-Josh Peterson of Lawrence University is Latest MCHA Player to Sign Professionally (3/16/08)
-Bulldog Players Lead MCHA Contingent on All-USCHO.com Teams (3/4/08)
-Adam Krug of Adrian College Tabbed for All-American Honors (3/23/08)
-Milwaukee Admirals Retiring Tony Hrkac's Jersey This Weekend (3/13/08)
-Adrian Falls Short in At-Large Bid to NCAA Tournament Field (3/9/08)
-Krug Named One of Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" (3/4/08)
-Adrian Bulldogs Prevail in MCHA Tournament Championship (3/2/08)
-Finlandia Rides Three Third-Period Goals to 4-2 Win Over Marian (3/1/08)
-Adrian Tops MSOE, 5-3, to Advance to Championship Game (3/1/08)
-MCHA Announces Postseason Honors; Adrian's Krug Named Player of the Year (2/29/08)
-Top Four Seeds Advance to Harris Cup Four This Weekend (2/25/08)
-Race for the Harris Cup Starts This Weekend (2/18/08)
-Krug, Skelly Each Pass MCHA Season Point Record in Victory (2/15/08)
-Adrian College Continues Record-Breaking Season; Breaks Into Top 10 (2/11/08)
-Adrian Takes MCHA Regular Season Title in Inaugural Season (2/8/08)
-Adrian Becomes First-Ever MCHA Team to Enter Top 10 in Nation (2/4/08)
-League Records Start to Fall as MCHA Play Heads into February (1/28/08)
-Adrian and MSOE Earn Weekend Sweeps; Bulldogs Rise in Poll (1/21/08)
-Two MCHA Teams Make Appearance in National Poll (1/15/08)
-Adrian and Marian Move to 9-1 in League Standings (1/14/08)
-MCHA Returns to Ice in 2008 (1/7/08)
-Announcement Regarding Finlandia/Augsburg Series (12/20/07)
-Four League Teams Earn Sweeps Over Weekend on Ice (12/10/07)
-Perfect 3-0 Week Nets Golden Eagle Players League Recognition (12/3/07)
-Paquette Adds Career Assists Record to Resume Against Northland (11/30/07)
-Lawrence Freshman Netminder Tabbed Player of the Week (11/26/07)
-Adrian's Krug Named League Player of the Week Again (11/19/07)
-League Action Highlights Weekend Play; Marian Almost Pulls Ranked Upset (11/12/07)
-Josh Paquette of Finlandia Sets New MCHA Career Points Record (11/9/07)
-Marian College Set to Help Support Breast Cancer at its Nov. 17 Game (11/8/07)
-Conference Play Underway in MCHA (11/5/07)
-Season Underway for Half of League Programs (10/29/07)
-Adrian Comeback Gives Bulldogs Victory Over No. 7 Neumann (10/28/07)
-Marian College to Broadcast Games This Season (10/27/07)
-MCHA Gets 10th Season Underway This Weekend (10/18/07)
-American Hockey Coaches Association Board of Governors Tabs LU's Szkodzinski (9/27/07)
-MCHA Sets Officials Tryout Camp Dates (8/8/07)
-Northland Recruit Featured With Story in Local Newspaper (7/30/07)
-Olson Tabbed as New MCHA Supervisor of Officials (6/27/07)
-MSOE's Soik Repeats as National Academic All-American Honoree (6/14/07)
-Soik Tabbed For Academic Honors in District Once Again (5/24/07)
-First Class of Recruits Gain National Recognition at Adrian College (4/24/07)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-April 16, 2008
Lawrence's Peterson Signs With IHL's Flint Generals
-Release courtesy of Lawrence University Sports Information Department
Contact: Joe Vanden Acker, Sports Information Director, 920-832-6878

APPLETON, Wis. -- Josh Peterson is taking his game up a level.

The standout Lawrence University senior defenseman signed a contract with the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League on Tuesday.

 "I’ve been thinking about doing this since the end of the season," said Peterson, the first Lawrence player to play professionally. "I wasn’t ready to be done, and I wanted to play at the next level."

Lawrence head coach Mike Szkodzinski was helping Peterson fulfill his dream of playing in the pro ranks when he saw what might be an opportunity with the Generals.

"I had noticed that they had a couple of d-men injured toward the end of the year," Szkodzinski said. "I gave coach (Peter) South a call last Friday night and spoke with him on Saturday."

Things moved quickly from there, as Flint completed its regular season this past weekend. Flint finished third in the regular season standings of the IHL, which Szkodzinski compared to baseball at the AA level.

A native of Duluth, Minn., Peterson said he got a call from Szkodzinski on Monday morning and was told the Generals were interested.

"I was sitting in class around noon and got a phone call," Peterson said. "It happened really fast, and I’ve been running ever since."

Peterson arrived in Flint on Monday night and signed his contract and took part in his first practice on Tuesday. The Generals open the IHL playoffs Friday when they travel to the Port Huron Icehawks.

Peterson said he’s not sure if he will get a chance to play on Friday, but he is one of only six defensemen on the Generals’ playoff roster.

"I’m just going to be ready for any opportunity that comes up," Peterson said.

Peterson is only the second player in Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association history to be named all-conference four times. He scored six goals and had 20 assists for 26 points this past season. Peterson finished fifth on Lawrence’s career list with 77 points and is first among defenseman. He ranks second with 56 career assists and 14th with 21 goals.

"Our season has been over for a while so I have to get my legs back under me," Peterson said. "I know I have a lot to improve upon, but I feel like I can play at this level."

Peterson earned the maximum three selections to the academic all-conference and is completing his biology major. He will continue his schoolwork while participating in the playoffs.

"We are very proud of Josh’s latest accomplishment. His passion for the game and desire to reach the next level while maintaining exemplary academic success has set a great example for the current and future Vikings," Szkodzinski said.

"Josh has earned an opportunity that so many young players dream of while growing up. We are certain that he will represent himself and the Lawrence hockey program very well while in Flint."

 

 

 

 

-April 4, 2008
MCHA Players and Coach Land on All-USCHO.com Teams
Five players and one head coach from the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association landed spots on the All-USCHO.com teams when they were announced earlier this month. Adrian College's Adam Krug, Quinn Waller, Eric Miller, Shawn Skelly and head coach Ron Fagarty and MSOE's Jason Woll all earned various honors, the most-ever for the MCHA on this list (the league had four players earn honors in 2006-07).

Krug, the MCHA Player of the Year, earned a spot on the West Second Team, while Waller and Woll were West Team honorable mention selections. Waller, Miller and Skelly took up three spots on the West All-Rookie Team, while Fogarty earned honorable mention coach of the year accolades.

                        
         
Left to Right: Adam Krug, Quinn Waller, Eric Miller, Shawn Skelly, Jason Woll, Ron Fogarty

Release from USCHO.com below

MINNEAPOLIS (April 4) — St. Norbert senior goaltender Kyle Jones has been selected the USCHO.com National Player of the Year. The North Delta, British Columbia native led the Green Knights to their first national title this season, recording one of the best seasons ever by a Division III goaltender.

Jones posted a 1.09 GAA and a .950 save percentage. He set Division III records for shutouts in a season (10) and for a career (25) including shutouts in the Division III semifinals and finals.

USCHO.com has also named St. Norbert coach Tim Coghlin National Coach of the Year. Coghlin led the Green Knights to a 27-1-4 record and their first ever national title this season.

The winners and all-star teams are selected by the USCHO.com staff. A complete list follows:

East First Team

Goal — Longo, Keith, Jr., Hobart
Defense — Arthur Fritch, Sr., Colby
Defense — Tom Maldonado, Sr., Middlebury
Forward — Rick Cleaver, Sr., Norwich
Forward — T.J. Kelley, Sr., Colby
Forward — Neil Trimm, Sr., Neumann

East Second Team

Goal — Casey Tuttle, So., Elmira
Defense — Nick Dumoulin, Jr., Elmira
Defense — Nick Rolls, Jr., Plattsburgh
Forward — Nikita Kashirsky, Sr. Norwich
Forward — Matt McGilvary, Johnson & Wales
Forward — Michael Richard, Sr., Elmira

Honorable Mention:: Ryan Donovan (UMass-Boston), Mark Ehl (New England), Ryan Ellis (Oswego), Greg Parker (Conn. College), Josh Reber (Colby), David Thompson (Norwich), Trevor Turner (New England), Mike Westerman (Bowdoin)

East Rookie Team

Goal — Bryan Hince, Plattsburgh
Defense — Paul Conter, Southern Maine
Defense — Karl Linden, Elmira
Forward — Dylan Clarke, Plattsburgh
Forward — Justin Fox, Salem State
Forward — Ryan Leary, Bowdoin

Honorable Mention: Ryan Corry (Plattsburgh), Cody McKinney (Colby), Sylvain Messier (Norwich), Alex Myolenko (Skidmore), Eric Tufman (Mass-Boston), Jason Yuell (Curry), Matthew Wallace (Hobart)

West First Team

Goal — Kyle Jones Sr., St. Norbert
Defense — Jim Henkemeyer, Sr., UW-River Falls
Defense — Jack Wolgemuth, Jr., UW-Stout
Forward — Marc Belanger, Sr., St. Norbert
Forward — Tyler Dahl, Sr., UW-River Falls
Forward — Dustin Fulton, Jr., Hamline

West Second Team

Goal — Chad Beiswenger, Jr., UW-Superior
Defense — Adam Davis, Jr., St. Thomas
Defense — Joe Long, Jr., Hamline
Forward — Pat Borgestad, Sr., UW-River Falls
Forward — Derek Hansberry, Jr., UW-River Falls
Forward — Adam Krug, Jr., Adrian

Honorable Mention: Tyler Chestnut (St. Thomas), Derek Hanson (UW-Stout), Jared Hummel (Hamline), David Martinson (Gustavus Adolphus), Andrew Panchenko (St. Thomas), Derek Paige (UW-Superior), Quinn Waller (Adrian), Jason Woll (MSOE)

West Rookie Team

Goal — Thomas Speer, UW-Stevens Point
Defense — Nick Tabisz, St. Norbert
Defense — Quinn Waller, Adrian
Forward — Mike Glaesmer, St. Mary’s
Forward — Eric Miller, Adrian
Forward — Shawn Skelly, Adrian

Honorable Mention: Jared Hummel (Hamline), Rob Johnson (St. Thomas), Josh Swartout (Gustavus Adolphus)

D-III Player of the Year: Kyle Jones, St. Norbert

Honorable Mention: Rick Cleaver, Norwich

D-III Coach of the Year: Tim Coghlin, St. Norbert

Honorable Mention: Bob Emery (Plattsburgh), Tim Ceglarski (Elmira), Ron Fogarty (Adrian)

 

 

 

-March 23, 2008
Krug Earns Second-Team All-American Honors
-Release courtesy of Adrian College Sports Information Department
Adrian College junior forward Adam Krug, who led all NCAA Division III players in scoring with 77 points on the season, was named to the RBK Second Team West All-American squad.

Krug, the captain and lone junior on the inaugural NCAA men's hockey team at Adrian, helped lead the team to a 26-3 season as the team captured the MCHA regular season and conference tournament titles. The Livonia, Michigan native led all NCAA hockey players regardless of division* in scoring (77 points) and assists (47). Krug was also tied for third for the most goals in Division III hockey this season with 30.

For the full release from the American Hockey Coaches Association, please use the following link:
Men's Division III RBK Hockey All-Americans Announced

* The NCAA Division I men's hockey season is not yet completed.

*******************

Krug becomes the second MCHA player to earn All-American honors. Brian Soik of MSOE became the first MCHA player to accomplish the feat last season.

 

 

 

-March 13, 2008
Milwaukee Admirals Set to Retire Tony Hrkac's Jersey Friday
Tony Hrkac, the current head coach of the Concordia University Falcons, will be honored by the Milwaukee Admirals when the team retires his #26 jersey Friday. The Admirals will also be giving away Hrkac bobbleheads (see below) to the first 5,000 fans at their game against Peoria at 7 p.m.

Following a 12-year NHL career where he recorded 371 points (132 goals, 239 assists), Hrkac played five seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals. In that time, he led the team in scoring three seasons and still ranks No. 6 on the all-time scoring list.

The hockey veteran won an NCAA title, the Stanley Cup and also led the Admirals to the Calder Cup in 2004 when he led the team with 59 points.

"It’s an honor to have your number retired,” said Hrkac in a story posted on www.milwaukeeadmirals.com. “You play the game the best you can, you try to win, you’re not thinking about people retiring you number. As your career goes on, you play hard, and it nice to be recognized by the teams you’ve played for and know that you’ve done a good job over the years and they respect that.”

For complete story from the Admirals website, click HERE:

 

 

 

-March 9, 2008
Adrian's Dream Season Ends After Missing NCAA Tournament Field
-Release courtesy of Adrian College Sports Information Department
The Adrian College men's hockey squad might feel a sting for awhile as the NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Selection Committee has passed on the Bulldogs for entry into the 2007-08 national tournament. The season, however, has been one of exciting moments and memories that will last a lifetime for players and fans. Adrian finished the season with a 26-3 record and won their final 20 games en route to both a MCHA regular season and tournament titles.

For the full NCAA release please click on the link below:

NCAA Announces Field of 10

 

 

 

 

-March 4, 2008
Adam Krug of Adrian College Appears in This Week's Sports Illustrated 
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year, Adam Krug of Adrian College, is among the six finalists to appear in the "Faces In the Crowd" feature in Sports Illustrated this week.

He already appears on the website version of the "Faces" feature, which is a well-known and long-running (started in 1956) segment in SI. Krug's issue will hit the newsstands tomorrow. He is noted for his exploits on the ice this season, including leading the nation in scoring and being named the league's player of the year.

It can be viewed online at:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/scorecard/faces/2008/03/10/

 

 

 

 

-March 2, 2008
Adrian College Wins 2008 Harris Cup in Overtime Thriller
Eric Miller’s goal just 2:29 into the overtime session was the only score of the contest and won the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament Championship for Adrian College Sunday afternoon at the Kern Center. The Bulldogs and Lions, two teams known for their stellar offensive play, gave the crowd a game that kept them on their feet all afternoon, with the stars of the game coming on the defensive side in the 1-0 decision.

The Bulldogs had both of the shots in overtime, as Adam Krug put the first on net just 30 seconds in, but had it saved by Lion goalie Ryan Donovan, who was simply stellar in goal all day.

However, Krug was at it again just minutes later, taking a pass from Eric Bailen near center ice and finding Miller on the breakaway. Miller made the most of his opportunity, sneaking one past Donovan for his nation-leading 40^th of the season before the celebration for the Harris Cup began on the ice for Adrian.

    

         
-Eric Miller netted the game-winner for Adrian in overtime to give the Bulldogs the Harris Cup
Photos courtesy of Adrian Assistant SID Sarah Miesle

“It was my first-ever overtime goal and it feels awesome,” Miller said of the goal. “You know, I could definitely not have done it without these guys. My teammates kept pushing me through to keep going and without those guys I would not have been able to do it.”

The Finlandia defense held the Adrian offense scoreless for three-straight periods – marking the first time that had happened to the Bulldogs all season. Donovan was credited with 35 saves and was named the MCHA Tournament MVP for his efforts in the loss. He made a variety of highlight-reel saves, including at least 10 in each period. AC keeper Brad Fogal improved to a nation-best 20-2-0, making 18 saves for his fifth shutout of the season.

