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| NCHA HITS THE STRETCH DRIVE |
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It’s come down to
this. Three weeks
remain in the NCHA regular season, so it’s safe to say that we are
in the stretch drive and the quest for the 2009 Peters Cup has
begun. What do we know
at this point? Not a
whole lot – only that “The league is very tight and very wide open right now,” said Yellowjacket Head Coach Dan Stauber. “It just seems like every year, the league gets more competitive. Everyone just keeps getting better and the league is tighter than ever before. There’s no doubt in my mind that most things won’t be settled until that final weekend.”
Here's a look at what each team has remaining. UW-Superior Record: 16-2-2 NCHA: 7-1-1
Remaining Games: 1/30 @
St. Norbert, 1/31 @
Summary: On November 22,
the ‘Jackets beat St. Norbert 4-3 at Wessman Arena in a dynamic and
emotional game. Since
that date, they have played ten games and only once (against Last Regular Season Championship: 2001 Last Playoff Championship: 2006
Last NCAA Championship:
2002 Last NCAA Appearance: 2006
Magic Number: 9 – this
is the combination of points won by the ‘Jackets and lost by whoever
is in second place that St. Scholastica Record: 16-2-2 NCHA: 6-2-1
Remaining Games: 1/30 @ Summary: The Saints are playing better hockey than they have since the 1970’s and are the NCHA’s best team right now. Their best players are playing like their best players, they are getting great goaltending and their special teams have been fantastic. It’s no surprise that they haven’t lost since November 21, when they dropped a 3-0 decision to St. Norbert. Last Regular Season Championship: None Last Playoff Championship: None
Last NCAA Championship:
None Last NCAA Appearance: None Magic Number: 12 – heading into the final five games, the Saints are unbeaten in their last 12 games. They have outscored their opponents 51-22 in that span. St. Norbert Record: 15-5-0 NCHA: 6-3-0
Remaining Games: 1/30
vs. UW-Superior, 1/31 vs. St. Scholastica, 2/6 vs. Summary: Coming off last year’s national championship, the Green Knights entered the season as the nation’s number one team. But they also had to learn what life would be like without all-world goaltender Kyle Jones. There have been some bumps along the way, but St. Norbert is as formidable as anyone in the conference, especially on home ice where they’ve been almost unbeatable, and where four of their last five games are. Last Regular Season Championship: 2008 Last Playoff Championship: 2008
Last NCAA Championship:
2008 Last NCAA Appearance: 2008
Magic Number: 37 – the
Green Knights were nearing the Division III record for consecutive
games without a loss when UW-Stout Record: 13-5-2 NCHA: 5-2-2
Remaining Games: 1/30 @
UW- Summary: The Blue Devils, who were picked to finish third in the NCHA, are right where people thought they would be. They have been consistent all year and they also made a statement last weekend, going into the buildings of the top two teams in the NCHA and tying each night, salvaging two important road points on the weekend. The one knock on the team could be that they are top-heavy, as nearly 44% of their goals have come from just three players. An injury to one of those three could prove devastating. Last Regular Season Championship: None Last Playoff Championship: None
Last NCAA Championship:
None Last NCAA Appearance: 2008 Magic Number: 2 – the Blue Devils have lost back-to-back games just once this year. They did have a stretch where they lost three of four, but after losses have found a way to bounce back and, for the most part, have been able to stay away from “the bad game.” UW-Stevens Point Record: 13-5-2 NCHA: 4-4-1
Remaining Games: 1/30 @ Summary: The Pointers appear to be getting hot at the right time, currently unbeaten in their last seven games coming off of an upset win in overtime over St. Norbert last week. The Pointers are led by youngsters, as their top two scorers are freshmen. Five freshmen have scored at least one goal and their top goaltender is only a sophomore. But the upperclassmen are producing as well and the Pointers look poised to make a nice playoff run, finishing strong after a dry spell in December. Last Regular Season Championship: 2000 Last Playoff Championship: 1993
Last NCAA Championship:
1993 Last NCAA Appearance: 1998 Magic Number: 1 – the Pointers have just one home game remaining, and if they fail to crack the top four in the league, will not have the benefit of one of the biggest home-ice advantages in the league – K.B. Willet Arena, at their disposal the rest of the way. UW-Eau Claire Record: 13-6-1 NCHA: 3-5-1
Remaining Games: 1/30
vs. UW-Stout, 1/31 @ Summary: Perhaps the most underrated and underappreciated team in the NCHA. The Blugolds sport a roster that deep, skilled, fast and gritty. They are getting production from their veterans and are not relying on young players to contribute a great deal. And don’t look now, but the Blugolds are heating up, going 6-2-1 in their last nine and looking to build on last year’s surprising playoff run. Last Regular Season Championship: None Last Playoff Championship: None
Last NCAA Championship:
None Last NCAA Appearance: None Magic Number: 6 – the Blugolds have won six of their 13 games away from home. That’s a good thing, because they are on the road for four of their last five, and possibly in the playoffs as well. Record: 8-11-1 NCHA: 2-7-0 Remaining Games: 1/30 vs. UW-Stevens Point, 1/31 vs. UW-Eau Claire, 2/6 @ St. Norbert, 2/7 @ Lake Forest, 2/13 @ UW-Stout
Summary: Perhaps no team
in the NCHA has been a bigger surprise this season than Last Regular Season Championship: 1996 Last Playoff Championship: 1996
Last National Championship:
1994 Last NCAA Appearance: 2007 Magic Number: 11 – the Falcons have 11 losses, and there’s still time left in the season. They haven’t had 11 losses in a season since 1996-97. They haven’t had more then that since 1992-93. They haven’t finished below .500 since 1991-92. Record: 5-14-1 NCHA: 0-9-0
Remaining Games: 1/30
vs. St. Scholastica, 1/31 vs. UW-Superior, 2/6 vs. UW-Stout, 2/7 vs.
Summary: Their final
season in the NCHA has looked a lot like the last three.
The Foresters have won five games, but all of them are of the
non-conference variety.
They have struggled to score goals for the most part, and are
abysmal defensively, giving up an average of 48 shots per game.
Goaltending, long a strong suit, is the only reason the
Foresters don’t get blown out on a nightly basis. Last Regular Season Championship: None Last Playoff Championship: None
Last National Championship:
None Last NCAA Appearance: None Magic Number: 1 – since finishing in fourth place in the league and advancing to the Peters Cup semifinals, Lake Forest has won a grand total of one game in the conference, going 1-33-3.
The Peters Cup playoffs get under way on February 20. |
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