-February
24, 2003
Minnesota
Crookston Prevails as 2003 MCHA Tournament Champions
The Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles won a classic on Sunday
(February 23) evening, defeating Marian College by a final score of 2-1 in the
MCHA Tournament Championship game in front of a packed house at the Crookston
Civic Arena.
The Golden Eagles took a 2-0 lead into the third period before holding off the
two-time defending tournament champions. Marian scored early in the final period
to get to within 2-1, but UM-C goalie and Tournament MVP Erik Kraska kept the
Sabres out of the net the rest of the way, making several key saves in the final
minute to preserve the Golden Eagles second tournament championship in four
years. Lawrence University started Championship Sunday with a thrilling 3-2
overtime win over MSOE in the Consolation Championship. The Vikings held a 2-0
lead before the Raiders stormed back to force overtime. The win in the
consolation game marked the third year in a row that the Vikings placed third
and extended their team record for wins in a season to 12. For complete coverage
of the tournament, click HERE
for box scores, pictures, and game recaps.
The All-Tournament team was named at the conclusion of the action on Sunday,
with Minnesota-Crookston goalie Erik Kraska (Plymouth, MN) receiving MVP
honors for his work in helping the Golden Eagles to the championship. The rest
of the All-Tournament team included Marian forward Dan Odegard (Oakdale, MN);
UM-Crookston forwards Jeff Johnston (Carman, Manitoba, Canada) and Ben
Perkins (New Brighton, MN); Marian College defenseman Dan Weymann
(Oakdale, MN); Golden Eagle defenseman Todd Chandler (Crookston, MN);
and Lawrence University goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden).
MCHA Post-Season Awards were also given out on Saturday (February 22). Marian
College Sabre Dan Odegard (Oakdale, MN) was tabbed MCHA
Player-of-the-Year. One of his season highlights was breaking the MCHA career
scoring record, finishing with 99 points to eclipse the former mark of 90 set
last season by MSOE's Mike Turcott and was named First Team All-Conference as
well. Minnesota-Crookston head coach Gary Warren received MCHA
Coach-of-the-Year honors. Warren led his team to their third regular season
title in four years as they finished with a 10-3-3 record, edging Marian College
for the title in the last game of the regular season. For complete First and
Second all-conference members, click HERE.
-February
17, 2003
UM-Crookston
Pulls Out Regular Season Crown; Tournament Schedule Set
Minnesota-Crookston knew going into this past weekend they needed to
sweep Marian College or pull out a win and a tie to earn the 2002-2003 MCHA
regular season title. When the dust settled, the league witnessed two exciting
games and the Golden Eagles pulled out the win and tie they needed to earn their
third regular season title in the past four years. The Sabres finished second,
Lawrence third, MSOE fourth, and Northland fifth. The MCHA Tournament gets
underway this weekend, staring on Friday (February 21) night. Check out the
final MCHA league leaders at: http://www.collegehockeystats.com/0203/confstats/mcha
Players of the Week:
-Perkins- -Kraska-
-Knutson-
-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles junior forward Ben Perkins (New Brighton,
MN) makes it
MCHA Player-of-the-Week two weeks in a row, as he helped the Golden Eagles to
the league title with his play against Marian College. Perkins scored
Crookston’s third goal in the 3-3 tie on Friday and netted the biggest goal of
the weekend – a shorthanded tally on Saturday that turned out to be the game
(and title) winner.
Other
Nominees: Ryan Blick (Lawrence)
-Minnesota-Crookston
Golden Eagles freshman goalie Eric Kraska (Plymouth, MN)
receives his third MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week accolades this season with his
play between the pipes in the weekend series versus Marian. He went 1-0-1 to
raise his season mark in league play to 10-3-2. Kraska made 27 saves Friday and
25 on Saturday, finishing the weekend with a .928 save percentage (52-of-56)
against the Sabres’ potent offense.
Other Nominees:
Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)
-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman forward Patrick Knutson
(East Grand Forks, MN) helps
the league champs become the first team to sweep all three of the league awards
in the same week in 2002-2003 by earning back-to-back MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week
honors. The business management and marketing major scored 2 of the 3 goals (1
SH/1 PP) in Friday’s tie. He added an assist on Saturday as the Golden Eagles
won 3-1.
