By Brian Lester
Championship weekend is here in the west region of NCAA Division III hockey, and among the matchups is a top five showdown between Adrian and St. Norbert. Those rivals will play for the NCHA tournament crown on Saturday night.
Two other top 10 teams are in action as well. Augsburg, ranked fourth in the latest DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, will battle upset-minded St. Olaf, the seventh seed in the tourney, on Saturday in the MIAC final. In the WIAC, ninth-ranked UW-Stevens Point plays host to rival UW-Eau Claire on Saturday.
Should be an interesting and enjoyable weekend of hockey. Below are my picks for the title games. And while only one team can win, there’s no doubt these games could either way based on how competitive the conferences have been this season.
MIAC Championship
Augsburg (24-3) vs. St. Olaf (10-14-3)
The Auggies are playing for the title for the fifth time in the last six seasons and face the Oles in the postseason for the first time since 2010. Augsburg won that game in the quarterfinal round by a 3-2 score in double overtime.
Augsburg is unbeaten at home and swept the regular-season series against St. Olaf, with one game going to OT. The Auggies prevailed in that one by a 3-2 score.
Few offenses in the country are clicking better than the one Augsburg boasts.
The Auggies have scored 106 goals and 17 different players have scored at least one goal. They feature five of the top eight point scorers in the league as well, including Austin Martinsen, who has tallied a league-leading 35 points, 20 of those points coming off goals. Fritz Belisle has punched in 16 goals, the second-most in the conference.
Defensively, Augsburg has given up only 44 goals, with Sam Vyletelka and Jack Robbel sporting goals against averages of 142 and 1.72, respectively. Vyletelka leads the conference in save percentage (.941).
The Oles have their hands full but they certainly don’t lack confidence heading into their first title game since 2012. They defeated the second and third seeds in the conference tourney on their way to the championship game.
They also have a win over a nationally ranked opponent, having beaten UW-Eau Claire in November. Tyler Cooper and Sean Walsh will need to play their best games to give the Oles a chance. Cooper leads the team with 13 goals. Walsh has scored 11. Lukas Haugen has fashioned a save percentage of over 90 percent (.911). He’s made 316 saves on the year.
The Oles could make this one interesting, and if they can keep it close early, they’ll have a chance at pulling off another upset. But beating the Auggies on home ice won’t be easy.
Augsburg, 4-2
NCHA Championship
Adrian (27-1) vs. St. Norbert (23-5)
No team in the nation has more momentum than Adrian, which has strung together a streak of 27 consecutive wins is poised for a run at the national title.
The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the nation in the DCU/USCO NCAA Division III men’s poll, holding down that spot for 10 consecutive weeks, and swept the Green Knights in the regular season. St. Norbert is fifth in the nation.
There will be no shortage of talent when these two teams square off. Four all-league selections are on the Adrian roster, including last season’s player of the year in the league in Alessio Luciani, while St. Norbert has the player of the year in Peter Bates, who picked up the honor for the second time in his career.
Bates leads NCAA Division III in points (55) and goals (27). He’s second in the country in assists (27).
Luciani is second in the conference in points (30) and is seventh in the nation in that category. He has dished out 26 assists.
The Bulldogs and Green Knights are two of the best from a defensive standpoint as well, with Cameron Gray of Adrian fashioning a .908 save percentage and a 2.25 goals against average.
Colby Entz of the Green Knights has a 2.55 goals against average and save percentage of nearly 90 percent (.896).
Adrian dominated the regular-season series against St. Norbert, winning both games by four goals, but with a championship on the line, this game could go either way.
Adrian, 6-3
WIAC Championship
UW-Stevens Point (21-5-1) vs. UW-Eau Claire (17-11-1)
UW-Stevens Point came up short in its title bid a year ago and is looking for redemption on Saturday night when it battles the rival Blugolds.
The Pointers are ranked ninth in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll and came into the season as the favorite to win the conference title.
Now, they stand on the doorstep of securing that crown. They take on a UW-Eau Claire team that has put together an impressive second half and is seeking its first conference title since 2020 when it defeated the Pointers 4-2.
The Pointers won all three regular-season meetings with the Blugolds, including a 4-3 thriller in overtime in December. At that time, UW-Eau Claire was just 4-8.
The Blugolds come into this game on a 12-game unbeaten streak. It includes six consecutive wins. The Pointers ave won have rattled off 10 consecutive victories.
Offensively, UW-Stevens Point has been tough to slow down, scoring 109 goals, nearly 40 more than what UW-Eau Claire has scored.
But defensively, these two teams have been tough to score on. The Pointers have given up only 53 goals. The Blugolds have allowed 56 and need to try to make this a defensive battle and avoid allowing it to turn into a shootout.
UW-Stevens Point, 5-2