“This really capped off a great season by the guys,” Adrian head coach Ron Fogarty said. “It was well-deserved. It was a great battle … Finlandia played great and Ryan Donovan was very deserving of the MVP – he played a phenomenal game. For Eric Miller to pick up his 40^th goal of the season, it could not have come at a better time. We are pretty excited right now.”

The Bulldogs had quite an inaugural season, winning the Harris Cup and regular season championships along the way while recording a 26-3-0 record. The team leads the nation in scoring offense, has the nation’s top three scorers on the roster and will carry a 20-game winning streak into a potential continuation of its postseason run if they are awarded the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament.

“I am very happy for the 25 guys out there on the ice,” Fogarty said during the postgame celebration. “It’s the greatest feeling in the world when you get to win a championship and we had the chance to win one in the regular season and the tournament in one year. It is something these guys will never forget.”

 

 

 

-March 1, 2008
Defending Champ Finlandia Advances to MCHA Finals With 4-2 Win Over Marian
The Finlandia Lions gave themselves a chance to maintain possession of the Harris Cup Saturday when they defeated Marian College, 4-2, at the Kern Center in an MCHA semifinal Saturday night.

Tied 1-1 heading into the third period, the Lions used the strength of three third-period goals to advance as the No. 2 seed in the postseason.

Ross Rouleau wasted no time getting things started in the decisive frame, lighting the lamp just 15 seconds to make it 2-1 in FU's favor. Almost 11 minutes later, Travis Hanson netted the eventual game-winner, tallying his 10th goal of the season at the 11:06 mark on assists by Joe Beaudry and Tiger Marcotte.

Marian made it a one-goal game again at the 12:28 mark of the third, getting a goal from Nick Cinquegrani to make it 3-2. Marcotte netted a late insurance goal to seal the Lions invitation to take on Adrian for the Harris Cup on Sunday.

In goal, Ryan Donovan made 35 saves for the win, while Jason Jadczak had 22 in defeat.

The Lions and Adrian Bulldogs meet for the championship at the Kern Center Sunday afternoon, with the puck dropping at 4 p.m.

 

 

-March 1, 2008
No. 9 Bulldogs Score in Clutch to Advance to MCHA Finals
-Game story courtesy of Adrian College Sports Information Department
The Adrian College Bulldogs scored three times in the second period and twice in the third period, as the #1 seed in the MCHA Tournament defeated the Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders, 5-3, for their 20^th straight win on Saturday.

After a scoreless first period, Joel Workman got the #9 Bulldogs on the scoreboard first on an even-strength goal 5:28 into the period. Adam Krug did not take long to extend the Bulldog lead to two goals, netting a power-play goal 2:22 after Workman’s goal. Michael Soik pulled the Raiders within one, notching MSOE’s first goal of the game at the 16:25 mark on a power-play effort to make the game 2-1. Eric Miller (pictured at left) regained momentum for Adrian just 43 seconds before the break with his first goal of the game to push the Bulldog lead back to two goals.

The top-seeded team in the tournament stretched its lead to three just 1:01 into the third period, when Samuel Kuzyk scored an even-strength goal for the Bulldogs. The Raiders would not go quietly in the semi-final game, however. Soik notched his second goal of the game at 12:01 to breathe life back into the Raiders’ lungs. The Raiders then pulled their goalie to opt for the extra attacker in order to cut the lead to one. The Bulldogs had other plans as Shawn Skelly gained control of the puck in the neutral zone for a breakaway opportunity which Eric Miller finished for Adrian with 2:29 to put the team up for good. Matt Fastelin got a late goal for the Raiders, but it was not enough as the top-seeded Bulldogs advanced to the MCHA Tournament Final on Sunday.

The Bulldogs, winners of 20-straight, will now wait to see who their opponent will be in the league tournament final on Sunday afternoon.  Second-seeded Finlandia and third-seeded Marian will face-off at 7:00 tonight to battle for the honor of playing in the MCHA Tournament Finals. Tomorrow’s championship game is slated to begin at 4 p.m. CT at the Kern Center in Milwaukee .

 

 

 

-February 29, 2008
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Announces End-of-Season Awards
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association announced all if its league awards at a banquet held in conjunction with the MCHA Tournament on Friday night in Milwaukee, Wis. The league's All-Conference, All-Freshman and All-Academic Teams were all named, as well as the Player and Coach of the Year awards.

Adrian College was well-represented, with Adam Krug earning MCHA Player of the Year honors and him and five of his teammates on the all-conference squad. Marian College head coach Jasen Wise was selected as the MCHA Coach-of-the-Year.

Lawrence University defenseman Josh Peterson became just the second player to earn all-conference honors all four season, joining former MSOE Raider Ryan Moren (1998-2002) on that prestigious list.

2007-08 CHA ALL-CONFERENCE
Carl Bresser, Marian, Senior, Forward
Marc Howe, Lawrence, Sophomore, Forward
Adam Krug, Adrian, Junior, Forward
Eric Miller, Adrian, Freshman, Forward
Shawn Skelly, Adrian, Freshman, Forward
Lee Swallow, MSOE, Senior, Forward
Josh Peterson, Lawrence, Senior, Defenseman
Chris Stansik, Adrian, Freshman, Defenseman
Quinn Waller, Adrian, Freshman, Defenseman
Jason Woll, MSOE, Junior, Defenseman
Brad Fogal, Adrian, Freshman, Goalie
Jason Jadczak, Marian, Junior, Goalie

MCHA Player of the Year: Adam Krug, Adrian (Below)

    

MCHA Coach of the Year: Jasen Wise, Marian
   
    


MCHA ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Todd Collins, Marian
Brad Fogal, Adrian
Eric Miller, Adrian
Shawn Skelly, Adrian
Michael Soik, MSOE
Quinn Waller, Adrian

MCHA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Note: * = Two-Time All-Academic member ... # = Three-time All-Academic member ... $ = Four-time All-Academic member

Adrian – 2
Rob Hodnicki, Sophomore … Adam Krug, Junior

Concordia – 3
Alec Kautzman, Sophomore … Nick Prange, Sophomore … Chris Thiess, Sophomore

Finlandia – 12
Lucas Alberer, Senior # … Charles Fisher, Senior # … Travis Hanson, Senior # … Matthew Krueger, Junior … Matt Lindgren, Senior # … Marc Marcotte, Junior * … Blake Miller, Junior * … Josh Paquette, Senior # … Mike Parks, Senior # … Bryan Solander, Sophomore … Ryan Sullivan, Junior * … Brandon Vanacker, Sophomore
Note: Ties record of 12 members set by Minnesota-Crookston's in 2003-04 and Finlandia in 2006-07

Lawrence – 8
Marc Howe, Sophomore … Jesse Jacobs, Junior … Nick Jennette, Junior * … Brian Kennihan, Senior # … Aaron LaFave, Junior * … Austin Montgomery, Senior * … Josh Peterson, Senior # … Jon Sacks, Sophomore

Marian – 12
Nick Cinquegrani, Sophomore … Greg Copeland, Junior * … Dave DeSander, Senior # … Jason Ford, Sophomore … Bill Griffore, Junior * … Nick Henkemeyer, Sophomore … Ryan Hitchcock, Sophomore … Jason Jadczak, Junior * … Kyle Jones, Senior * … Josh McAndrew, Junior * … Kyle Rasmussen, Senior … Jeff Wills, Junior *
Note: Ties record of 12 members set by Minnesota-Crookston's in 2003-04 and Finlandia in 2006-07

MSOE – 5
Ross Chawansky, Senior # … Reid Crawford, Sophomore … Matt Fastelin, Senior # … Paul Haviland, Sophomore … Jason Woll, Junior *

Minnesota-Crookston – 7
Fred Kooser, Sophomore … Matt Waclawik, Sophomore … Matt Marchel, Sophomore … Jacob Osland, Junior … Teal Plaine, Senior $ … Brent Swanson, Sophomore … Ryan Tucker, Senior #

Northland – 4
Jeff Diehl, Sophomore … Adam Gorecki, Sophomore … Brandon Sachwitz, Sophomore … Matt Tanneberg, Sophomore

 

 

 

 

-February 25, 2008
Final Four Teams Set to Battle for Harris Cup
The first round of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association is over and the top four seeds from the regular season held form and advanced. #1 Adrian, #2 Finlandia, #3 Marian and #4 MSOE all won first-round series with two victories to advance to the Kern Center in Milwaukee this weekend and the battle for the Harris Cup.

Adrian advanced with wins of 8-0 and 9-1 over Concordia, with three players recording six or more points on the weekend. Adam Krug tallied a league-high nine (5 goals/4 assists), with Eric Miller (4G/2A) and Shawn Skelly (2G/4A) each netting six a piece. The Bulldogs also set a new record for victories in a season by a Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association team with 24, topping the old mark of 23 set by Findlay in 1998-99 (who went 23-5-0 that season). Adrian remained in the top 10 nationally when the new USCHO.com poll was released today, but did fall a spot from No. 8 to No. 9 after an interesting week on the ice across the country. AC will carry a nation-best 24 wins, .889 winning percentage (tied with 22-1-4 St. Norbert) and 18-game winning streak into the final weekend, in search of the league’s first bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Defending Harris Cup champion Finlandia took care of business against Northland, winning 5-1 Friday and 3-1 Saturday to advance to the semifinals, led by Joe Beaudry and his four goals in the two games. Marian needed overtime Friday to get a win, avoiding the upset by Minnesota-Crookston when James Goodfellow lit the lamp 3:47 into the extra session to give the Sabres the 3-2 victory. Marian then advanced with a 3-1 win Saturday. MSOE and Lawrence played Saturday and Sunday, with the Raiders posting wins of 3-1 and 4-2 while never trailing in the series.

Heading into the remainder of the tournament, several MCHA names occupy top 10 spots (or close) in the national statistics. They include:

Points per Game
1. Adam Krug, Adrian: 2.78 (29G/46A=75 points)
2. Shawn Skelly, Adrian: 2.70 (30G/43A=73 points)
3. Eric Miller, Adrian: 2.50 (37G/28A=65 points)

Goals per Game
1. Eric Miller, Adrian: 1.42 (37G in 26 games)
4. Shawn Skelly, Adrian: 1.11 (30G in 27 games)
6. Adam Krug, Adrian: 1.07 (29G in 27 games)
8. Carl Bresser, Marian: 0.96 (24G in 25 games)

Assists per Game
1. Adam Krug, Adrian: 1.70 (46A in 27 games)
2. Shawn Skelly, Adrian: 1.59 (43A in 27 games)
3. Quinn Waller, Adrian: 1.41 (38A in 27 games)
10. Lee Swallow, MSOE: 1.11 (30A in 27 games)

Power Play Goals
1. Eric Miller, Adrian: 13
3. Ryan Sullivan Finlandia: 12
3. Shawn Skelly, Adrian: 12

Short-Handed Goals
1. Carl Bresser, Marian: 6
2. Adam Krug, Adrian: 5

Game-Winning Goals
1. Shawn Skelly, Adrian: 7
4. Michael Soik, MSOE: 5

Points per Game (Defenseman)
1. Quinn Waller, Adrian: 1.67 (7G/38A=45 points)
4. Chris Stansik, Adrian: 1.26 (11G/23A=34 points)

Goals Against Average
5. Brad Fogal, Adrian: 1.91

Save Percentage
11. Brad Fogal, Adrian: .925

Scoring Offense
1. Adrian: 7.93 goals per game
11. Finlandia: 4.22 gpg

Scoring Defense
10. Adrian: 2.30 goals per game

Scoring Margin
1. Adrian: +5.63

Power Play
1. Adrian: 34.3%

Penalty Kill
4. Finlandia: 88.0%
8. Adrian: 87.0%

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The MCHA Tournament Semifinals and Finals conclude this weekend at the Kern Center in Milwaukee, Wis.



The address is 1245 N. Broadway in downtown Milwaukee. For a map of the Kern Center location, click HERE.
Ticket Prices: General Admission is $6 and student price (ID required) is $4.
Tickets may be preordered by phone with credit card. Contact Kristen Burck at 414-277-4552.

The MCHA All-Conference Team, All-Freshman Team, Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and All-Academic Teams will also be announced.

Schedule of events:
Friday, February 29
MCHA End of Season Banquet at Roy W. Johnson Residence Hall, one block south of the Kern Center
Social begins at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., program (guest speaker/awards) to follow.

Saturday, March 1
#1 Adrian vs. #4 MSOE at 3 p.m.
#2 Finlandia vs. #3 Marian at 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 2
MCHA Harris Cup Championship at 4 p.m.

NOTE:
-- Games involving Marian College will be podcasted at www.fdlpodcasting.com
-- Games involving Finlandia University will be available on 98.7 FM (local) and www.keepitintheup.com
-- Games involving MSOE will also be available on the internet. Check http://www.msoe.edu/athletics/broadcasts.shtml for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

-February 18, 2008
MCHA Regular Season in the Books
The 10^th season of play in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association has come to a close and tournament play is about to begin. The season will go down as one of the most noteworthy in the history of the league. Newcomer Adrian claimed a league title in its first year and has gone on to become the first-ever MCHA team to be ranked in the Top 10 nationally. The Bulldogs continued their weekly rise up the polls with two more wins this week, moving from No. 9 to No. 8 in the USCHO.com poll that came out today. That, and they added a second first-place vote to their tally as well.

Plenty of records were broken, with one of the oldest and most visual standards in the book to fall: most points in a season. It was quite a race between teammates over the final weekend, but Adrian’s Adam Krug (21G/35A) edged teammate Shawn Skelly (21G/34A) by a single point to establish the new season record at 56 points, breaking the former mark of 49 set by Marian’s Dave Chipman back in the league’s inaugural season of 1998-99.

The tournament seedings have now been set: Adrian had already clinched the one seed as the regular season champion, but assured its weekend opponent, Concordia, the eighth seed and a return trip next weekend with two victories.

Finlandia had also already secured the No. 2 seed when they claimed the Northern Division title, but kept Lawrence from moving up in the standings with a split. The Vikings posted a 3-2 win Friday, only to see the Lions defend their home ice with a 5-3 win Saturday.

Marian and MSOE split a home-and-home series, leaving the Sabres as the No. 3 seed and allowing the Raiders to wrap up the final spot with home ice for the playoffs as the No. 4 seed. Marian won, 4-1, Friday before MSOE rebounded with a 4-3 win at the Blue Line Ice Center.

Minnesota-Crookston is the No. 6 seed, splitting its series with Northland. The Lumberjacks won, 8-6, Friday, only to see the Golden Eagles get the 4-2 win Saturday to take the sixth seed.

