Stout vs #6 UW-Stevens Point:

This series is a carbon copy of last year as the Blue Devils and Pointers met last season in the first round of the Peters Cup, in which Stout won the series 2-0. This year however, Stout brings back the same club as last year, and Point brings forward an even stronger team to the table than they had last year.

At first glance, I immediately see Point's success in the postseason based off of goaltender Thomas Speer. Speer has had a great freshman campaign for the Pointers, and with him making saves, Stevens Point will go places in the NCHA Playoffs. What is the main concern for Point is their offensive production. This season, when the Point offense has scored 4+ goals in games, Point is 9-0. In their seven losses this season, Stevens Point has averaged a meager 1.14 goals per game. If Point wants to win this series, they must give Speer some offensive support, and not rely souly on his goaltending skills to take them to the next round.

Stout has been a pretty interesting club all season long and I had them predicted to win the NCHA in my preseason prediction. They basically have the same roster as last season, and also have a key addition with former Yellowjacket Joel Gaulrapp added to their lineup, who has scored 29 points this season. Basically I look at this team and wonder how they are not better than their 15-7-3 record indicates.

These teams met twice during NCHA conference play, and Stout beat Point 6-3, and the two teams tied 1-1. I sort of see this matchup as this year's 4 vs 5, as I think its a more even matchup than the UWS/EC series. With that being said, this series goes to the mini-game, and in the end Point gets some spectacular goaltending from Speer, and pulls the upset in Menomonie. I'm sure some of the Pointers have a sour taste in their mouth from last year's postseason loss to the Blue Devils, and this year, revenge occurs at Dunn County Arena. Point wins the series 2-1.

#4 UW-Superior vs #5 UW-Eau Claire:

Usually the 4 vs 5 series in the NCHA playoffs is a very even matchup. This year however, I see it as being a bit one-sided with Eau Claire/Superior matching up. Sure in terms of conference records, its pretty even, but when including other varaibles such as postseason history, and recent games, and overall record, Superior is a better team than Eau Claire.

Looking at this series, the Yellowjackets it was a season of highs and lows for them. After starting out with a shaky non-conference effort, having multiple injury issues and losing one of their best scoring forwards in Nate Rein, Superior has put that all aside and closed out the season by going 3-0-3 in their final six games, playing very solid hockey, and finishing the season at 12-5-8. I think they are peaking at the right time in the NCHA, and will be a formidable opponent to whoever they face in the postseason. Although they are a young team, they do have veteran leadership, and a experienced goaltender in Chad Beisswenger who can lead his team back to the Peters Cup Finals.

Eau Claire on the other hand has been hit or miss this season. They have played great hockey in shutting out River Falls, beating Stevens Point and winning on the road at Superior. On the other hand, they have had two long losing streaks this season of four and five games each, which is a key reason as to why they finished the season at 9-14-1. Bottom line is that the Blugolds are still a very young team, and I don't see them making it past the first round. They have three seniors on the team, but only one of them has played significant time this season, and I just don't think they have the leadership to make a run this year. However next year, I see them being a better team as they will have every key player back for the 2008-09 season.

With my Eau Claire rant pushed off to the side, looking at the head-to-head, these two teams split the regular season meetings, as both won in the oppositions barn. Right now however, with Superior peaking right now, the edge goes to the Yellowjackets in this opening round series.

When thinking Peters Cup, Eau Claire does not come to my mind at all. The past six seasons, Eau Claire has lost in the first round of the playoffs and if I had access to a larger database of NCHA Playoff results, I'm sure this streak stretches even further. Superior will take this opening round series, as they will skate out two hard earned wins against Eau Claire. Maybe this one goes to a mini-game if Eau Claire goaltender Tyler Brigl is able to stand on his head for two games, but I just don't see that happening and I certainly don't see the Blugolds advancing onto the second round. Superior wins the series 2-0.

Well thats my first round analysis of the Peters Cup playoffs. Once again, the NCHA is stacked from top to...well almost the bottom of the conference, which makes for some very interesting matchups in the first round of the playoffs. It should be an interesting race to see who emerges from the wreckage in a few weeks as NCHA Peters Cup Champions.

All Star Weekend – The Skills Competition

In breaking down last weekend’s NHL SuperSkills Competition that was held Saturday, it was a mixed bag of fun/disappointment put on by the National Hockey League. The skills competition put the West/East teams in a friendly rivalry as players tested their hockey skills in eight different events in front of a packed house at Phillips Arena.

After spending my Saturday night watching this competition, I provide a quick review of what went right, and some things the NHL should rethink before the 2009 All-Star Weekend comes around.