-February
14, 2003
MSOE Goalie Adam Blomfield Earns National Player of the Week Honors
MSOE Raider Goaltender Adam Blomfield was named the United
States College Hockey Online (USCHO.com)
Division III Defensive Player of the Week for his performances between the pipes
last weekend against Marian College. Blomfield, who was also named MCHA
Goalie-of-the-Week for his efforts, received the accolades after being nominated
and receiving votes from the staff of the nationally-known website, which is
known to hockey fans nation-wide as the "Definitive College Hockey
Resource".
Blomfield, a junior goalie from Anchorage, Alaska, earned back-to-back 2-1
victories over the first place Sabres, snapping a losing streak the Raiders had
against Marian in the head-to-head series that had reached 20 games before
Friday's OT victory. He sent the
Sabres to their first back-to-back MCHA losses in almost three years. The
construction management major allowed just one goal each night in making 20
saves Friday and 36 Saturday, ending the weekend with a .966 save percentage (56
of 58).
See the USCHO.com release HERE.
This is the second time a player from the MCHA has earned national Player of the
Week honors this season, as Danny Schroder earned offensive honors November 5,
2002. The last MCHA athlete to win before that was University of
Minnesota-Crookston goalie Mike Dickson in December of 1999.
-February
10, 2003
MSOE
Stuns Marian With Sweep; UM-Crookston Wins to Set Up Final Showdown
MSOE accomplished
something over the weekend they
haven’t done since a 3-2 win on February 14, 1998. What is that, you ask? Beat
Marian College is the answer, as the Raiders upended the Sabres in consecutive
2-1 decisions over the weekend, shocking the league leaders and snapping what
was a 20-game win streak in the head-to-head series. The Sabres, who had swept
MSOE by scores of 6-2 and 11-0 earlier
this season, were limited to a goal each night despite coming into the game
averaging 5.8 in league play. UM-Crookston remains the hottest team in the
league, as they swept Northland College to extend their win streak to six and
set up a final showdown for the league’s regular season crown this weekend in
Fond du Lac, as they now trail the Sabres by just one point in the standings.
Players
of the Week:
(Picture Unavailable)
-Perkins- -Blomfield-
-Knutson-
-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles junior forward Ben Perkins (New Brighton,
MN) wins MCHA
Player-of-the-Week honors for his play in the Golden Eagles sweep of the
Lumberjacks. He had a goal and 2 assists on Friday and added 2 of each in
Saturday’s win to finish with 7 points (3G/4A).
Other
Nominees: Andy Rozanski (Lawrence)
-MSOE Raiders junior goalie Adam
Blomfield (Anchorage, AK) earns his second MCHA
Goalie-of-the-Week honor of the season, doing his part in goal to send the
Sabres to their first back-to-back MCHA losses in almost three years. The
construction management major allowed just one goal each night in making 20
saves Friday and 36 Saturday, ending the weekend with a .966 save percentage (56
of 58).
Other Nominees:
Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)
-Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles freshman forward Patrick Knutson
(East Grand Forks, MN) led
all league rookies in points on the weekend en route to his first MCHA
Rookie-of-the-Week honors. The business management and marketing major notched a
hat trick on Friday and tallied the game-winner to go with 2 assists in
Saturday’s win. He finished the sweep of Northland with a +/- of +5 and 7
points (4G/3A).
Other Nominees:
Nick Belleba (MSOE)
-February
3, 2003
Marian Controls MCHA Showdown;
UM-Crookston Continues to Impress
What
was set up for a showdown for first place in the MCHA turned into two Marian
College defeats of Lawrence University by a combined score of 19-6 that put the
Sabres in the driver’s seat for their second straight regular season title.
Marian made a statement by winning 8-2 on Friday before coming back to Appleton
for an 11-4 win on Saturday that gave them a 10-1-1
mark this year and a 37-1-1 record in their last 39 games versus MCHA
foes. In other action, MSOE and Northland split a league match-up, while
UM-Crookston moves to 13-4-2 on the season with a sweep of Finlandia University.
The Golden Eagles winning percentage of .737 would rank 15th
in NCAA Division III hockey and guarantees them a winning season after
going 8-19-0 just a year ago.
Players of the Week:
(Photos
Unavailable) 
-Odegard-
-Kragness/Kreese-
-Shipley-
-Marian College Sabres senior forward Dan Odegard (Oakdale, MN) tops
an impressive list of candidates to earn his first MCHA Player-of-the-Week
honors in 2002-2003. The win was a close one, as three different nominees posted
7 points on the week. The Sabre captain scored 2 goals (including the
game-winner) and added an assist in the 8-2 Friday night win, while contributing
2 goals and 2
assists in Saturday’s victory to push his scoring output in his last four
games to 10 (5G/5A).
