-Marian's Dan Odegard Named POY; Sets Career Point Mark (3/27/03)
-Gary Warren Among Finalists for National Coach-of-the-Year (3/21/03)
-Golden Eagles Wrap Up Season With Tournament Championship (2/24/03)
-Crookston Wins MCHA Regular Season Title (2/17/03)
-Raiders Adam Blomfield Named USCHO.com Player-of-the-Week (2/14/03)
-Sabres Upset in Sweep by MSOE; Crookston Sets Up Title Showdown (2/10/03)
-Marian Takes Control of First Place; Crookston on the Rise (2/3/03)
-Lawrence Tops Last Season Win Total; Edges Into First (1/27/03)
-MSOE Back on Track With Sweep; Sabres Remain in First (1/20/03)
-MCHA Has Challenging First Week on Ice in 2003 (1/13/03)
-Marian College Grabs First Place Heading Into Holidays (12/16/02)
-First-Place Battle Staged; Holiday Break Approaching (12/9/02)
-Crookston Sweep of Bethel Highlights MCHA Non-Conference Slate (12/2/02)
-UM-Crookston Climbs Standings; Sabres Keep Win Streak Alive vs MSOE (11/25/02)
-Vikings Remain in First Place; Marian Knocks Off Gustavus in OT (11/18/02)
-Marian Hockey Team Featured on USCHO.com Website (11/15/02)
-Marian Defeat of Elmira & Lawrence Sweep Highlight Week in MCHA (11/11/02)
-Lawrence's Danny Schroder Earns National USCHO.com Honors (11/7/02)
-Lawrence Upsets Marian College; Northland Off and Running (11/4/02)
-Season Underway as MCHA Names First POW Awards (10/29/02)
-MCHA Season Previews Available as Season Starts Next Week (10/16/02)
-MSOE Grad Becomes First MCHA Player to Sign Pro Contract (9/13/02)
-Marian Hires Warrilow as Assistant Coach for 2002-2003 (8/23/02)
-MCHA Announces 2001-2002 All-Academic Squad (8/1/02)
-MCHA Names Championship Trophy After Founding President (5/1/02)

-March 27, 2003
Marian College's Dan Odegard Leaves as Player-of-the-Year, Sets Point Record
For Marian College hockey player Dan Odegard (Oakdale, MN), the MCHA Championship game played on February 23, 2003 marked the end of a stellar four-year career for the Sabres forward. Despite the tough 2-1 loss to UM-Crookston, Odegard concluded his career in a Marian uniform with a win-loss record of 63-38-7 (.564) and a Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association record of 49-8-3 (.842) overall. He went out on top, as he was named MCHA First Team All-Conference for the second straight time and 2002-2003 MCHA Player-of-the-Year for his accomplishments on the ice this season.

         

It all started more than four years ago, when Odegard was playing juniors for the East Metro Lakers. After being recruited to play for the Sabres, Dan realized he wanted to play college hockey. “[Marian] showed me that this was a great opportunity by going to a four-year school and playing hockey. Not a day I regret!” he added. He rewarded the Sabres hockey program with four seasons, leaving as the #3 all-time scorer with 134 points on 57 goals and 77 assists.

If only one word could be used to describe Odegard’s career, it would definitely be “consistent”. As a freshman in 1999-2000, he came onto the scene with a career-high 38 points (16G/22A), third on the squad that season. He came back as a sophomore and led the team in points, tallying 32 on career-high 17 goals, while adding 15 assists. He was second in both his junior and senior seasons, accumulating 33 points (11G/2A) his third season and 31 (13G/18A) in his final campaign. He has been the team captain for the past three seasons, and has seen the program go through many changes. “When I came to Marian, [I was among] the first recruits to play hockey for the school,” he said. “Since then, there have been many changes. For example, the support from the school and community has grown - we didn’t have much our freshman year.” He continued, “This is from our hard work on and off the ice.”

After that much time on the ice, the Oakdale, Minnesota native has many memories. The first is obvious – his first goal. “My first goal happened during the second game of freshman year against UW-Stout, in which I scored twice,” he fondly recalls. One of the biggest rivalries Odegard had in his time at Marian was one with MCHA foe Minnesota-Crookston. He never beat them until the final game of his sophomore season, a win in the MCHA Tournament finale. “That year was special, because we were getting a new coach, a bunch of new players,” he continued. “What makes that my favorite memory was that I scored the overtime goal to play Crookston [a 7-6 defeat of Northland in the semifinals] for the championship…a goal I will never forget.”

Odegard set many records, and wraps up his Sabre career first in games played (108), first in assists (77), third in goals (57), third in points (134), and second in game-winning goals. One of his biggest accomplishments came in a game on January 31, 2003. On that day Odegard became the leading scorer in MCHA history, when his game-winning goal against Lawrence tied the mark, and his assist on the following Sabre tally broke the mark of 90 points. He finished the season with 99 points on 42 goals and 57 assists in 59 career league games. He also leaves as the MCHA career leader in assists with his 57. “The record means a lot to me, because it shows how hard work pays off,” said Dan. “This is the first time I actually have something to show for the hard work [Player-of-the-Year and breaking the record]. I finally feel I have accomplished something in my four years here.” For Odegard, his trademark consistency definitely paid off.

