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More than just a Cup to Saint Mary’s community

By Kelsey Whaley, MIAC

WINONA, Minn. — The Stanley Cup is one of the most hallowed and revered trophies in all of sports. For the Chicago Blackhawks and Saint Mary’s University, it is starting to become a bi-annual staple.

In 2013, the Blackhawks needed six games to beat the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals. As part of the Cup’s annual victory tour, team President and CEO John McDonough brought the Stanley Cup to his alma mater – Saint Mary’s University – for a public viewing and rally.

Two years later: Déjà vu. McDonough and the cup returned to campus for a special event at Saint Mary’s on Thursday, Sept. 10.

“This is the most beautiful soil the Cup has ever been on,” said McDonough, “I like coming back [to Winona] period, but I certainly like bringing the Stanley Cup with me.”

[youtube id=”XSDZaenrJ8Q” width=”620″ height=”360″]

That trio has strengthened the sense of family between the Blackhawks and the Cardinals, which serves the Saint Mary’s community in many ways. The connection is not only a bragging right for current and former students and staff. It is also a source of inspiration and a guide for student-athletes and coaches, both on and off the playing surface.This is the second time in three years McDonough has shared the Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory with Saint Mary’s. The Stanley Cup’s second trip to Winona, though, was slightly different from the first. For starters, it did not make any surprise appearances at Gabby’s or any of the other local establishments the night before.

The Cup’s entourage has also changed. McDonough was not the only noted alumni to return to the Saint Mary’s. Eric Lear, reporter for the Blackhawks, and Adam Gill, video coach for the team’s AHL affiliate the Rockford Icehogs, also made the trip with the Cup to their alma mater. Both Lear and Gill are 2008 graduates of Saint Mary’s and play leading roles in the media and video department for the Blackhawks.

At both the private luncheon and afternoon rally, McDonough emphasized the importance of, “one team,” in the Blackhawks organization. The coaches, players, and front office personnel are not the only people responsible for the team’s recent success. McDonough said everyone involved in the organization was critical to the Blackhawks championship seasons, from the interns to the team’s owner.

“These people are as much a part of this Stanley Cup as I am,” McDonough repeated many times throughout the day while referring to the organization’s philosophy.

The Cardinals and the Blackhawks share this, “one team,” philosophy, and Saint Mary’s tries to incorporate it in both academics and athletics. Brother William Mann, president of Saint Mary’s, echoed McDonough’s comments about one team, and encouraged the students in attendance to strive for their goals no matter the obstacles.

John McDonough, Adam Gill and Eric Lear address the crowd at Thursday’s Stanley Cup rally at Saint Mary’s University. (Photo by Kelsey Whaley, MIAC)

The student-athletes in attendance also took McDonough’s message to heart and saw many parallels between 2015’s top NHL franchise and their own. Like the Chicago Blackhawks, there is a strong sense of family on the Saint Mary’s campus, and the Cardinal community extends beyond the school’s borders. The university has a high turnout at many athletic events and, like the Blackhawks, the Saint Mary’s athletic teams want to share their accomplishments, and those of their alumni, with the fans who support them.

“Having all the students here is good, and then getting our name out to the community as much as we can is good too,” men’s hockey captain Mike Mezzano said, “We had good support last year for all our sports, and this just brings even more excitement to our school.”

As the Holy Grail of hockey, and one of the premiere trophies in all of professional sports, the Stanley Cup also serves as a motivational tool for many of student-athletes on campus. However, Many of them saw the visit not only as inspiration for their upcoming seasons, but for their future careers as well.

“It’s great to see people that have graduated from Saint Mary’s succeed and come back to the community and share it with everyone,” noted Jessica Cwik, a junior forward on Saint Mary’s women’s hockey team.

There is still plenty of time, though, before the Saint Mary’s student-athletes have to start worrying about their future. Many of them are still eagerly waiting for practices to begin, and a visit from McDonough only fuels their desire for the dawn of a new season. Until then, though, these players will continue to support their athletic family until it’s their turn to take the court, field, or ice and represent their school.

“We’re really excited,” Cwik said,”[We] want to bring a good name to Saint Mary’s, just like Mr. McDonough did.”