Other Nominees: Adam Coe (UM-Crookston); Andy Eisch (MSOE); Brad Hawkins
(Marian); Jon Daigle (Marian); Dan Weymann (Marian)
-Northland
College Lumberjacks freshman goalie Andrew Kragness (Baron, WI)
wins the highly-contested MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honor for the first time this
season. The newcomer entered the second period of Friday’s game when the
Lumberjacks were down 4-0. He proceeded to play the next 95:49 while allowing
just 2 goals on 46 shots – a .957 save percentage – while earning a 3-1 win
on Saturday. Two other goalie nominees went 2-0-0 on the weekend, but were
helped out by an average of 8.0 goals-a-game by their respective offenses, with
each allowing six goals to Kragness’ two.
Other Nominees:
Erik Kraska (UM-Crookston); Bob Berg (Marian)
-Marian College Sabres freshman forward Greg Kreese (Olds, Alberta)
and Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders freshman forward Jim Shipley (Oak
Park, IL) split MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week honors. Kreese - new to the Sabres
since the semester break - had 2 assists Friday while netting a goal and 2 more
assists on Saturday. He now has 7 points (2G/5A) in 5 games as a Sabre. For
Shipley, the award is the second time in three weeks he was named the top league
rookie, as he tied an MCHA league record
with 5 assists in Friday’s Raider victory.
Other Nominees:
Patrick Knutson (UM-Crookston); Dustin Sieben (Northland)
-January
27, 2003
MCHA
Race Heating Up for Fantastic Finish
The Lawrence Vikings and UM-Crookston Golden Eagles both swept
weekend league affairs to tighten the race for the regular season crown.
Lawrence now has 10 wins on the season – more than all of last season – and
currently leads the MCHA with 18 standings points, Marian College is second with
17 (the Sabres have played 2 less games), Crookston third with 16. The Sabres
had the weekend off. The final month of play kicks off this weekend, highlighted
by a Lawrence/Marian showdown in Appleton.
Players of the Week:
-Melchiori-
-Ljung-
-Potts-
-Lawrence University Vikings junior forward Matt Melchiori (Appleton, WI)
becomes the second league player to earn MCHA Player-of-the-Week honors twice in
the 2002-2003 campaign. The economics and engineering major scored to tie the
game on Friday and assisted on the game-winner, while adding 2 assists in
Lawrence’s sweep of Northland on Saturday.
-Lawrence University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden)
gets the nod for MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week for the third time this season – most
among league netminders. The economics and German major went 2-0-0 on the
weekend with a save percentage of .895, including 29 saves on 30 Lumberjack
shots on Saturday as he helped the Vikings to first place at 9-3-0 in
conference.
-Northland College Lumberjacks freshman forward Ryan Potts (Fort Wayne,
IN) put his best efforts forth in trying to help upset the Vikings this past
weekend. The business major had 2 goals and 2 assists in the two contests, and
played a major role in limiting Lawrence to converting just 2-of-16 on the power
play for the weekend.
-January
20, 2003
MSOE
Earns First Sweep of SUNYAC Opponent in Program History
The
MSOE Raiders may have been the only MCHA team playing non-conference games this
week, but the results were big for the program as they posted their first-ever
sweep of a SUNYAC team, defeating Buffalo State by scores of 6-5 and 4-1 over
the weekend. In league action, Marian continued its stronghold over Northland,
moving to 24-1-0 all-time with the weekend sweep. Lawrence and UM-Crookston
split a huge series in the standings, as the Vikings remain lurking in second
place with a big showdown scheduled with front-runner Marian at the end of the
month.
Players
of the Week:
-Basten-
-Berg-
-Shipley-
-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders sophomore forward Jacob Basten
(DePere, WI) becomes the first back-to-back winner of MCHA
Player-of-the-Week honors in 2002-2003. The architectural engineering and
construction management major helped the Raiders to a 2-0-0 weekend, tallying a
goal and an assist in Friday’s 6-5 win and 2 goals (including the game-winner)
and an assist on Saturday. Basten has now scored an impressive 9 points (6G/3A)
in his last 4 games, doubling the 9 points (3G/6A) he had in his first 12
contests on the season.