-March 21, 2003
Crookston's Gary Warren Finalist for Coach-of-the-Year
-Courtesy of the Minnesota-Crookston Sports Information Department
University of Minnesota, Crookston head hockey coach Gary Warren has been selected as a finalist for the American Hockey Coaches Association (ACHA) Coach-of-the-Year. Warren led the Golden Eagles to the 2002-2003 Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title and tournament championship this past season with a 18-4-3 overall record and a 10-3-3 MCHA record. Warren was also selected by he league coaches as the 2002-2003 MCHA Coach-of-the-Year for his outstanding season.

Eleven coaches were nominated in the 2002-2003 season for the Edward Jeremiah Award, which is given annually to the top NCAA College Division (Division III) Men's Ice Hockey Coach-of-the-Year. The award is named for the former Dartmouth head coach and will be presented at the American Hockey Coaches Association Coach-of-the-Year Banquet on Saturday, April 26, 2003 in Naples, Florida.

To be a finalist for the award, you must have been named coach-of-the-year in your respective conference or take your team to the NCAA Frozen Four.

2002-2003 AHCA Men's Ice Hockey
College Division Coach-of-the-Year Finalists

-February 24, 2003
Minnesota Crookston Prevails as 2003 MCHA Tournament Champions
The Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles won a classic on Sunday (February 23) evening, defeating Marian College by a final score of 2-1 in the MCHA Tournament Championship game in front of a packed house at the Crookston Civic Arena.

The Golden Eagles took a 2-0 lead into the third period before holding off the two-time defending tournament champions. Marian scored early in the final period to get to within 2-1, but UM-C goalie and Tournament MVP Erik Kraska kept the Sabres out of the net the rest of the way, making several key saves in the final minute to preserve the Golden Eagles second tournament championship in four years. Lawrence University started Championship Sunday with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over MSOE in the Consolation Championship. The Vikings held a 2-0 lead before the Raiders stormed back to force overtime. The win in the consolation game marked the third year in a row that the Vikings placed third and extended their team record for wins in a season to 12. For complete coverage of the tournament, click HERE for box scores, pictures, and game recaps.

The All-Tournament team was named at the conclusion of the action on Sunday, with Minnesota-Crookston goalie Erik Kraska (Plymouth, MN) receiving MVP honors for his work in helping the Golden Eagles to the championship. The rest of the All-Tournament team included Marian forward Dan Odegard (Oakdale, MN); UM-Crookston forwards Jeff Johnston (Carman, Manitoba, Canada) and Ben Perkins (New Brighton, MN); Marian College defenseman Dan Weymann (Oakdale, MN); Golden Eagle defenseman Todd Chandler (Crookston, MN); and Lawrence University goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden).

MCHA Post-Season Awards were also given out on Saturday (February 22). Marian College Sabre Dan Odegard (Oakdale, MN) was tabbed MCHA Player-of-the-Year. One of his season highlights was breaking the MCHA career scoring record, finishing with 99 points to eclipse the former mark of 90 set last season by MSOE's Mike Turcott and was named First Team All-Conference as well. Minnesota-Crookston head coach Gary Warren received MCHA Coach-of-the-Year honors. Warren led his team to their third regular season title in four years as they finished with a 10-3-3 record, edging Marian College for the title in the last game of the regular season. For complete First and Second all-conference members, click HERE.

-February 17, 2003
UM-Crookston Pulls Out Regular Season Crown; Tournament Schedule Set
Minnesota-Crookston knew going into this past weekend they needed to sweep Marian College or pull out a win and a tie to earn the 2002-2003 MCHA regular season title. When the dust settled, the league witnessed two exciting games and the Golden Eagles pulled out the win and tie they needed to earn their third regular season title in the past four years. The Sabres finished second, Lawrence third, MSOE fourth, and Northland fifth. The MCHA Tournament gets underway this weekend, staring on Friday (February 21) night. Check out the final MCHA league leaders at: http://www.collegehockeystats.com/0203/confstats/mcha

Players of the Week:
         
         
    -Perkins-               -Kraska-                -Knutson-

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles junior forward Ben Perkins (New Brighton, MN) makes it MCHA Player-of-the-Week two weeks in a row, as he helped the Golden Eagles to the league title with his play against Marian College. Perkins scored Crookston’s third goal in the 3-3 tie on Friday and netted the biggest goal of the weekend – a shorthanded tally on Saturday that turned out to be the game (and title) winner.
Other Nominees: Ryan Blick (Lawrence)

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman goalie Eric Kraska (Plymouth, MN) receives his third MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week accolades this season with his play between the pipes in the weekend series versus Marian. He went 1-0-1 to raise his season mark in league play to 10-3-2. Kraska made 27 saves Friday and 25 on Saturday, finishing the weekend with a .928 save percentage (52-of-56) against the Sabres’ potent offense.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman forward Patrick Knutson (East Grand Forks, MN) helps the league champs become the first team to sweep all three of the league awards in the same week in 2002-2003 by earning back-to-back MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week honors. The business management and marketing major scored 2 of the 3 goals (1 SH/1 PP) in Friday’s tie. He added an assist on Saturday as the Golden Eagles won 3-1.

-February 14, 2003
MSOE Goalie Adam Blomfield Earns National Player of the Week Honors
MSOE Raider Goaltender Adam Blomfield was named the United States College Hockey Online (USCHO.com) Division III Defensive Player of the Week for his performances between the pipes last weekend against Marian College. Blomfield, who was also named MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week for his efforts, received the accolades after being nominated and receiving votes from the staff of the nationally-known website, which is known to hockey fans nation-wide as the "Definitive College Hockey Resource".

