As we reach the middle of the month here in Division III hockey we have come to learn that no pick is ever a lock. Any given night seems to be the theme and that probably won’t change this weekend.
We are into full on conference play now and things really get interesting. So let’s dive into some of the matchups on the slate.
No. 8 St. Scholastica (12-3, 5-1) vs. St. Olaf (7-8-1, 3-4-1)
Tied for first, the Saints have yet to get through a weekend in January without a loss. But they are still a very good team and this will be a key home and home test that begins with the Saints playing on their own ice. The Oles are just five points behind and can gain some ground.
St. Scholastica has scored the most goals (60) but St. Olaf isn’t too far behind, tallying 51.
Keep an eye on two playmakers. Filimon Ledenkov, the assist leader in D-III, averaging 1.20 per game. He has 18 on the year for the Saints. Connor Kalthoff has tallied nine for the Oles.
St. Scholastica, 5-3; St. Olaf, 4-3
Bethel (11-4-2, 5-2-1) ) vs. Concordia (8-6-1, 3-3)
It’s been quite a year for the Royals, who are tied for first. The Cobbers have been up and down but can never be counted out.
Two of the top goal scorers in the MIAC will be on the ice for this one. Tyler Kostelecky ranks second, scoring nine for the Royals, while Mason Plante is third in the league with eight on the year for the Cobbers. Both teams have played well early on in 2024, with Bethel winning two of three and Concordia winning two of its first four.
Bethel, 4-2; Concordia 5-4
Saint John’s (6-8-3, 3-5) vs. Hamline (6-8-1, 2-4)
The Johnnies have shown they can be a tough team to play on any given night. The Pipers have some added confidence after an upset of UW-Eau Claire.
Saint John’s is unbeaten in 2024, going 3-0-1 in its last four and is averaging nearly three goals per game (2.75). The Johnnies are also No. 1 in penalty kill in the conference and fifth in the nation in that department (89.7 percent).
The Pipers have a little momentum coming into the weekend after winning two in a row, including a win over nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire. This series starts Thursday and wraps up Friday.
Saint John’s, 3-1 and 3-2
UW-Stevens Point (12-3-1, 6-1) at UW-River Falls (11-6, 3-4)
One of the nation’s best teams in UW-Stevens Point hits the road to play a UW-River Falls team that never makes things easy on anyone.
The Pointers haven’t had the easiest time on the road, going just 4-3, but they are feeling good about themselves as a team, putting together a six-game unbeaten streak, with five of those games resulting in a win.
For the Falcons, it’s a chance to make a statement against a title contender. They have won their last two and own a 7-4 record at home. It won’t be a surprise if they pull off an upset on at least one night, or at the very least, get a tie out of one of the nights.
UW-Stevens Point, 4-1; UW-River Falls, 3-2
No. 14 UW-Eau Claire (10-6-1, 4-3) at UW-Superior (10-7, 5-2)
A really interesting matchup here between two teams who are going to have a shot to contend for a conference tournament championship and automatic bid to the NCAA tourney.
UW-Eau Claire knocked off St. Scholastica last week and that is certainly an added confidence boost for this team. It’s been an interesting start to 2024 for the Blugolds, who are 2-2 and have either scored five goals or allowed five goals in three of their four games in the new year.
The Yellowjackets didn’t score in the last meeting against the Blugolds on Dec. 8 and have been shutout four times this season. They’ll need a fast start on both nights to have a shot at knocking off the Blugolds.
UW-Eau Claire, 4-3; UW-Superior, 2-1
Aurora (8-8-1, 7-3) at No. 12 Trine (14-3, 9-1)
Both teams are playing for a lot this weekend. The Thunder are one point out of first while the Spartans are currently fourth in the standings.
Trine is one of three teams in the NCHA that has scored 60 or more goals on the year, tallying 63, and Tyler Blanchard leads the way with seven of those goals for a Trine team that is 6-1 at home.
Aurora has a pretty good goal scorer of its own in Jackson Kirk, who has scored nine this season. The Spartans won’t make anything easy in this series and could very well salvage at least a split.
Trine, 5-4; Aurora, 4-3
Concordia (7-10, 5-5) at St. Norbert (10-5, 8-2)
The Falcons head to one of the toughest places to play in D-III hockey and feeling good about where they stand as a team, having won three of their last four, including a sweep of Lake Forest last week.
Concordia is fifth in the standings while St. Norbert is third and has also won three of its last four games.
The Green Knights will be tough to beat, especially at home, as they feature two of the top goal scorers in the league. Liam Fraser tops the league with 10 goals and Adam Stacho has nine. If the Falcons can slow the attack down, they’ll have a shot here.
St. Norbert, 5-2 and 4-1
Lake Forest (6-11, 3-7) at Adrian (12-4-1, 9-1)
The Bulldogs are right where they want to be at the moment, holding down first place in the NCHA standings. Of course, they still have work to do as the season is far from over. On paper this is a matchup Adrian should have no problem taking care of business in.
The Bulldogs have three of the top 10 goal scorers in the conference, with Zachary Heintz, Mathew Rehding and Ryan Pitoscia all scoring eight so far. The Foresters will have a tall order trying to keep the Adrian offense in check.
Adrian, 5-1 and 6-2
MSOE (8-7-2, 2-7-1 at Marian (7-10, 3-7)
The Raiders need a bounce-back weekend after being swept by Trine. The Sabres are two points behind in the standings and could really help their cause with a good weekend.
One difference to look at here is goals allowed. Marian has given up 63 on the season. MSOE has allowed just 38. But the Sabres have scored 58 goals this season and MSOE has 47. This series has the makings of a split.
MSOE, 4-3; Marian, 3-2