Other Nominees: Adam Coe (UM-Crookston); Dan Weymann (Marian); Jon Daigle
(Marian); Aaron Graber (Lawrence)
-Marian College Sabres sophomore goalie Bob Berg (Antigo, WI) earns his
first MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week
honors this year after being named the winner twice a season ago. The studio art
major ran his career mark to 11-0-1
in 12 decisions, lowering his season GAA to 1.71 in the process of blanking
Northland on Saturday in the 7-0 win. He now has a .919 save percentage to go
with it, making 18 stops on the night in his third career shut-out - all of
which have come against Northland.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)
-Milwaukee
School of Engineering Raiders freshman forward James Shipley (Oak Park, IL) help
the Raiders to two of three awards on the
week as his play on the weekend is rewarded with MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week
accolades. He netted 2 goals (including the game-winner) and added 2 assists in
Friday’s win, while assisting on a goal Saturday in the MSOE victories. His 5
points (2G/3A) led all MCHA newcomers for the week.
Other Nominees:
Andy Link (Lawrence); Jordan Pennington (Marian)
-January
13, 2003
MCHA Back on the Ice in 2003
The
MCHA returned from semester/holiday break this week, and Lawrence defeated MSOE
in the only league game to tighten up the standings race a little more. The rest
of the week wasn’t as kind to the league, as they went 1-6-1 the rest of the
way. Highlighting other action was MSOE, as they had #20 Lake Forest on the
ropes before settling for a 3-3 OT tie.
Players of the Week:
-Basten-
-Hirsch-
-Ljung-
-Milwaukee School of Engineering
Raiders sophomore forward Jacob Basten (DePere, WI) becomes the first
MCHA Player-of-the-Week in 2003, as he led all players with 6 points on 3 goals
and 3 assists during the past seven days. The architectural engineering and
construction management major had 2 assists vs Lawrence, 2 goals and an assist
in MSOE’s OT tie of Lake Forest on Friday, and a short-handed tally on
Saturday.
Other Nominees: Jay Tupa (UM-Crookston); Dan Weymann (Marian)
-Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders junior goalie Matt Hirsch (Cottage
Grove, WI) becomes
the second different Raider to earn Goalie-of-the-Week accolades this season.
The business major faced 138 shots in just 3 games, making a whopping 41.7 saves
per game on a .906 save percentage.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)
-Lawrence
University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden)
continues
to rack up weekly league honors. For the third time this season, he has been
named MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week. The economics and German major had 19 saves in
the Vikings OT win over MSOE, while stopping 39 of 44 (.886 %) UW-Stevens Point
shots on Saturday in a tough loss.
December
16, 2002
Marian
Grabs First Place Standing Heading Into Holiday/Semester Break
The Marian Sabres fought their way back to the top of the standings
after a weekend sweep of Northland College. The victories extend their
head-to-head mark to ten straight over the Lumberjacks and up them to first at
6-1-1 in league play. A real battle is brewing for the top spot, as Crookston
(who swept non-conference opponent Finlandia) is right behind the Sabres, while
Lawrence won a game that was huge for them in the standings, coming back from a
3-0 deficit to earn a 7-4 win over MSOE on the road. The players will take time
off for the holidays, as the league will return to a full plate of games on the
weekend of January 10-11, 2003.
Players of the Week:
-Melchiori-
-Kraska
-
-Erick-
-Lawrence University Vikings junior forward Matt Melchiori (Appleton, WI)
tops an impressive list of nominees for MCHA Player-of-the-Week. The
economics and engineering major led the Vikings back from a 3-0 deficit,
tallying two goals (including the game-winner) and an assist in the 7-4
decision, a victory that was huge for keeping Lawrence in the race for the MCHA
title.
Other Nominees: Scott Mack (UM-Crookston); Mike Noel (Marian); Mark Ewing
(Marian)
-Minnesota-Crookston
Golden Eagles freshman goalie Eric Kraska (Plymouth, MN)
receives his second MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors, a week after earning the
All-Rookie nod. He made 47 saves in an undefeated weekend, finishing with a .922
save percentage and a 2-0 mark vs
Finlandia.
Other Nominees: Terry Dunbar (Marian)
-Marian
College Sabres freshman forward Nate Erick (Olds, Alberta) wins MCHA Rookie
honors for the second time in three
weeks. The
education major tallied 2 goals in the Sabres 4-0 win on Saturday (December 14)
and added an assist on Sunday. His 9
goals leads the Sabres in that category.
Other Nominees: Paul Melchiori (Lawrence)
-December
9, 2002
Crookston
and Marian Battle for First Place; Semester Break Approaching
The battle for first place in the MCHA was a good one, and even
though Marian escaped with a win and a tie, UM-Crookston remains in first place
after play this weekend with a 4-2-2 record and 10 standings points. The league
will wrap up play for the holidays this week, breaking for the semester after
play on December 15, 2002.
