The biggest bright spot for the MIAC this weekend was the Hamline Pipers. On Friday, the Pipers won 6-3 at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, who may be the most improved team in the NCHA this season. On Saturday, Hamline was the only MIAC team not to lose to their rival conference, coming out of new No. 1 St. Norbert with a 1-1 tie.<\/p>\n
Both of these games had their share of drama, and neither one came easily. On Friday, the teams combined for 25 penalties for over 60 minutes in the sin bin for various players. On Saturday the numbers were much more modest, with a combined 11 penalties for 22 minutes. However, 18 of those PIMs were in the second period alone, with each team seeing some 5-on-3 action.<\/p>\n
St. Norbert wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t able to capitalize on either of their 5-on-3 chances, or any of their 5-on-4 opportunities either, as the Green Knights ended up going 0-6 on the power play. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our penalty kill came up big for us\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Hamline coach Scott Bell. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was a hard fought game with both teams playing hard, and stopping their power play, especially those 5-on-3s really kept us in the game.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
However, just after a Hamline penalty expired, the Knights were able to score the game\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first goal, as Matt Boyd lifted the puck over Hamline goaltender Beau Christian.<\/p>\n
Before the period ended, the Knights would give Hamline a 5-on-3 chance of their own, and coach Scott Bell immediately used his time out to make sure the Pipers were prepared. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We had some guys who were tired, and I wanted to make sure we had the right guys out there on the power play\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Bell. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get many good chances against a team like St. Norbert, and I wanted to be able to take advantage of that opportunity.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The strategy paid off. With the first St. Norbert penalty about to expire, Brian Arrigoni got the puck to the net, and Taylor Vichorek scored to tie the game. <\/p>\n
After such a wild period, neither team would commit another penalty until SNC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hooking call with 33 seconds left in overtime. The Pipers wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be able to convert, and the game ended in a hard fought 1-1 tie.<\/p>\n
Friday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s game against Stevens Point saw the Pipers emerge with a 6-3 win after a penalty riddled game. A major penalty, ejection, four matching minors, and all told more penalty minutes than minutes played marred this game.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Despite all the penalty minutes, I thought we played disciplined hockey\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Bell. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We easily could have taken some retaliatory penalties and made things harder on ourselves.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
While they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t play this coming weekend, the Pipers play their first home game of the season the following weekend, opening MIAC conference play with a home-and-home series against St. Mary\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. Last season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s match-up saw Hamline sweep the Cardinals. While they held a commanding advantage in shots on goal, the games were close (4-2 and 7-6 in overtime).<\/p>\n
Bell isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t taking anything for granted. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We try to come prepared to work\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In this league, if someone doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come to play, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re most likely going to get beat.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Last season the Pipers finished the season two points out of second place. Any game has the potential to be the difference between earning home ice in the playoffs and missing the playoffs entirely. The kind of attitude and focus that Bell is trying to instill in his team could turn Hamline into one of the teams to watch for in the MIAC this year.<\/p>\n
With conference play looming, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll soon find out. <\/p>\n
Last weekend saw the first weekend of non-conference games between the NCHA and MIAC. While there are a handful of other games between the two conferences in the next few weeks, the next round of league vs. league action doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take place until early January. <\/p>\n
While Hamline\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s play was a bright spot for the MIAC, the overall results were somewhat disappointing for the league. Last season the NCHA won the inter-conference series with a record of 46-16-2. This season, several MIAC teams were looking to put on a better showing, even though the MIAC was on the road for every game.<\/p>\n
The weekend started off promising, with MIAC teams winning three of their seven games on Friday, including Hamline\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s win over UW-Stevens Point.<\/p>\n
Gustavus Adolphus put in a dominating performance at UW-River Falls, allowing only six shots in the first two periods and ultimately outshooting the Falcons, 37-19. <\/p>\n
Despite the shot advantage, this game was a close and hard fought affair. The Gusties played hard the entire game, and came out with a 3-2 win. While it may have been only the second weekend of the year, as the game came down to the wire in front of a loud River Falls crowd, it had all the feel and excitement of a playoff game.<\/p>\n
St. John\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also had success against St. Scholastica. Like the Gustavus game against River Falls, the score was close while the shots were not. However unlike the Gusties, the Johnnies were outshot heavily, 53-21.<\/p>\n
St. John\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goaltender Tony Civello stood on his head, turning away 52 shots in his first college game while backing the Johnnies to the 3-1 win.<\/p>\n
As promising as Friday looked for the league, Saturday was just as
\ndisappointing. Hamline\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tie against St. Norbert was the only game that didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t end in an NCHA win.<\/p>\n
While that sounds bleak, several games were competitive. <\/p>\n
Augsburg lost 1-0 at UW-River Falls, Bethel lost 5-4 at UW-Stevens Point, and Concordia (MN) lost 4-3 at St. Scholastica. <\/p>\n
Except for St. Mary\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, this weekend saw every team in the MIAC either win or lose a game by one goal. When home ice is reversed in January, some of these results will likely be reversed as well. <\/p>\n