UWS Mens Hockey Tabbed 4th in NCHA

Oct 17, 2012

Northland Sports Online

The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) released its 2012-13 men’s hockey coach’s poll and the Yellowjackets have been pegged to finish fourth in the conference. A season ago, after leading the NCHA for much of the first half, the Yellowjackets finished fifth and were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by UW-Stevens Point, who jumped past them on the season’s final weekend to finish fourth and steal home-ice advantage.

Two-time defending national champion St. Norbert College was once again chosen to win the conference, taking home five first-place votes and 60 points. The Green Knights have won 12 of the last 15 conference titles. UW-River Falls, the conference runner-up a year ago came in second with 48 points. UW-Stevens Point rounds out the top three with 40 points and received one first-place vote.

The Yellowjackets received the other first-place vote.

“It seems like I say the same thing every year, but the polls that come out at this time of year are really a crapshoot. There are so many unknowns with most of these teams,” Yellowjacket head coach Dan Stauber said. “Who do teams have returning? Who have they lost? Will guys that had chemistry together last year still have it this year? Will a player that had a breakout year last year be able to sustain it this year? Was a down year for a team a fluke? Was an up year for a team a fluke? There are so many unknowns.

“All that being said, based on what we did a season ago, we were placed in this poll right where we belong entering this year. Now it’s up to us to show that we are better than a middle-of-the-pack team.”

Adding to the intrigue of the 2012-13 season is that the campaign marks the final go-round for the NCHA, which will be put into moth balls, at least on the men’s side, following the year. The five Wisconsin state schools – Superior, Stout, Stevens Point, River Falls and Eau Claire will play exclusively under the auspices of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). For years the five Wisconsin state schools played as both the NCHA and the WIAC. St. Norbert and St. Scholastica, meanwhile, will be moving into the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA).

“The NCHA has been such a tremendous conference over the years. The history, the rivalries and that fact that top to bottom the league was so strong made it a very special thing to be a part of,” Stauber said. “But as we’ve seen at the Division I level and now at Division III the landscape is changing and unfortunately the NCHA and its tradition has been caught up in that.”

2012-13 NCHA Coach’s Poll

1) St. Norbert College (5)

2) UW-River Falls

3) UW-Stevens Point (1)

4) YELLOWJACKETS (1)

5) UW-Eau Claire

6) St. Scholastica

7) UW-Stout

The Yellowjackets return the bulk of their lineup from a year ago. Tom Budziakowski and Justin Faryna graduated in the spring and other players decided not to return. Still, many key players are back.

“We’re pretty happy with our back end. Drew (Strandberg) is back in goal and we like the newcomers that we have back there to work with him,” Stauber said. We like where the goaltending is and we like where our defense is, as we didn’t graduate anyone from the blue line. We’ve got veteran players back there – (Derek) Stauber, Chad Blanleil, Brad Phenow (Ryan) Hill and (Jeff) Forsythe who have played a lot of games in all situations. We like the group of defensemen we have.

“Up front we think we have a good mix. (Joey) Massingham, (Pat) Dalbec and (Kyle) Leahy are all back and for two years, when we’ve had them together, they’ve been a very, very good line. They’ve produced against just about everyone. There are other returners that are ready to take a jump to the next level, too. (Andy) Singerhouse, (Josh) Kesler, (Brett) Meyers and (Tanner) Dion are among those guys who look ready to take that next step. If they do, there’s no telling what our team can do offensively.”

That offense, of course, produced just 72 goals a year ago, tying the school record for fewest goals scored in a season.

“We’re aware that we struggled to put the puck away last year,” Stauber said. “It seemed like offense in our league was down across the board, not just with us. But it did appear that we struggled to put the puck away more than most, and that could have been attributed to the fact that our power play didn’t produce like we had hoped.”

The Yellowjacket power play scored only 15 goals on the year and converted at a clip of just 16.3 per-cent. That percentage dropped to 12.9 per-cent in conference play.

“If our power play produces in the way we know it can, that can make all the difference for us. Improved production there adds to that offense, and suddenly we’re not struggling like we were,” Stauber said. “A few more goals and continued solid play in our own end and I think we’ll be just fine. We’re happy with our goaltending and our defense. Sure, we can always get better, but for the most part we’ve been pretty good in our own end. We sprinkle in a few more goals and then we’re off and running.”

The veteran team will also have some newcomers who will be put in position to play, and make an impact immediately.

“We’re still hammering some things out so I’m not going to give you any names right now, but we’re excited about the freshmen that we have coming in this year,” Stauber said. “We like this group and think that they can help us not only get back to the top of the league, but back to the NCAA tournament as well.”

The Yellowjackets will open the season on Friday, October 26 at Wessman Arena with a conference match-up against Twin Ports-river St. Scholastica. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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