The first two months of the NCHA season on the women's side have been highlighted by grit, determination and memorable performances. Separation has begun at the top half of the league and the fight for the league title is just beginning. When looking at the NCHA standings, a trio of teams have yet to lose a conference game.
Notable links:
By the numbers
- As of December 12, Adrian was ranked 4th and Aurora came in at 11th in the USCHO.com poll. St. Norbert was receiving votes in the latest poll and Concordia Wisconsin received votes earlier in the year.
- The NCHA has a combined record of 46-50-6 through December 27. The top four teams in the league standings have a combined record of 36-7-3.
- Teams in the league have competed in an amazing 36 shutouts, which equates to 37 percent of all games played this season.
- Aurora and St. Norbert have been lighting the lamp early and often, as they rank 1st and 2nd nationally in goals scored per game. The Spartans have tallied 62 goals, while the Green Knights have found the back of the net 61 times.
- Aurora has been stout on defense, killing off .964 percent of power plays. Meanwhile, St. Norbert has been excelling while on the power play, converting .340 percent of its opportunities. The Green Knights have recorded 17 power-play goals, which is second nationally.
- The NCHA has four teams ranked 16th or better in scoring defense, three in the top-10 for scoring margin and scoring offense.
- Finlandia leads all of DIII in team saves with 652 stops.
- Darci Matson skates with her eyes up to find teammates to the tune of 1.36 assists per game, which ranks second in the country. You can't forget about her nation-leading 5 game-winning goals. St. Norbert's Morgan Olson and Adrian's Karmen Anderson are right behind with 4 and 3 game-winning goals, respectively.
First half highlights (featured in order by NCHA standings as of December 27)
St. Norbert: The Green Knights sit atop the NCHA standings with a perfect 6-0-0 through the first half of the season. St. Norbert put together a seven-game winning streak from November 11 through December 3, outscoring the opposition 45-2. During that stretch, they recorded a program record five-straight shutouts, with goalie Brynn Waisman owning three of those. After a non-conference series against UW-Eau Claire, the Green Knights travel to Aurora for a battle of the league's top two teams in the NCHA standings on January 12-13.
Aurora: Just a point behind St. Norbert in the standings, they finished the first half of the season with a three-game winning streak and haven't lost since November 5. Over the last seven games, Aurora owns five shutouts and has outscored opponents 47-3. Darci Matson leads the NCHA in points (32), goals (17) and assists (15).
Concordia Wisconsin: The Falcons have been in a groove most of the season other than a hiccup to start December with a pair of losses to St. Norbert. Of the 12 games played this season, half have ended in a shutout for Concordia Wisconsin. They have gone 4-2 in those matchups. The Falcons have just four NCHA games on the schedule in January, including an important home-and-home series against Aurora on January 20-21.
Adrian: The Bulldogs have played only four NCHA games in the first half of the season, winning each. They allowed just nine goals in the games and posted a pair of shutouts. It's likely looking too far down the road for Adrian, but the final two conference series on the schedule are at Aurora and St. Norbert, which most likely will have playoff-seeding implications. The Bulldogs are peppering their opponents with a league-best 62 shots per contest. Goalkeeper Sophie Goldberg's play is noteworthy, with her 8-1-0 overall record this season.
Lake Forest: The Foresters enter the second half of the season with momentum, having won all three games within the month of December. They began the year with a pair of wins, then lost four in a row before getting back on track. Lake Forest has a heavy load of 16 games remaining on the schedule in the second half of the year, including a difficult stretch of series against Concordia Wisconsin, St. Norbert and Adrian - all teams above them in the standings. Hannah Turnage holds down the goalie spot and has made over 40 saves three times this season.
Trine: After beginning the season with seven-straight losses and not scoring in five of those, the Thunder have found their rhythm. Trine won all four games in December by a combined score of 32-6. They trounced Hilbert 13-0 and 11-0, with nine different players scoring in the series sweep. Trine still has series on the schedule against Aurora, St. Norbert and Lake Forest, all of whom are above in the NCHA standings.
Finlandia: The Lions are winless through 13 games and are struggling on offense with just four goals. Finlandia does lead the nation with 652 saves and Laney Pasemko owns 481 of those saves. She has logged 50 or more saves in five games, including a 67-save performance which was the third most in a game in Finlandia history.
Lawrence: The Vikings' lone victory of the season came on November 26 with a 2-0 shutout at Northland. In the win, Sydney Seeley made 29 saves and Sofia Alvarez and Lindsey Gulliksen each scored. Lawrence returns for the second half of the season with a difficult test at No. 4 Adrian, the nation's third-best defense.
Marian: The Sabres' lone point in the NCHA standings came via a 1-1 shootout tie against Concordia Wisconsin to begin the season. Marian has a bountiful 16 games remaining in the regular season, including 10 in the month of January. They play six non-conference games before a home-and-home NCHA series against Lawrence on January 19-20.