Hockey Preview: Blue Devils turn attention to MIAC teams this weekend

Live Stats | Live Video vs. Hamline | Live Video vs. Gustavus

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: UW-Stout (1-1-0, 0-0-0 WIAC) turns their attention to opponents from the Minnesota Intercollgiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) when they host Hamline University (0-2-0, 0-0-0 MIAC), Friday, Nov. 8 and Gustavus Adolphus College (1-1-0, 0-0-0 MIAC), Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Dunn County Ice Arena. The puck is slated to drop for both games at 7:30 p.m. The games will be the final in a four-game homestand.

WEBCASTS:  All UW-Stout home games are scheduled to be broadcast in a live video stream by Blue Devil Video. Brady Burzynski and Josh Halling will be on the call throughout the season.  Live Stats should also be available for most home games.

2013-14 BLUE DEVILS (1-1-0, 0-0-0 WIAC): It's a new season, with an old twist. The Blue Devils, along with the other four UW schools, pulled out of the NCHA and will play solely in the five-team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). When Stout started playing a varsity program back in the early 1970s, they were a member of only the WIAC. But when Stout returned to varsity status after a nearly 15-year hiatus in 1996, they brought the WIAC back to a five-time league, thereby sponsored by the league, and also joined the NCHA, making that league an eight-team league. The Blue Devils bring a team to the new season where the roster is half new with 14 first year players to the 28-man roster. Stout does return their top scorer in senior forward Kevin O'Donnell, who scored 12 goals and 12 assists. But they return only three of their top 10 scorers from last year. O'Donnell leads the way. Zach Vierling scored eight goals and eight assists, while defenseman Jordan Tredinnick scored four goals and 10 assists. O'Donnell, Vierling and Tredinnick were all key players on the power play. O'Donnell had two power play goals and four assists. Tredinnick had one power play goal and five power play assists, while Vierling had two power play goals and two assists. Stout returns no goalies that saw starting time. Eric Wobschall saw action in two games for 28 minutes, while Brad Wohlers was added to the roster at mid-season, but did not see the ice. Wohlers saw ice time in 2001-12. Newcomers Corey Koop and Chase Hallander are expected to vie for time between the pipes. | Complete Preview

THE 2013-14 SEASON: Kevin O'Donnell leads Stout with two goals, including the game winner against Marian University in the season opener. Logan Maly has added a goal and an assist. Matt Millis has one goal and Karl Andersen and Zach Vierling each have an assist after two games. Corey Koop has served all of the minutes in net, sporting a 2.89 goals against average and a 90.6 percent saves mark. He has recorded 58 saves. | 2013-14 Statistics

2012-13 BLUE DEVILS (10-13-2, 5-13-0 NCHA): After a hot start to the season, Stout finished the 2012-13 season with a 10-15-2 overall record, 5-13-0 in their last season in the NCHA and 2-10-0 in the WIAC.  | 2012-13 Statistics

STOUT'S LAST TIME OUT: After an exciting overtime 4-3 win in the season opener, the Blue Devils could not find the net in a 3-0 shutout loss to Lake Forest College, Nov. 1. The Foresters scored all three ways - on the power play, at even strength and shorthanded. Stout did outshoot the Foresters, 33-27, but the Lake Forest defense stifled the Blue Devils throughout the evening.  | Complete Story and Box Score

MIAC AUTHORIZES SHOOTOUTS: The MIAC became the first Division III men's conference in the country to authorize a major standings change. If a game is tied after the five minute overtime, a shootout will occur to decide a winning a team. The format will follow NCAA protocol starting with three shooters for each team. If there is a tie after three rounds, each team offers up one shooter until a winner is declared. Under the new MIAC format, a team will get three points for a regulation game win, two for an overtime or shootout win and one for an OT or shootout loss. No points are earned if you lose in regulation time.

SCOUTING HAMLINE UNIVERSITY (0-2-0, 0-0-0 MIAC): The Pipers went 0-2 at the MIAC Showcase to open the season, falling 4-2 in the season opener to St. John's and 6-1 to Concordia-Moorhead on the second night. Joe Rubbelke has three assists in this young season. Brandon Zurn has a goal and an assist. Tyler Gonzales and Kevin Novakovich each have a goal. In net, Nick Heimer and Karel Popper have each recorded a start. Heimer has worked nearly 100 minutes and has a goals against average of 3.62. The Pipers play their first four games away from home, and will this year play all of their home games at Oscar Johnson Arena. The Pipers finished last season at 1-19-6 overall, 1-12-3 in the MIAC. |  2012-13 Statistics | 2013-14 Statistics

THE SERIES: The Blue Devils hold a 14-9-0 lead in the series. Stout won, 5-4, last season in Menomonie Hamline took a 7-5 win the year before at Hamline.

