Seven different players from the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association - representing three different schools - landed spots on the All-USCHO.com teams when they were announced earlier this month.

Adrian College had four players - Mike Dahlinger, Chris Stansik, Jeremy Klaver and Zach Graham - all earn various honors. Also named were Marian University's Dakota Dubetz and Tommy Fitzgerald and Northland College's Kraig Wright.

            
Left to right: Mike Dahlinger, Chris Stansik, Jeremy Klaver, Zach Graham

Dahlinger and Stansik continue to earn postseason accolades. Both were named Second Team All-Americans in March.They were both named to the All-USCHO West Second Team, while Klaver was tabbed for honorable mention honors. Dubetz and Graham each made the West Rookie Team with Fitzpatrick and Wright named honorable mention rookie selections.

        
Left to right: Dakota Dubetz, Tommy Fitzpatrick, Kraig Wright

Gustavus Adolphus senior forward David Martinson has been selected the USCHO.com National Division III Player of the Year. The St. Louis Park, Minn. native tallied 29 goals and 20 assists to lead the Golden Gusties to a 20-7-2 record and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

USCHO.com has also named Norwich coach Mike McShane National Division III Coach of the Year.

McShane’s Norwich Cadets captured their third NCAA title under his guidance, finishing with a 25-1-4 record. He is 318-90-21 all-time behind the Norwich bench. The winners and all-star teams are selected by the USCHO.com staff. The complete list:

West First Team

Goal: B.J. O’Brien, jr., St. Norbert
Defense: Mitch Carlson, jr., Gustavus Adolphus
Defense: Nick Tabisz, sr., St. Norbert
Forward: Jordan Chong, sr., St. Scholastica
Forward: Joel Gaulrapp, sr., UW-Stout
Forward: David Martinson, sr., Gustavus Adolphus

West Second Team

Goal: Josh Swartout, jr., Gustavus Adolphus
Defense: Chris Berenguer, jr., Hamline
Defense: Chris Stansik, jr., Adrian
Forward: Mike Dahlinger, jr., Adrian
Forward: Chris Johnson, sr., Augsburg
Forward: Chris Wilson, sr., UW-Superior

Honorable Mention: Tyler Czuba (UW-River Falls), Jeremy Klaver (Adrian), Sam Tikka (St. Norbert)

West Rookie Team

Goal: Justin Lochner, Augsburg
Defense: Justin Favreau, St. Norbert
Defense: Brady Horn, UW-River Falls
Forward: Dakota Dubetz, Marian
Forward: Zach Graham, Adrian
Forward: Cody Keefer, St. Norbert

Honorable Mention: Spencer Anderson (Hamline), Jon Crouse (Bethel), Tommy Fitzpatrick (Marian), Johnny Meo (UW-Stevens Point), Tyler Miller (St. Scholastica), Kraig Wright (Northland)

D-III Player of the Year: David Martinson, Gustavus Adolphus

D-III Coach of the Year:Mike McShane, Norwich

Mike Dahlinger and Chris Stansik of the Adrian College Bulldogs have been selected as two of the 12 members of the 2010 RBK Hockey NCAA Division III All-American teams announced last week. The Adrian teammates have both been selected as Second-Team West Region members, marking the first time in the history of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association that the league has had two All-Americans in the same season.

The duo are the third and fourth MCHA players to be honored all-time, joining former AC star Adam Krug (Second Team 2007-08) and MSOE's Brian Soik (Second Team 2006-07) on the short and prestigious list.

Gustavus Adolphus and NCAA semifinalist Norwich, with three selections each, led the way. Two players each were chosen from Adrian, Manhattanville and St. Norbert. The teams are sponsored by RBK HOCKEY, an international leader in hockey equipment, and chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association. See the entire ACHA release HERE.

Dahlinger (pictured at left) had a great season and was recognized as the MCHA Player of the Year leading into the conference tournament. Dahlinger set career highs in assists and points. He led the MCHA in scoring with 13 goals and 41 assists to end the season with 54 points. In addition, he set a single-season conference record in assists for a season, and in a game with six. He led the nation in assists per game.

Stansik (pictured at right) recorded eight goals and 30 assists this season. He led the MCHA conference in scoring by a defenseman and was sixth overall in league scoring. He ranked among the top players in Division III hockey in assists per game and his 38 points led the nation for a defenseman. He reached a milestone this season becoming the all-time MCHA career leader in points by a defenseman.

Parts of this story courtesy of the Adrian College Sports Information Department

This will be the first NCAA appearance for the Bulldogs in its third season of existance. St. Norbert is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament as they were national runner-up in 2004 and 2006, while winning the 2008 Division III national title. They have also finished third twice. The Green Knights will be making their 11th trip to the national tournament with an all-time record of 12-9-1.

Adrian finally is where they felt they have belonged for the past two seasons. The Bulldogs were not included in the tournament as an at-large team despite the best winning percentage over the past two years in Division III. This year was the first season that the MCHA had an automatic qualifier for the winner of the Harris Cup. The Bulldogs won their third straight Harris Cup with a dramatic 3-2 win on Saturday afternoon against Marian University.

St. Norbert captured the Peters Cup championship on Saturday night with a convincing 7-1 victory at home against UW-River Falls. The Green Knights are the top-seed in the West Region for the eighth time in the last nine years. St. Norbert is also 12-1-1 at their home rink, the Cornerstone Community Center.

"We are very excited to be playing on Wednesday against one of the best programs in the country," said head coach Ron Fogarty. "Our guys are ready for the challenge and this is the opportunity we have wanted."

Official NCAA Bracket

Story courtesy of the Adrian College Sports Information Department

The Bulldogs have advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in school history and will await the official announcement of the pairings either late Sunday night or early Monday morning. It was not without more than a few tense moments for the second straight night for the Bulldogs. Adrian led 1-0 after the first period but fell back 2-1 until midway through the third period. The Bulldogs used a 5-on-3 situation to tie the game and sealed the win with 44 seconds remaining.

Eric Roman blasted a shot from the far left wing at 18:18 of the first to give Adrian a 1-0 lead. Roman's third goal of the season found its way through traffic and under the arm of goaltender Alex Bjerk. Brad Houston and Mike Dahlinger each had an assist on the play.

Brendan Hull scored the tying goal at 15:31 of the second period as he raced across the blue line and fired a missile past goaltender Brad Fogal above his left shoulder into the upper right of the goal. Hull's 21st tally of the year was assisted by Dakota Dubetz.

Marian used that momentum to take a 2-1 lead just 1:43 later as there was a huge mess in front of the net and Adam Freeman somehow pushed the puck across the goal line at even strength. Freeman's seventh of the season was assisted by Nick Henkemeyer and Nick Cinquegrani.

The tension built in the third period as Adrian was having a hard time cracking Bjerk. The freshman goaltender made one great save after another to preserve the one-goal lead for the Sabres. The key moment in the game came at 8:35 and 9:09 when Marian's Chris Thompson and Zack Fray each went to the penalty box giving AC a 5-on-3 advantage. The Bulldogs worked the puck into a position where Shawn Skelly used his marksmanship and tied the game on a one-timer between the circles at 10:22. Skelly's 21st goal of the season was assisted by Eric Miller and Chris Stansik.

The drama reached its boiling point after Adrian killed off a minor penalty by Zach Graham with 1:46 left. Adrian worked the puck behind the Marian net with under a minute left and eventually the puck squirted to the right side of the net where Miller jabbed at it and snuck it past Bjerk with just 44 seconds to go. The crowd and Adrian bench erupted and the Bulldogs could smell victory up 3-2. Graham was given an assist on the championship winning goal. Marian pulled Bjerk for just five seconds and could not get a shot on net down the stretch.

Miller was named MVP with a goal and assist today. It was back-to-back MVP's for the junior forward and the third time he has made the all-tournament team. Skelly had one goal and two assists for the tournament and was named to the all-tournament team. Jeremy Klaver also was named to the all-tournament team for the Bulldogs.

Fogal made 30 saves for Adrian while Bjerk had 43 saves for the Sabres. Adrian went 1-of-5 on the power play while Marian was 0-of-3. It was a fantastic tournament as all three games were decided by a single goal.

