Hockey Preview: Blue Devils begin 2019 at St. Olaf Friday

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THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (9-4-1, 0-1-1 WIAC) are off to their best start since the 2008-09 season when they went 9-4-0 through 13 games in December and went 10-4-0 before losing the second game in January. Stout started the 2019 half of their schedule by traveling to St. Olaf College (3-6-1, 1-4-1 MIAC), Friday, Jan. 4. The Blue Devils have played the Oles twice this season, winning both games, once in an exhibition game and then again in November. Friday's game will be the first men's collegiate hockey game to be played in the new on-campus St. Olaf Ice Arena. Stout will be at Northland College, Tuesday, Jan. 8.


A LOOK AT UW-STOUT:

• The Blue Devils return four seniors, defensemen Mathias Ahman and Joe Kleven, and forwards Gavin Smith and Dylan Zins. Stout has eight juniors, seven sophomores, and 11 freshmen.
• Two freshmen are among the scoring leaders for the Blue Devils. Logan Nelson and Arturas Laikaitis both have punched in seven goals and both have three power play goals. Nelson has five assists, Laukaitis four. Nelson is currently fifth in the WIAC in points with 12, while Laukaitis is tied for ninth with 11. Nelson is currently ranked 30th among freshmen in points scored and Laukaitis is 37th.
• There is a log jam of players with 11 points. Laukaitis (7-4) leads the way with goals scored, but is followed by senior defenseman Mathias Ahman (5-6-11) and Conner Valesano (2-9-11). 
• Senior defenseman Mathias Ahman has been clamped down on a bit after his breakout All-American junior season. Ahman currently has five goals and six assists, tied for 29th nationally among defensemen. After scoring seven power play goals lasts season, Ahman got his first power play goal of the season, scoring on the advantage late in a 7-4 loss to St. Thomas, Dec. 7.
• Valesano leads the team in assists with nine, while Hunter Anderson and Raphael Gosselin each have seven.
• Tommi Ahlgren has been solid this season, including back-to-back shutouts in November. Ahlgren has a GAA of 1.95 for the season and is 22nd nationally. Ahlgren is 25th nationally in saves percentage (.926), 10th in winning percentage (8-2-1, 773), tied for seventh in shutouts (2)
• In goal, Brady Meyers has made two appearances, picking up the 3-0 shutout win in his collegiate debut against Trine. He came on in relief to allow one goal and has a goals against average (GAA) of 0.61 and a saves percentage of .967. Ridge Gerads has made appearances in three games and has a GAA of 7.09 with 45 saves. 
• The Blue Devils are averaging 3.6 goals per game, good for a 22nd ranking nationally. Stout is surrendering 2.4 goals per game, ranking 24th and have a scoring margin of. 1.81, ranking 18th. 
• Complete Blue Devil 2018-19 Statistics

AHMAN IN NATIONAL STATS LAST SEASON

• Ahman received national attention last season as one of the highest scoring defensemen in all of NCAA Division III, finishing the season with 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points, ranking 16th nationally, averaging 0.85 points, a mark that led the WIAC. Ahman was second in the conference with seven power play goals, ranking 14th among all players nationally in power plays. Among defensemen, Ahman tied for third nationally in total goals. In the WIAC among all players, Ahman ranked seventh in goals scored (11), 10th in points (11-11-22), second in power play points (7-6-13) and 15th in assists (11). Ahman was an All-WIAC first team selection.

BLUE DEVIL SPECIAL TEAMS

• The Blue Devils are 11-57 on the power play (.193), ranked 37th nationally. Logan Nelson  and Arturas Laikaitis each have three power play goals, tied for 17th nationally. Alex Bowe has two power play goals. Lucas Carroll has two shorthanded goals, and is tied for second nationally. Jack Cernohous scored Stout's first shorthanded goal, his first career goal. The Blue Devils have scored at least one power play goal in seven games and have twice scored two power play goals in single games.
• On the penalty kill, the Blue Devils are 5-62 (.919), tops in the WIAC, and fifth among the NCAA Division III. 