Players of the Week:
(Picture Unavailable)
-Eagle-
-Blomfield-
-Kraska-
-Marian College Sabres senior forward Teddy Eagle
(Glenview, IL) was selected MCHA Player-of-the-Week for his work on the ice
in the Sabres 4-3 win over UM-Crookston on Thursday (December 5). The marketing
and management major tallied a goal and assisted on another as the Sabres moved
into first-place contention in the league standings.
-MSOE Raiders
junior goalie Adam
Blomfield (Anchorage, AK) earns
the Raiders first MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors for the 2002-2003 season.
Blomfield faced some tough competition in the Radisson North Classic at Air
Force, but had a save percentage of .901 on the weekend (64 saves in two games),
dropping tough decisions to NCHA-foe UW-Stout and Augsburg College – who was
ranked #15 in the nation.
Other Nominees: Eric Kraska (UM-Crookston); Terry Dunbar (Marian)
-Minnesota-Crookston
Golden Eagles freshman goalie Eric Kraska (Plymouth, MN)
receives his first-ever MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week award. He played in
goal in 111:57 of 125:00 minutes on the weekend, helping the Golden
Eagles remain in first place in the league with a .939 save percentage
Other Nominees: Jordan Pennington (Marian)
-December
2, 2002
Crookston
Leads MCHA in Non-Conference Slate
The MCHA dove into non-conference action in the past week, as no
league games where among the eight played. UM-Crookston led the way, as they
swept Bethel on the weekend as the MCHA went 3-5 in the contests, including
Marian’s first-ever defeat of Lake Forest. More non-conference affairs dot the schedule
for the next week, as well as the Sabres at Crookston for two games: a match-up
of league champs from the past two seasons.
Players of the Week:
-Alvestad-
-Kinslow-
-Erick-
-Minnesota-Crookston
Golden Eagles junior forward Mike Alvestad (Grand Forks, ND) earns MCHA
Player-of-the-Week honors for his efforts in the Golden Eagles sweep of Bethel.
The business management and marketing major tallied three goals (one on the
power play) in the victories.
Other
Nominees: Danny Schroeder (Lawrence)
-Minnesota-Crookston
Golden Eagles freshman goalie Aaron Kinslow (Fargo, ND) becomes
the second Crookston goalie in as many weeks to be named MCHA
Goalie-of-the-Week. The sports recreation management major made 25 saves and had
a save % of .893 in his win on the weekend.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)
-Marian
College Sabres freshman forward Nate Erick (Olds, Alberta) continues his impressive
rookie campaign with Rookie-of-the-Week honors. The education major tallied 2
goals in the Sabres 4-3 win over Lake Forest (November 29), Marian’s
first-ever defeat of the Foresters.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)
November
25, 2002
Crookston
Moves Into First; Lawrence Gains Split With St. Olaf
The
Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles crept into first place in the MCHA with a
weekend sweep of Northland College. They are 4-1-1 in league play, which is well
on pace to eclipse their 6 league victories of a season ago. Lawrence University
had a big win for their team as they split with St. Olaf in non-conference
action, while Marian College extended their win streak in head-to-head play over
MSOE to an impressive 20 straight. The league will look to add to their
non-conference win totals this week, as each team will be playing outside
opponents.
Players
of the Week:
-Daigle-
-Kraska-
-Ljung-
-Marian
College Sabres sophomore forward Jon Daigle (Richmond, BC) becomes the
first Sabre MCHA Player-of-the-Week in 2002-2003. The middle secondary education
and English major led the way in the Sabres sweep of MSOE, tallying a
league-high 7 points (2G/5A) on the weekend. One of his two goals was a
game-winner, and he had a collegiate-high 4 assists in Saturday’s win.
Other Nominees:
Ryan Blick (Lawrence); Jay Tupa (UM-Crookston)
-Minnesota-Crookston
Golden Eagles freshman goalie Eric Kraska (Plymouth, MN)
receives his first-ever MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week accolades. The netminder was
stellar between the pipes in the Golden Eagles sweep that got them to first
place in the league standings. He allowed just 2 goals and had a save % of .948
in picking up the two wins – one by shut-out.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)
-Lawrence
University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden)
continues
his impressive rookie campaign. For the second time this season, he has been
named MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week. The economics and German major stopped 38 of 40
St. Olaf shots in Friday’s 5-2 win for a save percentage of .950 and also came
up with 38 saves in defeat on Saturday. He was named runner-up last week for the
USCHO.com National Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors in NCAA Division III.