Story courtesy of the Adrian College Sports Information Department

MCHA All-Tournament Team

Goalie - Alex Bjerk, Marian
Defense - Zach Fray, Marian
Defense - Jeremy Klaver, Adrian
Forward - Sean Farley, Lake Forest
Forward - Brendan Hull, Marian
Forward - Shawn Skelly, Adrian
MVP - Eric Miller, Adrian

The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association announced all if its league awards at a banquet held in conjunction with the MCHA Tournament Thursday night in Adrian, Mich. The league's All-Conference, All-Freshmen and All-Academic Teams were all named, as well as the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.

Adrian College was well-represented, with Mike Dahlinger earning MCHA Player of the Year honors and him and five of his teammates on the all-conference squad for the third-straight season. Dahlinger helped lead the Bulldogs to another 20-0 league campaign, scoring a league-high 46 points (10G/36A) in conference games while also ranking first in the nation overall with 51 points (12G/39A) and 39 assists.

Marian University head coach Jasen Wise was selected as the MCHA Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons after leading the Sabres to an 18-2-0 mark this year.

2009-10 MCHA All-Conference (Alphabetically by position)
Forward: Mike Dahlinger (Adrian College, Junior)
Forward: Dakota Dubetz (Marian University, Freshman)
Forward: Marc Howe (Lawrence University, Senior)
Forward: Brendan Hull (Marian University, Junior)
Forward: Sam Kuzyk (Adrian College, Junior)
Forward: Shawn Skelly (Adrian College, Junior)
Defense: Nathan Brummitt (Marian University, Junior)
Defense: Tommy Fitzpatrick (Marian University, Freshman)
Defense: Jeremy Klaver (Adrian College, Junior)
Defense: Chris Stansik (Adrian College, Junior)
Goalie: Alex Bjerk (Marian University, Freshman)
Goalie: Brad Fogal (Adrian College, Junior)

MCHA All-Freshmen Team
Forward: Dakota Dubetz (Marian University)
Forward: Zach Graham (Adrian College)
Forward: Nicholas Hewko (Northland College)
Defense: Trent Brown (Lake Forest College)
Defense: Tommy Fitzpatrick (Marian University)
Goalie: Alex Bjerk (Marian University)

MCHA Player of the Year: Mike Dahlinger (Adrian College) [pictured on left]
MCHA Coach of the Year: Jasen Wise (Marian University) [pictured on right]

2009-10 MCHA All-Academic Team

Adrian: 13
Jeremy Cross, Junior * … Zach Galia, Junior * … Bobby Hineman, Junior * … Rob Hodnicki, Senior # … Brad Houston, Junior * … Jeremy Klaver, Junior * … Sam Kuzyk, Junior * … Eric Roman, Junior * … Chris Stansik, Junior * ... Mike Towns, Junior * … Quinn Waller, Junior * … Kyle Watson, Junior * … Joel Workman, Junior *

Concordia: 7
Josh Farnam, Junior * … Alec Kautzman, Senior # … Dustin LeClaire, Junior * … Jon Smith, Senior * … Niclas Soderberg, Senior … Joel Stevenson, Junior * … Michael Wyenn, Senior *

Finlandia: 13
Charles Benik, Sophomore … James Brey, Sophomore … Ryan Donovan, Junior * … Daniel Grille, Junior * … Christopher Hendrickson, Senior  … Nemanja Jankovic, Sophomore … Matthew Marchel, Senior … Quinn McIntosh, Senior * … James Neitsch, Sophomore … Eric Schultz, Senior * … Bryan Solander, Senior # … Brandon VanAcker, Senior # … Matthew Wylie, Junior *

Lake Forest: 3
Jordan Cutler, Junior … Sean Farley, Senior … Joel Gard, Sophomore

Lawrence: 7
Jesse Byam-Katzman, Sophomore … Ben DiMarco, Sophomore … Jacob Esch, Junior … Matt Hughes, Sophomore … Sam Johnson, Sophomore … Jonathon Sacks, Senior # … Billy Siers, Senior *

Marian: 14
Lane Boswell, Sophomore … Nathan Brummitt, Junior … Mitch Bye, Senior … Nick Cinquegrani, Senior # … Todd Collins, Junior * … Ryan Compeau, Sophomore … Justin Cormier, Sophomore … Justin De Maa, Sophomore … Jason Ford, Senior # … Zack Fray, Junior … Nick Henkemeyer, Senior # … Ryan Hitchcock, Senior # … Chris Thompson, Sophomore … Randy Wills, Junior *

MSOE: 5
Reid Crawford, Senior … Aaron Humphries, Junior * … Ryno Linder, Sophomore … Michael Johnson, Senior * … Michael Soik, Junior *

Northland: 7
Bryan Kim, Sophomore … Colin McIntosh, Sophomore … Shaun Newman, Junior * … Ryan Pageau, Junior * … Kyle Smythe, Sophomore … Matthew Tanneberg, Senior # … Brian Zwawa, Senior *

Note: * = Two-Time All-Academic member ... # = Three-time All-Academic member

With the first round playoffs of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament in the books, the field is set for the Harris Cup Four this upcoming weekend in Adrian, Mich. Lake Forest joins the event in its inaugural season, upsetting the No. 2 seed in the Southern Division when the Foresters advanced past MSOE this weekend. They won the first game, 7-6, Saturday on Chad Thompson's overtime goal, and then had to win the mini-game following Sunday's 7-3 loss in game two. That went to extra time as well, with Thomas Bark coming through with the winning goal to send Lake Forest on, 2-1.

Lawrence is the fourth team in the mix, with the Vikings ending Northland's season and advancing with victories of 5-1 Friday and 5-3 Saturday.

As the No. 5 overall seed from the regular season standings, Lawrence will take on host and No. 1-seeded Adrian in Friday's late game, set for 7 p.m. EST. Lake Forest, the No. 4 seed from the regular season standings, will take on No. 2 Marian University, in the early game, scheduled to start at 3 p.m. EST.

Saturday's MCHA Championship is scheduled for a 3 p.m. EST. For the first time ever, the winner will represent the MCHA in the NCAA Tournament.

Each game will have live stats available on Adrian's website. All of the information is set up on their championship webpage.

The weekend gets underway Thursday, March 4, with a postseason banquet at 6 pm (local time) on the Adrian campus.

Tickets can be purchased in advance ($25) through Lesley Carson at 517-264-3156, fax (517-264-3882) or lcarson@adrian.edu

Also of note, Adrian's Sam Kuzyk was named one of seven finalists for Hockey Humanitarian Award. The following is from Adrian's website:

Adrian's hockey program is in only its third season of existence, but if Kuzyk is any indication, the Bulldogs are already doing things right. And so is Kuzyk, who in short order has become a leader in the community.

No matter his impressive on-ice stats, the Winnipeg, Manitoba, native is scoring his most valuable points by helping those less fortunate in and around Adrian. Earlier this year, taking a cue from something he and his family did back home, he organized an effort to support a local family of five through the Salvation Army. He and his teammates bought food and toys for the family's three children.

"We got together a pretty good package," said Kuzyk, "I really hope it made a difference for them." Sam has also interned at a center for the disabled; reads to local students; and organized a Help Hockey Heal Hunger food drive, a two-day event which raised 267 items for a local food pantry.

"Michigan has endured tough economic times," Kuzyk observed. "It puts everything at a premium -- even food -- something a lot of us take for granted."

The 12th season of play in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association has come to a close and tournament play begins this upcoming weekend. Adrian College added another notch in the record book, sweeping MSOE by scores of 6-4 and 9-2 to extend its league winning sreak to 55 games while also finishing 20-0 in league play for the second-straight season.

Marian set a new program record with its win total (19-6-0), taking a pair of games from Northland, 8-2 and 11-2, to extend its own overall winning streak to 14 games - the longest current unbeaten streak in the country. In other action, Finlandia beat and tied Lawrence, while Lake Forest did the same to Concordia.