The post Winona welcomes Stanley Cup appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Fundraising events scheduled to help local hockey standout and wife

Jim Hoey, Joe Eckel and Tom Younghans contributed to this article

While it’s not unusual for a family to have one serious medical issue as the years pass, it is rare for both husband and wife to contract potential life threatening conditions at the same time.  This is the situation for South St. Paul native, Mike Powers and his wife, Ricka.

Mike’s Hockey Background.

Mike Powers is well known in hockey circles around the metro.  He played two seasons for coach Denny Tetu’s South St. Paul Packers as a fluid defenseman in 1969-70 and 1970-71.

SSP Packers, Mike Powers on bottom row, 5th from right. (Submitted photo courtesy of Ricka Powers)

Although disappointed the team in his senior year did not make the state tournament, Mike was named the team’s Most Valuable Player.  The following year he attended St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota, where he became an all-conference defender in the MIAC.  He was noted for his quickness and his puck-moving ability and helped the Redmen to consecutive runner-up finishes in MIAC league play.

Powers left St. Mary’s after his sophomore season in 1973.  He played semi-pro hockey in the United States Hockey League for three years; two in Marquette, Michigan and one in Traverse City.

Mike as a St. Mary’s Redman in 1972-73. (Submitted photo courtesy of Ricka Powers)

The following year he played in the Southwest Hockey League in Minot, North Dakota.

In 1977, he traveled to Europe to play in a professional league in the Netherlands, where he hooked up with a former St. Mary’s teammate, Jan Janssen, who was playing for the Heerenveen Feenstra Flyers.  It was a good time to start playing for the Flyers, as they were to begin a seven-year (1977-83) championship run, winning the Dutch Cup each season.  As was the custom on most European hockey clubs, only two imports were allowed on each team.  About half the players were either Dutch-American, like Janssen, or Dutch-Canadian.  Among his teammates were former Grand Rapids star Donnie Madson and South St. Paul product John Shewchuk.

The Feenstra Flyers, Dutch National Champions. Mike Powers in bottom row, 2nd from right. (Submitted photo courtesy of Ricka Powers)

The Feenstra club, which was sponsored by the largest heating and air-conditioning company in Europe, was started in 1967 and is still active as the Friesland Flyers.  When the Flyers were winning all their national championships in the Netherlands, it gave them a chance to compete in the European Cup, where Powers played against some of the elite teams, including the Soviet Red Army team.  In training camp, the Heerenveen team often traveled to Finland or Czechoslovakia and played exhibitions against the best from those nations.

After nine highly-successful seasons in Heerenveen, Powers was a player-coach in Denbosch in the same Eredivise league.  At the age of 33, Powers played his final professional season with a team based in Amsterdam in 1985-86.  Overall, it was quite an experience for Powers as he had the opportunity to travel and play in most European countries and to travel to some pretty exotic locales.

Mike Powers and friends with Golden Shovel after winning 2006 US Pond Hockey Championship (Photo courtesy of Ricka Powers)

Since his return to the United States, Mike has stayed active in the world of hockey.  He spent 11 years as the store manager of Center Ice in Eagan and another six-plus years working for Minnesota Made Hockey in Edina.  He has extensive experience in hockey operations, in AAA coaching, and as a youth hockey clinic trainer and skills instructor.

In 2006, he and three close friends won the 50+ division at the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Calhoun.  He has also participated in several adult hockey tournaments at both the local and national level.  Now in his 60’s, Mike still has energy and passion for the game.

Health Problems Surface.

Ricka and Mike Powers in a 2006 Christmas photo. (Submitted photo courtesy of Ricka Powers)

In May, 2014, his wife, Ricka, a breast cancer survivor, became seriously ill again and was diagnosed with another debilitating condition in the form of pulmonary sarcoidosis.  This caused tumors in her eye, lungs, and chest.  She went through major surgery and aggressive treatments to fight the tumors and lost her ability to work.

Mike, meanwhile, was laid off work about the same time.  While dealing with his layoff and seriously ill wife, Mike himself was diagnosed with stage 4a oropharyngeal cancer.  He recently went through surgery, chemo, and radiation.  As he regained strength, he started some part-time work again as a facilities technician for the City of Eden Prairie at the Eden Prairie Community Center.

Financial Hardship…You Can Help.

