Week 1 has concluded and we had many shakeups occur including the upset of #5 [now #7] UW-River Falls at the hands of Augsburg [now #13] who’s had a promising start to their season. #12 [now #10] Adrian headed out east to Oswego and got the weekend sweep, whilst #6 [now #5] UW-Eau Claire survived and got two wins over the College of Saint Benedict.
Augsburg Pulls off the Upset
The Augsburg Auggies, led by Head Coach Michelle McAteer, has gotten off to a very promising start this season as they lost to #2 Gustavus by the slim score of 1-0 and then defeated #5 UW-River Falls 4-3 on the road. The Auggies success has gotten them ranked inside the top 15, coming in at #13 this week. When asked about her team’s early success and promise, Coach McAteer said:
“We played Gustavus Adolphus College and UW-River Falls twice last year, and had similar results – played them both tight in one game, and blown out in the other. The returners on this year’s team learned a lot from that, especially when it comes to competing relentlessly. Our team chemistry overall is in a great place right now and our leadership has been excellent. One last factor – Chloe Stockinger was very strong in both games, and was a difference maker for us in net.” Stockinger made 22 saves on the night and made 29 the night before vs Gustavus.
Augsburg heads to #10 Adrian next weekend who’s 2-0 and looked good in their pair of road wins over Oswego State this past weekend. When asked about the challenge of Adrian ahead after a pair of difficult games to start, Coach McAteer added:
“We are excited to hit the road and take on a tough Adrian team. We don’t have many long road trips in the MIAC, so it’s something we look forward to, and this group really enjoys being together. We know that it will be tough games, which is why we schedule them. It will be a challenge, and it’s another opportunity to see where we are at. We are excited and hope to build off a promising start.”
Adrian Dominates out East
The Adrian College Bulldogs traveled to Oswego State over the weekend for a pair of games, looking to seek revenge from last year when Oswego came to Adrian and got the 2-1 win. Adrian did just that, they defeated Oswego handily 4-1 and 5-0. Goalkeeping was a highlight of the weekend as Adrian goalie Sophie Goldberg made 16 saves in game one and 21 in game two, earning her a shutout win. It should also be noted that Karmen Anderson of Adrian had 3 goals and 1 assist in the two game series.
Next up for Adrian is a two-game home series with #13 Augsburg who’s coming off their big upset victory over (now ranked #7, former #5) UW-River Falls.
UW-Eau Claire Avoids Disaster
UW-Eau Claire came into the weekend ranked #6 (now #5) and visited the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) for a pair of games. Game 1 Eau-Claire handled well, winning 4-1. However, in game two, Saint Benedict led Eau-Claire 3-1 after the 1st period, and led 3-2 until the 16:58 mark in the 3rd period when Sophie Rausch scored a game-tying power-play goal to send the game into overtime. Rausch would then bury the game winner halfway through the overtime period (2:32) to give the Blugolds the 4-3 OT win.
Coach Erik Strand of Eau-Claire, when asked about his team’s performance this weekend, narrowly avoiding a major upset, said: “We played 30 mins of hockey this weekend out of 120…. So we learned a valuable lesson about how hard every team is gonna push us…. The 30 we played were the last 30 tonight [Saturday]! Really had to dig in!!”
Eau Claire’s next game is Tuesday 11/1 at home vs Concordia Wisconsin.
Aurora Stays Hot
Last season, Aurora shocked everyone, going 22-7 and making it to the NCHA championship game. In the process, they shutout Adrian in the semi-finals 3-0 and then capped it off by defeating St. Norbert 5-1 in the title game, granting them an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Aurora came into this season ranked #14, they’ve now somehow fallen to #15 after getting a weekend sweep of Chatham to start their season 2-0.
Aurora defeated Chatham handily, 6-1 and 5-2, Peyton Elliott and Madison Gasper both had 2 goal games this weekend, whilst two goaltenders for Aurora also had solid games, Samantha Steciak made 18 saves in her game and Tia Glube made 22.
Aurora will hit the road against Bethel this weekend for a pair of games on 11/4 & 11/5.
Other West Notables
#2 Gustavus shuts out #13 Augsburg 1-0.
UW-Superior starts the season 2-0 with 5-0 & 3-2 OT wins over Lawrence.
St. Catherine’s won its first two games, dominating Finlandia 11-1 & 5-2.
Lake Forest sweeps Saint Mary’s, winning 4-2 & 3-2 OT to begin the year 2-0.
Games Involving Ranked West Teams This Week
#2 Gustavus hosts Lake Forest on Friday/Saturday at 7pm CT / 2pm CT.
#5 UW-Eau Claire hosts Concordia (Wis.) on Tuesday at 7pm CT & Saint Marys on Saturday at 2pm CT.
#7 UW-River Falls visits Saint Marys on Friday at 7pm CT.
#10 Adrian hosts #13 Augsburg on Friday/Saturday at 7pm ET / 3pm ET.
#15 Aurora visits Bethel on Friday/Saturday at 7pm CT / 2pm CT.