Other additions to the record book included Adrian College's Chris Stansik, who broke the MCHA career record for points by a defenseman this past weekend. The following marks were broken this season:

(Old standard in parentheses)

Career points: 136, Shawn Skelly (Josh Paquette [47G/83A], Finlandia University, 2004-2008)

Career goals: 63, Shawn Skelly (47-Josh Paquette, Finlandia University, 2004-2008)

Assists, game: 6, Mike Dahlinger vs. Northland 11/13/06 (5, three times)

Assists, season: 36, Mike Dahlinger (35-Adam Krug, Adrian College, 2007-2008)

Assists, junior: 36, Mike Dahlinger (35-Adam Krug, Adrian College, 2007-2008)

Defensemen career points: 84, Chris Stansik (82-Ryan Moren, MSOE, 1998-2002)

Defensemen career assists: 63, Chris Stansik, 62, Quinn Waller (51-Ryan Moren, MSOE, 1998-2002)

Goalies: All set by Brad Fogal

Games, 19, tie ... Wins, 19, tie ... Winning percentage, 1.000, tie

Career wins: 52 (37-Terry Dunbar, Marian University, 2000-2004)

Minutes, season: 1089:34 (1078:30-Brad Fogal, Adrian College, 2008-2009)

Minutes, career: 2979:46 (2,925:58-Andrew Isaac, Lawrence University, 2003-2007)

All game dates and times for the first round are available on the MCHA schedule page. The chase for the Harris Cup starts this weekend with the first round of the playoffs Feb. 26-28. The opening round is a two-game series with possible mini-game. The winners will advance to the MCHA Harris Cup Four, hosted by Adrian College at the Arrington Ice Arena.

        
 -Mike Dahlinger-         -Chris Stansik-            -Zach Graham-

Players of the Week:

-Adrian College Bulldogs junior forward Mike Dahlinger (Windsor, ONT) is this week's MCHA Player of the Week. He helped his team to a 6-4 win over MSOE on Friday on the strength of a hat trick - netting the game-winner - and adding an assist. That assist gave him 36 in league play to break the old record. His 39 assists and 51 points currently lead the NCAA Division III level.

Other nominees: Brendan Hull (Marian), Sean Farley (Lake Forest)

-Adrian College Bulldogs junior defenseman Chris Stansik (Livonia, Mich.) is the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week. It was his offense that made an impression this past weekend, tallying a goal and two assists Friday and a goal and assist Saturday to help AC to the weekend sweep. His two points Saturday moved him into the top spot by himself for career MCHA points by a defenseman with 84. Also, he currently sits atop NCAA Division III as the highest-scoring defenseman.

Other nominees: Brendan Sullivan (Lake Forest), Nick Henkemeyer (Marian)

-Adrian College Bulldogs freshman forward Zach Graham (Palmerston, ONT) gives his team the weekly sweep of awards as the MCHA Freshman of the Week. He followed up a two-assist night Friday with a five-point effort Saturday, including four assists. He ended the season as the league's highest-scoring freshman and is tied for the national lead as well with 42 points.

What a weekend on the ice for the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. For starters, there is a new career points leader, as Adrian College junior Shawn Skelly's (pictured at left) first-period goal Friday was career point number 131, moving him past former Finlandia University star Josh Paquette (130 points on 47G/83A from 2004-08) for first place on the all-time list. Skelly also broke the career goal mark earlier this season and will have a full year to add to his current total of 133 (61G/72) points and a shot at the all-time assist total of 83. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs kept winning, sweeping past Concordia to extend their league win streak to an impressive 53 games.

The team now has 20 victories (20-3-0) for the third-straight season. It also claimed the No. 1 seed for the upcoming league tournament and also at least a share of its third-consecutive regular season league crown. On an individual basis, AC's Mike Dahlinger tied the season record of 35 assists and will look to break it this weekend. The team moved up a spot to No. 11 in this week's national poll.

Marian University, which at 16-2 in league play is the only team left that can still catch Adrian for a share of the league title, extended it's own winning streak to 12 in a row with a three-game weekend sweep of Lawrence, winning by scores of 5-2, 6-3 and 2-1. MSOE is also playing well, as the Raiders improved to 7-0-1 in their last eight games with a sweep of Lake Forest, winning 5-4 in overtime Friday and 4-2 Saturday. Lastly, Northland secured it's postseason spot, splitting with Finlandia to earn the third seed in the division. That stated, the seeds for the MCHA Tournament are set:

Adrian: at 18-0-0, the Bulldogs have claimed the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

Marian: at 16-2-0, the Sabres can still earn a share of the regular season crown, are the No. 2 seed as the other division champion and have a first-round bye.

MSOE: at 12-5-1 with 25 points, the Raiders are the No. 2 seed in the Southern Division.

Lawrence: at 7-10-1 with 15 points, the Vikings are the No. 2 seed in the Northern Division. They hold the tiebreaker with Northland (3-1).

Lake Forest: at 7-10-1 with 15 points, the Foresters are the No. 3 seed in the South.

Northland: at 5-12-1 with 11 points, the LumberJacks are the No. 3 seed in the North, holding the tiebreaker with Finlandia (3-1).

The opening-round schedule looks like this:

Friday, Feb. 26

Northland at Lawrence, 7 pm

Saturday, Feb. 27

Northland at Lawrence, 4 pm

Lake Forest at MSOE, 7:05 pm

Sunday, Feb. 28

Lake Forest at MSOE, 4 pm

The winners of first-round play (two games with a mini-game if neccessary) will advance to play in the Harris Cup Four at Adrian College.

The weekend gets underway Thursday, March 4, with a postseason banquet at 6 pm (local time) on the Adrian campus.

Tickets can be purchased in advance ($25) through Lesley Carson at 517-264-3156, fax (517-264-3882) or lcarson@adrian.edu.

          
 -Tommy Fitzpatrick-       -Daniel McIntosh-           -Dakota Dubetz-

Players of the Week

-Marian University Sabres freshman defenseman Tommy Fitzpatrick (Ft. McMurray, AB) earns the MCHA Player of the Week honors for having a role in seven of the 13 goals his team scored in claiming all three games against Lawrence on the weekend. On Friday, he assisted on four of the five goals in a 5-2 win and was +2. Saturday, he netted a pair of goals and was +1 before adding another assist and a +1 rating in Sunday's 2-1 victory. His seven-point weekend gives him 28 on the season, breaking the Marian record for points by a defenseman of 27, formerly held by Matt Bobo.

Other nominees: Sam Kuzyk (Adrian), Chad Moore (Northland), Todd Krupa (MSOE)

-Northland College LumberJacks goalie Daniel McIntosh (Calgary, AB) is the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week for his performance Saturday in a must-win game for his team. With Northland's postseason hopes on the line and coming off a loss Friday, McIntosh made his first appearance of the weekend Saturday and made 33 saves while keeping the opponent scoreless on the power play to propel the 'Jacks to a 4-3 overtime win.

Other nominees: Michael Johnson (MSOE), Jeremy Klaver (Adrian), Tommy Fitzpatrick (Marian)

-Marian University Sabres freshman forward Dakota Dubetz (Chestermore, AB) gives his team two ofthe three weekly award winners as the MCHA Freshman of the Week. He tallied five points on the weekend, starting with two Friday. He lit the lamp and had an assist Saturday before tallying another goal in the 2-1 win SUnday.

-Other nominees: Kraig Wright (Northland), Jordan Keizer (MSOE)

Marian University claimed the top seed in the Northern Division, joining Adrian College as MCHA division champs. The Sabres did it with two victories over Finlandia this past weekend, recording 6-2 wins each night.

The Bulldogs just keep on rolling, sweeping past Lake Forest by scores of 5-1 and 8-3 to improve their league winning streak to 51 games. They also remained at No. 12 in this week's USCHO.com national poll.

In other action, Northland greatly helped it's postseason chances with a split against Lawrence, topping the Vikings, 5-3 Saturday after falling 5-2 in the opener. MSOE and Concordia battled as well, with the two teams tying 4-4 in the contest played at the Bradley Center and the Raiders winning at home Saturday by a 4-1 tally.

Just two weekends of play remain in the regular season... The LumberJacks and Lions play two games this upcoming weekend in a series that will go a long ways in deciding the final postseason team.