Blomfield, a junior goalie from Anchorage, Alaska, earned back-to-back 2-1 victories over the first place Sabres, snapping a losing streak the Raiders had against Marian in the head-to-head series that had reached 20 games before Friday's OT victory. He sent the Sabres to their first back-to-back MCHA losses in almost three years. The construction management major allowed just one goal each night in making 20 saves Friday and 36 Saturday, ending the weekend with a .966 save percentage (56 of 58).
See the USCHO.com release HERE.

This is the second time a player from the MCHA has earned national Player of the Week honors this season, as Danny Schroder earned offensive honors November 5, 2002. The last MCHA athlete to win before that was University of Minnesota-Crookston goalie Mike Dickson in December of 1999.

-February 10, 2003
MSOE Stuns Marian With Sweep; UM-Crookston Wins to Set Up Final Showdown
MSOE accomplished something over the weekend they haven’t done since a 3-2 win on February 14, 1998. What is that, you ask? Beat Marian College is the answer, as the Raiders upended the Sabres in consecutive 2-1 decisions over the weekend, shocking the league leaders and snapping what was a 20-game win streak in the head-to-head series. The Sabres, who had swept MSOE by scores of 6-2 and 11-0 earlier this season, were limited to a goal each night despite coming into the game averaging 5.8 in league play. UM-Crookston remains the hottest team in the league, as they swept Northland College to extend their win streak to six and set up a final showdown for the league’s regular season crown this weekend in Fond du Lac, as they now trail the Sabres by just one point in the standings.

Players of the Week:
     (Picture Unavailable)     
    -Perkins-                 -Blomfield-                   -Knutson-

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles junior forward Ben Perkins (New Brighton, MN) wins MCHA Player-of-the-Week honors for his play in the Golden Eagles sweep of the Lumberjacks. He had a goal and 2 assists on Friday and added 2 of each in Saturday’s win to finish with 7 points (3G/4A).
Other Nominees: Andy Rozanski (Lawrence)

-MSOE Raiders junior goalie Adam Blomfield (Anchorage, AK) earns his second MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honor of the season, doing his part in goal to send the Sabres to their first back-to-back MCHA losses in almost three years. The construction management major allowed just one goal each night in making 20 saves Friday and 36 Saturday, ending the weekend with a .966 save percentage (56 of 58).
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman forward Patrick Knutson (East Grand Forks, MN) led all league rookies in points on the weekend en route to his first MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week honors. The business management and marketing major notched a hat trick on Friday and tallied the game-winner to go with 2 assists in Saturday’s win. He finished the sweep of Northland with a +/- of +5 and 7 points (4G/3A).
Other Nominees: Nick Belleba (MSOE)

-February 3, 2003
Marian Controls MCHA Showdown; UM-Crookston Continues to Impress
What was set up for a showdown for first place in the MCHA turned into two Marian College defeats of Lawrence University by a combined score of 19-6 that put the Sabres in the driver’s seat for their second straight regular season title. Marian made a statement by winning 8-2 on Friday before coming back to Appleton for an 11-4 win on Saturday that gave them a 10-1-1 mark this year and a 37-1-1 record in their last 39 games versus MCHA foes. In other action, MSOE and Northland split a league match-up, while UM-Crookston moves to 13-4-2 on the season with a sweep of Finlandia University. The Golden Eagles winning percentage of .737 would rank 15th in NCAA Division III hockey and guarantees them a winning season after going 8-19-0 just a year ago.

Players of the Week:
    (Photos Unavailable)        
       -Odegard-            -Kragness/Kreese-                  -Shipley-

-Marian College Sabres senior forward Dan Odegard (Oakdale, MN) tops an impressive list of candidates to earn his first MCHA Player-of-the-Week honors in 2002-2003. The win was a close one, as three different nominees posted 7 points on the week. The Sabre captain scored 2 goals (including the game-winner) and added an assist in the 8-2 Friday night win, while contributing 2 goals and 2 assists in Saturday’s victory to push his scoring output in his last four games to 10 (5G/5A).
Other Nominees: Adam Coe (UM-Crookston); Andy Eisch (MSOE); Brad Hawkins (Marian); Jon Daigle (Marian); Dan Weymann (Marian)

-Northland College Lumberjacks freshman goalie Andrew Kragness (Baron, WI) wins the highly-contested MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honor for the first time this season. The newcomer entered the second period of Friday’s game when the Lumberjacks were down 4-0. He proceeded to play the next 95:49 while allowing just 2 goals on 46 shots – a .957 save percentage – while earning a 3-1 win on Saturday. Two other goalie nominees went 2-0-0 on the weekend, but were helped out by an average of 8.0 goals-a-game by their respective offenses, with each allowing six goals to Kragness’ two.
Other Nominees: Erik Kraska (UM-Crookston); Bob Berg (Marian)

-Marian College Sabres freshman forward Greg Kreese (Olds, Alberta) and Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders freshman forward Jim Shipley (Oak Park, IL) split MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week honors. Kreese - new to the Sabres since the semester break - had 2 assists Friday while netting a goal and 2 more assists on Saturday. He now has 7 points (2G/5A) in 5 games as a Sabre. For Shipley, the award is the second time in three weeks he was named the top league rookie, as he tied an MCHA league record with 5 assists in Friday’s Raider victory.
Other Nominees: Patrick Knutson (UM-Crookston); Dustin Sieben (Northland)

-January 27, 2003
MCHA Race Heating Up for Fantastic Finish
The Lawrence Vikings and UM-Crookston Golden Eagles both swept weekend league affairs to tighten the race for the regular season crown. Lawrence now has 10 wins on the season – more than all of last season – and currently leads the MCHA with 18 standings points, Marian College is second with 17 (the Sabres have played 2 less games), Crookston third with 16. The Sabres had the weekend off. The final month of play kicks off this weekend, highlighted by a Lawrence/Marian showdown in Appleton.