As stated before, the new league records set this season added up to an impressive list:
(Old standard in parentheses)
Season points: 56, Adam Krug, Adrian (49, Dave Chipman, Marian, 1998-99)
Career points: 130, Josh Paquette (99, Dan Odegard, Marian, 1999-2003)
Points by a freshman: 55, Shawn Skelly, Adrian (36, Pat Telford, Marian, 1998-99)
Points by a junior: 56, Adam Krug, Adrian (49, Dave Chipman, Marian, 1998-99)
Points by a Defenseman: 36, Quinn Waller, Adrian (32, Brent Somerville, Findlay , 1998-99)
Season goals: 28, Eric Miller, Adrian (27, Dave Chipman and CJ Koroll, Marian, 1998-99)
Career goals: 47 (tie), Josh Paquette, Finlandia (47, Dave Chipman, Marian, 1998-2000)
Goals by a freshman: 28, Eric Miller, Adrian (17, held by two players)
Power play season goals: 10 (tie), Ryan Sullivan, Finlandia (10, held by two players)
Shorthanded season goals: 5, Carl Bresser, Marian (4, held by four players)
Shorthanded career goals: 8, Carl Bresser, Marian (7; RG Flath, MSOE)
Assists in a game: 5 (tie), Adam Krug and Quinn Waller, Adrian (5, Darryl Somerville, Findlay vs. Benedictine in 1999)
Season assists: 35, Adam Krug, Adrian (24, Brian Soik, MSOE, 2006-07)
Career assists: 83, Josh Paquette, Finlandia (66, Brian Soik, MSOE, 2003-07)
Assists by a freshman: 34, Shawn Skelly, Adrian (21, Josh Paquette, Finlandia, 2004-05)
Assists by a junior: 35, Adam Krug, Adrian (22, Brian Soik, MSOE, 2005-06)
Assists in a game by a defenseman: 5; Quinn Waller, Adrian (4; held by three players)
Assists in a season by a defenseman: 31, Quinn Waller, Adrian (18, Brent Somerville, Findlay, 1998-99)
Goalie winning percentage: 1.000 (tie, 14-0-0), Brad Fogal, Adrian (1.000, 10-0-0, Terry Dunbar, Marian, 2001-02)
Most wins: 14, Brad Fogal, Adrian (13, Terry Dunbar, Marian, 2003-04)
Overall team unbeaten streak: 16 [current], Adrian (12, 12-0-0, 2001-02)
Most goals, season: 168, Adrian (156, Marian, 1998-99)
Power play percentage: .338, Adrian (.301, Marian, 1999-2000)

The chase for the Harris Cup starts this weekend with the first round of the playoffs Feb. 22-24. The opening round is a two-game series with possible mini-game. The winners will advance to the MCHA Tournament, hosted by MSOE at the Kern Center , March 1-2.

         

         
Left to Right: Adam Krug (Adrian) ... Tiger Marcotte (Finlandia) ... Sam Kuzyk (Adrian)

Players of the Week
-Adrian College Bulldogs junior forward Adam Krug (Livonia, Mich.) earns his league-best fifth MCHA Player of the Week award on the season for his record-breaking performance over the weekend. After recording an assist on Friday, he came up big with one goal and five assists Saturday to set a new record for season points at 56. His five assists Saturday also tied the league record for most assists in one game.
Other Nominees: Matt Hahn (Crookston), Nick Matson (Northland), Lee Swallow (MSOE), Ross Rouleau (Finlandia)

-Finlandia University Lions junior defenseman Tiger Marcotte (L’anse, Mich.) earns his second MCHA Defensive Player of the Week award this season. On Friday, he helped the FU defense shut down Lawrence , limiting them to an 0-for-7 showing on the power play. Then, on Saturday, he had two assists in the win while limiting Lawrence to a 1-for-8 showing on the power play.
Other Nominees: Brent Groenke (Crookston), Quinn Waller (Adrian), Daniel McIntosh (Northland), Evan Johnson (Lawrence), Jason Woll (MSOE)

-Adrian College Bulldogs freshman forward Sam Kuzyk (Winnipeg, Manitoba) is recognized for his first MCHA Freshman of the Week award this season for his offensive fireworks over the weekend against Concordia. After a four-goal effort Friday, he topped that with six more points (three goals/three assists) in Saturday’s victory for a league-best 10 points on the weekend.
Other Nominees: Nick Matson (Northland), Matt Jacobs (Lawrence), Ryan Donovan (Finlandia)

 

 

 

 

-February 15, 2008
Bulldog Teammates Both Break MCHA Scoring Mark

Not one, but two Adrian players each broke the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association single-season scoring mark on Friday night. In the Bulldogs 16-2 defeat over Concordia, both Adam Krug (left) and Shawn Skelly (right) eclipsed the former standard of 49 points in a season when each recorded No. 50 of the league campaign.

Krug needed just one point as he entered the night tied for the record. He assisted a Skelly goal 21 seconds into the second period to push his season tally to 50 points on 20 goals and 30 assists.

Skelly needed more points to get there, finishing the night with a hat trick and one assist to push his season tallies to the exact same 50 point total (20G/30A) as Krug. He lit the lamp for his fourth point of the night at the 3:24 mark of the third.

With just one game remaining in the regular season schedule, it should be quite a battle tomorrow to see who ends up holding the new record, set originally by Marian’s Dave Chipman back in 1998-99 (27G/22A). Coincidentally, one (or both) will also hold the new season assist record, as each has passed the former mark of 24, established by Brian Soik of MSOE in 2006-2007.

 

 

 

 

-February 11, 2008
Bulldogs Claim MCHA Regular Season Title
It was quite a weekend for Adrian College. First, on Friday, the team clinched the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title with a 7-4 win over MSOE. Then, on Saturday, it added a prestigious mark to the campaign, breaking the standard of victories by a first-year program with a 5-0 win. The Bulldogs, now 20-3-0 overall, surpassed the former mark of 19 wins by a first-year team, held by both Union College (NY), which went 19-4-0 in 1975-76, and the College of Saint Scholastica, which went 19-5-2 in 1972-73. The two wins helped AC reach No. 9 in the newest USCHO.com poll released today – highlighted by receiving a first place vote – continuing the highest-ever trek for an MCHA team.

Adrian also became the first start-up to win a league title in extending its nation-best win streak to 14 games. That number also established a new MCHA record for overall unbeaten streak, which had been 12 by Marian College in 2001-02. Individually, junior Adam Krug has now tied the mark for league points in a season with 49 (20G/29A). His next point breaks the record set by Marian’s Dave Chipman back in 1998-99.

Longest Overall Unbeaten Streaks in MCHA History
1. Marian 12 (12-0-0), 2001-02
2. MSOE 11 (10-0-1), 2005-06
3. Marian 10 (9-0-1), 1998-99
4. Minnesota-Crookston 10 (10-0-0), 1999-2000
5. Findlay 8 (8-0-0), 1998-99

In other league action, Finlandia University assures itself of the second seed in the league tournament by virtue of wrapping up the Northern Division with a sweep of Minnesota-Crookston. The Lions posted wins of 5-2 and 3-1 to get to 13-5-0 in league play. Marian then assured itself of the No. 3 seed in the league tournament, taking a home-and-home series from Concordia University. The Sabres won 6-2 at home Friday and then 6-5 in Mequon Saturday.

Lawrence University continues its late-season surge for a home series in the first round of the league tournament. The Vikings swept Northland, 6-3 and 5-0, to get to 9-8-1 in league play, just one standings point behind MSOE, which is 10-8-0, with the last weekend to go. So, the top three seeds are set, but all of the remaining seeds are still up in the air heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

         
Left to Right: Marc Howe (Lawrence) ... Brad Fogal (Adrian) ... Ryan Donovan (Finlandia)

Players of the Week
-Lawrence University Vikings sophomore forward Marc Howe (Cedarburg, Wis.) becomes the second-straight Viking to win the MCHA Player of the Week award after his performance in LU’s sweep of Northland. He adds his second Player of the Week award this season to his resume after netting both game-winning goals on the weekend. He started things out with two goals and an assist on Friday before tallying two short-handed goals in Saturday’s win. He finished +5 on the weekend.
Other Nominees: Joe Beaudry (Finlandia), Carl Bresser (Marian)

-Adrian College Bulldogs freshman goalie Brad Fogal (Sharon, ONT) earns his second MCHA Defensive Player of the Week award this year for his undefeated weekend that gave Adrian the regular season crown. Fogal played just over 51 minutes Friday, giving up two goals in the 7-4 decision. Then, Saturday, he made 33 saves to blank the Raiders and up his save percentage to .964 on the weekend. He currently leads MCHA goalies with a .937 save percentage, 1.68 GAA and 1.000 (13-0) winning percentage.
Other Nominees: Ross Rouleau (Finlandia)

-Finlandia University Lions freshman goalie Ryan Donovan (Pinckney, Mich.) is the MCHA Freshman of the Week for the second time this year. He earns the honors for his effort between the pipes against Minnesota-Crookston. He stopped 20 of 22 shots Friday and then 26 of 27 in Saturday’s win (.939 save percentage overall) while limiting the Golden Eagles to a 1-for-15 showing on the power play in the series.
Other Nominees: Brendan Hull (Marian), Josh DeSmit (Lawrence), Brad Houston (Adrian)

 

 

 

 

-February 8, 2008
Adrian College Claims First MCHA Regular Season Title
The amazing run of Adrian College, playing in just its first year of NCAA Division III hockey, continued on Friday evening when it claimed its first Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association regular season championship with a 7-4 victory over the MSOE Raiders. The Bulldogs, led by head coach Ron Fogarty, improved to 19-3-0 overall (16-1 in league) and have now won 13-straight games.

On an individual note, AC's Adam Krug added two more goals in league play, upping his season totals in MCHA action to 48 points (19G/29A). He sits just one point from one of the oldest league records in the book, the highest point total for a season of 49 set by Marian’s Dave Chipman back in 1998-99.


#10 Bulldogs Clinch MCHA Crown With 13th Consecutive Win
Adrian takes third game from MSOE this season
-Courtesy of Adrian College Sports Information

Milwaukee, Wis. - The #10 Adrian College men's varsity hockey team defeated the Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders by a 7-4 score for their 13th straight victory. With the win, the Bulldogs clinch the regular season MCHA title and the #1 seed in the conference tournament in two weeks.

The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first on Friday night when Mike Dahlinger scored a power-play goal at 11:27 for the early 1-0 lead. The Raiders responded with a delayed-penalty goal with 6:52 left in the first period to knot the score at 1-1. The #10 team in the nation in Division III hockey was determined not to go to the locker room with a tie. The Bulldogs netted back-to-back goals at 1:29 (Brad Houston) and at :07 (Jeremy Klaver) to give the Bulldogs a two-goal lead at the break.

The game remained 3-1 in favor of the visitors until midway through the second period when the Raiders scored their second goal of the game to close the gap to one goal. Any momentum that the home team might have gotten from that goal was quickly taken away as Adam Krug hit the puck off of the top post and into the goal 25 seconds later to push the Bulldog cushion back to two. In the final two minutes of the period, Joel Workman netted the game-winner to put the Bulldogs up 5-2 before the second intermission.

In the third period, Krug made a strong move to get himself open and shot the puck through the five hole to give the Bulldogs the 6-2 lead. With 6:26 to play in the contest, the Raiders narrowed the margin to three goals by finding the back of the net for the third time in the game. The Bulldogs once again stifled any attempt to build off of the momentum gained from scoring a goal by responding with a goal of their own. Brad Houston notched the seventh goal of the game for the visitors with 5:30 left to play. A power-play goal with less than 3:30 minutes in the game was all the Raiders could put together to try to mount a late comeback as the Bulldogs claimed the 7-4 victory.

Brad Fogal picked up his 15th win of the season before giving way to Bryan Scott in goal. The two combined for 24 saves in the game.

The #10 Bulldogs and the Raiders will face off again tomorrow afternoon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The puck is set to drop at 3:00 p.m. CT.

 

 

 

-February 4, 2008
Adrian Sweeps First-Place Showdown With Marian
Heading into the weekend just three points ahead of its closest foe, Adrian College opened up a seven-point lead in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association standings with a 5-0 win Friday and a come-from-behind 5-4 overtime win Saturday over Marian College. Saturday was a thriller, as Adrian was down, 4-2, with less than five minutes remaining in the contest before rallying for the win in front of a packed home crowd. The Bulldogs, now 15-1-0 in league play, have 30 points compared to 23 by the Sabres (11-4-1) with four games remaining in the regular season.

Adrian ’s Quinn Waller upped his assist total to 21 on the season, breaking the old standard for defensemen of 18 set by Brant Somerville of Findlay in 1998-99. Teammate Adam Krug upped his league season production to 46 points (17G/29A), currently third all-time and easily within striking distance of the league mark of 49 set by Marian’s Dave Chipman back in 1998-99. The team also extended its unbeaten streak to 12 games (12-0), the second-longest active streak in the nation to the 19 of St. Norbert College and also the longest current win streak. That helped the team move up a spot to No. 10 in the USCHO.com national poll released today – the first time an MCHA team has ever been ranked in the top 10.

Finlandia University came close to clinching the MCHA Northern Division with a sweep of Northland, winning games by scores of 10-1 and 9-0. The Lions lead the division by seven points over Lawrence, who swept Minnesota-Crookston over the weekend. The Vikings got a career-high four goals from Nick Jenette in their 5-3 win Friday and then pulled out an 8-7 overtime win to secure the sweep. Lastly, MSOE gave each series a sweep on the weekend, defeating Concordia, 4-1 and 5-4. The Raiders’ Lee Swallow netted his 150^th career point on the weekend and now has 55 goals and 95 assists overall in his career.

With the opening round of MCHA Tournament play on the schedule for February 22-24, the league seedings will start to round into shape after play this upcoming weekend.

         
         
Left to Right: Nick Jennette (Lawrence) ... Bobby Hineman (Adrian) ... Michael Soik (MSOE)

Players of the Week
-Lawrence University Vikings junior forward Nick Jennette (Grand Rapids, Mich.) is the MCHA Player of the Week for the second time this season, after sharing the honor back on Nov. 5. The biology major carried LU to a 5-3 win with four goals (including the game-winner) Friday and then added two more goals Saturday during a contest in which he was +4 on the ice.
Other Nominees: Joe Beaudry (Finlandia), Lee Swallow (MSOE), Adam Krug (Adrian)

-Adrian College Bulldogs freshman defenseman Bobby Hineman (Odessa, ONT) is the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week after playing a big role in Adrian’s sweep of Marian over the weekend. He assisted the game-winner and was +1 in Friday’s shutout, helping limit the potent Sabre line-up to no goals on 22 shots. Then, on Saturday, he capped Adrian’s big comeback victory with the game-winner in overtime.
Other Nominees: Ross Rouleau (Finlandia), Lukas Alberer (Finlandia), Josh Peterson (Lawrence)

-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders freshman forward Michael Soik (Stevens Point, Wis.) earns the MCHA Freshman of the Week award for his production in the sweep of Concordia. The mechanical engineering major had a six-point weekend and was +5 overall, netting four goals and two assists. He had both game-winning goals against the Falcons as well.
Other Nominees: Alex Maginnis (Minnesota-Crookston), Eric Bailen (Adrian), Josh DeSmit (Lawrence)

 

 

 

 

 

 

-January 28, 2008
Adrian Closes in on National Top 10 Ranking
Adrian College swept Northland College over the weekend, extending the nation’s third-longest current unbeaten streak to 10 games (10-0-0). The victories helped the Bulldogs move up in the polls as well, as they come in at No. 11 in the USCHO.com Top 15 poll released today – up from No. 13 a week ago.

