Historic turnaround carries Hamline into NCAAs

By Matthew Webb
Contributor, D3hockey.com

The 2010-11 season proved a high-water mark for the Hamline men’s hockey program. Coming off three straight 16-win seasons under then-head coach Scott Bell, the Pipers posted a 17-7-5 mark and claimed MIAC regular and postseason titles en route to their first NCAA tournament appearance.

In just his first season at Hamline head coach Cory Laylin has engineered a remarkable turnaround.
Photo: Cory Chuchna for d3photography.com

Hamline also garnered its first NCAA tournament win that year as it won an opening round contest at UW-Superior. Though the Pipers fell to eventual national champion St. Norbert the following weekend, the season remains the most successful in school history.

The face of the program shifted dramatically mere weeks later as Bell resigned and was replaced by Hamline alum Scott Steffen. In Steffen’s lone season behind the Pipers’ bench the team posted a 10-14-2 mark and things tailed off dramatically from there as over the following two seasons the Pipers went 3-41-6 under new head man Doc DelCastillo. It was the worst record of any team in the nation over that span.

Entering the 2014-15 season, DelCastillo was out and new head coach Cory Laylin was in. A 1992 graduate of the University of Minnesota and four-year letterwinner for the Golden Gophers, Laylin brought a significant amount of collegiate and professional playing experience to table and had spent the prior two seasons as head coach of the Brookings Blizzard of the North American Hockey League. He had also spent two years as an assistant at Hamline under Bell.

Despite the ample experience, Laylin had a formidable challenge on his hands as he was the program’s third coach in four seasons and had just taken over a program that had notched just three wins in the previous 32 months.

“I got the job in April and it was kind of a last second deal where I had to put things together, and ‘woosh,'” Laylin said. “I had to change the way things were going here and had to make some kind of drastic moves. We’re playing with eight freshman right now and the guys who stayed have been rejuvenated and everyone is staying within the system and doing what we’re asking.”

Hamline opened its 2014-15 campaign with a game in the MIAC Showcase against Saint John’s and the first 60 minutes of the Laylin Era didn’t go quite as well as those in the Hamline camp had hoped it might. The Pipers fell behind 2-0 after one period, 5-0 after two and ultimately suffered a 6-2 setback at the hands of the Johnnies.

However, Laylin points to the fallout of that season-opening loss as the first sign the new-look Pipers were buying into his vision and that positive change was closer on the horizon than perhaps anyone expected.

“That first game of the year we got beat by Saint John’s and we had a sit down with our captains,” Laylin said. “The next night we went out and beat St. Thomas and our guys started to believe. That’s when we started exploring who we are and it’s been a journey. As things have evolved the guys have really stepped up — it’s just a really good group. Especially some of the guys who have been though the dark times.”

One of the players who experienced those dark times is senior captain Joe Rubbelke. A defenseman from North Saint Paul, Minn., Rubbelke has had an exceedingly productive individual career despite the fact that for his first three collegiate seasons team success did not always follow.

A three-time MIAC all-conference selection who also garnered honorable mention honors as a freshman, Rubbelke has posted 15 goals and 56 assists for 71 points in 96 games with the Pipers. Despite the individual success, Rubbelke admits that playing for three coaches in a span of four years presented its fair share of challenges for the team.

“It’s not something you wish for,” Rubbelke said. “It’s tough going through seasons and getting used to new things year after year and not being able to build off what you’ve done. It’s been difficult but the guys that have been through it and have been around for it embrace it, and you know, it’s been a fun ride.”

Senior captain Joe Rubbelke has seen his share of ups and downs over the past four seasons.
Photo: Cory Chuchna for d3photography.com

As Laylin and his staff worked to continue to right the ship, success came in modest chunks in the weeks that followed and a 2-0 win over UW-Superior on November 15 ran the Pipers’ record to 3-3, which meant that in a span of just 16 days they had matched their combined win total of the previous two seasons.

Hamline went 1-1-3 over the remainder of the first semester and stood at 4-4-3 overall at the holiday layoff. While not an earth-shattering start by any stretch, considering the track record of the previous few years it was a start that had raised eyebrows around the MIAC and much of the West Region.