LOTS OF GOALS

• When Stout scored seven goals in a 7-1 win over Northland College, Dec. 8, 2018, it was the most goals scored since scoring seven in a 7-2 win over Aurora University, Jan. 23, 2015. Only two weeks earlier, Stout scored eight goals in an 8-5 win over Concordia University Wisconsin, Jan. 10, 2015. The six goal differential over Northland was the widest since Stout defeated St. Thomas, 8-0, Nov. 7, 2009.

BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS

• Tommi Ahlgren recorded 32 saves in a 3-0 shutout win over Lawrence University, Nov. 16, then took a 4-0 shutout win over No. 7 Marian University, Nov. 17, where he recorded 27 saves. Over the last two games, Ahlgren was able to successfully turn away 10 power play opportunities. The Blue Devils last posted back-to-back shutouts win, Jan. 29, 2011 with a 1-0 win at UW-Superior, and Feb. 3, 2011, a 2-0 win at UW-Eau Claire. The first time Stout put together back-to-back shutout wins was Jan. 29-30, 1999, with two home wins, 4-0, 5-0, over St. Scholastics. Tom Lescovich recorded the back-to-back shutouts in 2011, and Ben Plester and Todd Sether teamed for the 1999 shutouts.

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT

• The Blue Devils twice defeated Finlandia University, beating the Lions, 4-1, Dec. 14 in Hancock, Mich., and 7-4 Dec. 15 in Eagle River.
• UW-Stout made it two in a row over Finlandia University, taking advantage of two early penalties to take the weekend series with a 7-4 win Dec. 15 at the Eagle River Recreation Association (ERRA) Sports Arena. The Blue Devils (9-4-1) jumped on the Lions in the first period for two power play goals within less than two minutes of each other. Arturas Laukaitis scored his team-high seventh goal of the season at 8:13 and Raphael Gosselin scored at 9:44 to make it 2-0 in the first collegiate game played at the 86-year-old dome. Eagle River native Adam Kresl gave Stout a 3-0 lead at 11:14, scoring his first goal of the season, playing in front of a home town crowd. | Game Story and Statistics
• UW-Stout scored the first three goals of the game, two in the first period and two in the third, on their way to a 4-1 win at Finlandia University, Dec. 14. Alex Toscano scored the opening goal only 1:59 into the game, then received the first assist on Dylan Zins' goal midway through the period to make the score 2-0. Zins and Adam Kresl assists on Toscano's opening goal. For Zins, it was his first goal of the season. | Game Story and Statistics

Game Stats Tracker

UW-Stout	Statistics	St. Olaf College	-	-
3.6	Goals/game	1.8	-	-
2.4	Goals allowed	3.2	-	-
19.3 percent	Power Play %	7.5 percent	-	-
91.9 percent	Penalty Kill %	79.1 percent	-	-
3	Shutouts	0	-	-

SCOUTING ST. OLAF COLLEGE

• Sawyer Jacobson and Roshen Jaswel each have five points - Jacobson has two goals and three assists, while Jaswel has a team-best five assists. Kyle Rimbach and Brandon Desrosiers each have scored three goals. Noah Parker has started nine goals and has accumlated 548 minutes between the pipes. Parker has a GAA of 2.84 and a saves percentage of .929. The Oles are getting outscored 3.2-1.8. The team is 3 of 40 on the power play and 9 of 43 on the penalty kill. 
• Oles Stats

