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College Hockey Roundup

By Paul Evans, 01/23/18, 3:15PM EST

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We're Baaaacck! Did you miss us?

For most teams, the winter break came to a close and the season resumed a week or two ago.  (Thanks to a visit from the Flu fairy, it took me a little longer...)  While everyone needs the rest – and there is really no way around it, either – the long layoff takes its toll on everything from conditioning to chemistry.  It requires some time and effor to regain that mid-season stride, and it shows in those first games back on the ice.

NCAA D1 Men


Despite seeing their 16-game win streak come to an end at the United Center, the Irish managed to hang on to the top spot in both polls

Notre Dame saw their winning streak end with a thud, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.  Better that it’s sooner.  After stretching the streak to 16 games with a 4-2 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers, the Irish headed north to Chicago hoping for a big-time showing on the big ice of the United Center.  But just like the last time they played here, it was not to be.  Back then, it was eventual National Champion Denver putting an end to Notre Dame’s Frozen Four dreams.  This time, it was an opportunistic Badger offense and brilliant performance by goaltender Jack Berry who stole the show.  Wisconsin seemed to capitalize on every mistake the Irish made, but it was Berry’s performance that made the difference.  Seemingly always in perfect position, Berry stopped all 40 shots that came his way and gave the Irish offense very second chances.  Morris, on the other hand, was remarkably human.  He kept his team in the game for quite a while, making some remarkable saves even as things broke down around him.  But one bad game won’t deter this group, who have seemed to make resiliency a defining characteristic.  The Irish will look to bounce back on the road against a solid but struggling Minnesota Gophers squad, but they’ll have to find a way to shut down the very dangerous Casey Mittelstadt first.


NAIA

After a nearly flawless first half, Indiana Tech stumbled out of the gate in January, dropping four of their first six games.  Granted, two of their opponents have been #17 Midland and #4 Robert Morris, but the Warriors have looked uncharacteristically out of sorts lately, surrendering an astounding 5.34 goals per game while struggling offensively at times.  And with a key stretch of WHAC games on the horizon, there is little time left to right the ship.  Yet if this weekend’s split against I-69 rival Western Michigan showed us anything, it’s that this Tech team is never too far off.  Head Coach Frank DiCristofaro has created a genuine ‘family’ atmosphere in Fort Wayne, and families almost always pull together in times of crisis.  The Warriors have a chance to all but lock up the top seed in the NAIA with a sweep against Aquinas this weekend, but don’t expect the Saints to show any mercy, having dropped three straight since a 3-1 win over Calvin College on January 12th.


NCAA D3 Men


January started off well, but wins are still in short supply for the young Thunder

Trine’s D3 Men sandwiched the winter break with a pair of wins on each side, but following their road sweep of King’s (PA) in early January, the Thunder has fallen somewhat silent.  Their recent trip to the Land of Dairy has left the team feeling a bit lactose-intolerant, dropping to 4-13-2 overall after a 3-1 loss to Concordia and a 5-2 defeat at the hands of MSOE.  Trine hasn’t been badly outplayed and has managed to stay in both games at least through the first two periods until running out of steam late, but the learning curve is steep at this level and there are no easy games for a first year program.  Look for the Thunder to stay the course.  Next weekend brings a very winnable game at home against Finlandia (2-2 tie back in November) before a visit from top-ranked St. Norbert on Saturday.


NCAA D3 Women

Things are looking up for Trine’s D3 Women as they opened the new year with a 3-1-1 mark.  While they haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire, the Thunder offense has shown signs of hitting their stride, averaging 37 shots per game over the stretch.  But the real improvements have come from Sophomore netminder Molly Scarborough and the defensive corps, having allowed an average of just 1.6 goals per game in January compared to 5.25 in the first semester.  The Thunder finish the season with a string of games against teams in the top half of the NCHA, but should have a fighting chance if they can maintain this level over the remaining four weeks.  The stretch run kicks off this weekend with a road series at Northland.


ACHA D2 Men


Mother Nature smiled upon the Hoosiers the ACHA Outdoor Showcase, even if the hockey gods didn't.

It’s unfathomable to think that Trine could run the table in their very first season in ACHA M2.  Then again, no one really believed they would win 21 games by the middle of January either.  Yet here we are.  The Thunder continue to defy the odds, pulling out a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Adrian (#7 Central).  Should Trine survive the home-and-home series against a tough Michigan club (#8 Central) this coming weekend, there’s a decent chance the Thunder may just end up doing the impossible.

