Concordia Picked Fourth In MIAC Preseason Poll

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

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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- There was a changing of the guard a year ago, as St. Thomas ended Gustavus' nine-year reign atop the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) women's hockey standings. As the 2014-15 season begins, the Tommies and Gusties are expected to engage in another season-long battle for MIAC supremacy, with a host of other  contenders mixed in to make for an entertaining season in "The State of Hockey."

Though the Tommies emerged with the 2013-14 MIAC title - and the MIAC Playoff championship as well - the fight to the finish was a sight to behold, as the final weekend opened with three teams all in contention for the championship. However, St. Thomas (20-7-3 overall, 14-2-2 MIAC) finished with 30 points in the standings to claim the MIAC title, just two points ahead of Gustavus (28 points, 17-8-2 overall, 14-4 MIAC) and four points ahead of third-place Bethel (26 points, 17-7-2 overall, 13-5 MIAC).

Concordia was also in the mix and joined the top three in the MIAC Playoffs with 24 points in the standings (13-10-4 overall, 11-5-2 MIAC), and St. Catherine emerged from a closely-grouped foursome to grab the fifth and final Playoff spot. The Wildcats (11-14-1 overall, 8-9-1 MIAC) used a big final weekend to finish with 17 points atop a group of four teams that was separated by just five points.

Saint Mary's (9-15-1 overall, 7-11 MIAC) was sixth with 14 points, St. Olaf finished with 13 (6-18-1 overall, 6-11-1 MIAC) and Augsburg ended with 12 (9-16 overall, 6-12 MIAC). Hamline (7-16-2 overall, 3-13-2 MIAC) and Saint Benedict (7-18 overall, 4-14 MIAC) tied for the final spot in the MIAC standings with eight points apiece.

The MIAC's success went beyond the conference level, as St. Thomas advanced to the NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Frozen Four, where it came up just short against eventual national champion Plattsburgh State in a 1-0 overtime loss in the semifinals.

The league's parity throughout the season was reflected in the 2014 MIAC Playoffs, as three of the four games were decided by a single goal, and two of the games needed overtime to decide the winner.

As the puck is set to drop to start the 2014-15 season, anticipation is at an all-time high. Can St. Thomas successfully defend its title? Will Gustavus reclaim its throne? Will Bethel break through with its first MIAC title? Will a surprise team join the contenders at the top, and how many teams will carry Playoff hopes into the season's final weekend? Those questions - and many more - will finally start to receive their answers.

GUSTIES GRAB TOP SPOT IN COACHES' POLL
Though St. Thomas knocked Gustavus off the top of the MIAC mountain a year ago, the league coaches expect the Gusties to return to the top of the standings in 2014-15. The MIAC coaches tabbed Gustavus as the favorite to win the conference title in the 2014-15 MIAC Women's Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Gusties received 79 points and seven of the 10 first-place votes to take the top spot in the ranking, with St. Thomas coming in second with 73 points and two first-place votes.

Bethel also received a first-place vote and came in third with 62 points. The Cobbers were right behind the Royals, as Concordia came in fourth with 59 points. St. Catherine just barely edged Augsburg for fifth place, 45 to 43, as the coaches slotted the Wildcats in the final Playoff spot. Saint Mary's was seventh with 34 points, St. Olaf came in eighth with 25 points and Saint Benedict (18) and Hamline (12) finished out the final two spots in the preseason predictions.

MIAC BOASTS TWO TOP-10 TEAMS
The MIAC coaches weren't the only ones to predict big things for the teams atop the conference heading into the new season. The MIAC placed two teams in the top 10 of both the USCHO.com and D3hockey.com preseason national rankings, and had a third team receive votes. St. Thomas leads the way, ranked No. 6 in Division III by both entities, while Gustavus also received a pair of top 10 nods. The Gusties were ranked No. 8 in the nation by the USCHO and No. 10 by D3hockey.com, and Bethel also received votes in the USCHO poll.

COACHES' ROUNDUP
There was very little activity on the MIAC coaching carousel in the offseason, as nine of the league's 10 head coaches are all back with their respective programs. Concordia was the lone school to hire a new leader, as Jason Gregorie was tabbed as the third Cobber head women's hockey coach in as many seasons following the departure of Sarah Erickson.

The 2014-15 will be a milestone season for several of the MIAC's coaches, as St. Catherine's Brad Marshall, Saint Mary's Terry Mannor and St. Olaf's John Bazzachini are all celebrating a decade with their squads as they begin their 10th seasons. Gustavus' Mike Carroll remains the longest-tenured coach in the league as he starts his 16th season. Reigning MIAC Coach-of-the-Year Tom Palkowski of St. Thomas begins his eighth season on the bench. Augsburg's Michelle McAteer, Bethel's Brian Carlson and Hamline's Steve De Bus all open their fifth seasons, and Saint Benedict's Jen Kranz is starting season No. 4 with the Blazers.