OLES LAST TIME OUT

• A 3-0 deficit after the first period was too much for the St. Olaf College men's hockey team to overcome in a 4-2 loss at Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) foe Concordia College (Minn.) on Dec.15 at Moorhead Sports Center. Concordia (6-2-2, 3-0-1 MIAC) raced out to a 3-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes before St. Olaf (3-6-1, 1-4-1 MIAC) rallied with two goals in the second to make it a one-goal game after two. The Cobbers held on in the third period and added an empty-net goal inside the final minute to complete the sweep. For the second day in a row, Concordia scored the game's first three goals, getting tallies from Tanner Okeson, Jacen Bracko and Aaron Herdt to take a 3-0 lead at the first intermission. Bracko and Herdt's goals were their second of the weekend. Early in the second, senior Chris Koziel got the Oles on the board with his second goal of the year at 5:40. Junior Roshen Jaswal earned his team-high fifth assist of the season on the tally, while first year Tyler Uravage picked up his third helper. Just less than seven minutes later, senior Brandon Desrosiers made it a one-goal game, scoring his team-leading third goal of the winter off assists from senior Sawyer Jacobson and junior Paul Stehr at 12:26. Stehr's assist was his first point of the season. The Oles killed off a pair of minor penalties in the third to stay within a goal and got 10 shots on goal in the period, but could not get the puck past Jacob Stephan for a third time. Concordia's Tyler Bossert sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 54 seconds remaining.Senior Eric Hancock made 40 saves, including 16 in the third period, in his first action of the season after returning from an injury. Stephan stopped 34 shots between the pipes for the Cobbers. | Game Story and Statistics

WHEN STOUT AND ST. OLAF MET LAST

• The teams have met twice already this year, but the first meeting was an exhibition game in Menomonie the Blue Devils won 2-1 in overtime in mid-October.
• The Oles returned to Menomonie on Nov. 9, with St. Olaf College scoring the first goal on their first shot of the game, but UW-Stout dominated most of the game and came out victorious with a score of 3-2. | Game Story and Statistics

SCOUTING NORTHLAND COLLEGE

• Northland
• Lumberjacks Stats

LUMBERJACKS LAST TIME OUT

• The 'Jacks meet St. Scholastica, Jan. 4 and Jan 5 in a pair of NCHA games. 
• xxxx. | Game Story and Statistics

WHEN STOUT AND NORTHLAND MET LAST

• After dropping a non-conference game the previous night, UW-Stout found their stride as they beat Northland College, 7-1, Dec. 8 in Menomonie. The Lumberjacks scored first, but the Blue Devils scored seven unanswered goals. Stout had four goals in the second period and three in the third period. Austin Jackson and Logan Nelson each had two goals and Conner Valesano dished off three assists. | Game Story and Statistics

USCHO.com TOP 15 DIVISION III POLL: The Blue Devils received votes in the 2018-19 USCHO.com poll starting Nov. 18, and but have since dropped out. Blue Devil 2018-19 opponents ranking in the Top 15 in the Dec. 10 USHCO.com Division III poll are: UW-Stevens Point, 1st (Feb. 1, Feb. 8); UW-Eau Claire, 4th (Nov. 28, Jan. 23); Augsburg University, 5th. (Jan. 12) and Marian University 13th (Nov. 17). Concordia-Moorhead (Nov. 2) is receiving votes. USCHO.com Division III Poll

TEAM CAPTAINS: Captains for the 2018-19 season are Mathias Ahman, Conner Valesano, Lucas Carroll and Adam Kresl.


AWARDS AND HONORS: 2018-19:

• 2018-19: Tommi Ahlgren was named the WIAC athlete of the week and to the D3hockey.com Team of the Week, Nov. 20, after posting back-to-back shutout wins over Lawrence (3-0) and seventh ranked Marian (4-0).

UW-STOUT COACH TERRY WATKINS

• The 2018-19 season marks Terry Watkins' (261-314-41) 23rd 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. Watkins played in UW-Stout's first-ever game, but he was a member of the Blue Devils' opponents, St. Paul Groveland, Jan. 19, 1969. St. Paul beat the Blue Devils, 8-4. Watkins enrolled at Stout the following school year and joined the hockey team.
• Stout won a WIAC title in 2010-11, and an NCHA title during the 2006-07 season.
• Watkins reached 700 games as the head coach of a UW-Stout hockey team (varsity and club) when the Blue Devils played UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 7, 2013.
• Watkins came into the season with a 252-310-40 record.

