By the end of the weekend we will know which teams out west in NCAA Division III hockey are playing for conference titles next weekend.
The MIAC, NCHA and WIAC are all hosting their semifinal rounds, and keep in mind, for all three tournaments, not only is a title on the line, but an automatic trip to the NCAA tournament is at stake as well.
Here’s a look at the matchups.
MIAC
Saturday
Augsburg (15-8-2) vs. St. Olaf (12-11-3)
The Oles weren’t bothered by being the No. 5 seed and playing on the road against Saint Mary’s Wednesday as they came away with an impressive 3-0 win.
Now, they take aim at upsetting the top-seeded Auggies, who have been one of the hottest teams in the game lately. St. Olaf is hoping for a repeat of 2022 when it stunned Augsburg to claim the conference crown. The two teams split in the regular season this year.
Augsburg has won four in a row and is unbeaten in its last seven. Samuel Vyletelka has had a lot to do with that as one of the top netminders, recording 17 game of 30 or more saves.
St. Olaf has won two in a row and four of its last five. Oles need to make this a defensive battle. They are capable of doing it.
Augsburg, 4-3
No. 15 Bethel (17-5-3) vs. St.Scholastica (15-9-1)
The Royals are having a season to remember and are a top two team in the conference for the first time since 2007. They hope to keep the run going against the Saints, who were last year’s regular season champion and MIAC tournament runner-up.
Bethel swept the season series, and interestingly enough, it was in 2022 when the Royals and Saints last met in the tournament. Bethel prevailed in that one in overtime. Tyler Kostelecky has played a key role in the team’s success, and ranks fourth nationally in game-winning goals.
The Saints started off as the best team in the conference this season, winning 10 in a row, but it’s been up and down since. St. Scholastica has lost its last two, but with offensive threats like Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov on its team, the Saints can never be counted out. Let’s go with the upset here.
St. Scholastica, 3-2
NCHA
Saturday
Aurora (15-11-1) at No. 3 Adrian (21-5-1)
Winners of four in a row, Adrian takes aim at continuing its quest for another NCHA tourney crown. The Bulldogs have been tough at home, losing just once in 14 games, but they played two close games with Aurora in the regular season, winning 3-2 and losing 4-3. Those games were on the road.
Adrian has the co-players of the year in the league on their team in Zachary Heintz and Jaden Shields. When those two are on, the Bulldogs are tough to stop. This is an Adrian team that also has a ton of experience playing in postseason games, so the moment isn’t going to be too big.
Aurora has played well down the stretch, winning three in a row, and are led by Tyler Pang and Chase Broda. Pang has tallied 14 assists as a top defensive player while Broda has made quite the impression in his first year, scoring 12 goals and dishing out 15 assists.
Adrian, 5-3
No. 11 Trine (20-7) at No. 10 St. Norbert (20-6)
Can’t beat having a USCHO.com Top 15 matchup in a semifinal round of a conference tournament.
Both teams need a win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. St. Norbert has won its last five and split with Trine in the regular season. The Green Knights have two of the top scoring threats in the game in Liam Fraser and Adam Stacho. They also have the newly minted rookie of the year in the NCHA in Logan Dombrowsky.
Trine is having another successful year and would love to play for an NCHA title next week. The Thunder have three all-conference selections for the first time ever in Sam Antenucci, Sean Henry and Michael DiPietra. Antenucci is the leading scorer on the team with 32 points. Home ice could be the difference. St. Norbert is 11-1 at home. This should be a fun one to watch.
St. Norbert, 6-4
WIAC
Friday and Saturday
UW-River Falls (16-9-2) at No. 7 UW-Stevens Point (19-5-1)
The Pointers have won their last five games and won all three games against the Falcons in the regular season. Two of the top offensive threats in the conference will be on the ice for this one as Dylan Smith leads the Falcons with 12 goals while Noah Finstrom has tallied 11 goals on the season.
UW-River Falls has to be able to make this a defensive battle, especially with the Pointers scoring 87 goals on the year. It gave up four goals in each of the three meetings in the regular season against UW-Stevens Point. Keep it under four and perhaps there is a chance.
UW-Stevens Point, 4-2 and 3-2
UW-Stout (12-13-2) at UW-Eau Claire (16-7-2)
The Blue Devils have scored the most goals in the conference this year, sitting just shy of the century mark (98) in that category. They have the top two goal scorers in the conference as well in Boyd Stahlbaum and Peyton Hart.
The Blue Devils have shown they can play with anyone, winning games against both the Pointers and Blugolds this season. Against UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout went 1-2.
UW-Eau Claire is 8-2-2 on its home ice and has one of the top goaltenders in the league in Max Guthjahr, who has a goals against average of 1.65. When he’s on top of his game, the Blugolds are tough to beat.
UW-Eau Claire, 3-1 and 4-2