Other
Nominees: Nate Erick (Marian); Rob Schneider (UM-Crookston)
-November
18, 2002
Lawrence
and Crookston Split; Sabres Beat Second Straight Ranked Opponent
The
Lawrence Vikings continue to lead the MCHA standings after splitting a weekend
series with UM-Crookston. The Vikings first place record now stands at 4-2-0 in
league play. The Marian Sabres started their road trip in grand style – a 4-3
OT win over then-#22 Gustavus Adolphus last Thursday. Augsburg College was
another story, as the Sabres dropped two close road contests. Both Northland and
MSOE were off, but that changes this week, as for he first time this season all
five league team will be playing: Marian versus MSOE; Crookston at Northland;
and Lawrence hosting St. Olaf.
Players of the Week:
-Johnston-
-Ljung-
-Pennington-
-Minnesota-Crookston
Golden Eagles senior forward Jeff Johnston (Carman, Manitoba, Canada) becomes
the Eagles first player-of the-week winner this season as he nabs MCHA
Player-of-the-Week honors in the team’s split with first-place Lawrence. The
business management major led the way in the big victory as he assisted on four
of the goals in the 7-3 win, including on the game-winner.
Other Nominees:
Andy Allen (Marian); Ryan Blick (Lawrence)
-Lawrence
University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden)
becomes
the second league goalie (Marian’s Terry Dunbar was the first) to earn MCHA
Goalie-of-the-Week honors twice this season. The economics and German major
stopped 34 of 36 Crookston shots in Friday’s 6-2 win for a save percentage of
.944 in his only action of the weekend.
-Marian
College Sabres freshman forward Jordan
Pennington (Anchorage, AK) was
chosen as the MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week for his heroics in the Sabres 4-3 overtime
win Thursday. The education major put home the game-winning score when he beat
the Gusties goalie 3:58 into the extra session.
Other Nominees: Daniel Ljung (Lawrence)
-November
15, 2002
US College Hockey On-Line Article Features Marian
College
The
Marian College hockey team has ridden a roller-coaster season so far, and the
season is not even a month old. They had their 27-game MCHA win streak snapped
by Lawrence, only to rebound with a win. They were beaten by Elmira (NY), only
to rebound with a big win. And now they made it two wins in a row over ranked
teams with a defeat of Gustavus Adolphus (MN). The national media coverage has
noticed too, as the Sabres were the focus of this week's NCAA Division III
article on USCHO.com, one of the premier college hockey websites in the nation.
To see the article on their website, click HERE.
The article by Chris Lerch, D-III Correspondent for USCHO.com, is seen here:
"A Breakthrough
Moment"
It's been an interesting couple of weekends
for Marian head coach Chris Brown. After opening the season with a respectable
3-1 loss to current No. 1 St. Norbert, the Sabres started league play with a
weekend series against Lawrence. Marian was coming off an undefeated season in
conference play, riding a 27-game league winning streak dating back to January
19, 2001.
On Friday, Nov. 1, that all came to an end. Lawrence won 6-2, the first time in
the Vikings had defeated the Sabres in 14 attempts. The
next day, Marian rebounded with a convincing 5-1 win. Quite a turnaround from
the night before.
The same scenario played out the next weekend, when Marian traveled to Elmira
for a two-game series, except this time, the Sabres were the underdogs. Friday,
after building a 2-1 lead on the Soaring Eagles, Marian surrendered nine
unanswered goals over the final two periods and lost 10-2. But
as they had done the previous Saturday, the Sabres rebounded for a 5-4 overtime
win over the 12th-ranked team in Division III.
Deja Vu?
"The circumstances were
different," said Marian head coach Chris Brown. "I don't think either
was a matter of not being ready (on Friday) or anything like that. (The losses)
were both wake-up calls, though.
"On Friday at Elmira, we played well for over a period. ... I thought we
were still in the game at 5-2. We were still getting good chances — we talked
about that in between the second and third periods. Then in the first minute and
thirty seconds of the third, we let in two quick goals and that was all she
wrote."
Instead of batting down the hatches at that point, the Sabres stuck to their
game plan. "We didn't try to trap or
shut things down to make the score more presentable," Brown said. "We
said, 'Let's just keep playing and see what happens.' It was embarrassing, but I
think it helped us prepare for Saturday."
The next night, Marian stayed with Elmira the entire game, squandering leads of
two goals in the second period and a goal in the third. Finally, at 2:13 of
overtime, junior Brad Hawkins got the game winner.
