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  • Mcha 2012-2013

    A few thoughts and predictions to start the season...

    1. Adrian looks like a very strong favorite to win the Harris Cup.

    2. MSOE will be good. I am not sure how good they will be until we see what goaltending looks like in the post-Toomey era.

    3. I am expecting a bit of a down year from Marian with the coaching change/short recruiting season. Fitzpatrick is a big loss for the Sabres.

    4. LU lost some key contributors but seems to have some solid kids coming in. I think they may have some questions on the blueline.

    5. Will anyone recognize Concordia this season?

    6. Lake and Finlandia should both be better, but how much is the question. Can Concordia jump in front of these two?

    7. I don't know what to say about Northland at this point. McIntosh will be very hard to replace.

    8. Will we see more non-conference wins this season? For my money, this is the single most important measuring stick for the conference.

  • #2
    Re: Mcha 2012-2013

    Time for the MCHA 2012-2013 season forecast. These picks are purely my own opinion and may not reflect any form of reality. The regular season league champion will be no surprise. I have no connection to them, and so no worry about jinxing them.

    #1)ADRIAN-This is the deepest and most balanced team in the league.They have quality, experience, and depth at all positions. Graham, Cousineau, and Gray will lead a potent attack. The blueliners are solid, and the goalies Shackell and Hamby are the best tandem in the MCHA.

    The next three teams are closer than most people want to believe. Their records against each other last season were Marian (2-2-2), MSOE (2-2-0), and Lawrence (2-2-2). Marian lost Fitzpatrick, MSOE lost Toomey, and Lawrence lost Hughes. The teams' depth, individual player improvement, recruit quality, and replacing key lost players will prove the difference.

    #2-MARIAN-This squad is also very balanced. Dubetz, B. Berger, and Roberts will lead the offense, while Burton, Kriz, and M. Berger will be solid d-men that will blend in with the scoring duties. Both Baker and Willis are steady performers in net. The experience of this team will not be hampered by the coaching change.
    #3-MSOE- The Keizor Bros. Inc. are an awesome duo that will be joined by Gibson, Tierney, and Bauman. This offense matches the Adrian attack. The blueliners move the puck well and often are involved in the attack zone. However, Toomey is gone now and the question is, " Will his absence alter the aggressive style of MSOE?"
    #4-LAWRENCE-This defensive minded team are pests. Their offense is lead by B. Scurfield, Bushbacher, and Lindgren. They'll have more than one scoring line this year. Thoren is a d-man that moves the puck well. The other blueliners are stay at home types. The goalie, Emery, is the 3rd best in the MCHA and is backed up by a capable tender in Olsson.

    Now comes the hard part to figure. Each team has a couple of players that are question marks that can either hit or miss.
    #5-LAKE FOREST- When he is focused Sullivan is one of the top 2 netminders in the MCHA. They will rely heavily on him to carry the team. I like what LFC did in their recruitment of some very solid defensemen. They are building the team from the back up and are solid. Bark and McAloon are the key offensive figures and the heart of their special team units. I still think this team needs to get more offense and better depth.
    #6-CONCORDIA,WI.- I can't really say anything specific about this club other than they have recruited 50+ players in the last 3 years. Since they have one of the best coaches in the league I feel he will put together a fine unit. The only question is, " How long will it take for the system to be learned and the team chemistry completed?"
    #7-FINLANDIA-Over the past few years this team has made great strides. However, they have lost 3 key players. Two transferred out, one forward to Adrian, one defender to LFC, and their top goalie graduated. The backups in net went 1-12-0 last season, and the recruited netter played in the NJCAA. If what they have to plug in for their lost talent works they could move up a peg or two.
    #8-NORTHLAND-They lost McIntosh and I don't know how ready Hewko is to contribute at the level he was prior to that horrible leg injury. Scoring could be a problem for them.Their defense is ok, but the goalies will be tested with plenty of shots. This team is tough to beat on their own ice , but their lack of speed hinders them on the bigger sheets on the road.
    2011-2012 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM CHAMPION
    2012-2013 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM 2ND PLACE
    THE NCHA -ADRIAN-AURORA-CONCORDIA (WI)-FINLANDIA-LAKE FOREST-LAWRENCE-MARIAN-MSOE-NORTHLAND-ST. NORBERT-ST. SCHOLASTICA

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Mcha 2012-2013

      1) Adrian
      2) MSOE
      3) Marian
      4) Concordia WI
      5) Lawrence
      6) Lake Forest
      7) Northland
      8) Finlandia

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Mcha 2012-2013

        The MCHA website has released the coaches' poll for the 2012- 2013 season.