The Good:

Obstacle Course Relay – A crafty new addition to the skills competition, the relay consisted of a set of players from each squad controlling a puck through cones, completing saucer passes, one-timers and goalies shooting pucks from their own goalie crease to score goals. The team that had the best score/fastest time won. This was very innovative and fun to watch.

Accuracy Contest – This contest is always fun one to watch, and this year was no different. Not only was seeing Tomas Kaberle go 4 for 4 in this event an added bonus, but the contest was also a lot closer than in past years, and it came down to the final target (it literally did), as Kaberle defeated Jason Arnott.

Elimination Shootout – One of the new events (similar to the breakaway relay) in this year’s competition, players had to score on a breakaway, or they were eliminated. Last shooter standing would win the event. Dion Phaneuf, a Flames defenseman won this contest, which also shows that breaking panels of glass are not the only thing he can do with the hockey puck.

Hardest Shot – I like the simplicity of this event, and it's pretty self-explanatory. Zdeno Chara won with a 103.1 MPH slapshot, which goes to show that hockey pucks do move faster than they appear to be moving on your TV screen.

The Bad:

YoungStars Contest – What formally was a full-length game held the night before the skills competition, was condensed down to a single twelve minute period. You got to be kidding me. Sure it was cool watching 3 on 3 hockey, but I would rather see this return to a full game in the future. Oh, and Manny Legace provided some good entertainment, as he was a goalie who wore a microphone during this event and had many things to say while the puck was in play.

Fastest Skater Contest – In the past, this event has been one of the most exciting things to watch in the skills competition, as skaters went as fast as they could to make a lap around the ice. There were crashes, record speeds, and everything you’d want to see in this event. This year however, they reduced the fastest skater competition to a simple sprint from the end line to the far blue line, which was a big disappointment.

Trick Shot Competition – I know this was one hell of a creative idea by the NHL which is good, but I toss it in the bad column due to the players poorly executing this event. The objective here was for each skater to try and score the most creative goal possible, and gain the highest score by the celebrity judges. The players did a poor job, as the creative juices were not flowing, and overall, the contest was pretty dull. Let’s just say that I have seen better trick shots posted on YouTube than the ones performed in this competition. I will say though, that if each player had the kind of creativeness Ovechkin had, I would have been much more satisfied with this event. Instead it was like a NBA dunk contest that consisted of lame/missed dunks.

It's Been Awhile...

For those of you who have been following The Hockey Blog, you've probably noticed lately that it's been quite some time since I've made a post here. I know that not posting would be totally acceptable if this were the hockey off season, but with college and professional hockey is in full swing right now, going over two months without a post is quite the "sieve move" by yours truly and I apologize to those who have been reading this blog and expecting more posts.

In the next couple days I plan on getting back into the writing groove, and adding some new posts to my blog. Some topics that I plan on writing about include the NHL All-Star Weekend, Division III hockey in the West and other various hockey subjects. My ultimate goal from this point forward is to post more frequently through the rest of the hockey season. Also, I have mainly wrote about D-III hockey in the past, but I am looking to broaden my horizons and will probably make some posts about D-I college hockey, as well as some posts about the NHL and High School hockey in Minnesota.

Well that is all for now. Just thought I'd provide this quick update, as many who have been checking this blog frequently either thought I've fallen off the face of the hockey earth or have simply given up on this blog. Deep down, I have wanted to keep this blog up on a daily basis, but due to being very busy, I have not had the time to do so.

One quick note however before I go. Hats off to the Eastern Conference All-Stars in tonight's win over the West in the 56th annual NHL All Star Game. Was a fun game to watch as the West jumped out to a 5-1 lead, and also rallied from a 7-6 deficit in the third period to win 8-7.

Who's Next?

Earlier this year, Lake Forest announced they were leaving the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) after the 2008-09 season to join the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA). This came as a surprise to many and has left people asking who will join the NCHA as its new 8th league member in 2009. It is unsure who exactly will fill the void created by the Foresters, but one would have to think it would be a team currently playing in the MCHA.

Lake Forest originally joined the NCHA men's hockey conference in 1992 under the coaching styles of Tony Fritz. Since joining the conference, the head coach has remained the same, but almost every other facet else has gone through changes. While in the NCHA conference, the Foresters team has experienced the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. Just a couple years ago, in the 2003-04 season, the Foresters went 18-6-4 and were a semifinalist in the NCHA conference tournament. After that year, many thought the team was on the upswing and would soon be a contender in the NCHA. Instead, since then the Foresters have gone downhill fast, as over the past three seasons, their record has steadily declined to the point where the 2006-07 campaign resulted in a 3-21-3 season that included a quick exit from the NCHA playoffs.

