{"id":137745,"date":"2022-12-20T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/?p=137745"},"modified":"2022-12-20T03:16:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T09:16:01","slug":"a-d-iii-west-hockey-letter-to-santa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2022\/12\/20\/a-d-iii-west-hockey-letter-to-santa\/","title":{"rendered":"A D-III West Hockey Letter to Santa"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dawson Sciarrino and the Pointers are on a roll heading into Christmas. (Photo credit: Addison Young, UW-Stevens Point Athletics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s time for another letter to Santa. I should have gotten this out a lot sooner, but hey, as they say, better late than never.<\/p>\n

And with modern technology alive and well, you don\u2019t have to rely on the mail getting this letter to the North Pole in time.<\/p>\n

Not sure how much you\u2019ve paid attention, but it\u2019s been an interesting first half of the season out west in the D-III hockey universe.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m really not sure what to ask for in regards to the MIAC. Things seem to be business as usual in the conference so far.<\/p>\n

The standings are tight. Tighter than some of those chimneys you try to squeeze your way down on Christmas Eve. Only one team out of nine didn\u2019t enter the holiday break with a win or tie.<\/p>\n

St. Olaf currently holds down first place with 13 points, two more than Saint John\u2019s and Bethel, but the sixth-place team, Augsburg, is just five points behind. You really can\u2019t count anyone out just yet.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to see the Oles continue their impressive run of success since winning the MIAC tournament as an underdog last season. They are definitely not a one-hit wonder.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s keep the conference as competitive as ever in the second half of the season. It\u2019s fun seeing every weekend matter in the MIAC, and really it\u2019s anyone\u2019s game at this point.<\/p>\n

Saint John\u2019s, Bethel, St. Scholastica, Saint Mary\u2019s and Augsburg are all capable of making a run at the title.<\/p>\n

Even Concordia isn\u2019t out of the discussion yet. The Cobbers, after all, did end the pre-Christmas slate on a two-game winning streak.<\/p>\n

Oh, and if it\u2019s not too much to ask, could you help out Hamline and Gustavus a little bit.<\/p>\n

The Pipers and Gusties have had tough starts so far. Hamline has just one MIAC win. Gustavus has yet to win a conference game.It wouldn\u2019t be a bad thing to see them get a little momentum and help to make things even more interesting in the next couple of months.<\/p>\n

Over in the NCHA, it\u2019s difficult to ask for anything more than what has taken place so far. We have a very competitive race for the title. Usually, it\u2019s Adrian and St. Norbert all the thunder.<\/p>\n

And look, both teams are very good. The Green Knights have yet to lose a conference game and sit in second place with 18 points. The reigning national champion Bulldogs are in third with 11 points, but don\u2019t let that fool you. They are as dangerous as ever.<\/p>\n

Aurora is holding down the top spot at the moment. Few teams have been better than the nationally ranked Spartans, who have won three in a row and have nine games overall while remaining unbeaten in the NCHA.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s keep Aurora rolling along. The Spartans deserve a shot at winning the NCHA championship and more this year. After all, they\u2019ve never won a conference tourney crown. Not sure if you have that kind of power, Santa, but it\u2019s worth a shot asking.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s also make sure Adrian gets a shot to at least play in the NCAA tournament again this season and have an opportunity to defend its title. The talent is there to do it.<\/p>\n

And Santa, allow St. Norbert, Trine and MSOE to stay in the mix for the championship as well. Those teams have all had good starts to their seasons with the potential to do more. And the more teams in the discussion, the more entertaining things will be over the next two months.<\/p>\n

Last, but definitely not least, how about that WIAC?<\/p>\n

Talk about a league where things have really ramped up this year.<\/p>\n

UW-Stevens Point has emerged as the team to beat, rattling off six consecutive wins and surging to the top of the conference standings.<\/p>\n

UW-Superior, UW-Stout and UW-Eau Claire are hardly teams you can count out, though.If you could just keep things as interesting as they have been so far, that would be great.<\/p>\n

And on a serious note, bring a little success to Northland here in the second half. It\u2019s been a tough stretch for Northland, on and off the ice, and it could use something to smile about. I trust that you will do what you can in regards to that.<\/p>\n

But more importantly, hockey aside, the one thing we all want more than anything is an amazing 2023.<\/p>\n

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, including you Santa, and here\u2019s to more fun on the ice when the games resume after the holiday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for another letter to Santa. I should have gotten this out a lot sooner, but hey, as they say, better late than never. And with modern technology alive and well, you don\u2019t have to rely on the mail getting this letter to the North Pole in time. Not sure how much you\u2019ve paid […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":137746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[820],"coauthors":[821],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA D-III West Hockey Letter to Santa - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s time for another letter to Santa. I should have gotten this out a lot sooner, but hey, as they say, better late than never. 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