The first-year program continues to impress, as they lead the nation in scoring at 7.32 goals a game (Neumann is second at 5.21) and scoring margin at 4.74 (Plattsburgh is second at 3.15). Individually, the lineup boasts the top three scorers at the NCAA D-III level. Adam Krug (17G/33A) and Shawn Skelly (22G/28A) are tied for the lead in the nation, both with 50 points. Eric Miller (27G/21A) sits in third with his nation-leading 27 goals, giving the team the only three players nationally with over 40 points on the season. Adrian defeated Northland, 18-1 and 7-0, with the 18 goals scored the most in league play in almost 10 years (Marian and Findlay each had 18 in early December of 1998).

In other series, Minnesota-Crookston also swept its opponent, getting past Concordia by scores of 6-0 and 4-3. The Finlandia vs. MSOE series ended in a split, with MSOE winning Friday, 6-3, before the Lions posted a 6-1 victory Saturday. Lawrence and Marian played a home-and-home series, with the Sabres winning 4-3 at home Friday before the Vikings battled for a 4-4 tie Saturday.

Plenty of records have already been broken this season, most notably the season record for assists which fell this past weekend when Adam Krug ended play with 26 helpers. That broke the season record of 24, set by MSOE’s Brian Soik in 2006-07. Additionally, Shawn Skelly has set a new standard for assists by a freshman. He currently has 23, breaking the old mark of 21 set by Josh Paquette of Finlandia in 2004-05. Eric Miller has one record already and another in his sights. His 22 goals sets a new mark for goals by a freshman, which had been 17 by MSOE’s R.G. Flath in 2005-06 and Finlandia’s Joe Lewis in 2004-05. He also has nine power play goals, just one off the season record of 10. Joining him on that list is Finlandia’s Ryan Sullivan, who also currently has nine power play markers. Skelly (38 points) and Miller (37 points) have each already passed the freshman season point record of 36 held by Marian College’s Pat Telford, set in 1998-1999. Adrian ’s Quinn Waller’s 18 assists in league play tie the old standard of 18 held by Brant Somerville of Findlay in 1998-99. Lastly, Marian College ’s Carl Bresser set new season and career marks for short-handed goals this year. His total of five in league play eclipses the old standard of four (held by four players) and his career total of eight sets a new standard as well.

         

         
Left to Right: Adam Krug (Adrian) ...Eric Everson (Crookston) ... Matt Jacobs (Lawrence)

Players of the Week
-Adrian College Bulldogs junior forward Adam Krug (Livonia, Mich.) earns his league-best fourth MCHA Player of the Week award on the season. The high-scoring Krug set two records this weekend in regards to assists. On Friday, he recorded two goals and three assists, setting a new record for MCHA assists by a junior. Then, on Saturday, he added another goal and three more assists to push his season total to 26, breaking the league season mark of 24 assists. His three goals and six assists represented a league-high nine points for the week.
Other Nominees: Lee Swallow (MSOE), Jeff Wills (Marian), Ryan Tucker (UM-Crookston), Mike Parks (Finlandia)

-University of Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles junior goalie Eric Everson (Stevens Point, Wis.) wins his second MCHA Defensive Player of the Week award this season. He made 20 saves in Friday’s shutout over Concordia and then made it back-to-back wins with 27 more saves in a 4-3 victory Saturday.
Other Nominees: Quinn Waller (Adrian), Jeff Wills (Marian), Jason Woll (MSOE), Lukas Alberer (Finlandia)

-Lawrence University Vikings freshman forward Matt Jacobs (East Northport, NY) earns the MCHA Freshman of the Week honors for his weekend efforts against Marian College. The biology major scored a goal and was +2 in the 4-3 loss on Friday before recording three assists in LU’s 4-4 OT decision Saturday.
Other Nominees: Michael Soik (MSOE), Eric Miller (Adrian), Eric Everson (UM-Crookston)

 

 

 

-January 21, 2008
Bulldogs Rise to No. 13 in the Nation After Big Weekend
Adrian College moved into first place in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association standings over the weekend by sweeping Minnesota-Crookston, posting victories of 9-1 and 14-2 to stand in at 11-1 in league play. The 14 goals was not only a season-high for an MCHA team, but the most scored by a league squad since Marian College had 16 in a victory over Lawrence back on November 20, 1999. In the Friday game, Bulldog defenseman Quinn Waller tied the league mark for assists by a defenseman in a game with four. In the USCHO.com national poll released today, Adrian rose to No. 13 in the nation – the highest-ever ranking for an MCHA squad (MSOE was as high as No. 14 in Feb. of 2006).

Elsewhere, Marian had to make the long trip to Finlandia, winning 5-0 Friday before the Lions roared back with a come-from-behind, 5-4 victory Saturday, scoring three third-period goals to hand the Sabres their second loss (10-2) in league play.

In the other two series, Concordia posted its first-ever shutout win, as goalkeeper Alexander Koeppen made 52 saves in the 3-0 decision Friday. Lawrence responded with a 10-5 win Saturday, despite 63 more saves by Koeppen. MSOE also turned in a weekend sweep, traveling to Northland to get wins of 8-2 and 6-3.

Players of the Week
-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders sophomore forward Stephen Smiddy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) is this week’s MCHA Player of the Week for his work against Northland on the weekend. The mechanical engineering major struck for a hat trick Friday, netting two five-vs.-five goals and one on the power play.
Other Nominees: James Goodfellow (Marian)

-Finlandia University Lions junior defenseman Tiger Marcotte (L’anse, Mich.) is the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week. He had a goal and two third-period assists in FU’s 5-4 comeback win Saturday and was a +2 on the ice.
Other Nominees: Jeff Wills (Marian), Mike Jantzi (MSOE)

-Marian College Sabres freshman defenseman Brandon Blair (Regina, SK) earns the MCHA Freshman of the Week award for his gutty performance in the series with Finlandia. Despite playing the entire weekend with the flu, the sports and recreational management major had two assists and was +4 in Marian’s win on Friday. He finished the weekend +3 on the ice.
Other Nominees: Michael Soik (MSOE), Ryan Donovan (Finlandia)

 

 

-January 15, 2008
Adrian Cracks Top 15 in Poll; Marian Also Receiving Votes
After spending much of the season receiving votes in the USCHO.com Top 15 Poll, Adrian College has moved into the rankings, taking over the No. 15 spot after a 2-0 weekend upped its season record to 12-3-0 overall. Also receiving votes in the poll for the first time this season was Marian, giving the league four different schools (MSOE and Finlandia as well) to earn votes in the poll this season.

The Bulldogs, currently 9-1 in the league standings, added to their resume this season, which includes currently leading NCAA D-III hockey in scoring per game (6.07 gpg) and a victory over a Top 10 team (Adrian beat #7 Neumann, 7-6, 10/28/07). They are also closing in on the record for wins by a first-year MCHA team (Minnesota-Crookston won 15 games its first year in the league in 1999-2000).

	Team	(1st Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	St. Norbert	(17)	15-1-1	296	1
2	Elmira	(3)	11-0-2	280	2
3	Plattsburgh		15-2-0	261	3
4	St. Thomas		10-2-1	232	4
5	UW-River Falls		12-2-3	221	6
6	Hobart		12-2-0	192	9
7	Manhattanville		9-3-1	160	5
8	Southern Maine		10-1-2	145	7
9	UW-Stout		12-3-1	129	8
10	Middlebury		8-2-1	125	12
11	Norwich		10-3-0	120	10
12	Bowdoin		9-2-0	69	15
13	Babson		8-2-2	61	11
14	Oswego		10-4-2	33	14
15	Adrian		12-3-0	24	NR
Others Receiving Votes: New England College 21, Neumann 20, Bethel 5, Amherst 2, Wis.-Superior 2, Gustavus Adolphus 1, Marian 1

 

 

 

 

-January 14, 2008
Adrian and Marian Move to Head of the Class
Two teams tightened their grips on a looming battle for first-place in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association standings over the weekend, as Adrian College and Marian College both improved to 9-1 in league play with weekend sweeps. The Bulldogs took care of business against Concordia, beating the Falcons, 10-3 and 7-2. Marian, meanwhile, not only defeated MSOE for the first time in over two years, but one-upped that by taking a pair (3-2 Friday/4-3 Saturday) from the Raiders for the first time since February 7 and 8, 2004.

Not to be lost in the shuffle was Northland, who recorded 4-3 and 8-0 victories over Minnesota-Crookston to earn its first league weekend sweep since November of 2001 and also tallied its first-ever shutout against a varsity opponent. In the other series, Finlandia and Lawrence split a pair, with the Vikings winning, 5-3, Friday before the Lions roared back for a 7-2 victory Saturday to increase it's lead in the Northern Division. Of note in the Concordia/Adrian series was a near-record 70 saves by CUW goalie Justus Neumann Saturday, just missing the MCHA record of 71 (Todor Petkov, Northland College vs MSOE, 02/05/05).

Heading into the second half of the season, several MCHA names dot the NCAA rankings in numerous categories. Adrian boasts three of the top five scorers in the nation, with Shawn Skelly (16G/20A=nation-leading 36 points), Eric Miller (17G/16A) and Adam Krug (10G/22A) all in the top five. As a team, the Bulldogs also pace the nation in scoring at 6.07 goals per game and 91 total goals, with runner-up Neumann second at a 5.31 gpg clip. Adrian is also second in scoring margin at +3.07.

Other individual leaders include Finlandia's Ryan Sullivan leading the way with nine power-play goals, Marian's Carl Bresser with a high of five short-handed goals and AC's Skelly tied for first with four game-winners.

         
         
Left to Right: James Goodfellow (Marian) ... Daniel McIntosh (Northland) ... Eric Miller (Adrian)

Players of the Week
-Marian College Sabres junior forward James Goodfellow (Naperville, IL) keyed Marian's victories over MSOE with his play over the weekend to earn his second MCHA Player of the Week award of the year. On Friday, he had an assist before netting the game-winner halfway through the third period. Then, on Saturday, the captain and criminal justice major had three assists - including one on the game-winner - in MC's 4-3 come-from-behind win. 
Other Nominees: Josh Paquette (Finlandia), Ryan Tucker (UM-Crokston), Daniel McIntosh (Northland)

-Northland College freshman goalie Daniel McIntosh (Calgary, Alb.) gets the nod for MCHA Defensive Player of the Week for his work in the Lumberjacks noteworthy weekend. He posted his first collegiate win Friday with 26 saves. The engineering major then topped that with an 8-0 shutout Saturday, stopping 40 shots for the unprecendented shutout for Northland. For icing on the cake, he added an assist on NC's fourth goal of the night.
Other Nominees: Jason Jadczak (Marian), Tiger Marcotte (Finlandia), Jim Ryan (Lawrence), Brian Zwawa (Northland)

-Adrian College freshman forward Eric Miller (Erlanger, Kent.) earns his second MCHA Freshman of the Week award this season for his work on offense in Adrian's convincing sweep of Concordia. He tallied two more goals in each game to give him 17 overall on the year and 12 in league games. Miller currently sits second in league scoring with 22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists.
Other Nominees: Zach Kozak (Northland), Tony Huberty (Northland)

 

 

 

 

-January 7, 2008
MCHA Gets New Year Started With Non-Conference Action
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association returned to the ice with a weekend of non-conference contests last weekend. Adrian College won its only game of the weekend, topping Geneseo, 7-4, to maintain its hold on first place in the nation in scoring at 5.69 goals per game (second place Neumann averages 5.31). Marian split its first game back on the ice, topping Gustavus Adolphus, 4-0, and falling to No. 6 UW-River Falls. MSOE dropped a home-and-home series to No. 1 St. Norbert, Concordia dropped a pair to Hamline and Lawrence and Finlandia also lost their first games of 2008.

It's back to conference action this weekend, with all eight teams squaring off, including a pivotal series between MSOE and Marian. 

         
         
Left to Right: Shawn Skelly (Adrian) ... Jason Jadczak (Marian) ... Chris Stansik (Adrian)

Players of the Week
-Adrian College Bulldog freshman forward Shawn Skelly (Wolverine Lake, Mich.) earns his first MCHA Player of the Week award, cited for his impressive stat line in Adrian's victory over Geneseo. Not only did he record a hat trick, but also tallied the game-winning goal and two other assists to have a hand in five of the team's seven goals in the 7-4 victory. With 31 points on the season (14G/17A), he is currently the highest-scoring freshman at the NCAA D-III level.

-Marian College Sabres junior goalie Jason Jadczak (Des Plaines, Ill.) is the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in Marian's two games last weekend. The marketing major got both starts, stopping 33 of 36 shots for a save percentage of .917 against No. 6 River Falls Friday. On Saturday, he recorded the shutout by stopping all 20 Gustavus Adolphus shots. For the weekend, he stopped 53 of 56 shots for a save percentage of .946, boosting his season totals to a .936 save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average.

-Adrian College Bulldog freshman defenseman Chris Stansik (Livonia, Mich.) gives the Bulldogs two of the three weekly awards by earning MCHA Freshman of the Week honors. He tallied two assists and was +4 on the ice in his team's win over Geneseo.

 

 

 

 

-December 20, 2007
College Hockey in Wausau Featuring Finlandia University and Augsburg College
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association announces the following information about the upcoming Finlandia vs. Augsburg series.

Finlandia University - Hancock, Michigan
Member (MCHA) Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association

versus

Augsburg College - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Member (MIAC) Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Neutral site games at the Greenheck Field House

Friday              December 28^th,            8:00PM
Saturday           December 29^th,            8:00PM

Admission is FREE.

The two teams are playing these neutral site games to showcase and promote their Schools and Hockey Programs. Everyone in the Central Wisconsin area is invited to attend.


In addition to the games, a college hockey seminar will be give by Augsburg Head Coach Chris Brown and Finlandia Head Coach Joe Burcar.

They will present their ideas on Division III NCAA hockey, what youth and High School coaches can do to develop College level players, and what players have to do to get to that level. A question and answer session will follow.

Saturday December 29th in the DC Everest Senior High Auditorium
11:00-11:30 Open to all Youth Hockey and High School Hockey coaches.
11:30-12:30 Open to all Youth Hockey and High School Hockey coaches,
and all Youth and High School players and Parents.

For additional information on these events contact
Terry Brand Greenheck Field House 715-359-6563

Chris Brown Head Hockey Coach Augsburg College 612-330-1301
brownc3@augsburg.edu 
http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/mhockey/


Joe Burcar Head Hockey Coach Finlandia University 906-487-7316
joe.burcar@finlandia.edu
http://www.finlandia.edu/Department/...enshockey.html

 

 

 

-December 10, 2007
Adrian Wins First-Place Battle; Marian Keeps Pace With Sweep
Three teams in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association entered play last weekend with just one loss and a 5-1-0 mark. Two survived, thanks to Adrian ’s sweep of MSOE and Marian’s sweep of Concordia to both improve to 7-1-0 in league play and find themselves in first place.

The Bulldogs won, 5-1, Friday and 4-0 Saturday to record the sweep, while the Sabres recorded wins of 4-1 Friday and 5-2 Saturday. Finlandia moved into third place after a sweep of Minnesota-Crookston, improving to 6-2-0 with 5-2 and 3-6 victories. Lawrence took a pair of games from Northland, getting a come-from-behind, 4-3, win Friday and a 4-0 decision Saturday.

The league will take a break from conference play from now until January 11, 2008. Included in the list is a battle between MSOE and current No. 1 St. Norbert’s and Marian taking on current No. 6 UW-River Falls Jan. 4.