"It was a great feeling," recalled Brown." We had just killed off
a minute and half of power play, and we scored right after that."
The goal earned more than a weekend series split for the Sabres. "It
was a huge load of the back of our program," said Brown. "In order to
get better, you need breakthrough moments, and this was a breakthrough moment.
"It wouldn't have been the same if we had tied. We played very hard. The
guys earned it."
-November
11, 2002
Sabres
Knock Off #12 Team in the Country; Lawrence Sweeps Northland
The
past weekend was an exciting one for the MCHA, as Marian College came back from
a Friday night loss to knock-off the then #12 team in the country on Saturday
night, as they defeated Elmira (NY) College by a score of 5-4 in overtime on the
road - one of the toughest places to play in Division III. In league games,
Lawrence continued to keep their hold on first place, as they swept Northland
College on the road. Crookston opened their league slate, hosting MSOE for two
games and coming out with a win and a tie to grab a share of second place in the
conference standings. It doesn’t get any easier for the Sabres, as they will
play three road games in three days this weekend against Gustavus Adolphus and
Augsburg College, teams ranked eighteenth and twenty-second in the most recent
NCAA Division III poll.
Players of the Week:
-Ryan Blick- -Jim Pfeiffelman-
-Terry Dunbar- -Erich Klemm-
-Lawrence
University Vikings sophomore forward Ryan Blick (Canton, MI) becomes the
third straight Viking to be selected MCHA Player-of-the-Week. The Education
major had a major impact on his team’s success this weekend, tallying a hat
trick and an assist in Friday’s 7-2 win while scoring one goal and assisting
on three others in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the Lumberjacks.
Other Nominees: Brad Hawkins (Marian); Mark Tveit (Crookston); Jake Basten
(MSOE)
-For the second straight week, MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors are split. This
time around, Lawrence
University Vikings junior goalie Jim Pfeiffelman (Kalamazoo, MI) and
Marian College Sabres junior goaltender
Terry Dunbar (Duluth, MN) are honored. Pfeiffelman was impressive in his
Friday night outing, as the Chemistry major saved 22 of 24 shots (91.6%) in the
win. A night after giving up seven goals to Elmira (NY), Dunbar played
brilliantly between the pipes in beating the #12 team in the country with 35
saves on Saturday night.
-MSOE
Raiders freshman forward
Erich Klemm (Chicago, IL) earns
the Raiders first POW accolades this season as MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week. The
Construction Management major had three goals and an assist on the weekend,
notching two of the scores in Saturday’s come-from-behind tie.
Other Nominees: Steven MacDonald (Lawrence); Nate Erick (Marian)
-November
7, 2002
Lawrence
University's Schroder earns National Player of the Week Honors
APPLETON, Wis. - Lawrence University hockey player Danny
Schroder was named the United States College Hockey Online Division III
Offensive Player of the Week for his performance last
Friday against Marian College.
Schroder, a sophomore forward from Duluth, Ga., had two goals and two assists
in Lawrence's 6-2 win at Marian. The win by the Vikings snapped
Marian's 27-game Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association
winning streak and broke Lawrence's 14-game losing skid
against the Sabres. "Danny is a gifted player who
sees the ice extremely well," Lawrence coach Dave
Ruhly said. "His dedication and hard work preparing for the season has
turned him into an impact player for us."
Schroder, a former standout at Duluth High School and for the Atlanta Fire, came
up big when the Vikings needed him the most. Marian had rallied to cut
Lawrence's lead to 3-2 when Schroder took a pass from sophomore forward Ryan
Blick (Canton, Mich.) and beat Marian goalie Terry Dunbar for a short-handed
goal at 7:51 of second period. If that momentum-changing goal
wasn't enough, Schroder struck four minutes later on the
power play to put Lawrence up 5-2. Schroder also assisted
on sophomore forward Andy Rozanski's (New Berlin) goal to
open the scoring in the game and assisted on Rozanski's goal early in the
second period. Schroder leads Lawrence with
six points on two goals and four assists. Schroder had 10
points on seven goals and three assists during his rookie campaign
in 2001-02.
This is the first time a player from the MCHA has earned national Player of
the Week honors since University of Minnesota-Crookston goalie
Mike Dickson was chosen in December 1999. Lawrence,
which has a 1-3 record, 1-1 MCHA, is back in action this Friday and Saturday
for a MCHA series at Northland College, 1-0-1, 1-0-1 MCHA.