WHO TO WATCH FOR
Despite seeing their conference championship and Playoff title streaks end a year ago, Caroll's Gustavus team enters 2014-15 eyeing a return to the top thanks to a strong returning nucleus. forwards Allison Eder-Zdechlik and Carolyn Draayer and defender Courtney Boucher all return after earning All-MIAC honors a year ago, and will be counted to lead another talented Gustie squad.

Defending champion St. Thomas graduated a handful of stars, including All-American goalie Alise Riedel, defender Mary Grace Flesher and forward Christina Rozeske, but Palkowski's club also brings back more than enough talent to hunt a second-straight MIAC championship. Forward Paige Baldwin and defender Megan Juricko both return after earning All-MIAC honors a year ago, and All-Conference Honorable Mention forward Courtney Umland also returns to give St. Thomas a solid nucleus.

Bethel also hopes to again be in contention with most of its core back, but the Royals will need to replace graduated star and MIAC Player-of-the-Year Cristina Masten. Fortunately, the team still boasts plenty of scoring punch, with All-MIAC forwards Lindsay Burman and Kalie Johnson and All-Rookie team forward Kathryn Larson all back in blue in 2014-15. Gregorie also has the benefit of a great returning crew at Concordia this season, as All-MIAC selections Madison Gendreau (forward) and Libby Fransdal (defender) both return, as does goalie Andrea Klug, who was an All-Rookie team pick during her breakout season a year ago.

St. Catherine hopes to return to the MIAC Playoffs this season, and the Wildcats have their top two scorers back in All-MIAC Honorable Mention forwards Bailey Rasmussen and Megan Killmer, and defender Randi Fabsits was also an Honorable Mention selection last season. Augsburg anticipates taking another step forward this season with most of its top talent back. Leading scorer and All-MIAC forward Kayla Fuechtmann returns, as does two-time Honorable Mention goalie Brianna Schulz and talented senior forward Rachel Hennessy.

Saint Mary's has to replace some graduated talent at a few key spots, but also welcomes back some mainstays that should keep the Cardinals in contention for the postseason. Two-time All-MIAC defender Macki Fadness is back to lead the blue line, and All-MIAC forward Breanna Peterson also returns, along with fellow forward Mary DeBartolo. St. Olaf has both of its talented goaltenders back, as Sam Ubl and Cassie Alexander will again form a formidable tandem in net, and forward Devyn Hotho is back for her senior year to lead the Ole skaters.

Hamline has high hopes for the continued development of sophomores Chelsea Koehn - who was an All-MIAC and All-Rookie team honoree - and defender Jenny Magill. The Pipers expect Corinne Henning to provide the senior leadership in 2014-15 as well. Saint Benedict hopes for continued improvement behind the return of a pair of All-MIAC Honorable Mention selections. Forward Tara Frey and goalie Jenna Traut both return after earning conference honors in 2013-14, as does team goals leader Stephanie Kirk.

CIRCLE THESE DATES
The wait is almost over for MIAC fans, as the puck drops on the new season Friday, with half of the conference opening the 2014-15 season over the first weekend. Nonconference play extends for another week before the start of conference play, which begins with all 10 teams in MIAC action on Nov. 14-15. The pre-Holidays portion of the MIAC schedule concludes Dec. 5-6.

The league will spend the first half of January playing nonconference games against teams from around the Midwest, with MIAC play resuming the weekend of Jan. 16-17. The final weekend of the regular season will be Feb. 20-21, and if recent seasons are any indication, it will take until that final set of games to determine the champ and the five team MIAC Playoff field.

The MIAC Playoff format received a slight change this year, as the quarterfinal game between the No. 4 and 5 seeds was moved from Friday to Thursday. Now, the 4-5 game will be played Feb. 26, with the winner joining the top three seeds in the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 28. The MIAC will crown its 2014-15 Playoff champion, and award its automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Playoffs, the following Saturday, March 7.

2014-15 MIAC Women's Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll

Coaches voted for every team in the conference except their own team. Points were assigned for each vote (nine for first, eight 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.

2014-15 MIAC Women's Hockey Playoffs

The 2013-14 MIAC Playoffs will feature the top five teams in the conference standings playing in a high-seed-host, single-elimination postseason tournament. The Playoff schedule received a slight update in 2014-15, with the quarterfinal game moving up a day. The lone quarterfinal game between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds will now be played Thursday, Feb. 26, with the two semifinal games to follow on Saturday, Feb. 28. The championship game is set for the following Saturday, March 7. The winner will receive the MIAC's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament.