'JACKETS STREAK INTO 2009 
 
The Yellowjackets enter the 2009 portion of the 08-09 season in some mostly rarified air, riding a 12-game unbeaten streak.  The mark is the longest current streak in all of Division III hockey and is tied for the third longest in school history.

"Absolutely, it's been a nice run for our team.  But we are also aware of the fact that it really doesn't mean anything right now.  We have a steady stretch of achievements ahead of us in the second half of the season," said Yellowjacket Head Coach Dan Stauber.  "It's the toughest part of our schedule.  Couple that with the fact that we only have ten games left, we are in our stretch run."

To stretch the streak, the 'Jackets have to be playing their best hockey now, down the stretch.

"We gave our guys a longer break, so they will come back hopefully rejuvenated and hopefully all the little nicks are gone," Stauber said.  "There's no reason for them not to be ready to play their best in these final ten games.

"Plus, we have to keep in mind that part of the NCAA selection criteria is how you play against ranked opponents and how you play in your last ten games.  In the last ten of our regular season, we play seven teams that are ranked.  It will definitely show us where we stand, that's for sure."

Below is a look at the top-five unbeaten streaks in school history.  Strangely, with all the success of decades past, all five of the streaks have come during Stauber's tenure.

1) 23 Games (22-0-1): December 2, 2000 - March 10, 2001
Streak started: December 2, 2000 (5-2 win at Gustavus)
Final game of streak: March 10, 2001 (4-0 win vs. St. John's - NCAA Quarterfinals)
Streak ender: March 16, 2001 (5-3 loss vs. Plattsburgh - NCAA Semifinals - at RIT)

Teams beaten during streak: Gustavus, St. Olaf, St. Thomas, St. John's (3), Concordia, St. Scholastica (2), UW-Eau Claire (4), UW-Stevens Point (4), St. Norbert (2), Lake Forest (2), UW-River Falls.

Summary: After dropping three of six, this team went on the best run in school history, winning UWS's second NCHA regular season title and the Peters Cup.  The only blemish during the streak was a 2-2 tie against UW-River Falls in the first game of the NCHA Finals.  The streak ended when the Yellowjackets lost to Plattsburgh 5-3 at RIT.  The Cardinals put the game out of reach scoring three times, on three shots on goal, in the first period of the game.

Stauber Says: "That team didn't win it all, but I still say that we were the best team in the country that year.  We were a little lost early, and got the gutty win at Gustavus and really took off after that.  After that game, we just went into games knowing we were going to win.  It didn't matter who or where we played, we knew we were going to win.  After the Gustavus game, we played one bad period the rest of the year, and that was the first against Plattsburgh.  That team deserved better than the third place finish it got."

2) 20 Games (14-0-6): November 5, 2004 - January 28, 2005
Streak started: November 5, 2004 (3-3 tie at St. Olaf)
Final game of streak: January 28, 2005 (2-2 tie at UW-Stout)
Streak ender: January 29, 2005 (2-0 loss at UW-River Falls)

Teams beaten during streak: Gustavus, Augsburg, Concordia (2), St. Mary's, St. Thomas, Lake Forest, Northland, St. Scholastica (2), UW-Stevens Point, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout

Summary: This streak started and ended ominously, a long-stretch of unbeaten play bookended by ties.  The Yellowjackets were the last unbeaten team in Division III hockey, and for a week resided atop the USCHO Division III men's poll, but fell back down following the loss to River Falls.  The ties eventually did more harm than good, giving the 'Jackets the look of a team that couldn't put teams away.  In the end, they lost the NCHA final to St. Norbert and were on the outside looking in come NCAA selection time.

Stauber Says: "This team had a lot of talent, a strong senior class and I think was good enough to go all the way.  We just had such a tough time finishing teams off.  We played a lot of overtime and had all those ties. The ties hurt us more than they helped us.  It was like we lost four more games than we did because of the ties and the NCAA couldn't look past that.  So despite the great start and the fact we only lost three games, we couldn't get in."

3) 12 Games (9-0-3): February 2, 2002 - March 16, 2002
Streak started: February 2, 2002 - 10-2 win vs. UW-Stout
Final game of streak: March 16, 2002 - 3-2 win vs. Norwich (NCAA Finals - at Middlebury)
Streak ender: End of the season

Teams beaten during streak: UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire, Lake Forest, UW-Stevens Point, St. Norbert (2), St. Thomas, Plattsburgh, Norwich

Summary: Coming off the school's first 30-win season in 2000-01, there was only one thing left to do, and that was win the whole shootin' match.  The 'Jackets went unbeaten in their last 12 games to close out the season and win the school's second national title, but it wasn't easy.  In the era of the NCHA Final Four, the 'Jackets had to travel to St. Norbert and needed overtime to knock off UW-Stevens Point in the semis and St. Norbert in the final.  They then hosted the "play-in" game at home, knocking off St. Thomas 2-1 before going back to St. Norbert where they tied and beat the Green Knights to go to the Frozen Four.  After a 5-0 drubbing of Plattsburgh in the semifinals to avenge the loss from the previous season, the 'Jackets rallied with a pair of goals by Colin Kendall, the second coming in overtime, to win the championship.

Stauber Says: "This team came into the season with an attitude that there was unfinished business because of the way the previous year ended.  They played their hearts out every night and in the end it paid off.  It didn't hurt that we got hot at the right time, and it didn't hurt that our special teams were good and our goaltending was amazing.  We beat some extremely good hockey teams during this streak, played a lot of overtime, played a lot on the road and had to fight adversity.  But these guys passed every test that was thrown at them.  I still say the team the year before was probably the better team, but this group was as tight as any team I've had and played for each other and found a way to get it done.  They definitely deserved that national title."

3) 12 Games (11-0-1): November 1, 2008 - present
Streak started: November 1, 2008 (10-3 win at St. Mary's)

Teams beaten during streak: St. Mary's, Hamline, Augsburg, UW-Stout, UW-River Falls, Lake Forest, St. Norbert, Bethel, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, Finlandia

Summary: If not for a brief slip-up and a tie against MSOE in late November, we'd be talking about a 12-game winning streak instead of an unbeaten streak.  The veteran-laden Yellowjackets are off to the best start in school history, and have passed every test thrown their way, from big road wins to knocking off the defending national champions.  The tests only get tougher as the team looks to continue their streak.

Stauber Says: "I've said enough about this one for the time being."

5) 11 Games (10-0-1): November 9, 2001 - December 11, 2001
Streak started: November 9, 2001 (5-4 win at UW-Stout)
Final game of streak: December 11, 2001 (4-1 win vs. Bethel)
Streak ender: December 14, 2001 (4-3 loss vs. St. Thomas)

Teams beaten during streak: UW-Stout, Northland, St. Mary's, St. Thomas, Augsburg, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, St. John's, Concordia, Bethel

Summary: The season started with a road sweep at St. Norbert and Lake Forest, but the team bounced back going unbeaten in 11 straight to once again establish themselves as a power in the NCHA.  What was impressive about the streak was that the wins came by mostly one-sided scores, as the 'Jackets outscored opponents 73-22 in the 11 games.  The streak set the tone for the rest of the season, one that ended up with the national championship.

Stauber Says: "It isn't often you have one streak of 10-plus games without a loss, but to have two in the same season is remarkable.  The one that we had to close the season would probably get the most attention because it included the playoffs and national championship game.  But if you look back, you'll see we got swept on the road early, and lost those games handily.  We got outplayed both nights.  This stretch showed that despite the poor first week, we were still a really good team and could forget about bad games.  This streak got us through a tough non-conference stretch and set the tone for the rest of the year."

The 'Jackets will look to continue their current streak as they close out their non-conference schedule with a pair of road games, the first coming on January 9 at Gustavus.  The Golden Gusties (7-4-0) are currently tied for fourth place in the MIAC.  Game time on January 9 will be 7:00 p.m.  The game can be heard live locally on KUWS 91.3 FM, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40 p.m.  If you are outside the local listening area, you can tune in via the Internet at www.kuws.fm.  Jon Garver will have the call.