The loss of work and their illnesses have placed a serious financial strain on them and they can use your help.  A group of close friends has planned a charity event for their benefit in September.  This charity event will take place at the Xcel Energy Center on Sunday Sept. 6, 2015, with light appetizers and a silent auction at Patrick McGovern’s restaurant that same day.  The funds being raised will help provide Mike and Ricka with time to get back on their feet financially.  Events include:

1.  A special hockey game, Don’t Worry, Play Hockey, will include several former NHL players.

WHAT:  Benefit game for Mike and Ricka Powers to help them heal while fighting cancer.
WHERE:  Xcel Energy Center
WHEN:  Sunday, Sept. 6, from 5 – 7 p.m.
HOW:  There is a suggested donation of $125 per player.

If you are interested in playing in the Powers Fundraiser, please contact Ex-North Star, Tom Younghans at:

Phone:   612-703-4378 or E-mail:  youngy029@gmail.com

There are only about six available spots remaining out of 22, so act now if you are interested.

2.  The fund raising team has already collected donated items for the silent auction to be held at Patrick McGovern’s restaurant, 2 pm on Sunday, September 6th.  Stop in to check out the auction items and visit with friends.

3.  Here are a couple of other ways you can help:

•  Make a monetary donation to Mike and Ricka Powers via Paypal using this LINK.
• Send a monetary donation to:

Mike and Ricka Powers Benefit of Hope
℅ Think Mutual Bank
5200 Members Pkwy NW
Rochester, MN 55901
800-288-3425

Banker Kiersten Lawson
952-322-3512

 Finally.

Check out this fund raiser flier here…PowersFlier.

Attend the event if you can.  Help if you can.  Share with friends and hockey buddies who may know Mike and Ricka.  Show your support for Mike and Ricka during this difficult time.

Remember,

September 6^th,

Light Appetizers and Silent Auction at Patrick McGovern’s (2 pm) ,

Hockey Game at Xcel (5 pm).

 Thanks, MHM Staff

The post Hockey couple fighting health crisis appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

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.

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference has selected Hamline University’s Charlie Adams and Gustavus Adolphus University’s Erica Power as its Men’s and Women’s Hockey Athletes-of-the-Week. Details on the selections from the MIAC release are below:

MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week

Charlie Adams, Hamline
Mahtomedi, Minn. / Mahtomedi

The Hamline men’s hockey team got a thrilling win over Saint John’s Friday and a split of the series to stay in contention for one of the five spots in the MIAC Playoffs. Pipers’ junior forward Charlie Adams (Mahtomedi, Minn.) was a big reason for Friday’s win, as he scored four of the team’s six goals – including the game-winner – to lead his team to victory. For his performance, the MIAC sports information directors honored Adams Monday with his second MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week award of the 2014-15 season.

Adams’ four goals in a single game are the most by a Hamline player in recent memory, and his team needed every last one of them in Friday’s remarkable 6-5 road victory. Adams started the scoring with his first goal 6:07 into the game and scored again in the second period to give his team a 3-2 lead. He then scored both of Hamline’s third-period goals – one at 13:44 to give his team a 5-3 lead, then, after SJU tied it up, he scored again with just 2:18 left to give Hamline the win. This season, Adams has 12 goals to rank third in the MIAC and his 20 points give him the eighth-best total in the league. He’s scored 11 goals in conference play, which lead the league, and his 16 points in MIAC play ranks second in the conference.

MIAC Women’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week

Erica Power, Gustavus
Lakeville, Minn. / Apple Valley

Gustavus forward Erica Power (Lakeville, Minn./Apple Valley) certainly had a clutch weekend to help her team secure a sweep of St. Catherine and remain atop the MIAC standings. The first-year standout came through when her team needed it most, as she scored the game-winning goal in both of the Gusties’ wins over the Wildcats. For her performance, the MIAC sports information directors honored Power Monday with the MIAC Women’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week award.

Power started her big weekend by delivering the game-winner in Friday’s 4-1 road win over SCU. Gustavus had just tied things up 1-1 when she struck with the go-ahead goal just 38 seconds later to dramatically shift the momentum and help give her team the win. A day later, her game-winner in front of the home crowd was even more dramatic, as she scored the game’s only goal with just two minutes remaining in the final period to lift her team to a 1-0 win and the sweep. This season, Power ranks seventh in the MIAC in goals (eight), second in assists (13) and fourth in points (21) and she shares the league lead with three game-winning goals. Her 21 points lead all MIAC first-year players.