Players of the Week

-Northland College LumberJacks junior forward Chad Moore (Airdrie Alberta) earns the MCHA Player of the Week honors for his performance against Lawrence this weekend. The team captain for the 'Jacks had a hand in four of the five goals in the 5-3 win Saturday, scoring twice and assisting two others. He was +3 on the night and also added a goal Friday.

Other nominees: Joel Workman (Adrian), Nick Gorup (MSOE)

-Northland College LumberJacks sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Finch (Peterborough Ontario) gives the 'Jacks two of the weekly winners after being tabbed for MCHA Defensive Player of the Week. He recorded his first career win on Saturday against Lawrence, stopping 23 of 26 shots. He held the Vikings scoreless on the power play, including a 5-minute major.

Other nominees: Quinn Waller (Adrian), Nathan Brunk (MSOE)

-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders freshman forward Nick Gorup (Omaha, Neb.) is the MCHA Freshman of the Week. He had three goals on the weekend, scoring once on the power play while also adding an assist on the game-winner Saturday. Gorup was picked for the second star of the game by Milwaukee Admirals staff Friday and was +4 for the weekend.

Other nominees: Aman Sidhu (Northland), Brad Tierney (MSOE)

The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association heads into February with plenty left to be decided in the standings down the stretch.

Adrian College keeps rolling along, winning its 48th and 49th consecutive regular-season league games with a sweep of Finlandia, claiming victories of 9-1 and 4-0. The Bulldogs remain on the cusp of the top 10 teams in the nation, coming in at No. 12 in this week's USCHO.com national poll.

Marian University extended its winning streak to seven, topping Lake Forest twice in recording 6-0 and 7-2 victories over the Foresters. MSOE recorded a pair of huge victories, taking a home-and-home series with Lawrence after claiming a 5-0 win Friday and a 3-2 victory Saturday - where the Raiders struck for the game-winner with just 1:29 left in the contest. Northland also strengthened its bid for the postseason, beating and tying Concordia over the weekend. The LumberJacks won convincingly, 8-2, in game one before settling for a 6-6 tie in the second game.

Also, recently announced for next week is that the MSOE vs. Concordia game that is scheduled for Feb. 5 is now being played at the Bradley Center. The Falcons and Raiders will play at 3:30 p.m., followed by the Milwaukee Admirals and Houston Aeros playing at 7:15 p.m. Ticket packet information is available on CUW's wesbite at www.cuwfalcons.com on the men's hockey page.

Players of the Week

-Marian Universityfreshman forward Dakota Dubetz (Chestermore, AB) earns the MCHA Player of the Week award. For starters, he recorded a natural hat trick in the third period Friday and was +2. He followed that up with a goal and three assists Saturday and was +2 again. For the weekend, he had four goals and three assist for a league-best seven points and was +4.  Two of his goals on Friday and two of his assists Saturday came on the power play.

Other nominees: Brad Tierney (MSOE), Mike Dahlinger (Adrian), Nicholas Hewko (Northland)

-Milwaukee School of Engineering sophomore goalie Connor Toomey (Burlington, MA) is the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week after a brilliant performance against Lawrence on the weekend. He stopped all 33 shots in a shutout in the opener and then added 24 more saves Saturday for a weekend save percentage of .966 (57-of-59).

Other nominees: Brad Fogal (Adrian), Tommy Fitzpatrick (Marian)

-Marian University Sabres freshman goalie Alex Bjerk (Roseau, Minn.) is this week's MCHA Freshman of the Week. Alex started the weekend with a shutout Friday, stopping all 22 Lake Forest shots. He followed that up with two more shutout periods before giving up a pair of Forester power-play goals in the third, making 24 more saves in game two. For the weekend, he stopped 46 of 48 shots for a save percentage of .958.

Other nominees: Nicholas Hewko (Northland), Jordan Keizer (MSOE), Andrew Dovey (Adrian), Kraig Wright (Northland)

With a 3-0 week and a winning streak that has now hit five consecutive, Marian University strengthened its hold on the MCHA Northern Division lead. The Sabres now have 18 points after a weekend sweep of Concordia (winning 7-4 and 5-4), pushing their advantage over Lawrence to five points after the Vikings were swept by Adrian College.

The Bulldogs extend their win streak against conference opponents to 45-staight, topping Lawrence by scores of 10-3 and 8-2 to move to 12-0 in league play. AC did pick that rankings spot back up that they lost a week ago, moving back up to No. 11 in this week's USCHO.com national poll.

The Foresters won for the fourth time in five games, sweeping past Northland College by scores of 4-2 and 8-5. And, lastly, MSOE made it four weekens sweeps, taking down Finlandia by scores of 4-2 and 6-2.

    -Shawn Skelly-          -Chad Thompson-         -Nicholas Hewko-   

Players of the Week:

-Adrian College Bulldogs junior forward Shawn Skelly (Wolverin Lake, Mich.) helped his team to a pair of convinving wins with a league-best five-goal weekend to earn MCHA Player of the Week honors. He struck for a hat trick Friday in the 10-3 win and then found the back of the net for another pair of tallies Saturday. He now has 21 (14G/7A) points in league play to give him 123 in his career, as he continues his assult on the league record of 130.
-Other nominees: Michael Soik (MSOE), Chris Thompson (Marian)

-Lake Forest College Foresters sophomore defenseman Chad Thompson (Rockwood, ONT) wins the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week award in a crowded field of candidates. The newcomer assisted on six consecutive Lake Forest goals during the team’s sweep of visiting Northland College over the weekend. He helped set up all four of the Foresters’ scores, including three in the third period, in Friday’s 4-2 come-from-behind victory. Thompson also assisted on the first two goals of Saturday’s 8-5 triumph.
-Other nomiees: Jari Sanders (Concordia), Ben Plocar (MSOE), Nathan Brummit (Marian), Chris Stansik (Adrian)

-Northland College LumberJacks freshman forward Nicholas Hewko (Hamilton, ONT) earns the MCHA Freshman of the Week award. He netted his first hat trick of his career Saturday and also scored Friday. Overall, he netted four of his team's seven goals over the weekend.
-Other nomiees: Sean McGaughy (MSOE), Tommy Fitzpatrick (Marian), Kyle Gallinger (Adrian)

It was business as usual for the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association, as all eight teams were back in league play this past weekend. No. 11 Adrian got back on track, sweeping past MSOE by scores of 7-1 and 5-2. In a strange twist of events, the Bulldogs somehow managed to fall one spot in today's USCHO.com national poll, coming in at No. 12 despite the unbeaten weekend.

Marian picked up a pair of victories, topping Northland, 10-2 and 9-1, to improve to 6-2 in league play, just one point behind Northern Division-leading Lawrence. Speaking of the Vikings, they improved to 6-1-1 with two overtime games against Finlanida. After a 4-4 tie Friday, Marc Howe made some history with an OT-winning goal - not only giving LU the 4-3 win Saturday - but also giving Howe his 104th career point to become the all-time leader at Lawrence.

In the other league series, Lake Forest followed up an 8-3 win Friday against Concordia with a 5-5 OT tie Saturday to make it a three-point weekend.

         
  -Chris Thompson-           -Trent Brown-                -Zach Graham-

Players of the Week

-Marian University Sabres sophomore forward Chris Thompson (Woodbury, Minn.) wins a tightly-contested race for MCHA Player of the Week. After a one goal/one assist game Friday, in which it was noted that he started on the fourth line, he earned a start Saturday. He responded with an impressive performance, adding four more points (1G/3A) in Saturday's sweep to get the Sabres one point closer to first in the division. For the weekend, he was +4 and did not take a penalty.

Other nominees: Marc Howe (Lawrence), Kyle Watson (Adrian), Justin Taylor (Lake Forest)

-Lake Forest College freshman defenseman Trent Brown (Ayr, ONT) is this week's MCHA Defensive Player of the Week. Brown assisted on three crucial goals in slightly more than seven minutes of Lake Forest’s 8-3 victory over Concordia Friday night. After the Foresters fell behind 3-1, Brown helped set up a power play goal late in the second period and even-strength scores at 28 seconds and 5:22 in the third. He also assisted on the game-tying goal with just nine seconds to play in regulation of the team’s 5-5 tie at Concordia Wisconsin the following night.