-Courtesy of Lawrence University SID Joe Vanden Acker
-November
4, 2002
Lawrence
Pulls Huge Upset of Marian; Northland Grabs First Place
The
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association opened league play in the 2002-2003 season
this past week with a shocker. Lawrence University knocked off the defending
champion Marian Sabres with a stunning 6-2 victory. That Viking win was the
first-ever for the school versus Marian since the Sabres had a varsity team and also snapped the Sabre 27-game win
streak versus MCHA foes. In other action, Northland opened their new season with
a win and a tie against MSOE and find themselves in first place by themselves as
a result. UM-Crookston will be the last league team to start their season, as
they open Tuesday (November 5) with a non-conference affair with Concordia (MN).
Players of the Week:
-Schroder-
-Ljung-
-Ali-
-Dodge-
-Lawrence
University Vikings sophomore forward Danny Schroder (Duluth, GA) has
been selected MCHA Player-of-the-Week for his role in the Vikings big 6-2 win
over the Sabres. The Economics major had 2 goals (one short-handed)
and 2 assists, including one on the game-winner.
Other Nominees: Dustin Seiben (Northland); Pat McKay (Marian)
-Lawrence
University Vikings freshman goalie Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden) and
Northland College Lumberjacks freshman goalie Joey
Ali (Vancouver, BC) share
MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week honors. Ljung made 29 saves in snapping Marian’s win
streaks on Friday and had save % of .892 on the weekend. Ali, a Business major,
made 36 saves in a season-opening 3-2 Jack’s victory on Friday night.
Other Nominees: Bob Berg (Marian)
-Northland
College Lumberjacks freshman defenseman
Kyle Dodge (Farribault, MN) was
chosen as MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week for his work in the win and tie against the
Raiders. The Environmental Studies major had a goal and two assists on the
weekend.
-October
29, 2002
MCHA Season Underway
The
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association opened play in the 2002-2003 season this
past week. The season opener saw defending champ Marian College play #4-ranked
St. Norbert to a tough 3-1 loss. The play of the Sabres has found its way to the
voters of the NCAA Division III poll, as Marian went from receiving 1 vote in
the pre-season poll to receiving 3 votes and are now the number 26 team in the
country in the most recent USCHO.com poll. In other action, MSOE dropped their
first two games to UW-River Falls, the #8-ranked team in the country. Lawrence
took UW-Stout to overtime in their second night of action, but dropped a 3-2
decision in the extra session. League play will begin this weekend, as Lawrence
travels to Marian and Northland opens their season with a trip to MSOE.
Players of the Week:
-Andy
Rozanski-
-Terry Dunbar-
-Daniel Ljung-
-Lawrence University Vikings sophomore forward Andy Rozanski (New
Berlin, WI) has been selected as the first MCHA Player-of-the-Week for the
2002-2003 season. The English major tallied 2 of the 3 Viking goals on the
weekend.
-Marian
College Sabres junior goaltender
Terry Dunbar (Duluth, MN) becomes the first MCHA Goalie-of-the-Week in
2002-2003. Dunbar made 32 stops with a save percentage of .914 in a tough
season-opening loss to St. Norbert College, the #4 ranked team in the country.
Dunbar also snapped Green Knight All-American Maris Ziedins 14-game scoring
streak in the process.
-Lawrence
University Vikings freshman goaltender
Daniel Ljung (Avesta, Sweden) gets
the nod for MCHA Rookie-of-the-Week by virtue of his efforts in a 3-2 overtime
loss to UW-Stout. The German & Economics major was making his first
collegiate start and stopped 42 shots, including several of the spectacular
variety. His save percentage was .933 on the night.
-October
16, 2002
Let the Games Begin!...Puck Drops Next Week
With just seven days to go before the 2002-2003 hockey season begins,
players and coaches alike are eager to start playing for real. The MCHA will
begin non-conference action with three teams playing games in the next 10 days.
Defending MCHA Champion Marian College will host the first game of the season,
playing highly-ranked St. Norbert College next week Tuesday (October 22) in Fond
du Lac. Both Lawrence and MSOE will open their new schedules next weekend
(October 25-26) when they travel to NCHA opponents. Lawrence will take on
UW-Stout and MSOE will be playing UW-River Falls. Conference action will get
under way the following weekend (November 1-2), as Northland will be at MSOE and
Marian will travel to Lawrence.
For a
season outlook on each team, click on the following team links below:
Lawrence
University
Marian College
Milwaukee School of Engineering
University of Minnesota at Crookston
Northland College