The Hoosiers seem to have found new life since interim coach Joseph Siers took over back in November.  Unfortunately, aside from an impressive sweep of M2 Illinois and a 3-0 victory over Bradley, the results haven’t changed much.  Yet despite a lack of success on the scoreboard, this Indiana squad continues to play with energy and enthusiasm.  The Hoosiers dropped four games at the ACHA Outdoor Showcase in Rosemont, IL this past weekend, including an unscheduled tilt against M3 Nebraska.  But Saturday’s 6-5 OT loss to Michigan and Sunday’s 7-4 defeat at the hands of Southeast #1 Penn State was a clear indication that these Hoosiers haven’t thrown in the towel yet.  That bodes well for Indiana in this weekend’s matchup with Illinois State (6-20-0-1).


ACHA D2 Women

The break probably hit the Notre Dame women’s team harder than anyone, as they had only just gotten their season underway before having to shut it down again.  As good as they looked against Michigan State in their opening series, the Irish couldn’t find that same rhythm against Loyola-Chicago.  Dropping the weekend set 3-1 and 2-1 isn’t devastating, but with only seven games left on the schedule every loss is tough.  They’ll need to get their legs back quickly if they aim to fare better against upcoming opponent Northern Michigan.


ICHC


The Colonels kept possession of the Bourbon Barrel after downing rival Kentucky 6-5 for the second straight year

A mere three weeks is all that remains of the regular season, as the battle for the Crossroads Cup is set to begin just after Valentine’s Day.  While it’s not likely anyone will supplant Indiana as the #1 seed going into the tournament, there will still be some jostling about as the rest of the field aims to claim their spot.

Playing their final ICHC matchup this past weekend, IPFW made a last-ditch effort to move up in the standings, hosting a Butler team seated just one conference win ahead.  The Bulldogs, however, looked to gain some separation from Eastern Kentucky, who was tied with three wins but had all but completed their conference schedule.  The Mastadons managed to take game one Friday 7-4, but Butler would bounce back with an 8-5 win in Saturday’s rematch.  The victory gave the Bulldogs sole possession of third place, with two series remaining against Purdue and Indiana.  Barring an upset, they’ll likely stay there unless the Colonels are able to reschedule their weather-cancelled series with Ball State.

Indiana and Purdue were both schedule to participate in the ACHA Outdoor Showcase, but the Boilermakers did not attend due to an undisclosed situation.  Despite missing out on their showdown with Purdue, the Hoosiers made the most of the weekend, sweeping a pair of games from Northwestern (3-2) and Nebraska (4-1).  The win over the Huskers should give Indiana’s strength of schedule a much-needed boost as they look to hang on to their spot in the North region’s top ten and an invitation to the regional tournament in Grand Rapids.

Although their conference schedule was effectively done due to the Cardinals’ unfortunate forfeiture, the Colonels still had something to play for – the Bourbon Barrel.  Last season, EKU managed to pull off the upset and down rival Kentucky for the first time in program history.  And if you believe that lightning never strikes the same place twice, just ask the Colonels.  In front of a raucous crowd tilted in favor of the visitors, EKU withstood everything the Wildcats could dish out and hung on for another 6-5 victory to keep possession of the Bourbon Barrel for another year.  The Wildcats extracted a measure of revenge with a 5-1 win on Saturday, but still left without the Barrel.


ACHA D3


Perhaps Wes Akard's EBUG stint with the Indy Fuel is just the confidence boost the 'Hounds need for the home stretch

UIndy headed into the holiday break unsure if the program would survive its inaugural season.  With a roster in tatters due to injury and attrition, it was too close for the team’s leadership to determine if they would have enough healthy bodies to finish out the schedule.  Fortunately – for them and us – they opted to push on.  The decision paid off an initial dividend, as they Greyhounds swept the Bradley Braves 8-3 and 4-1.  The ‘Hounds have only four games remaining as they do not have a conference affiliation as of yet, but the short second half should allow time to the program to regroup and rebuild in time for their ‘sophomore’ season.

Much like the Hoosiers, the Indiana Tech Warriors emerged from the winter recess in need of a strong showing against some top competition to help solidify their playoff chances.  They found just what they were looking for in Grand Valley State.  Coming in ranked #4 in the North, the Lakers were still reeling from pair of losses against #1 Michigan State, and the Warriors took full advantage.  Game one in Fort Wayne came down to overtime, with the visitors prevailing 3-2.  Tech didn’t stay down for long though, stealing a 4-3 victory on the Lakers home ice the following night.  The split should give the Warriors a boost in the rankings, but with three tough series remaining on the docket, there is little room to let up.

Trine’s playoff hopes took a bit of a beating, courtesy of Finlandia.  The Thunder were swept at home by the upstart Lions 4-1 and 2-1 (OT), putting their chances at a regional berth in jeopardy.  While they aren’t quite out of it yet, Trine will need to win most of their remaining games – including at least a split against the top-ranked MSU Spartans – to have a shot.



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