Cobbers Picked Fourth In MIAC Preseason Poll

MIAC men's hockey preview courtesy of Matt Higgins and the MIAC office

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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2013-14 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) will be an exciting season of change for "The State of Hockey's" only NCAA Division III conference completely contained by the sport's borders. The MIAC blazes into new territory this season as the first conference in the Division to add a shootout to settle overtime ties, as well as a new three-point system to determine the league standings.

The NCAA now allows for a shootout - three players from each team - to decide overtime ties and, though some Division I conferences adopted it a year ago - no Division III league had moved in that direction ... until now. In addition, the MIAC will now award three points for a win in regulation, two points for an overtime or shootout win, or one point for an overtime or shootout loss.

One of the major reasons for the change - which was proposed and passed by the conference coaches and approved by the MIAC's athletic directors and faculty athletic representatives, was to help create some separation in the standings in a historically competitive conference, with 2012-13 serving as a perfect example to how close-knit the final standings can be.

Saint John's (16-8-4, 9-4-3 MIAC, 21 points) and St. Thomas (13-11-2, 10-5-1 MIAC, 21 points) shared the league title a year ago, with both Gustavus (17-8-3, 9-5-2 MIAC, 20 points) and Concordia (13-12-1, 10-6 MIAC, 20 points) finishing a point back of the leaders and St. Olaf (10-14-2, 9-7 MIAC, 18 points)three points behind. Heading into the final weekend of regular-season play, there were six teams still in the mix for the MIAC title, and eight of the conference's nine teams were still in contention for one of the five Playoff bids.

Just two points separated the next three teams in the standings, as Augsburg (8-14-3, 6-8-2 MIAC, 14 points) finished sixth, Saint Mary's (8-16-1, 6-9-1 MIAC, 13 points) took seventh and Bethel (7-18, 6-10, 12 points) was eighth, with Hamline (1-19-5, 1-12-3 MIAC, 5 points) rounding out the MIAC standings.

It should be another entertaining race for the title, aided by the addition of the shootout and the new points system. The MIAC has one team ranked in the USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll as Saint John's checks in at No. 11 with 59 points in the national rankings. However, Gustavus received 24 points to finish in the second "Others receiving votes" spot outside the Top 15 and St. Thomas received 14 points.

Last season's competitiveness and the changes certainly point to another exciting season in "The State of Hockey's" Division III conference. The puck drops Friday and, for MIAC men's hockey fans, the action can't get here soon enough.

JOHNNIES TOP PRESEASON POLL
The competition from 2012-13 carried over into the 2013-14 MIAC Men's Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll, with three different teams receiving first-place votes, and just three points separating last year's co-champs at the top. The football rivalry between Saint John's and St. Thomas has been well-documented, but the Johnnie-Tommie clash is expected to continue on the ice this season as well. Saint John's received five first-place votes and 61 points to reign atop the poll and open the season as the MIAC favorite, but rival St. Thomas is a close second with three first-place votes and 58 total points.

Gustavus received the other first-place vote, and checks in at No. 3 in the preseason predictions with 51 points. Concordia (43 points) edged St. Olaf (37 points) for fourth place, as the Auggies and Oles round out the top five. That means the coaches predict the same five teams as a year ago will make up the MIAC Playoff field.

Augsburg was alone in sixth place and 27 points. Bethel edged Saint Mary's by a single point for the seventh spot in the poll, 19-18, and Hamline rounded out the coaches' predictions with 10 points.

'SHOWCASING' THE MIAC
For the fifth consecutive season, the MIAC men's hockey season will begin with a grand event - the 2013 MIAC Men's Hockey Showcase, sponsored by Bauer. All nine teams will compete Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minn. Each MIAC squad will open the season with two nonconference games against MIAC foes, to serve as a celebration of hockey in the conference and give fans a preview of what to expect during the conference season.

The Showcase will also potentially serve as the first look at shootouts in Division III, as any overtime tie will be decided by the new addition to the conference. Since the games count as nonconference competitions, they will still go down as a tie in the standings, but it will give fans, players, coaches and officials a chance to test out the new shootout format, should any games remain tied after 65 minutes.

WHAT'S NEW?
The biggest changes in the MIAC this season have already been discussed and will be reflected in the shootout and new points system. There was no coaching turnover in the MIAC this season, as all nine programs retained their head coach. Hamline fans will have a new home, closer to campus, as the Pipers move their home games from Vadnais Heights to nearby Oscar Johnson Arena in St. Paul.

WHO'S BACK?
A big reason an equally exciting and competitive season is expected in the MIAC this winter is the talent that's back throughout the conference, starting with conference favorite Saint John's. 2012-13 MIAC Coach-of-the-Year Doug Schueller welcomes back a loaded roster, starting with goalie Saxton Soley, who shared MIAC MVP honors as a freshman a year ago. The MIAC's top netminder should get plenty of offensive support as well, with All-MIAC forwards John Haeg and Justin Hochsprung back to lead a loaded Johnnie squad.

St. Thomas Head Coach Jeff Boeser also welcomes back an outstanding defensive core, led by two juniors: All-MIAC goalie Drew Fielding and All-America defensemen Michael Kreig. Leading the offense will be another junior - All-MIAC forward Alex Altenbernd. The Tommies' returning talent should help offset the losses three All-MIAC honorees, who all graduated.

Gustavus overcame a slow start and was the MIAC's best team after the holiday break, going 10-2-2 after Christmas in 2012-13. The Gusties should be a potent offensive club, as Head Coach Brett Petersen returns 68.4 percent of his goal scoring from a year ago. Senior forward Adam Smyth returns after earning All-Conference honors a season ago, and junior Jack Walsh led Gustavus with 13 goals last year.

Add Concordia to the list of teams welcoming back a star goalie. Head Coach Chris Howe has senior Chris Neamonitis back in the net, who led the MIAC with 10 wins in conference play a year ago. Defenseman Caleb Suderman returns as one of the league's best on the blue line, earning All-MIAC honors in each of his first three seasons, and forward Jordie Bancroft burst onto the scene to earn All-Conference accolades as a freshman in 2012-13.

St. Olaf faces the tough task of replacing 2012-13 MIAC Co-MVP Jeff Harris and his twin brother Kevin, also an All-MIAC pick, but there is a lot of talent back in Northfield for Head Coach Sean Goldsworthy. All-MIAC Honorable Mention seniors Dan Ceka (forward) and Henrik Wood (goalie), as well as two-time captain John Avino will look to lead the Oles back to the postseason in 2013-14.

Augsburg graduated stud goalie Justin Lochner, but Head Coach Chris Brown brings back a lot of offensive talent. All-MIAC forward Ben McClellan and forward B.J. McClellan both return, as does All-MIAC defensemen Chris Student to give the Auggies a talented, senior-laden core. Bethel was hit hard by graduation, losing four-time All-MIAC players Jack Paul and Jon Crouse to graduation, but Head Coach Charlie Burggraf has a great foundation with returning sophomore talent. Forward Mitch Hughes and defender Tony Larson were both named to the All-MIAC Rookie Team a year ago, and sophomore center Brock Raffaele is also back for Bethel.

Saint Mary's also has high hopes for its offensive talent in 2013-14, as Head Coach Bill Moore brings back a pair of talented senior forwards. Austin Balko and Bobby Tompson were both All-MIAC Honorable Mention a year ago, and junior defenseman Bob Marx will lead the Cardinals on the blue line. Head Coach Doc DelCastillo is hoping for continued progress in his second year on the Hamline bench, and the Pipers hopes start with All-American defenseman Joe Rubbelke. A pair of talented sophomores - forward Brandon Zurn and goalie Nick Heimer - also have Hamline fans excited about the new season.

CIRCLE THESE DATES      
Clearly, the first dates MIAC fans will want to mark on the calendar are fast approaching, as the season starts with the 2013 MIAC Men's Hockey Showcase Nov. 1-3. Conference play will begin for some teams a week later, with the regular season set to conclude on Saturday, Feb. 22. The 2013 MIAC Men's Hockey Playoffs will be held Feb. 28, March 1 and March 8, and the five-team tournament will crown the league's postseason champion and automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament field.

In a fitting scheduling twist, the top two teams in the Coaches' Poll and last season's co-champs will meet on the season's final weekend. Saint John's will travel to St. Thomas on Feb. 21, and the two will duel again the next day in St. Cloud in a huge series that could have championship and Playoff implications. Gustavus and Concordia tied for third a year ago, and this time around those two teams will square off in an early-season series. The Gusties will host the Cobbers in St. Peter for a pair of MIAC games Nov. 15 and 16. Gustavus also faces St. Olaf in an always-entertaining series Dec. 6-7, with the Friday game in Northfield and the Saturday contest in St. Peter.

Augsburg and Bethel are both teams hoping to move up in the standings and into the Playoff field this year, and their MIAC series could go a long way for both teams' postseason hopes. This Twin Cities-showdown will take place the opening weekend of conference play, as the Auggies host the Royals on Nov. 8, with Bethel hosting Augsburg the following night. Hamline and Saint Mary's are also hoping for upward movement in 2013-14, and they'll square off head-to-head in a big series to close conference play. The Pipers host the Cardinals on Feb. 21, with both teams traveling to Winona the final day to meet again on Feb. 22.

2013-14 MIAC Men's Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll

Coaches voted for every team in the conference except their own team. Points were assigned for each vote (eight for first, seven for second, etc.) Teams are ranked in order of highest point total to lowest with vote totals listed and first-place votes shown in parentheses.