There is no clear cut reason why Lake Forest is leaving the NCHA to join the MCHA, but any college hockey observer would be quick to point out how the Foresters have struggled to compete with NCHA competition in rescent years. Leaving the NCHA to join the MCHA would mean easier competition for the Foresters. The league change should also help their travel schedule, as the MCHA map of teams is better for Lake Forest than that of the NCHA.

With the Foresters set to jump ship and leave the NCHA after the 2008-09 season, many wonder which school will become the next member of the NCHA. In my eyes, it will be a current team in the MCHA who will join the NCHA. Here are the candidates in my eyes that would make the best fit as a new member of the NCHA :

1. Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders

MSOE would be the best fit to join the NCHA at this point. For starters, the school is conveniently located in Milwaukee, which would serve as a much better travel partner than the current Lake Forest team. MSOE would also serve as a bit of a "rival" to both Stevens-Point and St. Norbert as well. The main point however is that MSOE would bring a winning team to the conference. Having won the past three conference championships in the MCHA, MSOE would definitely strengthen the already strong NCHA league.

2. Finlandia Lions

Finlandia is another team that is a good candidate for the NCHA. The main reasons are that they have recently been a very competitive team, which would strengthen the NCHA conference, and also the fact that Finlandia's women's hockey team, is already a member of the women's NCHA conference. One major factor that I don't like about Finlandia joining the NCHA conference is the fact that they are way up in Houghton, Michigan, which would be a pain for scheduling travel dates for the NCHA conference play. Currently, each team in the NCHA has a travel partner (ex - RF/Stout, Scholastica/UWS, etc.), and adding Finlandia to the mix would throw the travel schedule off. I mean sending a team up to play Finlandia one night, and SNC or Point another night would be pretty crazy in my mind as a team would have to spend a lot of time on the bus that weekend, rather than only traveling a short distance from Friday to Saturday.

3. Lawrence Vikings/Marian Sabres

I see both Lawrence and Marian as a sort of "third option" for NCHA officials if they cannot get either MSOE or Finlandia to join the conference. The reason being is that even though both of these programs are on the rise, they would not do well in the NCHA, due to how competitive the conference has gotten as of late.

In listing my five potential applicants for the NCHA conference in 2008-09, I really hope its one of the top two. I know it will be hard getting one of the elite teams in the MCHA to join the NCHA, but if we don't get a top caliber team like that, I have no idea how a team like Lawrence or Marian would even survive in the NCHA. If anybody thinks a different team will join the NCHA conference after Lake Forest leaves, post your comments in this blog, and share your thoughts!!!

Overtime Thriller

Having come down with my first cold of this young winter season, I decided to have a relaxing night, and take in a video feed of the NCHA conference opener between UW-Superior and UW-Stout.

Needless to say, it turned out to be a great decision to sit in front of the computer and watch this game, as both clubs played an exceptionally well in a contest that ended in a 1-0 overtime victory for Superior.

The first period between these two teams was very even as both teams battled in what turned out to be a back-and-forth affair. Both teams seemed to be feeling each other out, and it proved to be a back and forth affair with lots of puck dumping, and back checking teams.

The second period proved to be more of the same, as both Superior and Stout traded powerplays/penalty killing duties, while both trying to get the game's first goal...which did not happen. Through two periods, both teams played pretty even, although I'd have to have given a slight advantage to Superior, as they were up 24-18 in shots on goal.

In the third period, with about 15:00 left you began to get the feeling that it was going to be a one goal game. You could just feel the tension rising, as both teams realized that the team that scored first would most likely win the game. This resulted in the closing minutes being very closely contested and both teams were playing defensive hockey and not taking any chances at all.

In overtime however, it seemed like things opened up a little bit, as both Stout and Superior were trying to get the winning goal. This resulted in a breakaway 2 on 1 for Super about halfway through the OT period, and Logan Isley got a pass from Eric Bausano and put it past Stout goalie Matt Koenig for the game-winner.

In looking back at this game, I will say that this game was huge for Superior. Being 1-1-3 coming into this game having played some questionable hockey games, many people wondered what kind of team would hit the ice come NCHA conference play. After this 1-0 nail biter, the critics have been put to sleep, as UWS showed that they will definitely be a team to be reckoned with in the NCHA this year and beat the previously unbeaten Stout Blue Devils. I was personally impressed with their speed on both ends of the rink, as they were the "fast-paced" team that many people said they were. Also Chad Beisswenger played a great game in net for UWS. Luckily he showed up because the Superior offense did not.

