Nearly a month into the season, we’ve learned quite a bit about the West region of NCAA Division III hockey.
Some things haven’t changed haven’t changed when it comes to teams to keep an eye on, but there have also been a few surprises.
As you settle in for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, sit back and take a look at a handful of early-season observations across the region.
MIAC is tight as ever
Three points separate the first place team from the fifth-place team. St. Olaf and St. Scholastica both have nine points apiece and are both 3-1 in league play, good enough for first place.
Augsburg sits in fifth, two points behind Bethel and Saint John’s and just three behind the Oles and Saints. The only team that hasn’t recorded a point yet is Concordia, which is 0-2.
Of course, anything is possible between now and the end of the regular season. It’s a wide-open race for the title and the regular-season crown likely won’t be decided until the final weekend.
Oles no one-hit wonder
St. Olaf won the conference tournament a year ago with three straight wins on the road, including the championship clincher against nationally ranked Augsburg. And they did it despite not having a winning record.
They won’t surprise anyone this year. Off to a 5-1-1 start, St. Olaf has grabbed momentum early and doesn’t appear as if it will lose it.
They have won two consecutive games and are unbeaten in the two road games they’ve played in this season.
A balanced attack has carried the Oles to their early-season success. Fifteen players have at least two points and six players have tallied five or more points, including Troy Bowdiitch, who leads the Oles with a pair of goals and eight assists. Lukas Haugen has been solid in goal, winning three games and stopping 92 shots. But Thomas Lalonde and Tyler Laureault are capable of stepping up as well and have seen playing time as well. In fact, Lalonde has two wins.
Auggies still team to beat
The Auggies are consistently in the mix as one of the nation’s best teams, and this year is no exception. They have rattled off five consecutive wins and haven’t allowed more than two goals in any of those games during the streak. Only 11 goals have been scored against Augsburg this season.
Scoring goals hasn’t been an issue either. The Auggies, ranked third in the DCU/USCHO.com NCAA Division III men’s poll, have struck for 26 goals on the season, with Daniel Chladek, Austin Dollimer and Michael Redmon coming through with three apiece. Augsburg was a final four team a year ago and has the ability to get there again this year.
Don’t expect Augsburg to slip up anytime soon. This team is too talented to let that happen.
The Wild WIAC
Figuring out who is going to emerge as the top team in the WIAC when the season is all said and done is next to impossible.
Sure, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire are always the top two contenders, and both teams are currently 2-0 in league play, but this is a year where perhaps we see a surprise winner.
UW-Stout has nearly matched its win total from a year ago, sitting just one win shy of matching the eight victories it recorded last year, and has proven to be a tough team to play at home and on the road.
UW-Superior is never an easy out either. The Yellowjackets have yet to lose on the road, fashioning a 4-0 record, and their ability to play well away from home should keep them in the hunt for the crown right up until the end of the year.
Yes, you have to give the Pointers and Blugolds the edge until proven otherwise, but it one thing is for sure, things are going to be interesting all season long in the WIAC.
Still time for a turnaround
The one surprise so far has been UW-River Falls. Typically one of the best teams in the conference, the Falcons have had a rough go of things as of late, dropping four consecutive games.
UW-River Falls has been shut out twice during its losing streak and gave up four or more goals in its other two losses.
But even with a 3-5 overall record and 0-2 mark in the WIAC, the Falcons are hardly doomed. They still have time to find their footing and get things rolling in the right direction.
Getting off to strong start is going to be key in making that happen. In losses to UW-Superior and UW-Eau Claire last weekend, the Falcons gave up three goals in the first period in both games. And they’ve trailed after one in three of the games they have lost during the streak. If they can turn eliminate that trend, good things are ahead.
Interesting start in the NCHA
It typically comes down to Adrian and St. Norbert in the NCHA, and it may very well play out that way again this year.
What we know so far is Aurora, St. Norbert and MSOE are the top three teams in the conference at the moment, with the 11th-ranked Spartans sitting in first place with 14 points. Aurora is 6-1-2 overall and 4-0-2 in the league.
Second-ranked St. Norbert is also unbeaten in the NCHA at 4-0. The Green Knights, winners of four consecutive games, are 5-0-1 overall and have 12 points. MSOE isn’t ranked nationally but the Raiders are playing well. They are in third with 10 points and own a 5-2 overall mark and 3-1 record in the conference.
All three teams should remain among the best in the conference, but there will be competition. Adrian, Marian and Trine can’t be counted out, and even Lake Forest could be a contender before it’s all said and done this season.
Adrian isn’t invincible
The fifth-ranked Bulldogs won 31 consecutive games last year on their way to the national title. Their unbeaten streak hit 35 games in early November but Adrian has since dropped two of its last four games, including a 5-2 streak-ending loss to Marian on Nov. 11.
Trine has also recorded a win over the Bulldogs this season, winning last Saturday by a 6-2 score on the road.
Despite those losses, it’s not time to say the sky is falling for Adrian. The Bulldogs still have a very good hockey team and they will contend for the NCHA title.
Offensively, they have more than their fair share of weapons, headed up by Matus Spodniak, who has scored 12 goals to go along with three assists.
It’s the defense that will need to be shored up as the Bulldogs go forward this season. At some point, that’s going to happen.