The post MIAC Athletes of the Week appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

AROUND THE LEAGUE Take a look at this week’s top hockey news items, headlines and interesting facts from the MIAC’s institutions, submitted by each school’s sports information director.

HAMLINE | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Men’s hockey enters critical stage of season The HU men’s hockey team split a pair of games last weekend at Concordia, winning 2-0 and losing 4-1. That kept the Pipers in the thick of the conference race with 16 points. That’s a mere two behind Augsburg and St. John’s (who are tied for fourth) and three behind third place St. Mary’s. And guess who Hamline plays in the final three series of the year? Yep. St. John’s this weekend, followed by Augsburg and St. Mary’s.

SAINT CATHERINE | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Wildcats end MIAC winless streak with win, tie vs. Bethel After going five-straight MIAC games without a win, the Wildcats finally snapped the streak with a 3-2 win Friday night thanks to a hat trick from senior Megan Killmer. Then, behind a 38-save performance from Abbi White in goal Saturday, the Wildcats managed a 0-0 tie for the second time this season. With the hat trick, Killmer moves to No. 9 all-time at St. Kate’s in points (63) and No. 10 in goals (29). White currently leads the MIAC and Division III in save percentage (.959) and goals against average (1.09).

SAINT JOHN’S | MIAC Member Page | Athletics home page | Mr. Clutch Saint John’s sophomore forward Kevin Becker (Roseville, Minn.) was clutch in the Johnnies’ hockey series against Gustavus Adolphus, in which SJU picked up five of the six possible points on the weekend. Down 1-0 Friday night, Becker tallied the game-tying goal, on the power play, with 3:07 remaining in the game. SJU later earned the extra point with a 1-0 shootout win. Three minutes after SJU tied Saturday night’s game with a shorthanded goal, Becker scored the game-winner with 1:53 left in the 3-2 win in St. Peter. The win was just the second for SJU in the last nine meetings at Don Roberts Ice Rink (2-5-2 record). The Johnnies (9-5-5, 5-3-2 MIAC) take on Hamline for a home-and-home series this weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. game on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. Not so rare anymore Junior goaltender Saxton Soley (Elk Mound, Wis.) made 28 saves to record his fifth tie of the season (7-3-5 record) Jan. 30 against Gustavus. He entered his junior season with one career tie in 44 previous games between the pipes (29-13-1 record). He is currently second in the MIAC in save percentage (.939) and third in GAA (1.87) overall, and is tied for the league’s best winning percentage (.667, 5-2-2 record) in conference play.

SAINT MARY’S | MIAC Member Page | Athletics home page | T.G.I. Fridays With their 3-0 win over St. Olaf last Friday, the Cardinal men’s hockey team improved to 3-0-2 in conference play on Friday nights—and 5-2-2 overall on Fridays. The 3-0 victory over the Oles was also the second straight 3-0 shutout win on a Friday—Saint Mary’s also beat Gustavus 3-0 on Feb. 23. Sweeping away the opposition With their sweep of St. Olaf last weekend, the Cardinal women’s hockey team has now recorded four two-game series sweeps this season—the most since the the 2003-04 season. Along with St. Olaf, the Cardinals have swept Bethel (2-1, 1-0), UW-Eau Claire (4-1, 4-1), and Saint Benedict (3-2, 2-0).

SAINT THOMAS | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Milestones Tommie Men’s Hockey, 8-1 since mid-December, recently became the first current Division III men’s hockey program to reach 1,100 victories. In 92 seasons, St. Thomas has built an 1,101-635-90 won-loss record. Middlebury (Vt.) is second in victories at 1,064. Last weekend, St. Thomas (12-4-3) secured the hockey program’s 33rd consecutive winning season as it split two games against Augsburg. The Tommies share the conference lead with six games to go and are looking to reach the playoffs for the 30th time in the 30-year history of the format. UST ranks second nationally in scoring defense as it has allowed just 29 goals in 19 games. The Toms killed off all 23 opponent power plays in eight January games.

