By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
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.
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MIAC Showcase Schedule (All Games Played At Schwan's Super Rink)
Friday, Oct. 27
Game 1: Augsburg vs. St. Olaf, 6:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Game 2: St. Thomas vs. Saint John's, 7:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Game 3: Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus, 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Saturday, Oct. 27
Game 4: Bethel vs. St. Thomas, 6:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Game 5: Concordia vs. Saint Mary's, 7:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Game 6: Hamline vs. Augsburg, 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Sunday, Oct. 28
Game 7: Gustavus vs. Concordia, 2:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Game 8: St. Olaf vs. Hamline, 3:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Game 9: Saint John's vs. Bethel, 3:30 p.m. | Live Stats
MIAC Showcase On The Web:
Game Program | MIAC's Showcase Homepage
2018-19 MIAC Hockey Preview/Poll | MIAC Hockey Homepage
MIAC Hockey Showcase — Looking Back:
2017 Results | 2017 Preview |Â 2016 Results | 2016 Preview | 2015 Results | 2015 Preview |
2014 Results | 2014 Preview |Â 2013 Results | 2013 Preview | 2012 Results | 2012 Preview |
2011 Results | 2011 Preview |Â 2010 Results | 2010 Preview | 2009 Results | 2009 Preview |
Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
Augsburg kicks off the 2018-19 season as the three-time reigning MIAC Playoff champion, having clinched playoff No. 3—and the MIAC's automatic NCAA berth—with a 3-1 win over Gustavus in the title game. … The Auggies opened NCAA play with a 3-1 win over Marian, but were ousted in the NCAA quarterfinals by top-ranked and eventual national champion St. Norbert. … The Auggies return two of their top three scorers from a year ago—Luke Dietsch and Chandler Madry, who were both First-Team All-MIAC selections last season. Dietsch shared the team lead in goals with 12 and added 16 assists for 28 points. Mandry also closed out the year with 28 points, posting seven goals and a team-leading 21 assists. … Dietsch (12), Nate Flynn (12), and Lukas Gillett (11) all scored 10 or more goals in 2017-18, while the Auggies boasted six players—Chandler (21), Flynn (17), Dietsch (16), Drew Anderson (15), Max Pemhem (15), and Alex Rodriguez (12) — with 1- or more assists. … Dietsch and Gillett boasted a team-high three game-winning goals. … Nick Schmitt, an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection a year ago, started 27 of the Auggies' 29 games in goal, compiling a 2.23 goals-against-average and a .922 save percentage. … Schmitt boasted an 18-9-1 record and recorded one shutout. … Augsburg played just one overtime game last season—opening the year with a 3-2 OT win over Gustavus. … Augsburg finished 12-1-0 when scoring first, while going 7-9-0 when its opponent scored first.
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
The Royals enter 2018-19 looking to rebound from a 3-19-3 season a year ago — including a 2-11-3 mark in conference play. … Bethel closed out the season a year ago going 1-1-3 in its last five games. … Chris McKelvie takes over the reigns of the Royals, becoming the ninth coach in program history. McKelvie spent the past two seasons at NCAA Division I Army West Point. … Bethel returns two of its top four scorers from a year ago—but will be without graduated senior and leading point-getter Jackson Purvis (8 G, 9 A, 17 Pts). … Dallas Marvin finished second to Purvis in all three offensive categories, finishing with five goals and eight assists for 13 points, while Michael Piehler posted three goals and seven assists in his first year as a Royal. … BU closed out the year with five players posting 10 or more points. … Purvis and Marvin each led the team with four power-play goals. … Joe Sheppard appeared in 22 of the team's 25 games in goal, compiling a 3.88 goals-against-average and an .894 save percentage. … Sheppard finished with 697 saves a year ago and posted one shutout … Bethel played three overtime games last season — winning all three in shootouts.
Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
The Cobbers come into 2018-19 coming off a sixth straight MIAC Playoff appearance. CC dropped a 2-1 decision to Gustavus in the opening round of the 2017-18 MIAC post-season. … CC opens the year without the services of graduated seniors Zach Doerring and Jon Grebosky. … Doerring closed out an illustrious Cobber career by being named the MIAC Player of the Year last season, while Grebosky was a First-Team All-MIAC selection a year ago. … Doerring and Grebosky combined for 22 goals, 30 assists and 52 points last season, with Doerring leading the way with team highs in goals (14) and points (27), while Grebosky led the team with 17 assists.C … Mario Bianchi, an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection last season, is the Cobbers' top offensive returner, having scored seven goals and adding 15 assists for 22 points. … Along with Doerring (27), Grebosky (25), and Bianchi (22), Dalton Mills (15), Tanner Okeson (15), Quinn Fuchs (12), and Bryan Kronberger (11) also closed out the year with 10 or more points. … Jacob Stephan and Sam Nelson shared the goaltending duties for the Cobbers last year—Stephan compiled a 2.88 GAA and .921 save percentage in 12 games, while Nelson finished with a 4.47 GAA and .866 save percentage in seven games. … CC was unbeaten (2-0-3 in its five overtime games last season.
Scouting The Gustavus Gusties:
The Gusties head into the 2018-19 season on the heels of their first post-season appearance since the 2013-14 season — not to mention a spot in the MIAC Playoff title game. The Gusties, who finished fourth in the regular season, put together a playoff run that included one-goal wins over Concordia and regular-season champion St. Thomas, before falling to Augsburg 3-1 in the title game. … Gustavus returns four of its top five scorers from a year ago — as well as All-MIAC First-Teamer Chris Amsden and MIAC Rookie Team selections Robbie Goor, Will LeNeave, and Caleb Anderson. … Evan Erickson shared the team's goal-scoring lead with graduated senior Colin Hernon, with each netting eight goals, while Anderson boasted a team-high 10 assists and Hernon finished with a team-best 17 points. … GAC closed out the year with seven players totaling 11 or more points—Hernon (17), Erickson (16), Colton Schmidt (15), Anderson (15), Van Sullivan (12), Jake McCann (11), and LeNeave (11). … Amsden appeared in 18 games in goal for the Gusties, compiling a 2.21 goals-against-average and a .926 save percentage. … Goor played nine games in goal for GAC a year ago, putting together a 1.87 GAA and .929 save percentage. … Gustavus played five overtime games last season, going 1-1-3—with the lone win a 4-3 victory over St. Thomas in the MIAC Playoff semifinals.
Scouting The Hamline Pipers:
The Pipers are coming off a 9-14-2 season a year ago, including a 4-10-2 mark and eighth-place showing in MIAC play. … Hamline—which suffered five one-goal losses a year ago—heads into the season returning just one of its top five scorers from last season—not to mention 105 of its 186 total points. … All-MIAC honorable-mention selection Mitch McPerson returns, after closing out his junior campaign leading the Pipers—and the MIAC—in goals with 15, while adding six assists for 21 points. … Kyle Wendorf, who earned MIAC All-Rookie Team honors a year ago, is the Pipers' second-leading returning point-producer, having tallied seven goals and three assists for 10 points in his freshman season. … Evan Robert posted a 2.93 goals-against-average and .900 save percentage in 13 games between the pipes last season. Lance Knudson also saw some time in goal for HU last season, finishing with a 5.49 GAA and .831 save percentage in four games. … Hamline went unbeaten in its three overtime games last season, beating St. Olaf (4-3) and tying both Concordia (7-7) and St. Olaf (2-2). … HU outscored its opponents 26-21 in the first period a year ago, and were 5-6-2 when scoring first.
Scouting The Saint John's Johnnies:
Saint John's closed out 2017-18 finishing second in the MIAC with an 11-5-0 record—one point behind regular-season champion St. Thomas. … The Johnnies' 11 conference wins were the most since the 2005-06 season. … SJU made its fifth trip to the MIAC Playoffs in the last seven seasons a year ago, falling to Augsburg 4-3 in the semifinals. … The Johnnies return five of their top six scorers from a year ago—including All-MIAC First-Teamer Brady Heppner, who led the team in goals with 13 and shared the team lead in points (24) with graduated senior and fellow All-MIAC First-Team selection Sam Valerius. … Robb Stautz, an honorable-mention All-MIAC pick last season, tied Valerius with a team-leading 15 assists. … Saint John's closed out the year with 14 players posting 10 or more points, while 18 Johnnies scored at least one goal and 23 recorded at least one point. … Goalie Andrew Lindgren returns after a First-Team All-MIAC season a year ago. Lindgren posted a 1.97 goals-against-average and a .931 save percentage in 17 games. Mac Berglove played in 11 games in goal, recording a 2.35 GAA and .924 save percentage. … SJU played in three overtime games last season, beating UW-Eau Claire (2-1), while tying Marian (3-3) and Concordia-WI (2-2). … SJU finished the year 13-2-1 when scoring the first goal.
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
The Cardinals enter the 2018-19 season on the heels of a fifth-place finish in the conference standings a year ago.  … The Cardinals closed out the year 6-2-2 in their last 10 games—including a heartbreaking 4-3, season-ending overtime loss to St. Olaf that eliminated SMU from playoff contention. … Twelve of the Cardinals' 25 games—including seven of their last eight—were decided by one goal or less, including six overtime contests. … Kelvin Walz closed out the season recording at least one point in 11 straight games. The senior posted 15 points (5 G, 10 A) during that 11-game span. … Chad Cesarz closed out the year as the team-leader with nine goals, one more than Jared Johnson and Kyle Meeh. … Walz was the team-leader in assists (14) and points (20). … Saint Mary's scored 17 power play goals—including four from Meeh and three from Johnson, Cesarz, and Kellen Wasell. … Graduated senior Aaron Davis started 19 of the team's 25 games in goal, compiling a 3.25 goals-against-average and .881 save percentage. … Al Rogers owned a 2.67 GAA and .904 save percentage in three appearances, while Nick Nast finished with a 4.23 GAA and .870 save percentage) in five games. … Saint Mary's went 7-5-2 when scoring first, while going 2-7-2 when its opponent scored first
Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
The Oles come into the 2018-19 season on the heels of a 9-12-3 finish last season—including a 6-8-2, seventh-place showing in the MIAC. … The Oles finished just two points back of the fifth and final MIAC Playoff spot last season in a race that went down to the final game of the regular-season. … St. Olaf returns three of its top four scorers from a year ago, but will be without the services of graduated senior Drew Otto, who led the team in both goals (11) and points (21). … Tuukka Totro—a First-Team All-MIAC pick last season—and Roshen Jaswel finshed second to Otto with 18 points each, while Totro and Tobias Gabrielsen shared the team lead in assists with 12. … St. Olaf closed out the season boasting seven players with 10 or more points—including four returners. … Jude Hull and Eric Hancock shared the goaltending duties last season. Hull posted a 3.12 goals-against-average and .903 save percentage in his final 12 games as an Ole, while Hancock returns for his senior season after boasting a 3.30 GAA and .908 save percentage a year ago. … St. Olaf played in six overtime games last season, going 2-1-3—including wins over UW-Stout (6-5) and Saint Mary's (4-3). The Oles lost to Hamline (4-3), while tying UW-River Falls (3-3), Hamline (2-2), and Bethel (0-0).
Scouting The St. Thomas Tommies:
St. Thomas enters the 2018-19 season as the reigning MIAC regular-season champions, after finishing 11-4-1 in conference play—including a regular season-ending sweep of Hamline that claimed the Tommies' 35th conference regular-season crown. … The Tommies begin defense of their conference crown by returning all but 18 of their 217 points from a year ago. … First-Team All-MIAC selections Johnny Panvica and Brett Gravelle shared the team lead in all three offensive categories last season—goals (14), assists (16), and points (30). … Cullen Willox finished second on the team in goals (12) and points (21), while Tanner Barners chipped in 12 assists and 20 points, and Brian LeBlanc added 14 assists and 18 points. … The Tommies will be without the services of goalie Ben Myers, who closed out his UST career posting a 2.24 goals-against-average and .918 save percentage in 24 games. Andrew Rohkohl appeared in four gaems between the pipes, compiling a 2.08 GAA and .908 save percentage. … UST had 17 of its 26 games decided by two goals or less—including three overtime games. St. Thomas fell to UW-Stevens Point (2-1) and Gustavus (4-3), while tying Saint Mary's (1-1). … St. Thomas owned a 10-2-1 record when scoring the first goal. |