“It was a little bit of a surprise if you look back on the past couple of seasons, “Rubbelke said. “Winning three games was pretty tough for us and were in a lot of games but we just couldn’t figure out how to get a win. Coming into this season when Coach Laylin got the job he brought in a new energy and excitement right away. He went out and recruited a lot of guys and have a lot of new freshmen in this year that have done a great job for us, and also a couple of transfers who are juniors who have helped out a lot.”

While the start to the season was certainly encouraging in its own right, Laylin and Rubbelke were both quick to mention that it was the first weekend following the break that proved to be a turning point for the team. Not only in terms of success on the ice but perhaps more importantly in terms of establishing confidence in the belief that this year’s team might actually be capable of accomplishing something special.

“It happened on the weekend we played Lake Forest and UW-Stevens Point,” Laylin said. “We came back from a 4-1 deficit against Lake Forest, had a great third period and tied those guys. Then the next night we came out and beat Stevens Point at home here and that was a great weekend for our guys. We’ve just kind of springboarded from there.”

Four third period goals, capped off by a natural hat trick by junior forward Kevin Novakovich, paced the comeback that forged the eventially 5-5 (ot) tie with the Foresters, while a goal by junior forward Brandon Zurn 7:36 into the third period proved the game-winner in the Pipers’ 5-4 win over Stevens Point.

“I think we all had a feeling right after break when we had a series with Lake Forest, who has been a good team this year, and then obviously the game against Stevens Point,” Rubbelke added. “Those gave us a good kickstart to the second semester and a lot of confidence knowing we could hang with a really good team like Stevens Point.”

“Those were a real eye opener and turning point for us this year.”

Hamline ultimately posted a 7-6-1 mark after the New Year and finished the regular season 11-10-4 overall Its 7-6-3 MIAC record proved enough to sneak it into the five-team MIAC postseason as the number five seed. Come the playoffs, it took a three third period goals to eek out a 4-3 win at Augsburg in the opening round, while just two nights later the Pipers again scored three times in the third as they scored a 6-3 semifinal upset win at nationally-ranked and top-seeded St. Thomas.

The win over the Tommies set up a showdown for the league title at Saint Mary’s — the same Saint Mary’s that had scored a weekend sweep with a pair of one-goal wins over the Pipers just three weeks prior. A third Cardinals’ win was not in the cards however, as Hamline again won the third period by scoring twice to break a 2-2 deadlock and claim the MIAC championship with a 4-2 win.

“Those previous games [against Saint Mary’s] could have gone either way, to be honest,” Laylin said. “We outshot them pretty heavily in one of the two, and in the title game we were very opportunistic and finished our chances. I thought we played real well in the third period of the final game — we blocked shots and did what we needed to do. Our kids are gritty and they did what they had to to get the results.”

Can the Pipers pull of yet another postseason road upset?
Photo: Cory Chuchna for d3photography.com

The victory also, against all odds, sent Hamline to the NCAA tournament for just the second time in school history where they will hit the road for the fourth time this postseason for a quarterfinal against the same Stevens Point team they beat on January 10. The Pointers enter the contest as the No. 3 ranked team in the D3hockey.com Men’s Top 15, while the Pipers again stand as underdogs in the eyes of many.

“I think they’re the best team we played all year, even though we won that one,” Laylin said. “They’re four lines deep, they have really, really good defenseman — four of the best around. We’re going to have to play our best game to be in that game.”

“We think very highly of them and they’re probably the best team we’ve played all year,” Rubbelke added. “For us it’s going to come down to just playing a good road game. Keep it simple — don’t go out there and try to win the game in the first period. Keep it simple in the defensive zone and hopefully that ultimately leads to scoring opportunities and we score on those opportunities that we do get.”

One thing is certain: Hamline now sits just one win away from winning its way to a Frozen Four that is being hosted right in its own backyard. Laylin repeatedly praised the work ethic and the gritty nature of this year’s team and whether those features, and perhaps some more third period prowess, will be enough to upend Stevens Point on Saturday night remains to be seen.