MIAC ATHLETES-OF-THE-WEEK The MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week awards honor the top performances in each conference sport throughout the regular season. The awards are nominated and selected by the MIAC sports information directors. The MIAC will recognize Athletes-of-the-Week in each sport throughout the 2014-15 season. Throughout the winter, basketball and hockey will be announced each Monday with swimming and diving to follow on Tuesday and indoor track and field on Wednesday. | Men’s Hockey | Women’s Hockey |

MIAC WEEKLY Each week, Host Mike Gallagher delivers a new episode of “MIAC Weekly.” The podcast covers all the top news, scores and standings from around the league, and features guest appearances each week from MIAC coaches, student-athletes and administrators. All episodes are archived on the MIAC Weekly home page, and the podcast is also available on iTunes.

MIAC MEDIA MIAC Media is an online initiative devoted to providing additional multimedia coverage of the conference through. The three main MIAC Media features are the MIAC Media Weekly Podcast (more info above), theMIAC Media Blog, and the MIAC Media Video series, which can be found on the MIAC YouTube Channel.

CONNECT TO THE CONFERENCE The MIAC’s new web site – MIACathletics.com – offers several new ways fans can stay connected to the conference. Visit the MIAC scoreboard on game days to follow all the action, and download the MIAC mobile app to have all the information with you anywhere you travel. Also, connect to the conference on its Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages for updates and interaction throughout the 2014-15 season. The MIAC also just joined Instagram and will share photos through that new social media site.

The post MIAC Hockey Notebook appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

AROUND THE LEAGUE Take a look at this week’s top hockey news items, headlines and interesting facts from the MIAC’s 13 institutions, submitted by each school’s sports information director.

BETHEL | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Larson scores seven points in weekend sweep over St. Olaf In a high-scoring weekend for the Bethel women’s hockey team, sophomore Kathryn Larson was the brightest star. The Royals’ forward had a seven-point weekend with four goals and three assists to help her team put up a total of 14 goals – seven in each game – in a MIAC sweep of St. Olaf. Read more

CONCORDIA | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Smith named candidate for Hockey Humanitarian Award Concordia junior Max Smith was named as one of the 15 candidates for the prestigious BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award. Smith is one of five NCAA Division III candidates in a field that includes men’s and women’s players from Division I and III schools. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Hockey Humanitarian Award is presented annually to college hockey’s finest citizen – a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism. Smith is the founder and director of InSports Foundation which offers camps and scholarships for deserving kids to help defray the costs of participating in youth sports. The InSports foundation’s goal is to help 10,000 kids in three years.

SAINT MARY’S | MIAC Member Page | Athletics home page | Seeing plenty of rubber Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) stopped 72 of the 74 shots he faced in the Saint Mary’s men’s hockey team’s MIAC split against Gustavus last weekend. Heinle stopped all 32 shots he faced against Gustavus last Friday for his first collegiate shutout, before adding 43 saves vs. the Gusties a day later. Plenty of nailbiters The Cardinal women’s hockey team’s last four games have all been decided by one goal—2-1 and 1-0 wins over Bethel and 3-2 and 1-0 losses to Gustavus.

SAINT THOMAS | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Surging No. 13-ranked Tommie men’s hockey (11-3-3 overall, 5-1-2) recorded a hard-fought sweep of Hamline, using two empty-net goals for a 4-1 road win last Friday and scoring with 10 seconds left in overtime to win 4-3 at home on Saturday. UST trailed Saturday 3-1 into the final 7:00 when Jordan Lovick and Derek Jacobson scored 24 seconds apart to tie the game. Alex Altenbernd scored a breakaway goal late in overtime to push the Tommies into a share of the conference lead. UST has won seven in a row and is 8-0-1 since Thanksgiving. The Toms have killed off all 15 opponent power plays during its 6-0 run through January.

MIAC ATHLETES-OF-THE-WEEK The MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week awards honor the top performances in each conference sport throughout the regular season. The awards are nominated and selected by the MIAC sports information directors. The MIAC will recognize Athletes-of-the-Week in each sport throughout the 2014-15 season. Throughout the winter, basketball and hockey will be announced each Monday with swimming and diving to follow on Tuesday and indoor track and field on Wednesday. | Men’s Hockey | Women’s Hockey |

MIAC WEEKLY Each week, Host Mike Gallagher delivers a new episode of “MIAC Weekly.” The podcast covers all the top news, scores and standings from around the league, and features guest appearances each week from MIAC coaches, student-athletes and administrators. All episodes are archived on the MIAC Weekly home page, and the podcast is also available on iTunes.

