MCHA Players of the Week
Brendan Sullivan, Lake Forest
Peter Emery, Lawrence
Plenty of storylines remain in place as the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association enters the final month of the regular season. In the Southern Division, Adrian College and MSOE both swept weekend series to remain deadlocked heading down the stretch. The Bulldogs (6-1 and 9-2 winners over Finlandia) and Raiders (2-0 and 4-2 over Lawrence) are now tied at 12-1-1 in MCHA play and, coincidentally, 15-3-1 overall. A head-to-head series to close out the regular season looms the final weekend.
| MCHA Champion To Be Crowned This Weekend |
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| Written by Chris Zills |
Monday, March 01 2010 |
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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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Also of note, Adrian's Sam Kuzyk was named one of seven finalists for Hockey Humanitarian Award. The following is from Adrian's website:
 Junior forward Sam Kuzyk (Winnipeg, Man.) has had a banner season on the ice for the Bulldogs, but it is what he has done away from the rink that really sets him apart. Kuzyk has been selected as one of seven finalists for the 2010 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award, which is one of the highest honor in collegiate hockey. The award is given annually to the college hockey player that most personifies true community spirit through the selfless commitment of leadership, effort and time. This year's recipient will be introduced on Friday, April 9 in an evening ceremony at Ford Field in Detroit as part of the 2010 Men's Frozen Four and NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge.
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." |
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.