But does whether the Pipers manage to win yet another playoff road game even really matter? In some ways of course it does, but to the fact that what they have accomplished this season will go in the books as one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Division III men’s hockey history, it likely doesn’t.

“We’re young and we have such a great group of guys that want to play for each other with such a blue collar mentality,” Laylin said. “It’s a joy to coach these guys because they just won’t quit. From what we’ve come from to see where we are now, there has been no more enjoyable time in my coaching career than to see this group form the way it has.”

From 1-19-5 in 2012-13 and 2-22-1 in 2013-14 to the brink of Division III’s biggest stage, the 2014-15 Pipers are a classic illustration of the fact that perhaps sometimes these things aren’t as difficult as many make them out to be.

After all, measurable progress was attained by the end of the season’s first weekend, and all it took was the right mix of a dedicated new coach and his staff, and the right blend of old and new talent — some of which had been through the darkest years in program history and were eager and willing to do whatever it took to get things turned around in a hurry.

Which is exactly what Hamline has just done.

“This group is the closest group I’ve ever played with at Hamline here,” Rubbelke said. “With guys always hanging out, being together, having each other’s backs — it’s just been fun to be able to be around each other. We’re just a super close team which has helped us be successful.”

“We’re hungry to win and everybody is excited to bring the program back up to where it has been and where we know it can be.”

The post Pipers go from worst to first appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image:
The Cobbers opened the season with a perfect 2-0 mark in this year’s MIAC Showcase.
Photo: Ryan Coleman for d3photography.com

By Michael Anderson
D3hockey.com
… 

Upon arriving at Concordia-Moorhead in 2008, head coach Chris Howe knew he had a huge challenge in front of him. The men’s hockey team had just one win the year before he arrived and losing had become the expectation. What Howe had to do was no small task as he was forced to try to change mentality of an entire program

“The biggest thing was getting the players and the people involved in the program to believe that it doesn’t have to be how it was before,” said Howe.

Before Howe was hired by Concordia, he was an assistant coach at Saint John’s University where he served under John Harrington, a prominent player and coach in hockey circles — especiallly in Minnesota.  The five years Howe spent with Harrington on the Johnnies’ bench proved to be instrumental.

“He is still a huge influence in my life. The opportunity to coach with him was a huge honor, I was very fortunate to work with him,” said Howe.  “He taught me about honoring my word, hard work, being accountable, and what it takes to win.”

And the fact that Harrington was a member of the historic 1980 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic Team helped instill a belief in Howe that, as he explained, there is no such thing as something that’s impossible and there is nothing you can’t obtain if you’re willing to do the work and honor your word.

The lessons learned under Harrington were put to the test as Howe went from an established winning program to Concordia, a program that had not even had a winning season since 2002-2003. The challenge ahead of him was enormous, but Howe relished this fact rather than feared it.

“They had a history here of being pretty good, so we decided we were going to bring Concordia hockey back,” Howe said.  “It then became about integrity, are you going to get up every day and work to do what you said you were going to do? It’s tough, but it’s fun. That’s how you stretch and grow, taking on a challenge.”

The first thing Howe had to do to properly take on this challenge was assemble a coaching staff that shared the same vision. Howe brought in Ross Richards and Scott Bjorklund, and has since added Erick Galt to the staff.  Galt, a 2012 graduate of Concordia, was an All-American defenseman during his time with the Cobbers.

Next, and perhaps most important of all,  Howe had to get the players to buy in.

“I had to remind the players [in the first few years] that there wouldn’t be instant gratification, that they were laying the foundation. I made it clear that they may not see the fruits of their labor until five years past their time,” said Howe.

But buy in they did, and that is something Howe has not lost sight of.  After preaching early on that in order to build a successful program one has to practice what they preach, the fact the players accepted the responsibility required of them resonates with the program to this day.