        1) ADRIAN 49 (7)
        2) MSOE 42 (1)
        3) LAWRENCE 34
        4) MARIAN 28
        5) CONCORDIA 23
        6) LAKE FOREST 22
        7) FINLANDIA 20
        8) NORTHLAND 8
        Last edited by MW49; 10-07-2012, 11:10 AM.
        2011-2012 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM CHAMPION
        2012-2013 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM 2ND PLACE
        THE NCHA -ADRIAN-AURORA-CONCORDIA (WI)-FINLANDIA-LAKE FOREST-LAWRENCE-MARIAN-MSOE-NORTHLAND-ST. NORBERT-ST. SCHOLASTICA

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Mcha 2012-2013

          Originally posted by MW49 View Post
          The MCHA website has released the coaches poll for the 2012- 2013 season.

          1) ADRIAN 49 (7)
          2) MSOE 42 (1)
          3) LAWRENCE 34
          4) MARIAN 28
          5) CONCORDIA 23
          6) LAKE FOREST 22
          7) FINLANDIA 20
          8) NORTHLAND 8
          Probably the last time in a while that Adrian will be the preseason favorite
          2007-2008 ECAC East/NESCAC Interlock Pick 'em winner
          2007-2008 Last Person Standing Winner,
          2013-2014 Last Person Standing Winner (tie)
          2016-2017 Last Person Standing Winner

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Mcha 2012-2013

            MCHA goes 0-2-1 for the first week of the season.

            In the first game MARIAN skated to a 3-3 tie with UW- Stout. Both teams looked hesitant in the opener. I thought that the Sabres would win this game, but a tie is better than a loss

            CONCORDIA (WI) gave a really good effort in a 4-0 loss, but playing a SNC squad on their home ice is a difficult task for any team sporting 23 freshmen. The Falcons will be tough to play by mid-season. They did seem to have a good grasp on how to handle zone play at this level.

            The LAKE FOREST offense will still be a problem for them in the immediate future and beyond as they were shutout in their opener. They gave up 5, but the defense will get better as time rolls on. One must also realize that UW- Stevens Point is the 2nd or 3rd best team in the NCHA so don't be too down after this loss LFC fans (Rocks55).
            2011-2012 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM CHAMPION
            2012-2013 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM 2ND PLACE
            THE NCHA -ADRIAN-AURORA-CONCORDIA (WI)-FINLANDIA-LAKE FOREST-LAWRENCE-MARIAN-MSOE-NORTHLAND-ST. NORBERT-ST. SCHOLASTICA

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Mcha 2012-2013

              8 weeks of dormancy on this thread. It is time to come alive.

              Lake Forest Foresters swept St. Mary's this weekend and have a mini streak going with 3 wins and a tie in the last 4 games. Sully is hot in the net and the D are keeping things clear in front of him. McKelvie's put his stamp on this team and it is starting to come together. A little more offense would help.

              Northland also had a very good weekend beating Bethel and tying Augsburg on neutral ice up in Minnesota. The Jacks may be coming around.

              MSOE swept Marian in a Home-and- Home series. This gave the Raiders a much needed road win , and continued their Home ice success.

              Finlandia went down to Alabama-Huntsville and dropped 2 relatively competitive games to their DI hosts. The Lions (3-8-0) are better than their record shows.

              CUW dropped 2 games at home to St. John's. A little downer for the fans, but these things happen with freshmen laden teams. They'll rebound from this and cause many a headache for their MCHA counterparts.

              Lawrence (4-7-0) suffered another one goal loss, their 5th of the season, on the road at Gustavus Adolphus.