Other nominees: Chris Stansik (Adrian), Zach Fray (Marian)

-Adrian College Bulldogs freshman forward Zach Graham (Palmerston, ONT) earns the MCHA Freshman of the Week award for his weekend performance against MSOE. He made his only goal of the game count Friday, netting the game-winner. He was at it again Saturday, recording the game-winner in both contests in a 2G/1A outing Saturday.

Other nominees: Dakota Dubetz (Marian), Marc Rubino (Lake Forest)

The Marian University hockey team will be holding its annual "PINK OUT" hockey game to raise money to fight breast cancer. The date is January 30 against Lake Forest College. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the FDL Blueline Family Ice Center.

Shirts are $15 and will serve as your admission to the game . Otherwise, admission is $5 without a pink t-shirt.

Click HERE for the order form if you would like to place a bulk order. Shirts are being sold at JR’s, Marian University Common Grounds, Hoppers and Ma and Pa’s on Main Street. If paying with check make it out to “Marian Hockey Pink Out”. If you have questions please call the hockey office at 920-923-7667.

Pictured with the Marian Hockey Team are (L to R) Betty Dunn and Nanci Watkins (mother of Head Coach Jasen Wise) both breast cancer survivors.

What: “PINK OUT”

Where: Blue Line Family Ice Center

When: January 30, 2010 @ 4:00 PM

Why: Raising money to fight breast cancer.

How: Selling pink t-shirts for $15.

The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association will return to league play in earnest this upcoming weekend, as all eight teams will square off in weekend series - Adrian will be at MSOE, Marian at Northland, Finlandia will be at Lawrence and Lake Forest and Concordia will have a home-and-home on the schedule.

The week that was featured Adrian's battle with No. 1 Oswego, a game that saw the Bulldogs trail just 3-2 late in the game before falling to two empty-netters. The loss drops AC to No. 11 in the nation in today's USCHO.com poll.

In other action, MSOE won its only game, topping Lake Forest, 4-1. The Foresters split their week, winning a league game against Lawrence, 6-2, on the road in addition to their game against the Raiders. Finlandia posted a win and a tie against Concordia, while Northland fell twice to Bethel, once in overtime.

-Michael Johnson-  -Connor Toomey-        -Mike Rubino-

Players of the Week

-Milwaukee School of Engineering senior defenseman Michael Johnson (Eagle River, AK) earns the MCHA Player of the Week honor for his work in the Raisders win this week. He scored a goal and had two assists in the 4-1 victory and finished +2 on the weekend. He played significant minutes on the ice and was outstanding in all three zones.

-Milwaukee School of Engineering sophomore goalie Connor Toomey (Burlington, MA) wins the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week for the second-consecutive time that it has been awarded. He allowed just one goal on 37 shots in the 4-1 victory over Lake Forest.

-Lake Forest College Foresters freshman defenseman Mike Rubino (Woodbridge, ONT) earns his first-ever MCHA Freshman of the Week award for his play this week. Rubino scored the first three goals of his career and added an assist as the Foresters split a pair of games. After tallying the only goal in a 4-1 loss to MSOE, he struck for two goals and an assist in the 6-2 triumph over Lawrence.

Just four games on the schedule as the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association plays its final contests in 2009. The MSOE Raiders played very well on the road at St. Thomas, but settled for a 2-2 overtime tie and a 3-2 loss. The only other games saw Finlandia make a challenging road trip, falling to Gustavus Adolphus Saturday and St. John's Sunday.

The next time the league hits the ice will be in 2010, and the league will welcome back Adrian and MSOE that day for their games with a new-look website on New Year's Day. Until then, enjoy the holiday break and safe travels.

Players of the Week

Todd Krupa	Connor Toomey

Mike Dahlinger	Brendan Hull	Alex Bjerk	Dakota Dubetz

-Adrian College Bulldogs junior forward Mike Dahlinger (Windsor, ONT) and Marian University Sabres junior forward Brendan Hull (Calgary, AB) share MCHA Player of the Week honors for their performances on the ice.

Dahlinger broke the MCHA record for assists in a game with six against Northland Friday (the former record of five was set three times). He also scored two goals during the game for eight points on the night – the second-highest one-game point total in league history. He then followed up with a goal and an assist in the 7-3 win Saturday for a 10 point (3G/7A) weekend.

Hull, a business major, had two goals - including the game winner - Friday in a 3-1 win over MSOE. He followed that game with a goal and assist in another close 4-3 win over the Raiders complete the sweep.
Other nominees: Charlie Benik (Finlandia)

-Marian University Sabres freshman goalie Alex Bjerk (Roseau, Minn.) earns the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week award for his play in the sweep of MSOE. The graphic design major stopped 62 of 66 shots for a .939 save percentage. In Friday’s 3-1 win, he stopped 34 of 35 Raider shots. He followed that up by stopping 28 of 31 shots on Saturday to complete the sweep.
-Other nominees: Quinn McIntosh (Finlandia)

-Marian University Sabres freshman forward Dakota Dubetz (Chestermore, AB) gives his team a near-sweep of the weekly awards by earning MCHA Freshman of the Week honors. The business administration major had a breakout weekend scoring his first NCAA career goal Friday. He followed that with two assists on Saturday. For the weekend, he had three points (1G/2A) and a +2 rating to help the Sabres to the sweep of two close games.
Other nominees: Nick Gorup (MSOE), Zach Graham ( Adrian )

With the hockey regular season beginning for some teams already, players and coaches alike are eager to start playing for real. The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association has begun its 12th season of play, with MSOE, Concordia, Marian, Lawrence  and Northland all having taken to the ice for regular-season games over the past two weeks.

The USCHO.com preseason poll was released October 26, and for the second-straight season, the MCHA has a Top 15 preseason selection. Adrian has come in at No. 6 – it’s highest-ever ranking - and also received one of the 20 first-place votes.

MSOE got things started quickly, sweeping a pair of league games from Concordia in a home-and-home series, posting victories of 9-1 and 5-1.

The league also had a nice showing in its non-conference games as well, as both Lawrence and Marian earned a win over UW-Eau Claire, with the Sabres winning, 5-3, followed by the Vikings earning a 3-2 decision.

No. 6 Adrian began its season with a tough exhibition against the US Nationals U-18 team, falling 3-2 in a shootout. Meanwhile, Northland and Lake Forest dropped their openers, falling to a pair of teams in the national rankings.

Players of the Week

Michael Soik	Evan Johnson	Brad Scurfield

Milwaukee School of Engineering junior forward Michael Soik (Stevens Point, Wis.) stepped up big in being named the MCHA Player of the Week. The mechanical engineering major tallied six points in the weekend sweep of the Falcons, scoring twice (one short-handed) while adding four assists. He finished +4 on the weekend.
Other nominees: Brendan Hull (Marian), Evan Johnson (Lawrence)

Lawrence University Vikings junior goalkeeper Evan Johnson (Suwanee, GA) gives LU a great start to the season with a strong performance in net to earn the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors. The economics major stopped 32 of 34 shots against Eau Claire , including 15 in the second period alone.
Other nominees: Alex Bjerk (Marian), Michael Johnson (MSOE)

-Lawrence University Vikings freshman forward Brad Scurfield (Midland, Mich.) gives Lawrence two winners this week, scoring the game-tying goal against Eau Claire to help him earn MCHA Freshman of the Week honors.
Other nominees: Brendan Roberts (Marian), Jordan Keizer (MSOE)

The following are season previews for each MCHA team compiled by the SID offices.

Adrian College
The biggest news in the offseason for the Adrian College men's hockey program was the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA) being granted an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time. The Bulldogs have missed out on the playoffs for the past two years due to what has been considered a poor schedule despite putting together a record of 53-4-1 in their first two seasons of varsity hockey. If the team can put together another campaign of excellence in 2009-10, they will be given an opportunity to represent the conference. The Bulldogs know that gaining a three-peat of regular season and Harris Cup championships will not be an easy task.