         
         
Left to Right: Marc Howe (Lawrence) ... Brad Fogal (Adrian) ... Ryan Donovan (Finlandia)

Players of the Week
-Lawrence University sophomore forward Marc Howe (Cedarburg, Wis.) is the MCHA Player of the Week for his role in LU’s weekend sweep of Northland. He keyed a big comeback win Friday to start things out. Down 3-1, he assisted the next goal before adding the winner to give him three points (2G/1A) in the contest. Then, he tallied another goal Saturday, netting a short-handed goal to start things out and ended +3 for the weekend.
Other Nominees: Nick Cinquegrani (Marian), Ryan Sullivan (Finlandia), Jared Kopp (Minnesota-Crookston)

-Adrian College Bulldogs freshman goalie Brad Fogal (Sharon, ONT) earns MCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors for his work in the Bulldogs sweep of MSOE. He gave up just one goal against the defending regular season champs, making 18 saves on Friday and 23 Saturday for a 0.50 GAA and .976 save percentage for the week. He also recorded Adrian ’s first-ever shutout and currently leads MCHA goalies with a .940 save percentage and 1.67 GAA.
Other Nominees: Jason Jadczak (Marian), Jason Woll (MSOE), Ross Rouleau (Finlandia), Jim Ryan (Lawrence)

-Finlandia University Lions freshman goalie Ryan Donovan (Pinckney, Mich.) played well in his team’s sweep on the weekend, earning him MCHA Freshman of the Week honors. He stopped 25 of 27 shots in Friday’s 5-2 win and made 15 more saves Saturday. For the weekend, he held the Golden Eagles to a 3-for-16 showing on the power play.
Other Nominees: Mike Dahlinger ( Adrian ), Matt Jacobs ( Lawrence )

 

 

 

 

 

-December 3, 2007
Three-Way Tie For First Place as December Starts
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association will have quite a race on its hand for the regular season championship if things keep up the way they have started this season. After six league games, MSOE, Adrian and Marian all sit at the top of the standings with a 5-1-0 mark and 10 points in conference action.

MSOE earned their record with a sweep of Concordia, topping the Falcons 9-3 and 6-1. The Sabres gave the Bulldogs their first loss of the league season Friday, winning 7-5 on the strength of four third-period goals. Adrian returned the favor Saturday, posting a 7-2 victory to earn the split.

Minnesota-Crookston started the week with its first win of the season, a 6-1 victory over Concordia (MN) Tuesday. The Golden Eagles then carried that momentum into the weekend, knocking off Lawrence by scores of 3-2 Saturday and 1-0 Sunday. Finlandia was also in action, sweeping Northland to move into first in the Northern Division. FU’s Josh Paquette continues to make his mark on the MCHA Record Book, setting a new standard for career assists with his 67^th on Friday, passing Brian Soik’s mark of 66.

         
         
Left to Right: John Lombardi (Minnesota-Crookston) ... Eric Everson (Minnesota-Crookston) ... Shawn Skelly (Adrian)

Players of the Week
-Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle sophomore forward John Lombardi (Apple, Valley, Minn.) earns the first MCHA Player of the Week award for his team this season. He played a big role in Crookston posting a perfect 3-0 week, scoring three goals and adding an assist for four points. On Tuesday, he scored two power play goals in a win over Concordia-Moorhead. Saturday, Lombardi added an assist on the opening goal of the game as Crookston went on to win 3-2 over Lawrence University . On Sunday, he scored the third period-game winner in unassisted fashion as the Golden Eagles defeated Lawrence , 1-0.
Other Nominees: Lee Swallow (MSOE), Josh Paquette (Finlandia), Jeff Diehl (Northland)

-Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle junior goalie Eric Everson (Stevens Point, Wis.) gives his team two awards this week, as his work between the pipes is recognized with MCHA Defensive Player of the Week accolades. On Tuesday, Everson stopped 27 shots as the Golden Eagles crushed Concordia-Moorhead, 6-1, to gain their first victory of the season. On Saturday, he had 45 saves in a 3-2 victory over Lawrence University . Then, on Sunday, Everson was unstoppable as he blanked Lawrence on 36 shots to record a 1-0 shutout victory.
Other Nominees: Tiger Marcotte (Finlandia), Daniel McIntosh (Northland), Michael Wyenn (MSOE)

-Adrian College Bulldog freshman forward Shawn Skelly (Wolverine Lake, Mich.) gets the nod for MCHA Freshman of the Week for his play in Adrian ’s split with Marian. He started the weekend with four points (1G/3A) Friday and then went for another assist and the first two goals of the game Saturday as AC posted a win. His six points on the weekend give him 24 (10 G/14A) on the year – the highest total in the nation at the NCAA D-III level.
Other Nominees: Michael Soik (MSOE), Ryan Donovan (Finlandia), Daniel McIntosh (Northland)

 

 

 

-November 30, 2007
Finlandia's Paquette New Career MCHA Assists Leader
Finlandia's Josh Paquette established a new Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association record Friday night, as his assist on Ryan Sullivan's goal at the 1:57 mark of the third period was his record-breaking 67th in conference play.

Paquette entered play this season with 60 career assists in MCHA play. After breaking the career points record earlier this season (November 9), he has now also eclipsed former MSOE forward Brian Soik's record of 66 career assists as well, standing in at a current total of 67.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving Schedule a Light One for MCHA
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association featured a light holiday schedule, with just four teams playing non-conference opponents last week. Finlandia started things out Tuesday, falling to #14 UW-Superior, 2-1.

On the weekend, Lawrence earned a hard-fought 1-1 tie with Lake Forest , while Concordia fell to St. Olaf and UW-Stevens Point. MSOE was also in action Saturday night, falling to #14 UW-Superior, 3-0. That game was a first in the history of the MCHA, as it featured two ranked teams playing each other for the first time in conference history, as the Raiders carried a rank of No. 15 heading into the contest.

All eight teams return to conference action this upcoming weekend.

Player of the Week
-Lawrence University Vikings freshman goalkeeper Evan Johnson (Suwanee, GA) earns MCHA Player of the Week honors for his play on defense and offense in LU’s 1-1 tie against Lake Forest . Between the pipes, he stopped 31 of 32 shots, including five saves in overtime. He also helped out on offense, assisting on the lone Viking goal in the first period.

 

 

 

 

-November 19, 2007
Adrian and Marian Move to the Head of the Line
The season has just started, but Adrian and Marian have made the most of it, with both moving to a perfect 4-0 in league play after sweeping two games over the weekend. Adrian continues to make a strong first impression, beating Finlandia on the road by scores of 7-3 in the opener and 4-2 Saturday. The Sabres have been just as impressive in league play, knocking off Minnesota-Crookston by scores of 7-4 and 7-1 at home. In addition to both squads being 4-0, they both have nearly identical statistics in goals for/goals against ( Adrian 24-10, Marian 25-9). In the other match-up, two teams each recorded their first victories of the season after Concordia and Northland split their series. Friday’s 3-2 win for CUW was the first in its program history.

A couple of names have popped up in the national leaders for the MCHA, as Marian’s Carl Bresser currently leads the NCAA D-III level in short-handed goals. Also topping the list are two players from Adrian : Adam Krug and Shawn Skelly are currently tied with each other for the nation’s scoring lead with 18 points each. Adrian is also second in D-III in scoring as a team, scoring at a clip of 5.75 goals a game (the leader is Southern Maine at 6.0, but they have only played two games).

The national poll released Monday again included two teams from the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. MSOE moved back into the Top 15 after taking the week off (at No. 15) and Adrian was among those receiving votes for the first time this season.

         
         
Left to Right: Adam Krug (Adrian) ... Ira Greenberg (Marian) ... Shaun Newman (Northland)

Players of the Week
-Adrian College junior forward Adam Krug (Livonia, Mich.) was at it again this past weekend, earning his third MCHA Player of the Week honor of the season in the process. In a highly-anticipated battle with Finlandia, he started things out Friday with the game-winning goal and an assist - while recording a +3 total on the ice - in Adrian’s 7-3 win. He took his team on his back Saturday, leading the Bulldogs back from a 2-0 deficit by having a hand in all four goals, scoring twice and assisting the other two (and was +2 as well).
Other Nominees: Teal Plaine (Crookston), Kent Lillejord (Northland), Carl Bresser (Marian), Ray Tremblay (Northland)

-Marian College Sabres freshman goalie Ira Greenberg (Richmond Hill, Ont.) helped lead the Sabres to a sweep over the weekend on both sides of the puck, earning MCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors as a result. The marketing major stopped 29 of 30 shots (.967 save %) to record the victory in goal Saturday. He also tied the league game record with two assists from his goalie position (first set by Northland’s Bo Storozuk last season), setting up two first-period goals in a span of 49 seconds.
Other Nominees: Brad Fogal (Adrian), Adam Gorecki (Northland), Greg Copeland (Marian)

-Northland College Lumberjacks freshman defenseman Shaun Newman (Hillmond, Sask.) earns his first MCHA Freshman of the Week award after helping his team to its first victory of the season. He tied a league game record for defensemen when he assisted all four goals in Northland’s 4-3 victory over Concordia on Saturday. The win also snapped a 34-game skid for the Lumberjacks.
Other Nominees: Shawn Skelly (Adrian), Kent Lillejord (Northland), Ray Tremblay (Northland)

 

 

 

 

-November 12, 2007
Three Teams Earn Weekend Sweeps In League Action
Finlandia, Adrian and MSOE all earned sweeps on a busy weekend, propelling each to an early lead in the overall standings. Adrian ’s was noteworthy, as it came in its first-ever weekend set in league play, as the Bulldogs got past Lawrence by scores of 9-2 and 4-3. The Raiders grabbed the top spot by improving to 3-1 in MCHA action, defeating Minnesota-Crookston by scores of 5-3 and 7-4. The Lions opened their season with a bang, upending Concordia in its first-ever league games by scores of 10-3 in the opener and 5-2 Saturday.

Finlandia’s Josh Paquette did not wait long to break the all-time MCHA scoring mark, assisting Ryan Sullivan's first goal of the night Friday at the 19:10 mark of the first period. He finished with three assists in the game and now has career totals of 102 points on 39 goals and 63 assists. Paquette entered play this season tied with former Marian College forward Dan Odegard (42G/57A), each with 99 points on the all-time list. Former MSOE forward Brian Soik's record of 66 career assists will be the next target in his sights.

In other action, Marian fell to #15 Bethel Friday and then almost pulled the upset Saturday. The Sabres were up 3-0 but a Bethel comeback prevented the big victory. Northland was also in action, falling to UW-Superior Tuesday.

The league continues to have two teams receiving votes in the national Top 15 poll, as MSOE and Finlandia appeared once again in the new poll released today among "others receiving votes".

         
         
Left to Right: Adam Krug (Adrian) ... Ross Rouleau (Finlandia) ... Alex Maginnis (Crooskton)

Players of the Week
- Adrian College junior forward Adam Krug (Livonia, Mich.) earns his second MCHA Player of the Week honor of the season in a tight race. After starting the weekend with two assists in the Adrian win Friday, he tallied a hat trick – including the game-winning goal – in Adrian ’s 4-3 victory Saturday to help them to the weekend sweep over Lawrence .
Other Nominees: Blair Hanberg (MSOE), Mike Parks (Finlandia), Carl Bresser (Marian), Alex Maginnis (Crookston)

-Finlandia University Lions sophomore defenseman Ross Rouleau (Hancock, MI) stepped right in to the start of his season to earn MCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors. He had three assists in Friday’s victory and added a goal Saturday. For the weekend, he had four points and was +4 on the ice.
Other Nominees: Jason Yolo (MSOE)

-Minnesota -Crookston Golden Eagles freshman forward Alex Maginnis (Mason City, IA) earns his first MCHA Freshman of the Week award for his efforts against defending league champ MSOE. He scored three goals (two on the power play) and added an assist in two games on the weekend. He leads the team with six points this year.
Other Nominees: Michael Soik (MSOE), Garrett Lee (Finlandia), Shawn Skelly (Adrian)

 

 

 

 

-November 9, 2007
Finlandia's Paquette New Career MCHA Points Leader
Finlandia's Josh Paquette established a new Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association record Friday night, as his assist on Ryan Sullivan's goal at the 6:43 mark of the second period was his historic 100th career point in conference play. He would go on to add another assist for point No. 101 later in the game for good measure.

Paquette entered play this season tied with former Marian College forward Dan Odegard (42G/57A), each with 99 points. Paquette has now recorded 39 goals and 62 assists in his career in league action, with former MSOE forward Brian Soik's record of 66 career assists the next target in his sights.

Editor's Note: After a scoring change, Paquette was credited with an assist on Ryan Sullivan's first goal of the night at the 19:10 mark of the first period. He then finished with three assists in the game and now has career totals of 102 points on 39 goals and 63 assists. 

 

 

 

-November 8, 2007
Marian College Will “Pink Out” the Blue Line for Breast Cancer Support Nov. 17
-Courtesy of Marian College Director of Public Relations Steve Prestegard
CONTACT: 920-923-7656
Fond du Lac, Wis. - Marian College hockey fans will have a chance to “Pink Out” the Blue Line Family Ice Center Saturday, Nov. 17.

The hockey team will be selling pink T-shirts for $15 before the Sabres’ game against Minnesota–Crookston Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. The T-shirts will be on sale at Marian’s Common Grounds Coffee House; Festival Foods, 1125 E. Johnson St., Fond du Lac; and Snap Fitness, 512 N. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac. The T-shirts will serve as tickets for the game. T-shirts also will be on sale at the game for $20. All proceeds will go to the Deanna Favre HOPE Foundation to fight breast cancer.

“We want every person at the game to wear a pink T-shirt to create a ‘Pink Out’ at the game,” says Marian hockey coach Jasen Wise, whose mother was treated for breast cancer.

For more information, contact Wise, (920) 923-7667, jtwise@mariancollege.edu.

 

 

-November 5, 2007
Marian Sweeps Past Northland; MSOE and Lawrence Split to Open League
Conference play in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association began this past weekend and Marian College emerged with the early lead, sweeping past Northland by scores of 3-2 (in OT) and 8-2. Lawrence opened its league slate with a thrilling win, downing defending league champ MSOE by a score of 6-5 Friday by scoring four third-period goals - including the game-winner with just eight seconds left in the game. The Raiders responded with a 5-2 victory Saturday to get the split. Crookston also opened its season, falling twice to No. 15 Bethel. The final league team gets underway this weekend, as Harris Cup champion Finlandia opens its slate at Concordia.