              Adrian had the weekend off. Scoring 6 goals per game, and going (9-0-0) does tire one out.
              Last edited by MW49; 12-10-2012, 04:01 PM.
              2011-2012 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM CHAMPION
              2012-2013 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM 2ND PLACE
              THE NCHA -ADRIAN-AURORA-CONCORDIA (WI)-FINLANDIA-LAKE FOREST-LAWRENCE-MARIAN-MSOE-NORTHLAND-ST. NORBERT-ST. SCHOLASTICA

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Mcha 2012-2013

                Great summary for the state of the Conference.
                Have not seen Lawrence,Marian or Finlandia in person yet.
                Concordia(Wi) is the team that I think has taken the biggest stride forward. Wise has done a great job with this young group.
                MSOE can still compete but I would have to say that they have not fully recovered from *key off season departures. *(Josh Kaiser,Toomey,Krupa)
                Adrian seem to be at their very best 5 on 5. If they are able to stay out of the box, they will be tough to beat.

                I'm sure many can recall when MCHA discussion dominated this forum.
                There's no doubt the AQ quieted this place.
                I suspect that will change if/when this Conference is in the hunt for an at large bid.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Mcha 2012-2013

                  Adrian looks like the clear front runner at this point. I think they certainly could drop a conference game this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did not. I think the league lacks the parity it had in the top three spots last year, but has a lot more parity 2-8.

                  CUW and Lake seem to be the early pleasant surprises. CUW was been pretty good since day one. It is amazing what a really great recruiting class can do for you. It is nice to see Lake get some NC wins. The Lake faithful seemed to have really low expectations coming into this season. Their record to date suggests that they should exceed those expectations.

                  Marian appears to be very solid. I can't tell if they are the same or better than last season.

                  I haven't seen MSOE this season, but you certainly can't fault their record. I expect them to take care of business against St John's and Hamline.

                  It looks like LU has some goaltending issues they need to work out. If they don't figure out how to finish teams off, they won't be able to catch Marian for the North title.

                  Finlandia had a nice wins against Marian and MSOE, which suggests they can be competitive with most teams in the league. I wouldn't be shocked if they made it to the Harris Cup. The tournament in Superior should be interesting to follow.

                  Northland had a really nice NC weekend last week. I expect them to at least have a couple more conference wins before the season is out. That being said, they could still finish third in the North.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Mcha 2012-2013

                    The MCHA is at the midpoint of the season. How is the second half going to unfold, and which teams will make it to the Final Four in the Harris cup ?

                    North Division
                    1. Marian 6-4-0
                    2. Lawrence 4-4-2
                    3. Finlandia 3-7-0
                    4. Northland 2-8-0

                    South Division
                    1. Adrian 8-0-2
                    2. M.S.O.E. 6-3-1
                    3. Concordia 6-4-0
                    4. Lake Forest 2-7-1
                    Last edited by MW49; 01-14-2013, 05:11 PM.
                    2011-2012 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM CHAMPION
                    2012-2013 NCHAMIACMCHA PICK'EM 2ND PLACE
                    THE NCHA -ADRIAN-AURORA-CONCORDIA (WI)-FINLANDIA-LAKE FOREST-LAWRENCE-MARIAN-MSOE-NORTHLAND-ST. NORBERT-ST. SCHOLASTICA

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Mcha 2012-2013

                      I think the North will be pretty chalky with Marian and LU advancing. The South could, however, get interesting after Adrian.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Mcha 2012-2013

                        The second half of the schedule has some great matchups.
                        Whoever gets hot and carries that momentum into the playoffs are capable of winning the Harris Cup
                        There are five teams that I see in the mix.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Mcha 2012-2013

                          Anyone from here attending the Adrian MSOE games ?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Mcha 2012-2013

                            Not me. I'll be working our girls' games.
                            FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY: 2012 FROZEN FOUR


                            God, that was fun...

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Mcha 2012-2013

                              MSOE's live stats link hasn't been very reliable.
                              I was hoping for someone to provide updates on the game thread.

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