ST. OLAF'S MIKE EAVES

• Mike Eaves is in his third season as the head men's hockey coach at St. Olaf during the 2018-19 season after being named to the position on May 27, 2016. Through two seasons, Eaves has led the Oles to a 16-27-6 record and a 14-21-5 mark in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Eaves spent the previous 14 seasons as head coach at the University of Wisconsin. He led Wisconsin to seven NCAA appearances including a national title in 2006 and a runner up finish in 2010, while compiling a 267-225-66 record in Madison. His teams won at least 20 games eight times and won back-to-back postseason league championships in 2012-13 (WCHA) and 2013-14 (Big Ten).

NORTHLAND'S SEAMUS GREGORY

• Seamus Gregory was hired as the Head Coach of LumberJack Hockey in July of 2014, he is the fourth Head Coach in school history. Entering his fifth season at the helm in Ashland, Gregory and his staff have completely revamped the Jack lineup with the current roster complied of 26 underclassmen. In Gregory's second season (2015-16) behind the Jack bench, he led the program to their 3rd best ever season in their 19 year history of collegiate hockey. Prior to Northland, Gregory spent three seasons (2011-2014) at Williston State College in northwest North Dakota

THE CONFERENCE:

• UW-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.

LENDING AN ASSIST: Two different Stout goalies earned assists during the 2015-16 season. Spencer Viele was awarded an assist Nov. 6 against Bethel University, then added a second assist Jan. 29 at UW-Superior and Chase Hollander earned an assist Nov. 21, 2015, against Concordia. The three helpers mark the first time two UW-Stout goalies have gotten an assist in the same year since the team returned to varsity status 20 years ago...When Spencer Viele was awarded an assist against Bethel University, Nov. 6, 2015, he was not the first Stout goalie, and won't be the last, to get an assist. Since the Blue Devil hockey program returned to varsity play during the 1996-97 season, seven goalies have earned at least one assist. Chase Hollander was awarded an assist for his pass as Danny Ray scored against UW-Superior, Jan. 17, 2015. Corey Koop did it during the 2013-14 season, Jeff Stone during the 2008-09 season, and Jake Schuman during the 2004-05 season each recorded an assist. Jeff Dotson did it in 2000-01 as a freshman, then did it again as a senior in 2003-04. Kelly Elde did it twice during the 1996-97 season.

PREVIOUS BLUE DEVIL HAT TRICKS (since 2008)
Mathias Ahman vs. St. Olaf College, Jan. 5, 2018
Joe Anderson vs. Gustavus Adolphus, Jan. 9, 2016
Tyler Cayemberg vs. Concordia University Wisconsin, Nov. 21, 2015
Austin Nelson vs. Aurora University, Jan. 23, 2015
Branden Gay vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 2, 2011
Branden Gay vs. St. Norbert, Feb. 12, 2011
Scott Motz vs. St. Mary's University, Jan. 13, 2009
Nick Klaren vs. Northland, Nov. 4, 2008
Scott Motz vs. Northland, Nov. 4, 2008
Derek Hanson vs. Augsburg, Oct. 31, 2008
Derek Hanson vs. Concordia, Oct. 24, 2008