Episode 87 – 1.22.15

MIAC Weekly Host Mike Gallagher talks women’s hockey with Saint Mary’s Head Coach Terry Mannor, and Gustavus Head Men’s Tennis Coach Tommy Valentini joins the show to discussing the passing of Gustavus and MIAC tennis coaching legend Steve Wilkinson.

MIAC MEDIA MIAC Media is an online initiative devoted to providing additional multimedia coverage of the conference through. The three main MIAC Media features are the MIAC Media Weekly Podcast (more info above), theMIAC Media Blog, and the MIAC Media Video series, which can be found on the MIAC YouTube Channel.

CONNECT TO THE CONFERENCE The MIAC’s new web site – MIACathletics.com – offers several new ways fans can stay connected to the conference. Visit the MIAC scoreboard on game days to follow all the action, and download the MIAC mobile app to have all the information with you anywhere you travel. Also, connect to the conference on its Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages for updates and interaction throughout the 2014-15 season. The MIAC also just joined Instagram and will share photos through that new social media site.

The post MIAC Hockey Notebook appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference has selected St. Mary’s University’s Phil Heinle and Bethel University’s Kathryn Larson as its Men’s and Women’s Hockey Athletes-of-the-Week. Details on the selections from the MIAC release are below:

MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week

Phil Heinle, Saint Mary’s
York, Pa. / Amarillo Bulls 

The Saint Mary’s men’s hockey team had an impressive split with Gustavus over the weekend thanks largely to the tremendous play in goal by Phil Heinle (York, Pa.). The Cardinal sophomore nearly helped his team earn a split, as he recorded his first collegiate shutout and allowed just two goals in 124:51 of ice time. He stopped 75 of 77 shots for a .974 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.85. For his performance, the MIAC sports information directors honored Heinle Saturday with his second MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week award of the season.

Heinle was spectacular in front of the home fans Friday as he stopped all 32 shots he faced and notched his first college shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Gusties. Though his team lost late in overtime the following day in St. Peter, Heinle was great again with 43 saves and just the two goals allowed. This season, Heinle is 6-6-2 in goal and he ranks second in the MIAC in wins and saves (428), fourth in save percentage (.928) and fifth in goals against average (2.33). In conference games, he leads the MIAC in saves (264), save percentage (.936) and minutes (493:48) and ranks fourth in goals against average (2.19).

MIAC Women’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week

Kathryn Larson, Bethel
Shoreview, Minn. / Mounds View

In a high-scoring weekend for the Bethel women’s hockey team, sophomore Kathryn Larson (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) was the brightest star. The Royals’ forward had a seven-point weekend with four goals and three assists to help her team put up a total of 14 goals – seven in each game – in a MIAC sweep of St. Olaf. For her high-scoring performance, the MIAC sports information directors honored Larson Monday with her second MIAC Women’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week award of the 2014-15 season.

Larson and the Royals opened the weekend with a statement win on their home ice as they cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Oles. Larson had a hand in four of the seven goals as she scored three herself for a hat trick, and assisted on one more. Saturday, Bethel completed the sweep in Northfield with a 7-4 victory, and Larson added one more goal and two more assists to her impressive weekend totals. This season, Larson leads the MIAC with 22 points and 12 goals and her 10 assists rank third in the league. In MIAC games only, Larson ranks first in goals (six), fourth in points (11) and ninth in assists (five).

The post MIAC Athletes of the Week appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

A hockey-centric version of the MIAC Weekly Notebook

BETHEL | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Bethel alum leads U-18 Women’s Hockey team to gold Back in mid-June USA Hockey announced that Bethel University alum Joel Johnson was named the head coach for the 2015 U.S. Women’s National U-18 Team. Just under seven months later Johnson and those competing on the squad made international headlines by defeating rival Canada in the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship at HARBORCENTER in Buffalo, N.Y. Read more

CONCORDIA | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | A shutout, a sweep, and a lead in the MIAC A pair of goals in each of the second and third periods led to a 4-0 win for Concordia over No.14-ranked St. John’s and the first sweep of the Johnnies since 2000. The Cobbers received goals from three freshmen and a senior in their ninth overall win of the season. First-year players Dalton Mills,Jon Grebosky and Zach Doerring all continued their outstanding play in their first collegiate seasons while Andrew Deters showed why he is the team’s leading scorer. The win is the third straight for the Cobbers. CC is now 9-5-3 on the year which is the most overall wins for any conference team. The win also moves the Cobbers into first place in the league standings. Concordia is 4-2-2 in the MIAC and has 15 league points.