LAST TIME THEY MET:  Kevin O'Donnell scored with 33 seconds left in overtime to give Stout a 5-4 win over Hamline, Jan. 5, 2013, at the Dunn County Ice Arena. The Pipers struck first, but Stout rolled out to a 3-1 in the second period. But Hamline came roaring back to take the lead with three third period goals, startng off with Brandon Zurn's second goal of the night. Joe Rubbelke added a power play goal to tie the game and Cameron Stowers put the Pipers ahead with 12 minutes left in regulation. Sam Carr tied the game for Stout with six minutes left.  Nick Hopper made 41 saves for Stout, while Nick Heimer had 18 saves. | Story and Box Score

SCOUTING GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS (1-1-0, 0-0-0 MIAC):  The Gusties opened the season with a 2-1 win over Bethel University at the MIAC Showcase, Nov. 1, then fell to St. Thomas, 5-3, two days later. The Tommies scored 21 seconds into the game, but Corey Levermann's power play goal with four minutes remaining in the first period knotted the score. The Tommies scored the next four goals to take command. The Gusties didn't falter, scoring two third period goals to pull to within striking distance. The Gusties have three players - Darren Lapic, Tyler Lapic and Levermann - who each have a goal and an assist. Gavin Tufte has two assists. Schyler Adams and Gustav Bengtson each have a goal. John McLean has appeared in both games between the pipes, osting a goals against average of 0.85 with 23 saves and only one goal given up. The Gusties last year finished at 17-8-3 overall and 9-5-2 in the MIAC, good for third. They lost 3-2 to St. John's in the MIAC Championship game, snapping an eight game winning streak down the stretch.  |  2012-13 Statistics | 2013-14 Statistics

THE SERIES: Stout holds a slim 7-8-1 lead in the series. The teams have not met since Jan. 8, 2011, when Stout took a 6-1 decision. Perhaps the most memorable game played between the two programs came in the semi-finals of the NCAA Division III Frozen Four at Lake Placid, NY, when the Gusties ended Stout's season with a 3-2 overtime win.

LAST TIME THEY MET: Stout scored the first five goals of the game on their way to a 6-1 home win, Jan. 8, 2011. Five different Blue Devils scored goals. Robb Haider scored twice for Stout.  | Story and Box Score

USCHO.com POLL: Gustavus Adolphus is receiving votes in the latest USCHO.com poll. UW-Eau Claire is ranked first, while UW-Stevens Point is ranked 10th. UW-River Falls is receiving votes. Other Blue Devil opponents in the poll: St. Norbert, 2nd; Utica 5th; Oswego State, 8th; St. Thomas 13th; St. Scholastica 14th; St. John's 15th; and Concordia-Moorhead is receiving votes.

RECORDS AND MILESTONES: Kevin O'Donnell has worked his way onto the UW-Stout all-time career scoring list. His 71 total points (30-41-71) ranks him 23rd and his 41 assists rank him 23rd. Thirty career goals is the cutoff to appear on the UW-Stout all-time goals list.

AWARDS AND HONORS: Kevin O'Donnell was a first team all-WIAC selection last season.  Jordan Tredinnick and Zach Vierling honorable mention all-WIAC.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout:  Terry Watkins (208-234-28) is in his 18th season as the head coach of the Blue Devils' varsity program. Watkins spent eight years coaching the club team (104-102-16) as Stout prepared to return to varsity status in 1997. Watkins was the 2006-07 NCHA coach of the year when Stout finished in a three-way tie for first. Watkins had a Hall of Fame career at Stout as a defenseman. Stout won a WIAC title in 2010-11, and an NCHA title during the 2006-07 season. Watkins is closing in on 700 games as the head coach of a UW-Stout hockey team (varsity and club). Hamline University:.Doc DelCastillo is in his second year as coach of the Pipers following a 20 year career at the juniors and college level. He was the head coach for a year at Alaska-Fairbanks. Gustavus Adolphus College: Brett Petersen (183-142-28) is entering his 14th season as the head coach of the Gustavus Adolphus men's hockey team. Petersen was a two-time MIAC coach of the year.

THE CONFERENCES: Stout is a member of the five team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The WIAC is made up of Stout, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Superior and UW-River Falls. Hamline and Gustavus Adolphus are members of the nine-team Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Other teams include St. Thomas, Concordia-Moorhead, St. Olaf, Bethel, Augsburg, St. John's and St. Mary's

STOUT'S RANKED HISTORY: Stout finished the 2008-09 season as the second ranked team in the USCHO.com poll. With the exception of the Nov. 17, 2008, USCHO.com poll, Stout had been ranked in the top 15 since the Nov. 13, 2006, poll. Stout made their first appearance in the poll on Nov. 27, 2000, when they received one vote, then moved up to 10th the following week. The 2008-09 season ending poll matched Stout's previous high mark of second  in the Jan. 29, 2007, poll. Stout opened the 2009-10 season ranked third, their highest-ever season-opening ranking, but fell out of the polls midway through the season and returned to the top 15, Nov. 22, 2010. Stout was in the 2011-12 USCHO.com poll early in the season, dropped out, returned again, but  dropped out. Stout returned to the poll after a win over top-ranked St. Norbert, Jan. 18, garnering eight votes in the Jan. 21 poll, effectively ranking the Blue Devils 19th. | USCHO.com Division III poll

UP NEXT: The Blue Devils stay within the MIAC when they hit the road for the first time this season by they traveling to Augsburg College, Friday, Nov. 15 and to the University of St. Thomas, Saturday, Nov. 16.