“We tip our hat and we honor those players before who gave everything they had to something new,” Howe said.  [They are the ones who laid the] foundation of hard work, accountability, and winning and we need to honor those things every day. On each practice plan ‘hard work, accountability and winning’ are on top of the page; that keeps us present and reminds us of what we are trying to accomplish.”

Howe then had to begin recruiting the kind of players he needed to turn things around and he wanted players who were interested in being part of something that is much bigger than themselves. To find this kind of player, Howe talks to junior and high school coaches to identify players that are selfless and willing to sacrifice for something unknown. As Howe explained it, these kind of players are not always the leading scorers but finding them is essential because if they are asked to work as hard as Howe and his staff expects them to, they need those traits.

While those traits are all highly desirable, Howe is well aware of the fact that the players must also come with a certain skill set, and as the culture in Moorhead slowly started to change, Howe was able to land more and more of those types of players.

It didn’t take long for Howe’s influence on the program to be felt in the win department. In his first year, 2008-2009, the Cobbers went 3-20-2 (1-13-2) and the next season they didn’t fare much better as they finished 5-15-5 (4-7-5), though they did win three more conference games than the previous season. Then came the third season and that’s when the Cobbers saw drastic improvement.

The Cobbers finished 12-11-4 and earned the third seed in the MIAC playoffs. They made it all the way to MIAC Championship game, losing to the top-seeded Hamline, 5-2. The successful season was just the beginning for the Cobbers as it proved what Coach Howe preached was a formula for success. The next season they finished 10-11-4 (6-7-3), finishing tied for fifth in the conference but missed out on the playoffs by virtue of losing a tiebreak. Last year, they proved that 2010-2011 was not an aberration, but a sign of the new Concordia Cobbers when they went 13-12-1 (10-6) and finished third in the conference for the second time in three years, before losing to eventual playoff champion St. John’s in the semifinals.

The Cobbers entered this season with high expectations and thus far have lived up to them as they currently stand 6-2-0 overall and 3-1-0 in the MIAC, just two points behind league-leading St. Thomas.  Additionally, the Cobbers have already scored wins over defending league champion St. John’s, perennial league contender Gustavus Adolphus, and UW-Superior.

“This is a team that has the pieces and elements,” said Howe. “I hate to compare teams as they are all special to me, but this team has great goaltending, good defense, and depth at forward.”

“[It also] has an element of selflessness that hasn’t been there since [he’s arrived]. That is just an accumulation of everyone who has been here since 2008. It is really inspiring to me to see a group care so much for each other.”

With this group off to a strong start and perhaps primed to have a big season, Howe is making sure that they stay in each moment as much as they possibly can. One of the many mantras of the program is, “this play, next play, right now,” and Howe attempts to make sure the team stays focused on that as part of the larger process.

As Howe works to keep his team focused on the day-to-day, he has bigger plans for the future of the program

“Winning a national championship is the ultimate goal,” said Howe.  “And we are also trying produce young men that go out and really care about influencing others. We want our kids to learn what it takes to become a champion, and then with that influence others to make where we live as people a better place.”

The post How(e) To Turn a Program Around appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Dropped Out: St. Norbert, Manhattanville, UW-River Falls

Others receiving votes: Adrian 17, St. Norbert 15, Manhattanville 6, Bethel 4, Trinity 2, UW-River Falls 2, Southern Maine 2

The D3hockey.com Top 10 is voted on by a panel of 15 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.

The post Division III Women’s Poll – Nov. 18, 2013 appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Dropped Out: None

Others receiving votes: Geneseo State 38, Amherst 26, St. Scholastica 21, Augsburg 20, New England College 15, Manhattanville 5, Nichols 1, Trinity 1, Framin

The D3hockey.com Top 15 is voted on by a panel of 20 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.

The post Division III Men’s Poll – Nov. 18, 2013 appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

BLAINE, Minn. — The MIAC Showcase is a “tournament” where groups of three MIAC men’s teams are split into what are essentially three seperate mini-round robins taking place over a three day period. This year marked the fifth straight season the league has kicked off its season with the event.  The mini-round robins were as follows: Augsburg-Saint Mary’s-Saint Olaf, Hamline-Saint John’s-Concordia, and Saint Thomas-Gustavus-Bethel.