"Our program has the same goals as the first two years," said head coach Ron Fogarty. "We want to get better everyday and win each time out. We want to win the MCHA and everything else will fall into place. I'm been asked about the automatic qualifier and if we would rest kids in certain situations. My answer has been "no", because every game still counts the same. If we are in position to once again win our conference, then being full throttle is the only way to achieve success." When asked about the team's mentality changing or them being nervous about a one-game situation, Fogarty responded "every game is paramount and one bounce can change everything. We know we have to take care of business for 60 minutes every time on the ice. Our best players will play every game and there will be no days off. I like that we are hosting the Harris Cup again this year. Our guys have worked hard to get to this point."

The news could not be much better for the Bulldogs as they only lost a few players from last season's roster who made a significant impact. Adam Krug, a 2007-08 Second Team All-American, will be missed on the first line. Krug played so well alongside Eric Miller and Shawn Skelly over the past two seasons. It seemed like they always knew where each other was on the ice. Krug played in 57 career games for the Bulldogs after transferring from Wayne State , a Division I program. He scored 52 goals and assisted on 77 others for a total of 129 points. He served 115 penalty minutes and had a +85 plus/minus rating with 20 power play goals and six short-handed tallies.

Mike Leone came over in the second half of last season after transferring from Utica College . Leone made a strong impact as a freshman with nine goals and 16 assists in 14 games for Adrian . He had a +19 plus/minus rating and also had three game-winners. Leone is currently playing for the top-ranked team in ACHA Division I, the Lindenwood Lions. Eric Bailen and Mike Fiorillo are also on longer with the team. Bailen played in just three games a year ago and was hampered by an injury which proved to be career ending. Fiorillo played in 14 games in 2008-09 and scored a pair of goals with three assists.

The team looks poised for another run at the conference hardware in 2009-10. Miller and Skelly return on the first line and will be joined by newcomer Zach Graham. Graham has big shoes to fill but his numbers last year as a member of the Thorold Blackhawks of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) speak volumes. He played in 47 games and tallied 102 points to lead the league in scoring. He had 38 goals and 64 assists. The 6' 0" forward from Palmerston , Ontario also had 91 penalty minutes.

Miller has been overshadowed at times by Krug and Skelly over the past two years, but his talent is second-to-none. He saw his goal production drop significantly between his freshman and sophomore seasons as the team's depth has grown. Miller led the team with 40 goals in 2007-08 and tallied 18 goals a year ago. He saw his assist numbers jump up to 33 and he totaled 51 points in 2008-09. Miller was slowed down by injury late in the season but still managed to play in 25 games. Miller has 120 career points in 53 games for Adrian and has scored 20 power play goals, five short-handed goals and six game-winners.

Skelly is the reigning MCHA Player of the Year and was named First Team All-West Region by USCHO.com as a sophomore. If you look at the shear numbers, Skelly actually was better as a freshman with 74 points, but scored huge goals in clutch moments all season long as a sophomore. He led Division III in goals with 30 and points per game with 2.40 in 2008-09. He has 139 career points in 58 games and has tallied 32 power play goals and 12 game-winners in his career.

On the second line, look for Kyle Watson and Mike Dahlinger to continue to show improvement. Dahlinger made a jump in production in his second year with the program and had 15 goals as a sophomore, which was a 10-goal increase from his freshman year. He finished the season with 40 points and a +34 plus/minus rating. Watson is a throwback player who brings toughness to the line. He totaled 13 points a year ago and served 57 penalty minutes. His 144 penalty minutes over the last two seasons are the most on the team. Andrew Dovey, a 6' 2" forward will be joining the line after playing for the Stoney Creek Warriors of the GOJHL in 2008-09. Dovey tallied 47 points in 39 games with 16 goals and is a native of Burlington , Ontario .

The third line features a trio of returners in Sam Kuzyk, Brad Houston and Mike Towns. Kuzyk saw his goal totals drop a year ago, but his assist numbers doubled to 24 as a sophomore. He has scored 28 career goals and has 64 points in 55 games. Houston has been a reliable player and showed more grit as a sophomore with 66 penalty minutes. He scored 17 goals and recorded 15 assists with a +25 plus/minus rating. Towns brings a physical presence to the line. He does a good job with puck possession and saw his numbers increase as a sophomore. Towns had five goals and 15 assists and was up six points from his freshman year. Towns has served 116 penalty minutes in 55 games as a Bulldog.

The fourth line brings together Drew Satterley with a pair of newcomers. Satterley is a physical force on the line and scored four goals with 45 penalty minutes as a sophomore. Blake Barkwell, a 6' 0" left winger from Winnipeg , Manitoba , sat out last season after playing previously for the Phoenix Polar Bears of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL). Barkwell tore it up offensively with 70 goals and 58 assists in 48 games. Jeff Young, a 5' 9" forward from Red Deer , Alberta , played a year ago for the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) and was the second leading scorer on the team with 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 65 games. Joel Workman, Eric Frieday and Mark Gertsakis are also back this season and will be pushing the forwards.

The defensive pairings feature five returners and one newcomer. Chris Stansik and Quinn Waller formed a formidable duo last season and will anchor the defensive again this season. Both were First Team All-MCHA selections a year ago and Waller served as team captain. Waller has set MCHA records for points by a defenseman during his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. He has 80 points with 11 goals and 69 assists in 58 career games for the black and gold. He tallied 34 points as a sophomore and had four power play goals and a +44 plus/minus rating. Stansik scored nine goals a year ago and added 23 assists. He has 66 career points in 57 games with a +84 plus/minus rating which is third best in the program's brief history.

Jeremy Klaver will likely be paired with newcomer Kyle Crawford this season. Klaver is a sound player who stays out of the box while still putting pressure on the opponent. He has scored seven goals in each of his first two years and tallied 19 points a year ago. He has nine power play goals in his career and is a +70 plus/minus in 55 games. Crawford is a 6' 2" native of Glencoe, Ontario who played for the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior "A" Hockey League in 2008-09. Crawford played in 50 games for the Dukes and recorded 57 points with 19 goals and 38 assists. He also served 82 penalty minutes and was named the top defensemen in the Eastern conference in 2008. He also played in the OPJHL All-Star Game.

The third pairing features Bobby Hineman and a host of players competing for the other spot. Hineman saw action in 24 games a year ago and had 17 points. He served 33 penalty minutes and scored four power play goals. Rob Hodnicki, Zach Galia and Riley Hughes are likely the front runners for the final spot but are also being chased by Reed Renaud, Eric Roman and newcomers Shawn Courtney and Kyle Gallinger. Courtney is a brute who served 138 penalty minutes in 50 games for the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Gallinger played for the Sarnia Blast of the Western Ontario Junior "B" League.

Brad Fogal is the clear-cut favorite in goal for the Bulldogs after a pair of fine seasons between the pipes. Fogal was named All-MCHA as a sophomore and set the single season record for wins. He has a 45-3-1 record in his first two years at Adrian with 10 shutouts and a 1.73 goals against average and .928 save percentage. Marc Stuart and Jeremy Cross will serve as backups this season. Stuart and Cross each saw limited time last year. Cross played in 10 games and made two starts. He allowed just two goals and made 38 saves while posting a shutout. Stuart saw time in five games and made 20 saves without allowing a goal.

The coaching staff underwent a change during the offseason as Matt Nicholson accepted a job as an assistant coach at Robert Morris University . In his place steps in Stavros Paskaris, who played his college hockey at Wayne State University and coached for Ohio University 's ACHA team. Paskaris is a native of Dearborn , Michigan and has a great knowledge and passion for the game along with deep ties to the state of Michigan .

Concordia University
Heading into his third season at the helm, CUW men’s hockey coach Tony Hrkac knows that his team needs to improve in all facets of the game after a 4-22-1 record in 2008. Concordia was 4-16-0 in the league, ahead of only Northland (1-18-1).

Top scorer Sam Aide is gone but Jon Smith (8 goals and 8 assists), and Niclas Soderberg (4 goals and 14 assists) return. Hrkac likes what he has seen of first year players Dustin Partacz and Brad Lukasz in terms of scoring potential.