Players of the Week:
         
         
    -Melchiori-                -Ljung-                   -Potts-

-Lawrence University Vikings junior forward Matt Melchiori (Appleton, WI) becomes the second league player to earn MCHA Player-of-the-Week honors twice in the 2002-2003 campaign. The economics and engineering major scored to tie the game on Friday and assisted on the game-winner, while adding 2 assists in Lawrence’s sweep of Northland on Saturday.

-Lawrence University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden) gets the nod for MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week for the third time this season – most among league netminders. The economics and German major went 2-0-0 on the weekend with a save percentage of .895, including 29 saves on 30 Lumberjack shots on Saturday as he helped the Vikings to first place at 9-3-0 in conference.

-Northland College Lumberjacks freshman forward Ryan Potts (Fort Wayne, IN) put his best efforts forth in trying to help upset the Vikings this past weekend. The business major had 2 goals and 2 assists in the two contests, and played a major role in limiting Lawrence to converting just 2-of-16 on the power play for the weekend.

-January 20, 2003
MSOE Earns First Sweep of SUNYAC Opponent in Program History
The MSOE Raiders may have been the only MCHA team playing non-conference games this week, but the results were big for the program as they posted their first-ever sweep of a SUNYAC team, defeating Buffalo State by scores of 6-5 and 4-1 over the weekend. In league action, Marian continued its stronghold over Northland, moving to 24-1-0 all-time with the weekend sweep. Lawrence and UM-Crookston split a huge series in the standings, as the Vikings remain lurking in second place with a big showdown scheduled with front-runner Marian at the end of the month.

Players of the Week:
         
         
       -Basten-                   -Berg-                 -Shipley-

-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders sophomore forward Jacob Basten (DePere, WI) becomes the first back-to-back winner of MCHA Player-of-the-Week honors in 2002-2003. The architectural engineering and construction management major helped the Raiders to a 2-0-0 weekend, tallying a goal and an assist in Friday’s 6-5 win and 2 goals (including the game-winner) and an assist on Saturday. Basten has now scored an impressive 9 points (6G/3A) in his last 4 games, doubling the 9 points (3G/6A) he had in his first 12 contests on the season.
Other Nominees: Adam Coe (UM-Crookston); Dan Weymann (Marian); Jon Daigle (Marian); Aaron Graber (Lawrence)

-Marian College Sabres sophomore goalie Bob Berg (Antigo, WI) earns his first MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors this year after being named the winner twice a season ago. The studio art major ran his career mark to 11-0-1 in 12 decisions, lowering his season GAA to 1.71 in the process of blanking Northland on Saturday in the 7-0 win. He now has a .919 save percentage to go with it, making 18 stops on the night in his third career shut-out - all of which have come against Northland.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)

-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders freshman forward James Shipley (Oak Park, IL) help the Raiders to two of three awards on the week as his play on the weekend is rewarded with MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week accolades. He netted 2 goals (including the game-winner) and added 2 assists in Friday’s win, while assisting on a goal Saturday in the MSOE victories. His 5 points (2G/3A) led all MCHA newcomers for the week.
Other Nominees: Andy Link (Lawrence); Jordan Pennington (Marian)

-January 13, 2003
MCHA Back on the Ice in 2003
The MCHA returned from semester/holiday break this week, and Lawrence defeated MSOE in the only league game to tighten up the standings race a little more. The rest of the week wasn’t as kind to the league, as they went 1-6-1 the rest of the way. Highlighting other action was MSOE, as they had #20 Lake Forest on the ropes before settling for a 3-3 OT tie.

Players of the Week:
         
         
         -Basten-                      -Hirsch-                  -Ljung-

-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders sophomore forward Jacob Basten (DePere, WI) becomes the first MCHA Player-of-the-Week in 2003, as he led all players with 6 points on 3 goals and 3 assists during the past seven days. The architectural engineering and construction management major had 2 assists vs Lawrence, 2 goals and an assist in MSOE’s OT tie of Lake Forest on Friday, and a short-handed tally on Saturday.
Other Nominees: Jay Tupa (UM-Crookston); Dan Weymann (Marian)

-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders junior goalie Matt Hirsch (Cottage Grove, WI) becomes the second different Raider to earn Goalie-of-the-Week accolades this season. The business major faced 138 shots in just 3 games, making a whopping 41.7 saves per game on a .906 save percentage.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)

-Lawrence University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden) continues to rack up weekly league honors. For the third time this season, he has been named MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week. The economics and German major had 19 saves in the Vikings OT win over MSOE, while stopping 39 of 44 (.886 %) UW-Stevens Point shots on Saturday in a tough loss.

-December 16, 2002
Marian Grabs First Place Standing Heading Into Holiday/Semester Break
The Marian Sabres fought their way back to the top of the standings after a weekend sweep of Northland College. The victories extend their head-to-head mark to ten straight over the Lumberjacks and up them to first at 6-1-1 in league play. A real battle is brewing for the top spot, as Crookston (who swept non-conference opponent Finlandia) is right behind the Sabres, while Lawrence won a game that was huge for them in the standings, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to earn a 7-4 win over MSOE on the road. The players will take time off for the holidays, as the league will return to a full plate of games on the weekend of January 10-11, 2003.