When looking at UW-Stout, I feel they should not hang their heads over this game. They played a great hockey game, and look to be a pretty good team. Their goalie Matt Koenig played one hell of a game and kept them in it, and they skated well with a team that was much faster on the ice than they were.

Hats off to both teams for a great effort!

Three Stars of the Game:

In determining the three stars of this game in my mind, I did not have to look far as this one seemed to be a no-brainer. Isley, Koenig and Beiswenger...enough said.

1st Star - Logan Isley (UWS) - GWG
2nd Star - Matt Koenig (Stout) - 39 saves
3rd Star - Chad Beiswenger (UWS) - 27 saves, shutout

Goals at a Premium:

After this game ended, I did some research and found that found that since the 2000-01 NCHA season, looking in both conference/non-conference games for teams in the NCHA, there have been seven games where the final was a 1-0 margin, and one game that ended in a 0-0 tie :

November 15, 2007 - Superior beat Stout 1-0
Novemeber 3, 2007 - Eau Claire beat St. Johns 1-0
December 9, 2005 - Scholastica beat Stout 1-0
January 23, 2004 - Stout beat Superior 1-0
March 20, 2004 - Middlebury beat St. Norbert 1-0
November 8, 2002 - Superior beat Stout 1-0
November 9, 2002 - River Falls tied Superior 0-0
December 8, 2001 - Stevens Point beat Gustavus 1-0

Quick Game Stats & Game Recap:

http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0708/boxes/mwsrwst1.n15
http://www.uwstout.edu/athletics/hockey/hocgame.htm#2007november15

My NCHA Preview

I know conference predictions should be made BEFORE the season starts, but I wanted to let the NCHA non-conference schedule ride, and see how teams performed the first couple weeks before making my predictions.

Here is the way I think the NCHA will shake out this year:

1. Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils
Lots of returning faces on this team, as well as a key offensive addition with Joel Gaulrupp transferring in from UWS. If they keep up this early season pace, they will be the NCHA champs. That is iffy though, as they have been known to fade through the second half of the hockey season. They may be 7-0-0 right now, but come the end of the NCHA season, they could be anywhere from #1 to #5 in my mind. It all depends on which Stout team shows up this year. For the time being though, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and place them at number one.

2. Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
The Falcons return all their major players (Dahl, Hansberry, etc.) from last year on the offensive/defensive side of things, and are an overall strong team on both sides of the ice. The only problem entering conference play is their goaltending situation, which keeps them from winning the NCHA in my eyes. If the transfer from Providence gets the nod in the second-half of the season though, watch out. The Falcons could be dangerous.

3. St. Norbert Green Knights
SNC lost some players last year to graduation, and is returning with a rather young team this season. Kyle Jones, starting goalie for the Green Knights returns to help the young defensive corps for SNC, which is an added plus. However, with all the new faces, SNC has its run of consecutive NCHA Championships in jeopardy, as this new team is learning how to mesh and play together as a unit still. They may not win the NCHA this year, but I expect them to do well in the coming years once these underclassmen mature.

4. Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
A team that has surprised me thus far this year is the Pointers. Off to a 3-1 start, they have several returning faces, and could turn some heads this year in the NCHA. So far goalie Marcus Paulson has been having a solid season, and if he goes on to have an outstanding year between the pipes for the Pointers, this team could do some damage in the NCHA.

5. Wisconsin-Superior Yellow Jackets
The Jackets are not off to the stellar start many envisioned, posting a 1-1-3 record thus far. With star forward Braden Desmet rumored to be injured for a couple of weeks, and the fact UWS team has not been putting up good offensive numbers so far, I will have to place them 5th in my predictions. I will say though that I see UWS getting better as a club during NCHA play and come playoff time, they could do what St. Scholastica did last year in making a run to the Peters Cup Final.

6. St. Scholastica Saints
The Saints are a team that is a “mixed bag” in my eyes. They have the talent and experience to go places, but have yet to take that step. Sure they had one heck of a great run in the playoffs last season, but going up against the big boys of the NCHA this year will wear on them, as I see them putting together another 15-12 style of year. Maybe another surge in the playoffs, but I do not see them cracking the top five in the regular season standings.

7. Wisconsin-Eau Claire Bluegolds
This team has done the past two seasons under the coaching of Luke Strand, but with Strand gone, I see nothing but for the Bluegolds to go downhill this year. I will say they may show up on any given night and give NCHA opponents a run for their money.

8. Lake Forest Forresters
Not much to be said about this team that the Forresters are putting on ice this year. Sure they have a couple of returning players that put up descent numbers, but the D is lacking at Lake Forest, and until that is fixed, they will remain cellar dwellers of the NCHA.