Augsburg-Saint Mary’s-Saint Olaf

Results:

Nov. 1, 2013- Augsburg 6, Saint Mary’s 2 | Photos

Nov. 2, 2013- Augsburg 3, Saint Olaf 1 | Photos

Nov. 3, 2013- Saint Mary’s 3, Saint Olaf 2 | Photos

Records:

     Augsburg: 2-0

Saint Mary’s: 1-1

Saint Olaf: 0-2

What we can take from it

Augsburg appears to have found depth in scoring. Their offense was impressively led by their top two lines. They outscored their opponents 9-3 and outshot them 69-41 on the weekend. Their defense was stingy in front of new starter John Bretzman, who was solid with a 1.5 GAA on the weekend. The Auggies were dominant against teams that finished near them in the standings last season. Have they taken a step to the top 5 of the MIAC? Too early to tell, but they took an important first step and should gain momentum from this weekend.

Augsburg’s Ben McClellan scored twice over the weekend to help the Auggies get off to their first 2-0 start since 2009. Photo: Caleb Williams for d3photography.com More photos from this game

Saint Mary’s continued to march towards the box, taking 11 penalties in both games. Against Augsburg, despite allowing only one PP goal,  all the penalties really killed their momentum. Against Saint Olaf,  the impact was not as negative as Saint Olaf took 9 penalties of their own. In that game, Saint Mary’s came back by scoring two PP goals in the third. Senior Bobby Thompson is off to a scorching start with 4 points (2g, 2a) in 2 games. It was big for the Cardinals to get the split as they attempt to get out of the MIAC cellar. Both Christian Gaffy and Mitch Fernsler started in goal. Gaffy got the win and Fernsler the loss. Both played well, but Gaffy got the win. Perhaps the Cardinals stick with Gaffy and give him a chance to solidify himself as the starter.

Saint Olaf is feeling the loss of the Harris brothers. They were not a powerful offensive team with them, but without them they managed only 3 goals in 2 games. Defensively they were not horrible. Allowing 3 goals a game is not good, but it’s not awful. Both Henrik Wood and Steve Papciak saw action and faced a similar onslaught of shots. Wood and Papciak are both proven goaltenders, so they are the least of the Ole’s concerns. How they are going to score is their biggest issue. It is a long season, so perhaps they figure this out, but judging off of last season, that is doubtful.

Hamline-Saint John’s-Concordia

Results:

Nov. 1, 2013- #14 Saint John’s 4, Hamline 2 | Phots

Nov. 2, 2013- Concordia 2, #14 Saint John’s 0 | Photos

Nov. 3, 2013- Concordia 6, Hamline 1

Records:

     Concordia: 2-0

Saint John’s: 1-1

Hamline: 0-2

What we can take from it:

Concordia is for real. I know it is early and that anything could happen, but they were dominant in their two games. One was against the reigning MIAC Playoff Champion St. John’s. Concordia matched up with the Johnnies, shutting them out in a 2-0 win while out-shooting them 34-29. Neamonitis, arguably one of the best netminders in the MIAC, was everything the Cobbers needed as he stopped 65 of the 66 shots he faced on the weekend. Suderman had a nice 3 point weekend and the Cobbers saw 5 different players score. Their second game was against the one-win Hamline Pipers of yesteryear. They won 6-1, but were outshot 37-21 and took 12 penalties, they will need to clean that up if they want to sustain the success of the weekend all year.

Concordia’s Dan Hrabowych posted a goal and three assists in the Cobbers’ 6-1 Sunday win over Hamline. Photo: Caleb Williams for d3photography.com More photos from this game

Saint John’s, the coaches’ preseason pick to win the league, is yet again going to be good. The Jonnnies got off to a bit of an underwhelming start but should be fine. They may have only scored 4 goals all weekend but they only allowed 4 as well. This team is simply too deep and talented not to be good. Concordia beat them 2-0, but one was an empty-netter and the Cobbers should be competing all year for supremacy in the MIAC with the Johnnies. They got a tough game from Hamline, but came out on top and were never behind. Newcomer Andrew Commers scored his first goal at the D3 level, and Zach Knight, Neal Smith, and John Carroll each registered one goal and two assists. Saxton Soley only got one start, the win against Hamline, but will most likely hold down the starting spot from now on.

