BLAINE, Minn. — The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's hockey season gets underway this weekend, as all nine teams take part in the three-day MIAC Men's Hockey Showcase at the Schwan's Super Rink.
MIAC Showcase Schedule (All Games Played At Schwan's Super Rink)
Friday, October 28, 2016
Game 1: Augsburg vs. Hamline, 6:30 p.m. (Coon Rapids Rink) | Live Stats
Game 2: Gustavus vs. Saint John's, 7 p.m. (Blaine Arena) | Live Stats
Game 3: St. Thomas vs. Saint Mary's, 7:30 p.m. (Ramsey County Arena) | Live Stats
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Game 1: St. Olaf vs. Gustavus, 6:30 p.m. (Coon Rapids Arena) | Live Stats
Game 2: Concordia vs. St. Thomas, 7 p.m. (Blaine Arena) | Live Stats
Game 3: Bethel vs. Augsburg, 7:30 p.m. (Ramsey County Arena) | Live Stats
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Game 1: Saint Mary's vs. Concordia, 2:30 p.m. (Coon Rapids Arena) | Live Stats
Game 2: Hamline vs. Bethel, 3 p.m. (Blaine Arena) | Live Stats
Game 3: Saint John's vs. St. Olaf, 3:30 p.m. (Ramsey County Arena) | Live Stats
MIAC Showcase On The Web:
Showcase Scoreboard | Game Program | MIAC's Showcase Homepage
2016-17 MIAC Hockey Preview/Poll | MIAC Hockey Homepage
MIAC Hockey Showcase — Looking Back:
2015 Results | 2015 Preview | 2014 Results | 2014 Preview | 2013 Results | 2013 Preview | 2012 Results | 2012 Preview | 2011 Results | 2011 Preview | 2010 Results | 2010 Preview | 2009 Results | 2009 Preview |
Augsburg Auggies News and Notes:
The Auggies are coming off a very successful 2015-16 campaign, in which they claimed both the MIAC regular-season and playoff titles. … The Auggies—whose 17 wins were the third-most since the 1983 season—made their third trip to the NCAA national tournament, falling to St. Norbert 6-1 in the quarterfinals. … Augsburg returns five First-Team All-MIAC performers, including goalie Jordyn Kaufer, who was also named AHCA Second-Team All-American. … Kaufer had a season to remember in his first year in an Auggie uniform, starting 23 of the team's 28 games in goal, compiling a 16-6-1 record, a 2.20 goals-against-average, and a .924 save percentage. … Kaufer finished the year with 631 saves and three shutouts. … Nate Flynn led the Auggies in both goals (16) and points (30) last season, while Rory Vesel was the team-leader in assists with 16. … Augsburg boasted two players—Flynn (16) and Corbin Chapman (11)—with 10 or more goals, while seven different Auggies collected 10 or more assists and 13 players finished with at least 10 ponits. … Three of Flynn's 16 goals were game-winners. … Augsburg outscored its opponents 26-17 in the game's opening 20 minutes, while holding a 35-25 edge in the middle stanza and a 38-25 advantage in the third. … Augsburg played six overtime games last season—including an epic, three-overtime 5-4 victory over Saint John's in the MIAC Playoff championship game.
Bethel Royals News and Notes:
The Royals enter the season looking to rebound from last year's ninth-place regular-season finish. … Travis Payne closed out the season as the team's offensive leader, boasting team-high's in goals (11) and points (19). … Justin Bonanno finished second to Payne with nine goals, while George Splichal added eight. … Dallas Marvin picked up a team-best 12 assists, two more than Mitch Hughes. … With his team-leading 18 points, Payne was one of eight Bethel players to record 10 or more points. … Fifteen of the Royals' 62 goals came on the power play, with Payne, Splichal, Hughes, Michael Bond, and J.T. Walters all leading the team with two power-play goals. … Payne and Bonanno accounted for Bethel's two hat tricks last season, while Bonanno also owned a team-best three game-winning goals. … The Royals used four different goalies last season, led by Jesse Garcia, who compiled a 4.41 goals-against-average and .878 save percentage in 14 starts. Matt Rowe (7 GP, 3.17 GAA, .924 save %), Tucker Murphy (5 GP, 4.35 GAA, .887 save %), and Nathan Klebe (1 GP, 13.50 GAA, .722 save %) also saw time between the pipes a year ago. … BU played three overtime games last season, going 0-1-2.
Concordia Cobbers News and Notes:
Concordia enters the 2016-17 season on the heels of a fourth-place regular-season finish a year ago—and the Cobbers' fifth MIAC Playoff appearance in the last six years. … The Cobbers will have to find replacements for First-Team All-MIAC selections Charlie Aus and Jordie Bancroft, who graduated after four stellar years in a Cobber uniform. … Bancroft, a four-year All-MIAC First-Teamer, led the team in goals with 12, one more than Jon Grebosky and Mario Bianchi. … Grebosky finished the season as the team's leader in both assists (14) and points (25). … Bancroft chipped in 20 points—marking the fourth straight season the Cobber senior recorded at least 20 points. … Charlie Aus finished second to Grebosky with 13 assists, while Zach Doerring was third wiht 11. … Grebosky and Bancroft were two of eight Cobbers to record at least 10 points last season. … The Cobbers scored nearly as many shorthanded goals (4) as they did power-play tallies (6). … Alex Reichle started 22 of the team's 26 games in goal, compiling a 3.20 goals-against-average and an .899 save percentage. … CC played two overtime games last season, with both ending in ties. … The Cobbers held a 34-30 scoring edge in the second period, but were outscored 20-19 in the first and 36-23 in the third.
Gustavus Gusties News and Notes:
The 2016-17 season marks the 75th season of men's hockey at Gustavus. … The Gusties are coming off an eighth-place finish in the conference standings a year ago. … Colin Hernon closed out the 2015-16 season with a team-high eight goals, while Sam Majka held down the top spot in both assists (13) and points (18). … Majka was one of four Gusties with 10 or more points—Hernon (16), Van Sullivan (15), and Evan Ericksoin (10) were the others. … Gustavus' 52 goals a year ago came from 16 different players, while 20 Gusties recored at least one point. … Gustavus' six game-winning goals last season came from six different players. … The Gusties netted seven power-play goals a year ago, led by Aspinwall with two. … Chris Amsden enjoyed a stellar freshman season between the pipes for the Gusties, capped by being named to the MIAC All-Rookie Team. 20… Amsden, the fourth Gustie in the last three years named to the MIAC All-Rookie Team—joining Jake Bushey (2014-15), Conor Deal (2014-15), and Drew Aspinwall (2013-14)—appeared in 13 of the team's 25 games, compiling a 2.62 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage. … Amsden collected 358 saves, while Erik Johnson (11 GP, 3.22 GAA, .897 save %) was close behind with 313. … The Gusties were unbeaten in seven overtime games last season, going 2-0-5.
Hamline Pipers News and Notes:
The Pipers head into 2016-17 on the heels of a second straight MIAC Playoff appearances. The Pipers, who won the conference's post-season title in 2014-15, fell to eventual champion Augsburg in the semifinals. … The Pipers' bid for an MIAC Playoff three-peat will hinge on being able to replace All-Americans Brandon Zurn and Charlie Adams. … Zurn closed out his senior season amassing a team-leading 31 assists and 50 points, while finishing second to Adams with 19 goals. Adams—the MIAC Player of the Year—meanwhile, netted a team-best 21 goals, and was second to Zurn in both assists (28) and points (49). … Adams (7) and Zurn (4) combined to score 11 power-play goals) and each netted one hat trick. … Mitch McPherson—named to the MIAC's All-Rookie Team a year ago—is the Pipers' top returner, collecting 13 goals and 14 assists in his first year with the Pipers. … As a team, the Pipers scored 32 power-play goals. … The Pipers scored six or more goals in a game three times, including a season-high eight-goal effort in a win over Saint Mary's. … Justin Quale and John Sellie-Hanson shared the goaltending duties last season, with Qualie compiling a 3.41 goals-against-average and .893 save percentage in 18 games, while Sellie-Hanson added a 4.34 GAA and .867 save percentage in 11 appearances.
Saint John's Johnnies News and Notes:
The Johnnies enjoyed a stellar season a year ago, placing third in the regular-season conference standings, and reaching the MIAC Playoff title game, where they lost a 5-4, triple-overtime heartbreaker to Augsburg. … The Johnnies' 3 OT game vs. the Auggies was the third-longest in NCAA Division III history. … The Johnnies will be without All-MIAC First-Teamers Andrew Commers and Saxton Soley, who closed out their SJU careers a year ago. … Commers capped his SJU career by scoring a team-leading 11 goals last season, while finishing second on the team in points wiht 20. … Soley, meanwhile, was a mainstay between the pipes for the Johnnies for four season. He tallied an 11-10-4 record in 2015-16, while boasting a 2.45 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage. Soley ended his career second in school history in career wins (49), saves (2,326), GAA (2.11), save percentage (.925), and shutouts (8). … Huba Sekesi—SJU's third All-MIAC First-Teamer last season—was the team-leader in assists (16) and points (25), while finishing second to Commers wiht nine goals. … Saint John's played seven overtime games last season, going 1-2-4—including a 2-1 OT win over St. Thomas in the MIAC Playoff semis, and the 5-4, 3 OT loss to Augsburg in the finals.
Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Saint Mary's heads into 2016-17 looking to improve on last season's sixth-place conference finish. … The Cardinals return all three of last year's All-MIAC First Team selection—Jay Heinle, Martin Gruse, and Bob Kinne. … After not scoring a goal in his first year as a Cardinal, Heinle was the team leader in goals with 16. … Kinne led the team in assists with 18, while Gruse—who recorded at least one point in 18 of the team's 25 games—was the team-leader in points with 31. … Saint Mary's recorded three hat tricks and had a player dish out three assists in a game four times last season. … The Cardinals, who finished with 95 goals last season, netted four goals or more in 14 of their 25 games. … Saint Mary's used three different goalies last season. Phil Heinle owned a 3.16 goals-against-average and .892 save percentage in 11 games, while Jake Tugnutt (3.90 GAA, .876 save %) and Jake Hebda (4.99 GAA, .862 save %) appeared in nine and seven games, respectively. …
Saint Mary's was 8-3-2 when scoring first, but just 1-11-0 in games in which the Cardinals' opponent scores first. … The Cardinals' season-high eight-game unbeaten streak (6-0-2) last season was the longest since Saint Mary's went 7-0-1 during the 1996-97 season. … The Cardinals were held to less that two goals just three times last season.
… Saint Mary's 4-3 victory over St. Thomas on Jan. 8 snapped a 22-game winless streak (0-19-3) against the Tommies—dating back to a 4-2 win on Dec. 11, 2004. … The Cardinals' 6-2 loss to fourth-ranked UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 15 was their fourth game against a nationally ranked team this season. Saint Mary's also collected a 4-2 win over 10th-ranked UW-River Falls, battled No. 8 UW-Eau Claire to a 3-3 tie, and fell to No. 15 MSOE 6-4. … Saint Mary's played three overtime games this season, falling to Hamline and tying UW-Eau Claire and St. Olaf.
St. Olaf Oles News and Notes:
The Oles will look to improve on last year's sixth-place finish under the direction of new head coach Mike Eaves. … Eaves, who spent the previous 14 seasons at the helm at NCAA Division I Wisconsin, lead the Badgers to seven NCAA appearances, including a national title in 2006 and a runner-up finish in 2010. … St. Olaf begins the 2016-17 season looking to replace leading scorer and First-Team All-MIAC selection Peter Lindblad, who graduated after leading the team in goals with 12 and points with 23. … Lindblad also shared the team lead in assists with Steven Sherman. … Lindblad also led the team wiht six power-play goals and a pair of game-winnign tallies. … St. Olaf had three players record 10 or more assists, and nine Oles notched at least 10 points. … St. Olaf used four different goalies last season, led by Eric Hancock, who posted a 3.53 goals-against-average and .902 save percentage in nine games. Jude Hall (4.11 GAA, .895 save %) and Luke Andriuk (4.08 GAA, .891 save %) appeared in eight and seven games, respectively. … The Oles played five overtime games last season—with all five ending in ties. St. Olaf was 3-1 in its four MIAC shootouts. … The Oles scored five or more goals four times last season—including a season-high seven in a 7-3 win over Bethel.
St. Thomas Tommies News and Notes:
The Tommies head into the 2016-17 season on the heels of a second-place finish in the regular-season conference standings a year ago. … St. Thomas fell in the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs, dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to Saint John's. … UST returns just one of its three First-Team All-MIAC performers from a year ago. Connor McBride led the Tommies in goals with 13 and points with 20 in his final year in a UST uniform, while Steve Sorensen's senior campaign included two goals and 10 assists. … All-MIAC First-Teamer Johnny Roisum returns after scoring three goals and adding 10 assists as a junior last season. … Michael Dockery compiled a team-best 11 assists, and finished second to McBride in both goals (8) and points (19). … Five of McBride's 13 goals came on the power play, while he and Dockry shared the team lead with three game-winning goals each. … The Tommies closed out 2015-16 with 11 players recording 10 or more points. … Joe Morris started 25 of the team's 26 games in goal during his senior season a year ago, compiling a 2.13 goals-against-average and a .924 save percentage. … St. Thomas played seven overtime games last season, going 0-2-5. … UST finished 9-1-1 when leading after two periods. |