              
             
Left to right: James Goodfellow (Marian) ... Nick Jennette (Lawrence) ... Josh Peterson (Lawrence) ... Brendan Hull (Marian)

Players of the Week
-Marian College Sabres junior forward James Goodfellow (Naperville, IL) and Lawrence University junior forward Nick Jennette (Grand Rapids, MI) both played big roles in their teams’ success this weekend, so they will share MCHA Player of the Week honors. Goodfellow, an administration of justice major, opened the weekend with two assists in Marian’s 3-2 win, including one on the OT game-winner. Then, on Saturday, he added two goals and one more assist, finishing the weekend with five points (2G/3A) and was +4. Jennette played hero for the Vikings on Friday, as the biology major had a part in three of the final five goals of the game. His first goal made it 5-2 at the end of the second. After assisting the fourth goal, he saved his best for last, netting the game-winner with just eight seconds remaining in the contest.
Other Nominees: Lee Swallow (MSOE), Chad Moore (Northland), Kent Lillejord (Northland)

-Lawrence University Vikings senior defenseman Josh Peterson (Duluth, MN) let his offensive skills speak for him Friday, tying the league game record for assists by a defensemen when he recorded four assists in LU’s 6-5 victory to help him earn MCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors. The biology major added another assist Saturday.
Other Nominees: Jason Yolo (MSOE)

-Marian College Sabres freshman forward Brendan Hull (Calgary, Alberta) earns MCHA Freshman of the Week honors after his performance in the weekend sweep of Northland. The business major assisted the game-winner Friday before breaking out for three goals and one assist in Marian’s win Saturday, including a short-handed tally and the game-winner. He had five points (3G/2A) on the weekend and was +4.
Other Nominees: Evan Johnson (Lawrence), Chad Moore (Northland), Kent Lillejord (Northland)

 

 

 

 

-October 29, 2007
Adrian Knocks Off No. 7 Neumann; MSOE Sweeps Lake Forest to Open Season 
The 10^th season of play in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association is under way, and by the looks of it, is off to a great start. League newcomer Adrian College started things off last week, posting a 9-1 win over Potsdam in its first-ever game Oct. 19. They upped the ante this weekend, knocking off No. 7 Neumann Sunday, overcoming a 6-2 deficit with four third-period goals to force overtime, before winning 7-6. They also lost a heartbreaker, 3-2, on Saturday after jumping out to a 2-0 lead. The victory marks the eighth time an MCHA team has beaten (or tied) an opponent ranked in the Top 10 in the nation.

Adrian beat #7 Neumann, 7-6, 10/28/07
Marian tied #4 UW-River Falls, 4-4, 1/4/07
Finlandia beat #4 UW-Superior, 5-3, 12/16/06
Finlandia beat #12 MSOE, 6-5, 2/18/06
MSOE beat #11 Babson, 3-2, 11/26/05
Marian tied #3 St. Norbert, 3-3, 11/26/04
Marian beat #5 UW-River Falls, 4-2, 1/9/04
Crookston tied #9 St. John’s, 3-3, 12/13/03

MSOE got its season off to a 2-0 start, sweeping Lake Forest for the first time in school history in the home-and-home weekend series. Marian opened against #12 UW-Stout, playing the Blue Devils even throughout the game, with the contest tied 5-5 until a late Stout goal won it. Northland was on the ice as well, falling to #12 Stout and to UW-River Falls.

         
         
Left to right: Adam Krug (Adrian) ... Chris Keller (MSOE) ... Eric Miller (Adrian)

Players of the Week
-Adrian College junior forward Adam Krug (Livonia, Mich.) gives the Bulldogs their first MCHA Player of the Week award in their first opportunity. Krug played brilliantly in Adrian ’s season-opening win, scoring twice and assisting the game-winner. Then, this past Sunday, he played a key role in helping his team beat the No. 7 team in the country. He had a goal and three assists in the game and had a hand in three of the four goals that the Bulldogs scored in the comeback third period.
Other Nominees: Lee Swallow (MSOE), Tony Huberty (Northland)

-Milwaukee School of Engineering freshman goaltender Chris Keller ( Amherst , NY ) is the first MCHA Defensive Player of the Week this season. He helped MSOE record its first-ever sweep of Lake Forest, starting both games on the weekend. He ended with a 1.96 GAA and .932 save percentage.
Other Nominees: Jeremy Klaver (Adrian), Daniel McIntosh (Northland)

-Adrian College freshman forward Eric Miller (Erlanger, Kent.) gives the Bulldogs two out of three award winners with the MCHA Freshman of the Week honor. He recorded three points (1G/2A) in the home-opening win to start things off. He then went on to add two goals and two assists in Adrian’s 7-6 OT win over Neumann, including lighting the lamp for the tying goal with just 21 seconds left in regulation. He has accumulated nine points (4G/5A) though just four games in 2007-08.
Other Nominees: Todd Collins (Marian), Tony Huberty (Northland), Daniel McIntosh (Northland), Chris Keller (MSOE)

 

 

 

 

-October 28, 2007
Hello Adrian ... New MCHA Team Starts Season With Win Over No. 7 Team in Nation
Adrian College has made quite a first impression on joining the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association this season. After opening the schedule with a 9-1 victory over Potsdam last week, the team went out east for a weekend showdown with No. 7 Neumann. After a tough 3-2 loss on Saturday, the Bulldogs responded with a thrilling 7-6 win in overtime Sunday. They did it by overcoming a 6-2 deficit after two periods, on the strength of scoring four times in the third to force extra time.

The following story is courtesy of the Adrian Sports Information Office:
The Adrian men's ice hockey team provided high drama on Sunday with a dramatic 7-6 win in overtime over #7 Neumann. The Bulldogs struggled during the first two periods and found themselves in a 6-2 hole after 40 minutes. Adrian showed their true character in the third period by scoring four times to tie the game at 6-6 and send things into overtime for the first time in the history of the program.

The Bulldogs got a big break in the extra session as Kyle Casey went into the penalty box for hooking at 1:20 for Neumann. Adrian got the game-winning goal with just five seconds left on the power play off the stick of Jeremy Klaver at 3:15. Klaver's second goal of the season was assisted by Eric Miller and Quinn Waller and Adrian improved its record to 2-2 on the season.

Brad Fogal came into the game after Neumann's second goal of the game and played 41:10 in net for Adrian. He made 26 saves and allowed four goals but did make five saves in overtime to give the Bulldogs a chance at the victory. Bryan Scott got the start in net and made 19 saves in 22:05.

Adrian College really made the most of their opportunities on the power play going 6-of-8 while Neumann was 4-of-9 with the man advantage. Neumann outshot Adrian, 51-40, for the game as the Warriors scored five goals in the second period. Adam Krug and Eric Miller each had four points on the afternoon. Krug had one goal and three assists while Miller notched two goals and two assists.

Klaver's game-winning goal was his second of the day and he also added an assist for three points. Mark Van Vliet led all players with five points including one goal and four assists for Neumann.

 

 

 

-October 27, 2007
Marian College Hockey to be Broadcast Online on FDL Podcasting
-Courtesy of Marian College Director of Public Relation Steve Prestegard
CONTACT: 920-923-7656
Fond du Lac , Wis. — Fans of Marian College hockey will be able to watch the Sabres live on FDL Podcasting this season.

Marian’s Webcast schedule of home and selected road games begins when Marian hosts Bethel Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. The Royals, who are ranked 15th in the season’s first U.S. College Hockey Online Division III men's poll, are coming off their first conference championship and first NCAA Division III men’s hockey tournament win in 2006–07.

The rest of the Webcast schedule (Webcasts begin 15 minutes before faceoff):

• Minnesota–Crookston, Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. Minnesota–Crookston is the MCHA’s only NCAA Division II team. The Nov. 17 game will be a Pink Out, with T-shirts good for admission to the game sold for $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Proceeds will go to the Deanna Favre Hope Foundation to fight breast cancer.

• Adrian (Mich.), Friday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs are playing hockey for the first time this season.

• Concordia, Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in Mequon ; Saturday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. in Fond du Lac; Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in Fond du Lac and Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in Mequon. The Falcons also are a first-year program.

• Milwaukee School of Engineering Friday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in Fond du Lac ; Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7:05 p.m. in Milwaukee; Friday, Feb. 15 at 7:05 p.m. in Milwaukee; and Saturday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. in Fond du Lac. The Raiders, ranked 28th in the U.S. College Hockey Online Division III men's poll, are the defending MCHA regular-season champions.

• Lawrence Friday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in Fond du Lac , and Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. in Appleton . Lawrence defeated Marian in the MCHA tournament third-place game last season after the Sabres won three of the four Viking games last year.

FDL Podcasting also will carry all Marian postseason games.

Steve Prestegard, Marian director of public relations and marketing, and Tracy Qualmann ’01, director of adult admissions and marketing, will announce the games. Prestegard has been a sports announcer for 19 years. He currently announces for Ripon’s Channel 19 and Charter cable channel 25, including the Ripon Tigers’ 2003 and 2005 state championship football seasons. He has announced high school hockey and the USA Hockey Championships national tournament, along with football, basketball and wrestling. Qualmann, who is making her broadcasting debut, has been involved in youth hockey for more than 12 years, and is a member of the Blue Line Family Ice Center .

The Marian series at Northland College Nov. 2–3 will be aired at http://www.northland.edu/Northland/Athletics/webcasts.htm. The Marian nonconference game at UW–River Falls Friday, Jan. 4 can be heard at http://www.uwrf.edu/wrfw/sports.htm. The Marian series at defending MCHA tournament champion Finlandia ( Mich. ) Jan. 18–19 can be heard at www.wglifm.com.

The Sabres finished third in the MCHA (12–6–2, 14–12–3 overall) and beat Northland in the MCHA tournament first round before losing to Finlandia and Lawrence to finish fourth in the MCHA tournament. Marian had more MCHA All-Freshman team selections than any other team in the conference.

The Sabres’ 2007–08 roster includes players from Wisconsin , Alberta , Illinois , Michigan , Minnesota , Montana , Ontario , Saskatchewan and Russia .

 

 

 

-October 18, 2007
Let the Games Begin!...Puck Drops Friday Night on 2007-08 Season
With the hockey season beginning this weekend, players and coaches alike are eager to start playing for real. The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association will begin its 10th season of play, welcoming Adrian College and Concordia University into the league as well. The first action of the season features one of the expansion teams, as Adrian opens the season hosting Potsdam Oct. 19 & 20. Most of the other league teams get things underway next week, as MSOE hosts Lake Forest , Northland is at UW-Stout and UW-River Falls and Marian plays host to UWRF as well.

Adrian is getting things started in grand fashion, as the Stanley Cup will also be making an appearance at the new Arrington Ice Arena Oct. 20 to promote Adrian’s first-ever weekend of NCAA hockey.

There is another noteworthy occurrence to the start of the season. A year ago, MSOE became the first-ever MCHA team to receive votes in the USCHO.com Preseason Poll. Well, not only has MSOE received votes in the 2007-08 poll, but Finlandia University has as well, giving the league two teams for the first time.

	Team	( First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Oswego	(18)	23-3-3	281	5
2	St. Norbert		25-4-2	244	1
3	Middlebury	(1)	20-8-3	239	9
4	Manhattanville		21-2-5	219	2
5	Norwich		20-8-0	191	7
6	UW-River Falls		21-6-2	176	4
7	Neumann		17-5-5	133	3
8	Babson		18-10-1	115	12
9	UW-Superior		20-6-1	98	10
10	Mass.-Dartmouth		25-3-1	91	6
11	Bowdoin		16-7-3	81	11
12	UW-Stout		21-5-2	56	8
13	St. Thomas		17-10-0	54	NR
14	Plattsburgh		14-8-6	38	14
15	Bethel		18-10-1	38	14
Others Receiving Votes: Colby 22, Hobart 21, Castleton 20, St. Scholastica 20, Utica 17, Elmira 13, Fredonia 13, Geneseo 13, Wis.-Stevens Point 9, Curry 8, Skidmore 7, St. John's 7, MSOE 4, Finlandia 3, Trinity 2, Augsburg 1

 
-Season Previews for each MCHA team

In a year focused on development, the 2007-08 Adrian College varsity men’s hockey team was tabbed as the top 2007 recruiting class in all of NCAA Division III men's ice hockey, according to collegehockeyrecruits.com.

The nation’s top recruiting class will be led by first year head coach Ron Fogarty, former assistant ice hockey coach at Bowling Green State University ( Ohio ).  With the help of Fogarty, the 2005-06 BGSU Falcons ranked third in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in goals-per-game at 3.26 and racked up wins against Michigan , Nebraska-Omaha, Notre Dame, Michigan State , and Ohio State .

In regards to his coaching style, Fogarty commented, "My coaching style will be up-tempo, which encompasses a positive and energetic team that is accountable and takes ownership. I envision a team that will have a relentless work ethic on and off the ice."

The Bulldogs’ style of play will be tested throughout their inaugural season on the ice. The schedule for the Bulldogs includes a packed season of conference competition in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA), which includes match-ups against the defending champions from the Milwaukee School of Engineering as well as Finlandia University , which received recognition in national polls last year.  The Bulldogs will also face stiff competition in the non-conference portion of their schedule, which includes Geneseo State University , the #3 team in NCAA Division III hockey a year ago.

The Bulldogs take to the ice for the first time on October 19 when they host Potsdam State University for the dedication of the new Arrington Ice Arena.

Concordia University
Head Coach Tony Hrkac welcomes a host of candidates as the Falcons prepare for their inaugural season at the Division III level.  The young Falcon skaters will compete in the MCHA conference which features a number of NCAA Division III national powers. 

The puck drops for the Falcon's road opener at 7:00 PM on October 30 at UW-Stout. 

CUW will play their home games at the Ozaukee Ice Center in Mequon , WI .

"Every team needs to start somewhere," said Hrkac. "We are definitely starting at the beginning."

Finlandia University
The Finlandia hockey team accomplished many goals during the 2006-07 season.  The team finished second in the MCHA, improving from third the previous season. Twelve Finlandia student-athlete’s were named to the MCHA All-Academic team, three players were selected to the All-Conference team, three players to the All-Tournament team, including the first ever MCHA playoff Championship.

This season the challenge of moving up in the standings will be a taller task.  The league continues to build adding two new members in Adrian College and Concordia University , while the remaining bolstering their respective rosters.

Leading the way up front will be Josh Paquette, who led the league in scoring last season. Joe Beaudry and Ryan Sullivan will compliment Josh as the top scoring line in the MCHA last season.  Also, Co-Captains Mike Parks and Travis Hanson will be looked upon for their leadership and scoring ability.  Jason Aldrich, Keith Johnstone and Corey Blake are players that are not talked about but who contribute so much to the success the team.

The core of defenseman is deep and talented led by Tiger Marcotte, the leading scoring defenseman in the MCHA.  Derek Onkalo and Brad VanTassel will be called upon for their experience and leadership.  We are excited about Ross Rouleau and newcomer Chris Hendrickson both have tremendous talent and will be impact players.  Rounding out the defensive corp. are Blake Miller, second in league scoring, Matt Lindgren and Bryan Solander.

Senior Lukas Alberer will lead the goaltending position. Lukas had a breakout season and will be looked at to be the mainstay between the pipes with support from Garrett Lee and Ryan Donovan.

“Last year was great for our program’s growth,” Finlandia head coach Joe Burcar said. “It will be very important for us to stay focused and continue to build the program.”

Lawrence University
The Lawrence University hockey team is coming off one of the best seasons in school history.

Lawrence won a school-record 13 games last season and finished in third place in the MCHA playoffs. The Vikings enter Mike Szkodzinski’s second season as head coach with 14 returning letterwinners, but Lawrence must replace one of the top scorers in school history and the school’s most prolific goaltender.

Lost to graduation are forward Joe Searl and goaltender Andrew Isaac, but the Vikings return the core of their defense and a plethora of talented forwards.