GUSTAVUS | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Gusties capture Golden Shovel A team made up of former Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey players captured the coveted Golden Shovel in the Women’s Division of the 2015 Labatt Blue U.S. Pond Hockey Championships held Jan. 15-18 on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis. The team “Consistently Cuatro” made up of Gusties Sara Yungner ’11, Mollie Carroll ’12, Gina DeNucci ’12, Grace Olson ’12, Allie Schwab ’12, Jenna Christensen ’13, Kelsey Kennedy ’13, and Meagan Wanecke ’13 earned earn a berth in the Women’s Division Championship after recording 12 points in pool play with an unblemished record of 4-0-0. On the Mountain Khakis rink Sunday afternoon, Consistently Cuatro faced off against Shenanigans – a team that also entered the championship game with a record of 4-0-0 following pool play. With clear skies over Lake Nokomis and temperatures dancing around an ideal 35 degrees, the flannel-clad Gusties skated to an 11-7 victory to claim the Golden Shovel on what was the tenth anniversary of the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.

HAMLINE | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Men’s hockey remains undefeated in MIAC play Thanks to some yeoman work by goalie John Sellie-Hanson, the HU men’s pucksters remained the lone team to be unbeaten in MIAC play. Hamline improved to 3-0-3 and a tie for second place (7-4-4 overall) after a 4-2, 3-0 sweep of St. Olaf. Sellie-Hanson stopped 33 the first night. That’s a nice number but it paled in comparison to the next night when he swept aside 44 for the shutout. It is believed to be the most saves ever for a HU goalie in a shutout effort. The three MIAC wins is one more than Hamline had the past two seasons. Verleye leads women’s hockey to three-point weekend It was a weekend that Hamline senior forward Jordan Verleye… and St. Olaf … may not forget for a long while. In the opener of the two-game series, the senior’s breakaway goal in OT lifted the Pipers to a 3-2 win, their first MIAC victory of the season. The next night, Verleye had two goals and two assists in a 4-4 OT tie. In the process, she moved into eight place all-time in school history with 59 points.

SAINT CATHERINE | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Wildcats tie defending MIAC Champs After St. Thomas snapped a five-game losing streak by beating St. Kate’s 4-0 Friday, the Wildcat hockey team rebounded by again flexing its power play muscles with a goal from Karly Nelson in the first period. The Tommies scored with 0.2 seconds remaining in the opening period to force at 1-1 tie. Abbi White had a career-best 35 saves in goal for the Wildcats.

SAINT JOHN’S | MIAC Member Page | Athletics home page | Young line fuels SJU to win Down five starters due to injury for a non-conference, weeknight game against Wisconsin-Stout, SJU head coach Doug Schueller turned to a number of underclassmen to step up, and step up they did in a 4-2 win. The Johnnies’ fourth line consisting of sophomores Ross Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.) and Dan Voce (Princeton, Minn.), and freshman Sam Valerius (Maple Grove, Minn.), entered the game with a combined one point in 12 varsity games, but was responsible for the team’s first goal and the game-winning tally. All three are high-school recruits that did not play junior hockey prior to enrolling at SJU.

SAINT MARY’S | MIAC Member Page | Athletics home page | There’s hot, and then there’s Gruse-hot Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) scored a career-high four goals in the Cardinal men’s hockey team’s sweep-clinching 5-2 win over Bethel last Saturday. Gruse’s four-goal effort was the Cardinals’ more since Mike Glaesmer netted four against Hamline on Dec. 6, 2008. With his five points vs. the Royals, Gruse—the conference’s leading scorer—has now recorded 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists) in his last six contests. Home sweet home With their 1-0 win over Bethel at the Saint Mary’s Ice Arena last Saturday, the Cardinal women’s hockey team improved to 4-0-1 in their last five home games against the Royals—with all five games being decided by one goal or less.