Hamline is much improved, but the results were the same as last year. Rubbelke and Zurn yet again lead the way for the Pipers as they really gave the Johnnies a game. In that contest,  Zurn had a goal and assist and Rubbelke had two assists. Heimer was solid in net for the Pipers in that game and was put in after the first against Concordia; Karel Popper was chased from the net after allowing 4 goals on only 8 shots. Having the same coach for two years in a row appears to have led to some improvement. How much remains to be seen, but even though they are 0-2-0, they put up a great fight against the much heralded Johnnies and significantly outshot Concordia . They should easily eclipse one win this season.

Saint Thomas-Gustavus-Bethel

Results:

Nov. 1, 2013- Gustavus 2, Bethel 1 | Photos

Nov. 2, 2013- Saint Thomas 3, Bethel 2 (OT)

Nov. 3, 2013- Saint Thomas 5, Gustavus 3 | Photos

Records:

     Saint Thomas: 2-0

Gustavus: 1-1

Bethel: 0-2

What we can take from it

Saint Thomas got the sweep, but not in dominating fashion. They barely beat Bethel in a 3-2 OT win that saw them playing catch up twice before netting the winner in overtime. Then they beat Gustavus 5-3. At one point they were up 5-1, but faltered late and allowed two third period goals that made it close. If they can keep that kind of scoring up, they will be dangerous as they are a defensively sound team. Having a big game was Alex Altenbernd who had a huge four point night for the Tommies against Gustavus, with one goal and three assists. Connor McBride had a nice game when he played savior against Bethel netting the game-tying and game-winning goals. Drew Fielding was solid in both games stopping 45 of the 50 shots he faced over the weekend. A good start for a sure-to-be top team in the MIAC.

Alex Altenbernd’s four point night helped lead the Tommies past Gustavus Adolphus. Photo: Caleb Williams for d3photography.com More photos from this game

Gustavus’ biggest concerns coming in were their goaltending and defensemen. It seems they will go with John McLean for the foreseeable future as he had a better weekend than Patrick Sullivan, whom he replaced against Saint Thomas after he let up 5 goals. Defensively, they did well against Bethel but struggled against Saint Thomas. Expect that inconsistency to last for a bit as they are attempting to replace nearly all of their defensemen from last year. Returning leading scorer Adam Smyth was held scoreless for the weekend, that will probably not be the norm. No one really stood out on the offensive end for the Gusties, which is not good as that should be their strength this season. Not time to panic though, as it is very early and Gustavus is well-coached. I would be surprised if they were not in contention all season, but they certainly have things to figure out.

Bethel is better and could be a serious contender for the playoffs. They did go 0-2-0,  but they could very well have two wins instead. They lost two one-goal games, one in OT, and played with speed and intensity. The combo of Mitch Hughes and Brock Raffaele looked good and should be a threat in every game they play. In two games, Hughes had 3 goals and Raffaele had 3 assists. Senior goalie Dan Harper made a strong case to get the majority of the starts. Against Saint Thomas, he faced 46 shots and stopped 43. However, Steven Bolton also had a solid game against Gustavus when he stopped 30 of the 32 shots he faced. As good as the goalies were, Bethel will need to decrease shots allowed and increase shots taken, as they were outshot 78-39 in the two games. That is not a trait of a winning team, but they still played well against two historically good teams and that should give them confidence after a rough end to last season.

Overall Impressions

It is early, so nothing should be read into too much. It is highly unlikely that the standings will match what they are now come end of the season. However, there were no real surprises as teams performed basically as expected. The lower teams from last year all had good showings, even if their records do not show it. Overall, the level of play seemed higher, there is no way to prove that, but it seemed faster. All in all, the Showcase “showcased” that the MIAC is a conference where any team can play with any team. It should be an exciting season.

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