The Falcon defense, very suspect one year ago, returns team leaders Jari Sanders, who scored 3 goals and added 12 assists, and Steve Panas (1 goal and 13 assists). Sanders and Panas were 5th and 6th in conference scoring among defensemen. Concordia, however, was last in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 5.5 goals per conference game.

"It will take us a while to get everyone on the same page, but we are collectively faster and more skilled than the past two years," said Hrkac. "I look for us to defend better and be in position to win games in the third period."

Finlandia University
The Finlandia University men’s hockey team is looking to improve upon their 10-13-2 overall record and fifth-place MCHA conference finish when they hit the ice for the 2009-2010 season. There is reason for optimism as the Lions return 18 letter winners, including goaltender Ryan Donovan and the top four scorers from a season ago. Top scorer and All- MCHA selection Quinn McIntosh returns to bolster the blue line and All-MCHA Freshman Team member James Neitsch leads a talented group of forwards. McIntosh tallied 3 goals and 19 assists for 22 points overall, finishing tenth in MCHA scoring and second among MCHA defensemen. Neitsch led the Lions with 11 goals and finished second in team scoring with 20 points. He also tied for first among MCHA freshman point-getters with 17. Donovan, a two-year starter between the pipes for the Lions returns after playing in 20 games and posting a 7-12-1 record with a 3.53 goals against average and .890 saves percentage. Also returning for the Lions are forwards Brandon VanAcker and Charlie Benik who finished third and fourth in team scoring respectively. VanAcker had 5 goals and 12 assists while Benik garnered 17 overall points including 4 goals and 13 assists.

The Lions are welcoming 7 newcomers in 2009-2010, including senior transfer Matt Marchel from the University of Minnesota-Crookston. Marchel was Crookston’s second leading scorer and one of the top-scoring defensemen in the MCHA. Marchel finished with 6 goals and 7 assists in 2008-2009.

Head coach Joe Burcar, in his ninth season behind the bench for the Lions points to special teams as an area in need of improvement. Despite finishing second in MCHA power play percentage at 18.7% and fifth in penalty kill percentage at 81.2%, Burcar would like to see those numbers go up. The 2008-2009 totals were some of the lowest numbers in team history. “Special teams cost us at least five games last year,” Burcar said. “I’d like to see us closer to 30% on the power play and 91-92% on our penalty kill.”

The Lions will open their season with home games against MCHA newcomer Lake Forest on November 6-7. The Lions will play three MIAC teams as non-conference opponents in 2009-2010. The Lions will travel south to play Gustavus Adolphus and St. Johns in December while Augsburg College will visit the Upper-Peninsula for the first time in early January.

Lake Forest College
The Lake Forest College men’s hockey team is all but starting over this season. The Foresters will begin play in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association after 17 years as a member of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. In addition to a new set of opponents, the squad itself has also changed as just nine of the 25 varsity players were with the program in 2008-09.

One thing that has not changed for Forester men’s hockey is the coaching staff. Tony Fritz has been the team’s head coach since 1978 and is assisted by Ken Klein (18th year) and Seamus Gregory (2nd year). Fritz’s 31 years at Lake Forest are just one less than the other seven coaches in the league have at their institutions combined and he has 342 career victories to his credit.

Fritz will be looking for production and leadership on and off the ice from captain Adam Love and assistant captain Jason Taylor. The seniors have combined for 58 career points on 28 goals and 30 assists. Other returning forwards include fellow senior Peter Pfeffer (15 career points) and three players who transferred to the College last year – senior Sean Farley (15) and juniors Anthony Ventura (11) and Justin Maciuk (10). Eight freshman forwards will have opportunities to begin making an impact on the program right away.

Returning to the defensive corps are senior Nick Ghidina, junior Tyler Gross, and sophomore Joel Gard. The trio combined for four goals and six assists in 2008-09 and is joined by junior transfer Jordan Cutler. Four freshmen at the position will also look to contribute from the start.

Nowhere on the ice is there greater uncertainty for the Foresters than at goaltender, where three freshmen will compete for the chance to continue the fine play at the position (.911 save percentage over the last seven seasons) that has become a trademark of Forester hockey.

Lawrence University
The Lawrence University hockey team opens the 2009-10 season coming off its best campaign in school history and with a number of key returning players. The Vikings finished 16-11-1 a season ago and won the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Northern Division title.

“We feel we are more prepared than we have been the past couple of years at this point because of the significant amount of returning players on our roster,” Lawrence head coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “However, we won’t  know until the puck drops how losing the seniors from the previous season will affect the group as a whole. We are confident in our leadership group and looking forward to seeing them step forward and take ownership in this team.”

The defense starts with junior goaltender Evan Johnson, who led the nation with seven shutouts a season ago. He set school season records with a 13-9-1 record, a .918 save percentage and a 2.11 goals against average. The Vikings also return sophomore Brady Kain, who saw limited action last season, and have newcomer Michael Baldino.

“Evan Johnson has earned the No. 1 job with his play last year and his off-season work ethic,” Szkodzinski said. “He will be pushed this year by Mike Baldino and Brady Kain. We will need Evan to be as steady as last season if we expect to compete with the elite teams in our league.”

A strong corps of defensemen is led by senior captain Mike Ackley. The defenders allowed only 2.43 goals per game last season, which set a school record.

The Vikings also return junior defensemen Corey Garrett, Jon Sheridan and Pat Brenner and sophomores Jameson Raymond, Jesse Byam-Katzman, Jim Crowley, Chris Sims, Colin Smith and Reijo Wahlin. Raymond, who finished first among defensemen on the team with 16 points (four goals, 12 assists), was chosen for the MCHA All-Freshmen team.

“This group really adjusted well to the college level last year,” Szkodzinski said. “Led by Mike Ackley, they were steady and improved each day.  We hope to see this group continue on that path.”

The offense took a big hit with the graduation of the school’s career goals and points leader, Nick Jennette. The Vikings do return a number of talented forwards, led by senior Marc Howe, and welcome three newcomers to the group.

Howe, an All-MCHA selection during his career, finished tied for the team lead last season with 14 goals. He finished with 10 assists and 28 points. Howe has 46 goals for his career and is only three shy of breaking the school’s career record. He also has 84 points, just 20 away from breaking the school record.

Also back among the forwards are seniors Masa Takahashi and Jon Sacks, juniors Scott Minarcik, Jacob Esch and Joe Affinati and sophomores Ben DiMarco, Matt Hughes and Jonathan Bellotti.

New to the mix at forward are Sweden ’s Gustaf Ahlberg, Brad Scurfield and Michael Sorrenti.

“We struggled to score goals last year, and we lost Nick Jennette to graduation,” Szkodzinski said. “We feel that our forwards have speed, grit and the ability to score goals. It will be interesting to see who steps up when given more opportunity this year.”

Marian University
The Marian University men’s hockey team is excited to open the 2009-2010 season as they look to put last year’s season in the past. Head Coach Jasen Wise believes the Sabres have what it takes to compete in the competitive Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association this season and hopes a tough schedule early on will help them do just that.

Coach Wise noted that four (UW-Superior, Adrian College, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Eau Claire) of the first six teams the Sabres play this season finished the regular season in the top 18 of the USCHO.com Poll. Wise believes the tough competition will give the Sabres a good idea where they stand and will help prepare them for what looks to be a tough conference once again this season.

Marian also faces last year’s national runner-up, Gustavus Adolphus College , in their first series to begin the New Year.

Wise stated that a key to this year’s team will be more production from the blue line. “Getting more production from the blue line was a major priority this offseason. I believe we have added some depth there that will provide both skill level and physical play,” stated Wise. “We have a good idea what we will get from our forwards on the ice, but we have a young blue line, so it may take some time to see how the newcomers adjust to playing collegiate hockey,” commented Wise.

As for the MCHA, Wise stated he sees Lawrence University , Finlandia University and Marian being the preseason favorites to win the North Division. In the South, he stated Adrian College is the clear favorite, followed by MSOE and Lake Forest College .

Positional Breakdown
Goaltenders
Senior Cullen Caldwell ( Calgary , AB ) is the Sabres top returning goalie and will be the starter going into the season. Caldwell was a First Team All-MCHA selection his freshman year and Wise hopes he can back to that form again. Caldwell was 4-2-1 in eight games played a year ago. He had a .910 save percentage, to go along with a 2.44 goals-against-average.