SAINT THOMAS | MIAC Member Page| Athletics home page | Hot streak Over the last eight weeks, St. Thomas is a combined 27-0-1 in the sports of men’s basketball (10-0), women’s basketball (11-0) and men’s hockey (6-0-1), including five victories over nationally-ranked teams during that span. That includes a 15-0 record in January. The Tommies are ranked nationally in all three sports at No. 3 (men’s hoops), No. 4 (women’s hoops) and No. 12 (men’s hockey). St. Paul-Paloooza It will be a lively weekend in St. Paul. Saturday alone there’s the Winter Carnival parade, Crashed Ice competition, Garrison Keillor radio show, a Sam Smith concert, and even the Saintly City Cat Show. The MIAC will contribute to the fun as Tommie-Johnnie basketball tips off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Schoenecker Arena; Hamline and UST have interesting men’s and women’s hockey games Friday and Saturday nights (St. Paul’s Oscar Johnson Arena, suburban Mendota Heights).

LEGENDARY GUSTAVUS MEN’S TENNIS COACH STEVE WILKINSON DIES Steve Wilkinson, longtime men’s tennis coach at Gustavus Adolphus College and founder of Tennis and Life Camps, passed away on Wednesday, January 21 at the age of 73 after courageously living with cancer for nearly seven years. Wilkinson spent 39 years (1971-2009) at the helm of the Gustavus men’s tennis program. His teams compiled 929 wins overall, the most victories in the history of collegiate men’s tennis. Wilkinson’s squads won two NCAA Division III titles (1980 and 1982) as well as 35 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) titles. His teams compiled an overall record of 929-278 (.769) and an MIAC mark of 334-1 (.997). In addition, his players claimed six national doubles titles, and four national singles titles. He coached 46 players to 87 ITA All-America honors, 103 players to 226 All-Conference honors, and five CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year twice (1974 and 1984) and Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III Coach of the Year three times (1982, 2001, and 2003). Full Story

MIAC HONORS RECORD NUMBER OF FALL ACADEMIC-ALL CONFERENCE SELECTIONS Two of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s (MIAC) four core values are Quality Athletics and Academics and, Thursday, the conference celebrated those tenets with the announcement of the 2014 Fall Academic All-Conference team. Despite two sports moving their honor from fall to spring, the MIAC still recognized the most Fall Academic All-Conference honorees in conference history. This fall, a total of 356 student-athletes earned the prestigious honor, which recognizes combined excellence in academics and athletics. The previous record of 334 was established just one year ago (2013) and included men’s and women’s golf selections. This year, MIAC administrators voted to alter golf’s athletic requirement and move the honor to the spring, so the MIAC racked up 22 more Fall Academic All-Conference honorees despite two fewer sports included this time around. | Full Story & Academic All-Conference List |Academic All-Conference Archive |

MIAC ATHLETES-OF-THE-WEEK The MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week awards honor the top performances in each conference sport throughout the regular season. The awards are nominated and selected by the MIAC sports information directors. The MIAC will recognize Athletes-of-the-Week in each sport throughout the 2014-15 season. Throughout the winter, basketball and hockey will be announced each Monday with swimming and diving to follow on Tuesday and indoor track and field on Wednesday. | Men’s Hockey | Women’s Hockey |

MIAC WEEKLY Each week, Host Mike Gallagher delivers a new episode of “MIAC Weekly.” The podcast covers all the top news, scores and standings from around the league, and features guest appearances each week from MIAC coaches, student-athletes and administrators. All episodes are archived on the MIAC Weekly home page, and the podcast is also available on iTunes.

Episode 86 – 1.15.15

The latest edition of the MIAC Weekly podcast takes to the ice, as Host Mike Gallagher welcomes first-year Hamline Head Men’s Hockey Coach Cory Laylin to talk about his team’s big improvement. Mike also takes his usual look at the top stories throughout the conference.

MIAC MEDIA MIAC Media is an online initiative devoted to providing additional multimedia coverage of the conference through. The three main MIAC Media features are the MIAC Media Weekly Podcast (more info above), theMIAC Media Blog, and the MIAC Media Video series, which can be found on the MIAC YouTube Channel.

CONNECT TO THE CONFERENCE The MIAC’s new web site – MIACathletics.com – offers several new ways fans can stay connected to the conference. Visit the MIAC scoreboard on game days to follow all the action, and download the MIAC mobile app to have all the information with you anywhere you travel. Also, connect to the conference on its Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages for updates and interaction throughout the 2014-15 season. The MIAC also just joined Instagram and will share photos through that new social media site.

The post MIAC Hockey Notebook appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.