Players of the Week:
         
         
   -Melchiori-             -Kraska -               -Erick-

-Lawrence University Vikings junior forward Matt Melchiori (Appleton, WI) tops an impressive list of nominees for MCHA Player-of-the-Week. The economics and engineering major led the Vikings back from a 3-0 deficit, tallying two goals (including the game-winner) and an assist in the 7-4 decision, a victory that was huge for keeping Lawrence in the race for the MCHA title.
Other Nominees: Scott Mack (UM-Crookston); Mike Noel (Marian); Mark Ewing (Marian)

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman goalie Eric Kraska (Plymouth, MN) receives his second MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors, a week after earning the All-Rookie nod. He made 47 saves in an undefeated weekend, finishing with a .922 save percentage and a 2-0 mark vs Finlandia.
Other Nominees: Terry Dunbar (Marian)

-Marian College Sabres freshman forward Nate Erick (Olds, Alberta) wins MCHA Rookie honors for the second time in three weeks. The education major tallied 2 goals in the Sabres 4-0 win on Saturday (December 14) and added an assist on Sunday. His 9 goals leads the Sabres in that category.
Other Nominees: Paul Melchiori (Lawrence)

-December 9, 2002
Crookston and Marian Battle for First Place; Semester Break Approaching
The battle for first place in the MCHA was a good one, and even though Marian escaped with a win and a tie, UM-Crookston remains in first place after play this weekend with a 4-2-2 record and 10 standings points. The league will wrap up play for the holidays this week, breaking for the semester after play on December 15, 2002.

Players of the Week:
   (Picture Unavailable)      
   -Eagle-                       -Blomfield-                    -Kraska-

-Marian College Sabres senior forward Teddy Eagle (Glenview, IL) was selected MCHA Player-of-the-Week for his work on the ice in the Sabres 4-3 win over UM-Crookston on Thursday (December 5). The marketing and management major tallied a goal and assisted on another as the Sabres moved into first-place contention in the league standings.

-MSOE Raiders junior goalie Adam Blomfield (Anchorage, AK) earns the Raiders first MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors for the 2002-2003 season. Blomfield faced some tough competition in the Radisson North Classic at Air Force, but had a save percentage of .901 on the weekend (64 saves in two games), dropping tough decisions to NCHA-foe UW-Stout and Augsburg College – who was ranked #15 in the nation.
Other Nominees: Eric Kraska (UM-Crookston); Terry Dunbar (Marian)

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman goalie Eric Kraska (Plymouth, MN) receives his first-ever MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week award. He played in goal in 111:57 of 125:00 minutes on the weekend, helping the Golden Eagles remain in first place in the league with a .939 save percentage
Other Nominees: Jordan Pennington (Marian)

-December 2, 2002
Crookston Leads MCHA in Non-Conference Slate
The MCHA dove into non-conference action in the past week, as no league games where among the eight played. UM-Crookston led the way, as they swept Bethel on the weekend as the MCHA went 3-5 in the contests, including Marian’s first-ever defeat of Lake Forest. More non-conference affairs dot the schedule for the next week, as well as the Sabres at Crookston for two games: a match-up of league champs from the past two seasons.

Players of the Week:
         
         
    -Alvestad-                -Kinslow-                   -Erick-

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles junior forward Mike Alvestad (Grand Forks, ND) earns MCHA Player-of-the-Week honors for his efforts in the Golden Eagles sweep of Bethel. The business management and marketing major tallied three goals (one on the power play) in the victories.
Other Nominees: Danny Schroeder (Lawrence)

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman goalie Aaron Kinslow (Fargo, ND) becomes the second Crookston goalie in as many weeks to be named MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week. The sports recreation management major made 25 saves and had a save % of .893 in his win on the weekend.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)

-Marian College Sabres freshman forward Nate Erick (Olds, Alberta) continues his impressive rookie campaign with Rookie-of-the-Week honors. The education major tallied 2 goals in the Sabres 4-3 win over Lake Forest (November 29), Marian’s first-ever defeat of the Foresters.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)

-November 25, 2002
Crookston Moves Into First; Lawrence Gains Split With St. Olaf
The Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles crept into first place in the MCHA with a weekend sweep of Northland College. They are 4-1-1 in league play, which is well on pace to eclipse their 6 league victories of a season ago. Lawrence University had a big win for their team as they split with St. Olaf in non-conference action, while Marian College extended their win streak in head-to-head play over MSOE to an impressive 20 straight. The league will look to add to their non-conference win totals this week, as each team will be playing outside opponents.

Players of the Week:
         

       -Daigle-                   -Kraska-                  -Ljung-

-Marian College Sabres sophomore forward Jon Daigle (Richmond, BC) becomes the first Sabre MCHA Player-of-the-Week in 2002-2003. The middle secondary education and English major led the way in the Sabres sweep of MSOE, tallying a league-high 7 points (2G/5A) on the weekend. One of his two goals was a game-winner, and he had a collegiate-high 4 assists in Saturday’s win.
Other Nominees: Ryan Blick (Lawrence); Jay Tupa (UM-Crookston)

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman goalie Eric Kraska (Plymouth, MN) receives his first-ever MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week accolades. The netminder was stellar between the pipes in the Golden Eagles sweep that got them to first place in the league standings. He allowed just 2 goals and had a save % of .948 in picking up the two wins – one by shut-out.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)

-Lawrence University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden) continues his impressive rookie campaign. For the second time this season, he has been named MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week. The economics and German major stopped 38 of 40 St. Olaf shots in Friday’s 5-2 win for a save percentage of .950 and also came up with 38 saves in defeat on Saturday. He was named runner-up last week for the USCHO.com National Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors in NCAA Division III.
Other Nominees: Nate Erick (Marian); Rob Schneider (UM-Crookston)

-November 18, 2002
Lawrence and Crookston Split; Sabres Beat Second Straight Ranked Opponent
The Lawrence Vikings continue to lead the MCHA standings after splitting a weekend series with UM-Crookston. The Vikings first place record now stands at 4-2-0 in league play. The Marian Sabres started their road trip in grand style – a 4-3 OT win over then-#22 Gustavus Adolphus last Thursday. Augsburg College was another story, as the Sabres dropped two close road contests. Both Northland and MSOE were off, but that changes this week, as for he first time this season all five league team will be playing: Marian versus MSOE; Crookston at Northland; and Lawrence hosting St. Olaf.

Players of the Week:
         
         
    -Johnston-                   -Ljung-              -Pennington-

-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles senior forward Jeff Johnston (Carman, Manitoba, Canada) becomes the Eagles first player-of the-week winner this season as he nabs MCHA Player-of-the-Week honors in the team’s split with first-place Lawrence. The business management major led the way in the big victory as he assisted on four of the goals in the 7-3 win, including on the game-winner.
Other Nominees: Andy Allen (Marian); Ryan Blick (Lawrence)

-Lawrence University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden) becomes the second league goalie (Marian’s Terry Dunbar was the first) to earn MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors twice this season. The economics and German major stopped 34 of 36 Crookston shots in Friday’s 6-2 win for a save percentage of .944 in his only action of the weekend.

-Marian College Sabres freshman forward Jordan Pennington (Anchorage, AK) was chosen as the MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week for his heroics in the Sabres 4-3 overtime win Thursday. The education major put home the game-winning score when he beat the Gusties goalie 3:58 into the extra session.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)

-November 15, 2002
US College Hockey On-Line Article Features Marian College
The Marian College hockey team has ridden a roller-coaster season so far, and the season is not even a month old. They had their 27-game MCHA win streak snapped by Lawrence, only to rebound with a win. They were beaten by Elmira (NY), only to rebound with a big win. And now they made it two wins in a row over ranked teams with a defeat of Gustavus Adolphus (MN). The national media coverage has noticed too, as the Sabres were the focus of this week's NCAA Division III article on USCHO.com, one of the premier college hockey websites in the nation. To see the article on their website, click HERE.

The article by Chris Lerch, D-III Correspondent for USCHO.com, is seen here:
"A Breakthrough Moment"
It's been an interesting couple of weekends for Marian head coach Chris Brown. After opening the season with a respectable 3-1 loss to current No. 1 St. Norbert, the Sabres started league play with a weekend series against Lawrence. Marian was coming off an undefeated season in conference play, riding a 27-game league winning streak dating back to January 19, 2001.

On Friday, Nov. 1, that all came to an end. Lawrence won 6-2, the first time in the Vikings had defeated the Sabres in 14 attempts. The next day, Marian rebounded with a convincing 5-1 win. Quite a turnaround from the night before.

The same scenario played out the next weekend, when Marian traveled to Elmira for a two-game series, except this time, the Sabres were the underdogs. Friday, after building a 2-1 lead on the Soaring Eagles, Marian surrendered nine unanswered goals over the final two periods and lost 10-2. But as they had done the previous Saturday, the Sabres rebounded for a 5-4 overtime win over the 12th-ranked team in Division III.

Deja Vu?
"The circumstances were different," said Marian head coach Chris Brown. "I don't think either was a matter of not being ready (on Friday) or anything like that. (The losses) were both wake-up calls, though.

"On Friday at Elmira, we played well for over a period. ... I thought we were still in the game at 5-2. We were still getting good chances — we talked about that in between the second and third periods. Then in the first minute and thirty seconds of the third, we let in two quick goals and that was all she wrote."

Instead of batting down the hatches at that point, the Sabres stuck to their game plan. "We didn't try to trap or shut things down to make the score more presentable," Brown said. "We said, 'Let's just keep playing and see what happens.' It was embarrassing, but I think it helped us prepare for Saturday."

The next night, Marian stayed with Elmira the entire game, squandering leads of two goals in the second period and a goal in the third. Finally, at 2:13 of overtime, junior Brad Hawkins got the game winner.

"It was a great feeling," recalled Brown." We had just killed off a minute and half of power play, and we scored right after that."

The goal earned more than a weekend series split for the Sabres. "It was a huge load of the back of our program," said Brown. "In order to get better, you need breakthrough moments, and this was a breakthrough moment. "It wouldn't have been the same if we had tied. We played very hard. The guys earned it."

-November 11, 2002
Sabres Knock Off #12 Team in the Country; Lawrence Sweeps Northland
The past weekend was an exciting one for the MCHA, as Marian College came back from a Friday night loss to knock-off the then #12 team in the country on Saturday night, as they defeated Elmira (NY) College by a score of 5-4 in overtime on the road - one of the toughest places to play in Division III. In league games, Lawrence continued to keep their hold on first place, as they swept Northland College on the road. Crookston opened their league slate, hosting MSOE for two games and coming out with a win and a tie to grab a share of second place in the conference standings. It doesn’t get any easier for the Sabres, as they will play three road games in three days this weekend against Gustavus Adolphus and Augsburg College, teams ranked eighteenth and twenty-second in the most recent NCAA Division III poll.