Leading the returning players in senior defenseman and captain Josh Peterson, who earned All-MCHA honors for the third consecutive season. Peterson had three goals and 12 assists for 15 points last season.

Also back for the Vikings on defense are junior Mike Ackley, who joined the team at midseason in 2006-07 and made an immediate impact, junior Adam Brand, and senior Pat Tuohy. Ackley had nine points and Brand added two last season. Freshmen looking for playing time among the defensemen are Pat Brenner and Corey Garrett.

The last line of defense will have a newcomer as the starter for the first time in four seasons. Isaac earned All-MCHA honors three times during his career and graduated with seven school records to his credit.

Looking to replace Isaac are junior Jim Ryan, a transfer from New England College , and freshmen Evan Johnson and Riley Stank.

Two of Lawrence ’s big guns on offense from last season will go a long toward making up for the loss of Searl, who finished his career with 99 points.

Sophomore Marc Howe, who was named to the conference’s all-freshmen team last season, was second on the team in goals (15) and points (27) and third in assists (12) in 2006-07. Junior Nick Jennette was second on the team in assists last season with 15, to go along with eight goals for 23 points.

The Vikings also return several other experienced forwards.

Sophomore Billy Siers picked up nine goals and nine assists for 18 points during his rookie season. Also back among the sophomore forwards are Masa Takahashi and Jon Sacks, who both had four points last season.

Three junior forwards are also back, led by Aaron LaFave, who picked up two goals and 10 assists for 12 points last season. Austin Montgomery (2-5-7) and Jesse Jacobs (2-2-4) also return.

Seniors Neil Wallace and Brian Kennihan round out the group of returning forwards. Wallace had one goal and two assists for three points last season.

A large group of freshmen forwards will battle for ice time. Seven of Lawrence ’s 12 newcomers are forwards and are led by Jacob Esch, a prep standout at Madison West High School . Also new to the front line are freshmen Joe Affinati, Tom Gering, Josh DeSmit, Matt Jacobs, Scott Minarcik, and Nathan Groth.

Marian College
The Sabres open up the 2007-2008 looking to take next step under Head Coach Jasen Wise. Coach Wise, entering his fourth season, has a second and a third place finish in the MCHA to his credit and would like nothing better than to bring home a conference championship this season.

Coach Wise mentioned that he had three goals with this year’s group of recruits and returning players. He wanted to be more efficient on the power play, improve the team’s speed, and be more physical. Wise believes they have met these goals based on what he’s seen early in practice. With improvement in these three areas, Wise believes this team can make a run at the school’s first MCHA Championship since the 2001-2002 season.

Coach Wise noted that he is very happy with the depth the team has this season. “We’ve had depth in the past here, but I believe this year we have quality depth at every position,” stated the coach. The Sabres return eighteen players from a year ago and have added ten newcomers to the mix. The Sabres return two All-MCHA selections in junior forward James Goodfellow ( Naperville , IL ) and sophomore goalie Cullen Caldwell ( Calgary , AB ). The Sabres also had two players named to the MCHA All-Rookie team in Nick Henkemeyer ( Prior Lake , MN ) and Nick Cinquegrani ( Rolling Meadows , IL ).

When asked about the schedule, Wise has no doubts that it will be a challenging one. “As usual, we have some tough competition on our schedule. UW-Stout, Bethel University , and UW-River Falls were all ranked at some point in the season last year. These teams return many of their players and I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be on the national radar again this season,” noted Wise.

As for the MCHA portion of the schedule, he believes that MSOE and Finlandia University will continue to be at the top of the conference. Wise also offered some comments regarding Adrian College and Concordia University-Wisconsin, two schools new to the MCHA this season. “ Adrian has received a lot of attention with their fine recruiting class and new facility. It will be exciting to play there,” stated Wise. Wise also stated that Concordia has a lot of unknowns, but he believes Coach Hrkac will be successful there and have his players playing hard on a nightly basis.

Positional Breakdown

Goalies: The Sabres return a very strong goaltending group as they have three returnees and a newcomer. Caldwell ’s 2.45 goals-against-average placed him 12^th in the nation a year ago in Division III. Caldwell posted four shutouts a year ago and was 9-5-2 as a starter. Marian also has junior Jason Jadczak ( Des Plaines , IL ) back. Jadczak was a MCHA All-Rookie team and MCHA All-Tournament selection in the 2005-2006 season. Jadczak had 300 saves in 13 games played last season. Senior Dave DeSander ( Saginaw , MI ) and freshman Ira Greenberg ( Richmond Hill , ON ) will also push for time in-between the pipes. DeSander was 2-0 as a starter last year. 

Defensemen: Wise stated that he has seen much improvement from his returnees on defense from an off-season conditioning perspective. He believes that they have committed themselves to the weight room and it all starts with junior co-captain Jeff Wills ( Davison , MI ). Wills scored 3 goals and added 10 assists a year ago. Junior’s Kyle Rasmussen ( Altoona , WI ) and Greg Copeland ( Lloydminister , AB ) and freshman Brandon Blair ( Regina , SK ) are a few other players who have impressed Wise early this fall. Rasmussen scored 4 goals and had 3 assists a year ago, while Copeland added a goal and 12 assists.

Other returning defensemen looking to help the Sabres this year are senior Kyle Jones (Sault Ste. Marie , ON ), and sophomores Andrew Fiore ( Georgetown , ON ) and Henkemeyer. Jones had 10 points for the Sabres last year, while Henkemeyer had 14 points. Fiore sat out the season with an injury.

Zack Fray (Cambridge, ON) is a freshman defender who will look to earn time on the ice this season.

Forwards: Coach Wise believes this group as a whole is much faster this year. He had nothing but good things to say about Goodfellow, another junior co-captain. “James has showed excellent dedication to the weight room this off-season and it has rubbed off on many of his teammates. I’m hoping that this will result in a few more W’s in the win column this season. Goodfellow led the team in points a year ago with 35 (17G/18A). He had five power play goals and three game-winners. He currently has 57 points in his two years at Marian.

Wise also mentioned senior Carl Bresser (Waupun, WI) and sophomores Jason Ford (Milford, MI), Ryan Hitchcock (Butte, MT), and Cinquegrani as forwards who he sees making a significant impact this season. Cinquegrani was second in scoring a year ago with 14 goals and 15 assists. He recorded five power play goals and led the team with four short-handed goals. Bresser finished the year with 26 points, while Ford and Hitchcock finished with 18 and 11 points, respectively in their freshmen campaigns. 

Other returning forwards for Marian are seniors Travis Van Dyn Hoven ( River Falls , WI ) and Ross Oestreich ( Waupaca , WI ) and juniors Bill Griffore Jr. ( Milford , MI ) and Josh McAndrew ( Atikokan , ON ). Griffore contributed 11 goals and 10 assists a year ago to lead this group. Van Dyn Hoven, Oestreich, and McAndrew combined for 25 points in the 2006-2007 season.

The Sabres also have seven new forwards this season in Randy Wills ( Davison , MI ), Brendan Hull ( Kelowna , ON ), Dmitry Sentsov ( Lipetsk , Russia ), Ryan Pageau ( Newmarket , ON ), Mitch Bye ( Burlington , ON ), Todd Collins ( Whitby , ON ), and Cal Getschmann ( Baraboo , WI ).

MSOE
With three consecutive Midwestern Collegiate Hockey Association championship banners hanging from the Kern Center rafters, the Milwaukee School of Engineering men’s hockey team is looking to build on an already-impressive winning tradition.

The Raiders, under seventh-year head coach Mark Ostapina, will be a motivated bunch. They came just short of clinching their third straight Harris Cup when Finlandia scored with 51 seconds left in last season’s championship game.

Ostapina won’t have to do much retooling with 16 returning in 2007. Senior forwards Lee Swallow ( Stanwood , Mich. /Northville HS) and Blair Hanberg ( Edmonds Wash. / Edmonds-Woodway) top the list of letter-winners. Swallow led MSOE with 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) a year ago and finished the season with 118 career points. A team captain, Swallow also added seven power-play goals.

“Lee already has earned the right to be considered one of the top scorers in the history of MSOE and he has only played three seasons.,” Ostapina said. “What further distinguishes Lee from others is that he is a better person than a player,” says Ostapina.  “People and education are the cornerstone of our program.” 

Hanberg led the team with 24 goals and pushed his career total to 54. His 37 points pushed him over 100 for his career, and he enters the 2007-08 campaign with 108. Hanberg will wear the “A” on his sweater again this season.

“Blair is that power forward who is able to bury the biscuit with the best of them,” Ostapina said.  “Blair is to MSOE as Cam Neely was to the Boston Bruins.”

Ostapina will also look to a trio of juniors for leadership this season. Defenseman Jason Woll (Portland, Ore./Edmonds-Woodway) was named to the All-Conference team in each of his first two seasons and led Raider defenders in scoring last year with 23 points (6G, 17A). Ostapina calls Woll’s shot one of the hardest in NCAA Division III hockey.

“Jason is a player that can dominate a game from the first second he touches the ice to the final horn,” Ostapina said. “MSOE sleeps better knowing Jason patrols the defensive zone.”

The Raiders will need to find a way to replace the scoring and leadership of two-time MCHA Player of the Year Brian Soik. In 108 games, Soik scored 45 goals with 81 assists for 126 points – the second-best mark in school history. His seven-goal, 28-assist performance a year ago made him the school’s first All-America selection from a team sport, which was also the first selection for an MCHA student-athlete. In addition, Soik was one of eight finalists for the Sid Watson Award, which recognizes the most outstanding NCAA Division III hockey player in the country.

“Our entire senior class last year will be missed,” Ostapina said. “They were the critical mass that was MSOE Hockey.  Also the pro signing of RG Flath hurts the talent level, but we have a Soik [freshman center, Micheal Soik, ( Stevens Point , Wis. / Stevens Point Area)] to replace a Soik and a crew of newcomers with speed, skill and character.”

Ostapina will turn mainly to his returning players to fill the void left by Brian Soik and six other seniors, including all three goaltenders. Matt Burzon, Joe Dovalina and Josh Rudolph will be missed in the net for the Raiders however four talented newcomers are competing for the starting goalie position.

The Raiders open the season with a home-and-home series against MCHA rival Lake Forest on October 26^th and 27^th. The 25-game schedule also includes a non-conference meetings with perennial DIII power UW-Superior on November 24^th. The Raiders will face St. Norbert College , who was in the NCAA Division III Frozen Four last year, in a home-and-home series on January 4^th and 5^th.

Minnesota-Crookston
The University of Minnesota , Crookston Men’s Hockey team opens their season this Saturday and Sunday as they travel to St. Paul , Minn. to take on Bethel University in non-conference action. The puck drops at 7:00 pm on Friday and 2:00 pm on Saturday.

Head Coach Gary Warren enters his seventh campaign at the helm of the Golden Eagles who finished the 2006-2007 season with an overall record of 7-16-3 and 5-13-2 in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA) which was good for fifth place.

Coach Warren will look to replace Ryan Leadens (Fwd., South Saint Paul , Minn. ) who had 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points as well as five power play goals. Another loss is Kyle Knudsen (G., Mead, Wash. ) who was 5-5-1 between the pipes with a 3.80 goals against average and a .880 saves percentage. Also a significant loss is 2006-2007 team captain Brett Shelanski (G., Bloomington , Minn. ) who has taken on a new roll as assistant coach next to long time Golden Eagle assistant coach David Rolling.

Top returnees for the Golden Eagles at forward include team tri-captain Teal Plaine (Sr., Fwd., Hallock, Minn.) who led U of M, Crookston last season with 27 points (12 goals and 15 assists) and three power play goals and tri-captain Matt Hann (Sr., Fwd., Crookston, Minn.) who was third in points with 23 (nine goals and 14 assists). Other returnees at the forward position include John Lombardi (So., Fwd./Def., Apple Valley , Minn. ) who was fourth on the team with 17 points (five goals and 12 assists), Brent Groenke (Sr., Fwd./Def., Morden, Manitoba,Canada) with 12 points (six goals and six assists) and four power play goals and Ryan Tucker (Sr., Fwd., Crookston, Minn.) with 10 points (one goal and nine assists). Adding more depth in the area of forward are tri-captain Fred Kooser (So., Fwd., Omaha, Neb.) with nine points (three goals and six assists), Matt Waclawik (So., Fwd., Fergus Falls, Minn.) with nine points (five goals and four assists), Brett Saari (Jr., Fwd., Green Bay, Wis.) with six points (two goals and four assists), Collin Perry (So., Fwd., Grand Forks, N.D.) with four points (two goals and two assists) and Jacob Karras (So., Def./Fwd., Janesville, Wis.). Newcomers at forward include Eddie Hanson (Fr., Fwd., Apple Valley , Minn. ), Alex Maginnis (Fr., Fwd., Mason City , Iowa ), Jared Kopp (Jr., Fwd., Bismarck , N.D. ) and Marty Bilodeau (Jr., Fwd., Winnepeg , Manitoba , Canada ).

On defense, U of M, Crookston will look to Matt Marchel (So., Def., Grand Forks, N.D.) with nine points (three goals and six assists) and three power play goals, Jacob Osland (Jr., Def., Mayville, N.D.) with four points (one goal and three assists) and Steve Zutz (Sr., Def./Fwd., Red Lake Falls, Minn.) with one point (one assist). Newcomers at defense include Ben Sullivan (Fr., Def., Crookston , Minn. ), Kirk Graham (Jr., Def., Brandon , Manitoba , Canada ), Bill Horton (Fr., Def.,New Hartford , N.Y. ), Nick Sylvester (Fr., Def., Crookston , Minn. ) and Spencer Syvertson (Fr., Def., Wasilla , Alaska )  

Between the pipes, the Golden Eagles are counting on Justin Klinkhammer (So., G., Thief River Falls, Minn.) and Jaden Isakson (Sr., G., Bismarck, N.D.) to move into a larger role after playing in only seven and two games respectively last season. New to the net-minder position is Eric Everson (Jr., G., Stevens Point , Wis.).

Bethel University opens with the 2007-2008 season with a new head coach. Joel Johnson enters his first season taking over for the legendary Peter Aus who led the Royals for 13 seasons. Bethel finished last season with an overall record of 18-10-1 and 12-3-1 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) which was good for first place. Jeff Balvin (seven goals/18 assists/25 points) returns to lead Bethel .

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.  

The University of Minnesota , Crookston is a NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Golden Eagle Hockey is a member of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).

Northland College
Head coach Steve Fabiilli will begin his third season building the LumberJack hockey program.  Last season, the Jack’s finished in sixth place in the MCHA and will look to improve this upcoming season.

“We are continuing to build a program here at Northland and will look to improve from previous years.”  Fabiilli said.  “This season, we are looking to take a step forward in the win column and also be able to compete day in and day out.”

Fabiilli believes that the 2007-08 season will be one where the Northland College Hockey program will show their potential.  The Jack’s return 11 players from last season’s squad and add 14 newcomers to the mix.

“We have players coming back most of whom are only sophomores and have gained much needed experience.  We are also adding 14 new players to our lineup this season.  Our team is all freshmen and sophomores with the exception of three.  We are young, with a great amount of potential.”  Fabiilli said.