Wise also expects freshman Alex Bjerk ( Roseau , MN ) to challenge Caldwell at some point in the season. Bjerk is the top incoming freshman goaltender and Wise is looking for him to compete everyday in practice and challenge for the #1 spot.

Justin Da Maa ( Waupun , WI ) is another new goaltender that will look to compete for time.

Defenders
Wise pointed out senior assistant captain, Ryan Hitchcock ( Butte , MT ) and freshman Tommy Fitzpatrick ( Ft. McMurray , AB ) as two defenders who have impressed the coaching staff in practice so far. Hitchcock scored 12 points (4G/8A) a year ago. He also scored three times on the power play.

Other defenders back for Marian are seniors Nick Henkemeyer ( Prior Lake , MN ) and Mitch Bye ( Burlington , ON ). Henkemeyer scored 8 points (3G/5A) a year ago, while scoring twice on the power play. Junior Zack Fray ( Cambridge , ON ) also returns.

Newcomers looking to make a difference for the Sabre defense this year are Nathan Brummitt (Calgary, AB) and Mitch Kriz ( Berwyn , IL ).

Forwards
Senior captain Jason Ford ( Milford , MI ) returns and has the forwards playing a high level early on noted Wise. Ford will start the season as the center on the opening line. Ford was second on the team in scoring last year with 19 points (6G/13A).

Junior assistant captain, Brendan Hull ( Calgary , AB ) also returns and Wise believes he’s ready to rebound from an injury-shortened sophomore season. He is currently playing with the top freshman forwards on the team in Dakota Dubetz ( Chestermore , AB ) and Brendan Roberts ( Calgary , AB ).

Wise also noted he expects a solid season out of another freshman Andy Kuchler ( Lomira , WI ), who is centering the second line.

Marian has great depth returning at the forward position as nine other players return. Senior Nick Cinquegrani ( Rolling Meadows , IL ) is back after a 15-point (5G/10A) junior season. He is currently 16th on the all-time scoring list at Marian with 68 points (31G/37A).

Juniors Todd Collins ( Whitby , ON ) and Randy Wills ( Flint , MI ) return to provide some quality experience. Collins was third on the team in scoring last season with 18 points (11G/7A). He led the team with 5 short-handed goals.

Marian has five sophomores returning, three of which were in the top five in scoring last season for the Sabres. Adam Freeman ( Wauwatosa , WI ) was named to the MCHA All-Rookie Team a year ago after leading the Sabres in scoring with 23 points (13G/10A). He led the team with six power-play goals. Lane Boswell ( Calgary , AB ) scored 18 points (11G/7A) a year ago, while Justin Cormier ( Calgary , AB ) added 17 points (7G/10A). Freshman Brian Pierpont ( Superior , WI ) will look to contribute for the Sabres as well.

Chris Thompson ( Woodbury , MN ) and Ryan Compeau (Romeo, MI) are Marian’s other returning sophomores. Thompson scored 11 points (4G/7A) in his rookie season.

MSOE
The MSOE Raiders finished the 2008-09 season with a 15-12-2 record and were second only to returning champion Adrian College . The 2009-10 Raiders hockey team features the same toughness and tenacity from last year’s team, which carried them into the Harris Cup final.

The 2009-10 edition of Raiders hockey will have the same toughness and tenacity that saw them through last year’s playoffs. Leadership will come through captains Stephen Smiddy ( Grand Rapids , Mich. / East Grand Rapids) and Michael Johnson ( Eagle River , Alaska / Chugiak). All conference selection Smiddy returns at the forward position while Johnson, one of the key Raider defensemen, returns for his second season in a Raider uniform after transferring from Division I Air Force Academy.

Scoring threats will come from Michael Soik ( Stevens Point , Wis. / SPASH) and Brock King ( Medicine Hat , Alberta / Medicine Hat High). The 5-10 junior forward Soik comes off a sophomore season filled with injuries that limited him to playing in only 17 games, scoring seven goals and nine assists; he recovered in time to be named to the MCHA All-Tournament team. King stepped in nicely in his rookie season, adding eleven goals (the most on the team) and eight assists and earning him MCHA all-freshman honors. “Brock (King) is always coming through with a timely goal,” said head coach Mark Ostapina. The defense will be anchored by Johnson and Michael Siergiej ( Eagle River , Wis. / Northland Pines). Last season Siergiej played in 28 games, scoring two goals and five assists.

Connor Toomey ( Burlington , Mass. / St. Sebastian’s) returns in goal for the Raiders. In his first season his 2.71 goals against average was 3rd in the conference and 42nd in the nation. He was also 3rd in the conference in save percentage with .905, and was the MCHA’s all-freshman goaltender selection.

From the 2008-09 lineup, the Raiders graduated five players including four-time all-MCHA defenseman Jason Woll. Woll recently had a tryout with the Milwaukee Admirals and will play again this season with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Outside of the conference, the Raiders face St. Thomas in St. Paul , Minn. on Dec. 11-12, and will compete in the Oswego Tournament on Jan. 2-3 in Oswego , New York . This year, a conference championship for the Raiders will mean a trip to the NCAA tournament as the MCHA receives an automatic bid for the 2010 season. To reach that goal, the Raiders must bust through a strong Adrian team, as well as formidable foes Finlandia, Lawrence, Marian and new MCHA opponent, Lake Forest . The Raiders will open the regular season in the Kern Center , October 30, against Concordia-Wisconsin.

Northland College
Northland College Hockey will begin its 12th season of NCAA Division III hockey and its 11th season competing in the MCHA conference.  The Jacks will look to build on previous seasons and are hopeful for a strong season.  “We are looking to take steps forward year after year and are hopeful that this year will be an exciting one.”  Fabiilli said.

Looking to help transition the hockey program will be a key group of returners along with some added talent in all positions.

Returning for the Jacks will be Junior Captain Chad Moore along with Senior Assistant Captain Matt Tanneberg and Junior Assistant Captain Shaun Newman, “we are looking at Chad ,Matt and Shaun to take on the leadership role for the hockey program this year, and I am very confident in all three and their capabilities” Fabiilli said.

On forward the Jacks return players Chad Moore, Jake Carlson, Josh Spiegel, Nick Matson, Ryan Pageau, Craig Turner, Bryan Kim, Josh Lopez, Brandon Gassi, Kyle Smythe and Erik Bachynsky.  The Jacks also return Matt Tanneberg, Brian Zwawa, Joe Belanger, and Shaun Newman on the blue line. Also returning will be Junior goalie Dan McIntosh and Sophomore goalie Kyle Finch   “All of our returners have one to two more years of experience which will help our program take steps forward.  We are still relatively young and have room to grow and mature, we look to our returners to build on their accomplishments from last year and continue to improve daily.  We actually have a lot of returners compared to years past and this should help our program as well.”  Fabiilli said

Joining the Jacks for their first season will be 11 new faces in, Kraig Wright, Nick Hewko, Colin McIntosh, Nick Doiron, Jamieson Webking, Matt Lindsay, David Manning, Austin Southerland, Andrew Efronson, Mattias Persson and Shane Buckley. “We have a pretty big class coming in to help the program move forward and look to these young guys to contribute and develop over the years.  All of these players have added depth in all three positions and we are excited about the class we have brought in.”  Fabiilli said

Schedule:
Five games against top NCAA teams and 12 home contests highlight the 2009-10 Northland hockey schedule. “I am very excited about our schedule for this season, we will be playing some tremendous competition in and out of conference,” Fabiilli said.

Northland will open up the season playing one non conference game at home against the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point on Oct. 28th and open up conference play at home Nov. 6th and 7th against MSOE.

This season the Jacks will meet St. Scholastica, Concordia Moorhead and Bethel to round out the non conference play, in total, the Jacks will play 25 regular-season games, including 20 against MCHA foes. Northland will play Finlandia, Lawrence and Marian four times, two games at home and two on the road. The Jacks will host Concordia Wisconsin and MSOE for two games, while traveling to play Lake Forest and Adrian in a two-game set.