Players of the Week:
             

  -Ryan Blick-      -Jim Pfeiffelman-  -Terry Dunbar-       -Erich Klemm-

-Lawrence University Vikings sophomore forward Ryan Blick (Canton, MI) becomes the third straight Viking to be selected MCHA Player-of-the-Week. The Education major had a major impact on his team’s success this weekend, tallying a hat trick and an assist in Friday’s 7-2 win while scoring one goal and assisting on three others in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the Lumberjacks.
Other Nominees: Brad Hawkins (Marian); Mark Tveit (Crookston); Jake Basten (MSOE)

-For the second straight week, MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors are split. This time around, Lawrence University Vikings junior goalie Jim Pfeiffelman (Kalamazoo, MI) and Marian College Sabres junior goaltender Terry Dunbar (Duluth, MN) are honored. Pfeiffelman was impressive in his Friday night outing, as the Chemistry major saved 22 of 24 shots (91.6%) in the win. A night after giving up seven goals to Elmira (NY), Dunbar played brilliantly between the pipes in beating the #12 team in the country with 35 saves on Saturday night.

-MSOE Raiders freshman forward Erich Klemm (Chicago, IL) earns the Raiders first POW accolades this season as MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week. The Construction Management major had three goals and an assist on the weekend, notching two of the scores in Saturday’s come-from-behind tie.
Other Nominees: Steven MacDonald (Lawrence); Nate Erick (Marian)

-November 7, 2002
Lawrence University's Schroder earns National Player of the Week Honors
APPLETON, Wis. - Lawrence University hockey player Danny Schroder was named the United States College Hockey Online Division III Offensive Player of the Week for his performance last Friday against Marian College.

Schroder, a sophomore forward from Duluth, Ga., had two goals and two assists in Lawrence's 6-2 win at Marian. The win by the Vikings snapped Marian's 27-game Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association winning streak and broke Lawrence's 14-game losing skid against the Sabres. "Danny is a gifted player who sees the ice extremely well," Lawrence coach Dave Ruhly said. "His dedication and hard work preparing for the season has turned him into an impact player for us."

Schroder, a former standout at Duluth High School and for the Atlanta Fire, came up big when the Vikings needed him the most. Marian had rallied to cut Lawrence's lead to 3-2 when Schroder took a pass from sophomore forward Ryan Blick (Canton, Mich.) and beat Marian goalie Terry Dunbar for a short-handed goal at 7:51 of second period. If that momentum-changing goal wasn't enough, Schroder struck four minutes later on the power play to put Lawrence up 5-2. Schroder also assisted on sophomore forward Andy Rozanski's (New Berlin) goal to open the scoring in the game and assisted on Rozanski's goal early in the second period. Schroder leads Lawrence with six points on two goals and four assists. Schroder had 10 points on seven goals and three assists during his rookie campaign in 2001-02.

This is the first time a player from the MCHA has earned national Player of the Week honors since University of Minnesota-Crookston goalie Mike Dickson was chosen in December 1999. Lawrence, which has a 1-3 record, 1-1 MCHA, is back in action this Friday and Saturday for a MCHA series at Northland College, 1-0-1, 1-0-1 MCHA.
-Courtesy of Lawrence University SID Joe Vanden Acker

-November 4, 2002
Lawrence Pulls Huge Upset of Marian; Northland Grabs First Place
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association opened league play in the 2002-2003 season this past week with a shocker. Lawrence University knocked off the defending champion Marian Sabres with a stunning 6-2 victory. That Viking win was the first-ever for the school versus Marian since the Sabres had a varsity team and also snapped the Sabre 27-game win streak versus MCHA foes. In other action, Northland opened their new season with a win and a tie against MSOE and find themselves in first place by themselves as a result. UM-Crookston will be the last league team to start their season, as they open Tuesday (November 5) with a non-conference affair with Concordia (MN).

Players of the Week:
             
              
   -Schroder-             -Ljung-                   -Ali-                  -Dodge-

-Lawrence University Vikings sophomore forward Danny Schroder (Duluth, GA) has been selected MCHA Player-of-the-Week for his role in the Vikings big 6-2 win over the Sabres. The Economics major had 2 goals (one short-handed) and 2 assists, including one on the game-winner.
Other Nominees: Dustin Seiben (Northland); Pat McKay (Marian)

-Lawrence University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden) and Northland College Lumberjacks freshman goalie Joey Ali (Vancouver, BC) share MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors. Ljung made 29 saves in snapping Marian’s win streaks on Friday and had save % of .892 on the weekend. Ali, a Business major, made 36 saves in a season-opening 3-2 Jack’s victory on Friday night.
Other Nominees: Bob Berg (Marian)

-Northland College Lumberjacks freshman defenseman Kyle Dodge (Farribault, MN) was chosen as MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week for his work in the win and tie against the Raiders. The Environmental Studies major had a goal and two assists on the weekend.