Recruiting has been the main focus for the LumberJack program in recent years and will continue to be Fabiilli’s focus.  “You need a solid foundation for a team to build and expand” Fabiilli said.  “We have brought in players who will compete against each other for ice time and who will become this program’s foundation for future years.  We are very excited to get the season going and look forward to watching this young team develop and grow together.”

FORWARDS
Northland returns two senior forwards in Mike Stevens and Ryan Hunt and four sophomores in Josh Spiegel, Pat Sierocinski, Brandon Sachwitz, and Joe Belanger.  Key additions include sophomore transfers Jake Carlson and Jeff Diehl.  First-year players are Ray Tremblay, Kent Lillejord, Nick Matson, Rick Delecke, Tony Huberty, Chad Moore, and Adam Bever.

“We needed to address some areas on the forward front.  We wanted to bring in some size and skill,” Fabiilli said.  “We believe we have addressed these two areas along with bringing in more players to compete for ice time.  We are looking to these new players along with the returnees to add offensive numbers for us this year.  We have high expectations for all forwards to improve our offensive production from previous years.”

DEFENSEMEN
Northland will return one senior defenseman in Eric DeCaires and two sophomore defensemen in Matt Tanneberg and Brian Zwawa.  Along with the returnees, the Jack’s add four new defensemen in Shaun Newman, Tim Werner, Jiri Zeman and Aaron Johnson.

“Our defensive core has become bigger, stronger and more offensive with the returnees and newcomers we have for this season.  We wanted to have a good mix of offensive defensemen and defensive defensemen, and we believe we have guys who will be excellent in our own end and guys who will be able to produce offensively,”  Fabiilli said.

GOALIES
Sophomore goalies Bo Storozuk and Adam Gorecki return and they will be joined by newcomer Daniel McIntosh.

“We return two goalies for this season with one who played the majority of time in net for us.  Bo had an excellent year in terms of experience and playing time as he finished the year second all-time in Division III single season saves.  We will look to Bo to be solid and consistent in net for us,” Fabiilli said.  “Along with Bo, we have Adam Gorecki coming back and newcomer Daniel McIntosh who will push Bo for playing time.  I believe we have three solid goalies on our club, which you need if you want to be successful.”

 

 

-September 27, 2007
Lawrence's Szkodzinski Named to AHCA Board of Governors
-Courtesy of Lawrence Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker
CONTACT: 920-832-6878
APPLETON, Wis. - Lawrence University head coach Mike Szkodzinski has been appointed to the American Hockey Coaches Association Board of Governors.

Szkodzinski, who is set to begin his second season on the bench for Lawrence, was recently approved by the organization's officers and the Board of Directors to serve a one-year term.

"It is a real privilege to be asked to work with the AHCA," said Szkodzinski, whose Vikings set a school records for victories in a season in 2006-07. "The current staff and those who have worked closely with the organization are some of the most respected coaches and people in all of college hockey. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to be associated with this group."

Szkodzinski, who was nominated for the Board of Governors by AHCA president and University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky, is the lone NCAA Division III West Region representative on the board. Szkodzinski was on the national stage last spring at the AHCA convention, as he presented a drill to the entire membership.

The AHCA was formed in 1947 and promotes the game at all levels. The organization helps shape the on-ice playing rules used by the NCAA, hands out awards to both individuals and teams, and provides a forum for the exchange of ideas on the game.

Szkodzinski begins his second season with the Vikings when Lawrence hosts the Soo Thunderbirds in an exhibition game on Oct. 17. The Vikings open the regular season on Oct. 30 when they travel to St. Norbert College.

 

 

-August 8, 2007
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Sets Officials Tryout Camp Dates
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association will be holding tryouts for Officials in Milwaukee Wisconsin from September 14 – 16, 2007.  Tryouts will include classroom instruction, on-ice instruction and game situation evaluation.

General Information:  The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association is an NCAA Division III West Region Hockey Conference.  Member Schools include Adrian College (MI), Concordia University (WI), Finlandia University , Lawrence University , Marian College , Milwaukee School of Engineering, Northland College and the University of Minnesota – Crookston.  Each season, teams compete for the Harris Cup as well as a National Championship.

Requirements:  To be considered for this position, applicants must be at least 22 years of age, have officiating experience commensurate with working upper levels of hockey and be able to work in a team atmosphere.  Successful candidates will also have the ability to communicate effectively with officials, coaches, players and supervisors.  Candidates must display sound officiating techniques.  

Application:  Officials interested in this opportunity should forward their officiating resume, including three references, to Jim Olson, Supervisor of Officials, before August 25, 2007.  Invitations to the Tryout Camp will be sent to candidates before September 1, 2007.

Any questions regarding this opportunity should be forwarded to:
Jim Olson
Supervisor of Officials
Jolson33@wi.rr.com
(414) 305-5738

 

 

-July 30, 2007
Northland Recruit Featured With Story in Local Newspaper
Northland College hockey recruit Ray Tremblay was recently featured in a story in the Kelowna Capital News, written by Kevin Parnell, Sports Reporter, earlier this month.

Rebound from health scare
Aspiring Junior B hockey player Ray Tremblay chose bed rest to recover from devastating injury

The moment Ray Tremblay’s life took a drastic turn he knew something was wrong. Tremblay, a 20 year old playing for Beaver Valley’s junior B hockey team, was spending Christmas holiday at his Grandmother’s house in Midway. Walking along the banks of the Kettle River, Tremblay slipped and fell, fracturing two bones in his back and throwing a promising future into question.“I thought it was pretty serious right off the bat,” said Tremblay this week. “It knocked the wind out of me and I couldn't get up. I fell kind of funny and I guess the spine just kind of gave way.”

Two bones in Tremblay’s spine were fractured. Months of painful rehabilitation lay ahead. Surgery was an option. A possible college hockey career was now in doubt. He couldn’t stop thinking of his current team, a young squad the veteran Tremblay was trying to help lead.

When the dust had settled and after Tremblay had spent a couple of painstaking nights in the Grand Forks’ hospital, the Westside native learned that he had two options: Surgery which would likely mean never playing hockey again, or a back brace and months with virtually no movement.

Tremblay, a Westside Minor Hockey product, chose the road that would allow him to play hockey again.

“I could have had surgery but I would have lost a lot of mobility in my back and might not have played hockey again,” he said of his choice to try and allow the back to heal. “The first month or so I was pretty much in bed 23 hours a day. I could get up for about 15 minutes before it would get too sore.”

Tremblay’s ordeal began last Christmas. Incredibly, the 5-foot-10 forward is now back skating and back near 100 per cent just six months later. But it seems like much longer to Tremblay and his family.

His father Cary was there when the accident happened and was with his son along the way.

“It scares the hell out of you,” said Cary. “The first thing you worry about with a spinal injury is is he going to be able to walk.

Then you worry about is he going to be able to do the things he loves to do. There were really hard days when you just didn’t know. There were setbacks when things didn’t feel right.”

Eventually things did start to feel right. After progressing through rehab, Tremblay was able to start walking with a back brace more and more. Then in March the back brace was gone and he was able to start walking around without it.

But those months, lying in bed not able to move, are still fresh in his mind and probably always will be.

“It was tough spending everyday in bed,” said Tremblay. “But I couldn't do anything about it, I couldn't change anything. I had to keep positive. I didn't cheat or do anything I wasn’t supposed to.

And in the end it worked out.”

Before the accident Tremblay was the leader on Beaver Valley’s young team, lighting up the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. In Beaver Valley's first 35 games he recorded 23 goals, 19 assists and

102 penalty minutes. The team was looking to make a run at the championship.

“Ray’s injury was devastating to our team,” said coach Terry Jones.

“I thought we had a chance to win the league. With him getting hurt we never recovered. The thing with Ray is his leadership was incredible. I can’t stress enough how important he was to our team.

Once the severity of his injury was determined I knew Ray would make a full recovery. He’s very determined.”

That determination, work ethic and character was enough that seven NCAA schools were talking to him about a possible scholarship.

Once he suffered the fractured back, several teams dropped out. But not Northland College, a small division 3 NCAA school in Ashland, Wisconsin.

Northland followed Tremblay’s progress and eventually signed him to a scholarship deal. The school, like many division 3 schools south of the border, has a focus on education first. Tremblay will major in physical education and minor in athletic coaching while continuing to play hockey.

“I’m at a point in my life where I’m ready to get my life started and the education part is a really big factor,” he said. “And it’s great that I get to play hockey. I’m excited. That (college) is what I played for, it’s always what I wanted to do so I can’t wait to get there.”

They say everything in life is a lesson. Certainly going through something that Tremblay has taught him more about life and about himself than anything else to this point.

Now fully cleared to be back playing the sport that he loves, Tremblay has emerged with new insight.

“I just learned not to take things for granted,” he said. “You never know. Maybe tomorrow I might break my leg so everyday, every chance I get to play hockey, I have to make the best of it, that’s for sure.”

kparnell@kelownacapnews.com

 

 

 

 

-June 27, 2007
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Names Olson New Supervisor of Officials
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Terry Brand announced today that Jim Olson has been named the new MCHA Supervisor of Officials for the upcoming season.

Olson, a hockey official in the NCAA since 2000, will be responsible for the training, scheduling and supervising of officials in the conference, which enters its 10^th season of play this fall by expanding from six to eight teams with the addition of Adrian College and Concordia University .

“With the recent growth of the MCHA [ Lake Forest is also set to join in 2009-10], we saw the need to look after our officials,” Brand said. “The recruitment and development of younger officials is key in keeping a consistent pool of experienced and qualified officials available to service the MCHA.”

Olson has plenty of experience with the MCHA, having officiated regular season games, conference tournaments and Harris Cup Finals since 2001.

“Jim has done an excellent job in the games he has officiated in the past and has always been a good communicator with players, coaches, and fellow officials,” Brand said. “I look forward to working with Jim in the upcoming seasons.”

Prior to his officiating career, Olson played for Augsburg College from 1989 to 1990. He is also a USA Hockey’s Officiating Instructor and has worked at USA Hockey National Tournaments.

Olson, who officially starts in his new role July 1, lives in Milwaukee with his wife, Tracy, and daughter, Alexis.

 

 

 

-June 14, 2007
Soik Claims Second Academic All-American Honor
-Courtesy of MSOE Sports Information Department
CONTACT: 414-277-2412 or gibboney@msoe.edu
CONTACT: 414-277-2811 or wagner@msoe.edu
(Milwaukee , Wis.) -- Milwaukee School of Engineering forward Brian Soik has been named a 2006-2007 Academic All-American by ESPN The Magazine and the College Sports Information Directors Association of America.

Soik (Stevens Point, Wis. /SPASH) recently graduated from MSOE with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average. The six-foot, two-inch forward was twice named Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year and was also selected as a member of the NCAA Division III All-America Second Team in the West Region. In addition, Soik was one of eight finalists for the Sid Watson Award, recognizing the most outstanding NCAA Division III hockey player in the nation and was also a semifinalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award for his work with Toys for Tots and Dylan’s Run for Autism.

He ended his athletic career with impressive statistics. Soik scored 45 goals, added 81 assists for a total of 126 points, second on the MSOE career points list. This season in 26 games, Soik collected seven goals with 28 assists for 35 total points.

“To me, and to MSOE hockey, Brian is like Michael Jordan to the Chicago Bulls,” head coach Mark Ostapina said. “I am so proud of everything he represents on and off the ice. It is my pleasure to be associated with one of the most honored athletes in the history of MSOE athletics.”

This is Soik’s second consecutive appearance as an Academic All-America selection.  He is MSOE’s second athlete to receive both All-America and Academic All-America honors in the same year. Rachel Eggebrecht completed the double honor in 1998. Eggebrecht, who was a four-time NCAA Division III All American, achieved it twice in 1998 (indoor and outdoor track) and was a CoSida Academic All-America selection for cross country/track the same year.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selects Academic All-America teams in 12 programs, including an at-large division. A first team, second team and third team are selected in both the University (Division I and I-AA) and College (Division II, III and NAIA) Divisions. To be nominated, the student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career. All athletes with qualifying credentials are then voted upon by a panel of Sports Information Directors for selection.

 

 

 

-May 24, 2007
Soik Chosen to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team
-Courtesy of MSOE Sports Information Director Brian Gibboney
CONTACT: 414-277-2412 or gibboney@msoe.edu
Brian Soik (Steven’s Point, Wis./ SPASH), who graduates in Mechanical Engineering on Saturday, May 26, is still receiving post season honors as he is a 2006-2007 ESPN the Magazine, CoSida Academic All-Region At-Large selection. The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selects Academic All-America teams in 12 programs.

Soik, a 6-2 forward for the MSOE men’s hockey team and two-time MCHA Player of the Year, was selected to the NCAA Division III All-America west region second team. He was honored as one of eight finalists for the year's Sid Watson Award, which recognizes the most outstanding player in Division III hockey for the year. He was also a semifinalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, selected for his work with Toys for Tots and Dylan’s run for Autism.

Soik ends his Raider hockey career with impressive statistics. In 108 games, Soik scored 45 goals, added 81 assists for a total of 126 points, second on the MSOE career points list. This season in 26 games, Soik collected seven goals with 28 assists for 35 total points.

This is Soik’s third time as an all-region selection, the second consecutive time he was a first team choice. He has been placed on the national ballot with a chance to be an Academic All-America for a second time. Last year, Soik’s achievements garnered him Academic All-America second team honors.

He could become MSOE’s second player to receive both All-America and Academic All America honors in the same year. MSOE’s superstar track athlete Rachel Eggebrecht completed the double honor in 1998. Eggebrecht, who was a four-time NCAA Division III All American, achieved it twice in 1998 (indoor and outdoor track) and was a CoSida Academic All-America selection for cross country/track the same year.

CoSida will announce their At-Large Academic All-America team in early June.

 

 

-April 24, 2007
First Adrian Ice Hockey Class Ranked As Nation's Best
Fogarty bringing in powerful group for Bulldogs' inaugural season
 
-Courtesy of Adrian Sports Information Director Nate Jorgensen
CONTACT: 517-264-3280 or njorgensen@adrian.edu

ADRIAN, Mich.— Adrian College has captured the top 2007 recruiting class in all of NCAA Division III men’s ice hockey, according to collegehockeyrecruits.com.

As the Arrington Ice Arena is being constructed on the Adrian College campus, first-year head coach Ron Fogarty (pictured at left) has been building AC’s first recruiting class. Fogarty and assistant coach Brian Burke have landed student athletes from all areas of Canada as well as regional talent.

Five players from the Western Ontario Hockey League (WOHL) and five from the North American Hockey League (NAHL) will matriculate to AC in the fall, while three players apiece will come from the Alberta Junior (AJHL) and Ontario Provincial Hockey Leagues (OPJHL). Two players were produced by the United States (USHL) and Central Junior Hockey Leagues (CJHL).

Adrian has also recruited players from the British Columbia (BCHL), Northern Pacific League (NORPAC) and New England Prep School League (NEPSHC West), while one student athlete will come directly from high school.

Transfers from an NCAA Division I and another NCAA Division III school will complete the inaugural Adrian College men’s ice hockey team.

Second on collegehocleyrecruits.com’s list was the University of Massachusetts- Boston, while 2007-08 Adrian College opponent Geneseo College was ranked third.

The Adrian College men’s varsity ice hockey team will open the Arrington Ice Arena and their 2007-08 season on Friday, October 19 at 7 p.m. versus Potsdam State University.