-October 29, 2002
MCHA Season Underway
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association opened play in the 2002-2003 season this past week. The season opener saw defending champ Marian College play #4-ranked St. Norbert to a tough 3-1 loss. The play of the Sabres has found its way to the voters of the NCAA Division III poll, as Marian went from receiving 1 vote in the pre-season poll to receiving 3 votes and are now the number 26 team in the country in the most recent USCHO.com poll. In other action, MSOE dropped their first two games to UW-River Falls, the #8-ranked team in the country. Lawrence took UW-Stout to overtime in their second night of action, but dropped a 3-2 decision in the extra session. League play will begin this weekend, as Lawrence travels to Marian and Northland opens their season with a trip to MSOE.

Players of the Week:
            

-Andy Rozanski-         -Terry Dunbar-        -Daniel Ljung-

-Lawrence University Vikings sophomore forward Andy Rozanski (New Berlin, WI) has been selected as the first MCHA Player-of-the-Week for the 2002-2003 season. The English major tallied 2 of the 3 Viking goals on the weekend.

-Marian College Sabres junior goaltender Terry Dunbar (Duluth, MN) becomes the first MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week in 2002-2003. Dunbar made 32 stops with a save percentage of .914 in a tough season-opening loss to St. Norbert College, the #4 ranked team in the country. Dunbar also snapped Green Knight All-American Maris Ziedins 14-game scoring streak in the process.

-Lawrence University Vikings freshman goaltender Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden) gets the nod for MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week by virtue of his efforts in a 3-2 overtime loss to UW-Stout. The German & Economics major was making his first collegiate start and stopped 42 shots, including several of the spectacular variety. His save percentage was .933 on the night.

-October 16, 2002
Let the Games Begin!...Puck Drops Next Week
With just seven days to go before the 2002-2003 hockey season begins, players and coaches alike are eager to start playing for real. The MCHA will begin non-conference action with three teams playing games in the next 10 days. Defending MCHA Champion Marian College will host the first game of the season, playing highly-ranked St. Norbert College next week Tuesday (October 22) in Fond du Lac. Both Lawrence and MSOE will open their new schedules next weekend (October 25-26) when they travel to NCHA opponents. Lawrence will take on UW-Stout and MSOE will be playing UW-River Falls. Conference action will get under way the following weekend (November 1-2), as Northland will be at MSOE and Marian will travel to Lawrence.

Moren is the two-time MVP of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA). He was first team All-Conference four-years straight and leaves the MCHA and MSOE as the all-time leading scoring defenseman. He scored 43 goals and totaled 128 points in 104 career games.

Moren graduated from MSOE in 2002 with a Construction Management degree.  His cumulative GPA is a 3.78 and Ryan’s attraction to Alaska and the Aces is the promise of outstanding off-season work opportunities within his field. MSOE Head Hockey Coach, Mark Ostapina said, “This is a great day for Ryan and MSOE hockey.  The opportunity to leave the lower 48 and get paid to play hockey in the “Great Land” will be an experience he will cherish for life.”
-Courtesy of MSOE Sports Information Department

Warrilow also brings experience on the ice, as he played from 1994-2000, including a four-year college career at NCAA Division I Canisius College (‘96-‘00), where he was an assistant captain for the Golden Griffins. He played for the Pee Dee Pride (‘99-‘00) in the ECHL, and also skated for the Collingwood Blues and Owen Sound Greys in his junior career.

Tim is a 1999 graduate of Canisius College with a degree in Physical Education with a concentration in Sports Administration and a minor in Sports Psychology. He is currently obtaining his Master of Science Degree in Sport Administration at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota where he recently finished a graduate assistantship. Tim and his wife Stephanie currently reside in Madison, Wisconsin.

“I am excited to have Tim on staff because first and foremost he is a quality person,” noted Sabre hockey head coach Chris Brown. “He will be a good role model for our players. In addition, I feel he will bring some excellent knowledge to our program. I think this is the start of a promising coaching career for Tim.”

-August 1, 2002
MCHA Announces 2001-2002 All-Academic Team Members
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic Honors were announced Wednesday (August 1) from the league office. Players earning the honor achieved a grade point average of 3.25 or higher for the 2001-2002 academic year. Lawrence University and Minnesota-Crookston led the way with six players earning the honor. Northland had five on the list, while Marian College and MSOE each had four making the grade. A highlight for this year's awards were the first-ever four-time recipients of All-Academic honors. Four players: Lawrence's Tom Conti (Dunwoody, GA) and Stuart Manning (Monona, WI), MSOE's Ryan Moren (Lakeville, MN), and Minnesota-Crookston's Marc Lemieux (Grand Forks, ND) all wrapped up their collegiate careers in style on the academic front.
A complete list for each school is below.

-May 1, 2002
MCHA Names Championship Trophy After Departing President
Milwaukee, Wis. - The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association has announced that the championship trophy given to the league playoff champion will now be known as the “Harris Cup”, in honor of departing league president Dan Harris. The league also decided to add all former playoff champions to the "Harris Cup". Marian College (2001 and 2000), UM-Crookston (2000 and 1999), and Findlay University (1998) will be inscripted on the trophy. The "Harris Cup" will make its debut in 2003 when the MCHA crowns a new playoff champion.

Harris, who remains MSOE’s Athletic Director and will still have an active role in the MCHA, was the dominant force in bringing the league to where it is today. The MCHA would not have been possible without his dedicated and forward-thinking leadership in creation of the association and taking it to new heights. Harris brought the league through its early struggles and into prominence in Division III, and was also on the NCAA national-ranking committee for the D-III National Hockey Tournament. The naming of the championship trophy is truly in recognition of his great efforts.

With Harris resigning as active president, the league chose Northland College Director of Athletics Steve Wammer to lead it into the 2002-2003 season.