THE LAST TIME...
Two Stout players recorded a hat trick: Scott Motz, Nick Klaren vs. Northland College, Nov. 4, 2008
A Stout player recorded two or more power play goals: 2, Mathias Ahman vs. St. Olaf College, Jan. 5, 2018
A Stout player recorded a shorthanded goal: Lucas Carroll vs. Lawrence University, Nov. 16, 2018 (W 3-0)
Stout scored two empty net goals: Jake Useldinger, Nolan Kirley vs. Saint Mary's University, Jan. 16, 2016
A Stout goalie recorded 40-45 saves: 41, Tommi Ahlgren vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 30, 2018
A Stout goalie recorded 46-50 saves: 49, Spencer Viele vs. Aurora University, Jan. 24, 2015
A Stout goalie recorded 50-55 saves: 51, Corey Koop vs. UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 20, 2014
A Stout goalie recorded 55-plus saves: 59, Corey Koop vs. UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 7, 2013
A Stout player recorded four goals: 4, Brad Weappa vs. Hamline University, Jan. 18, 2000
A Stout goalie recorded an assist: Spencer Viele vs. UW-Superior, Jan. 29, 2016
A Stout team scored 5-7 goals: 7 vs. Northland College (W 7-1), Dec. 8, 2018
A Stout team scored 8-10 goals: 8 vs. Concordia Wisconsin (W 8-5), Jan. 10, 2015
A Stout team scored 10-plus goals: 11 vs. Northland College (W 11-2), Nov. 4, 2008
Stout posted a shutout: vs. Marian University, Nov. 17, 2018 (3-0); vs. Lawrence University, Nov. 16, 2018 (4-0); vs. Trine University (3-0), Oct. 26, 2018 vs. St. Olaf College (3-0), Dec. 10, 2016; Gustavus Adolphus (0-0), Nov. 7, 2015
Stout recorded back-to-back shutouts: Nov. 16, 2018, 3-0, vs. Lawrence University, Nov. 17, 2018, 4-0, vs. Marian University
Stout was shut out: vs. Aurora University (2-0), Nov. 24, 2017
Both teams played to a scoreless tie: vs. Gustavus Adolphus, Nov. 7, 2015


BLUE DEVIL RECORD BOOK
Individual Records
Goals by Game: 8, Glenn LaChapelle vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 18, 1973
Assists by Game: 9, Chuck Gerber vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 18, 1973
Points by Game: 9, Glenn LaChapelle (8/1) vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 18, 1973; Chuck Gerber (0/9) vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 18, 1973;
Saves by Game: 67, Tom Slupe vs. Wisconsin JV, Feb. 14, 1970
Goals by Season: 43, Glenn LaChappelle, 1972-73
Assists by Season: 28, Derek Hanson, 2008-09
Points by Season: 65, Glenn LaChapelle (43/22), 1972-73
Saves by Season: 850, Tad Larson, 1977-78
Goalie Win/Loss Record by Season: 21-5-2, Matt Koenig, 2008-09
Goals by Career: 80, Glenn LaChapelle, 1970-73
Assists by Career: 80, Derek Hanson, 2006-10; Scott Motz, 2006-10
Points by Career: 140, Derek Hanson (60/80), 2006-10
Saves by Career: 2480, Tad Larson, 1974-78
Goalie Win/Loss Record by Career: 44-16-4, Matt Koenig, 2005-09
Fastest First Period Goal: 10 seconds, Mark Ryder vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 17, 1973
Fastest Second Period Goal: 6 seconds, Mike Kautz vs. UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 20, 2006
Fastest Third Period Goal: 6 seconds, Duane Johnson vs. St. Cloud State, Dec. 2, 1978
Fastest Overtime Goal: 6 seconds, Curt Moore vs. Concordia, Nov. 26, 1976

Team Records
Most Goals in a Period: 11, vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 17, 1973
Most Goals in a Game: 21 vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 17, 1973
Most Goals Allowed in a Game: 18, vs. Wisconsin JV, Feb. 14, 1970
Most Penalty Minutes: 21-54 vs. UW-Eau Claire, Dec. 13, 1997
Most Penalty Minutes, Both Teams: 35-96 vs. UW-Eau Claire, Dec. 13, 1997


STOUT'S RANKED HISTORY: The Blue Devils returned to the USCHO.com poll Nov. 19, 2018 and received a single vote in the Dec. 3 rankings before dropping out...the last time the Blue Devils were mentioned was with one vote in the Oct. 31, 2016 poll...The last time Stout was mentioned was Jan. 18, 2016...The Blue Devils returned to the USCHO.com Division III poll, Jan. 18, 2016, after nearly a four year hiatus, receiving five votes. A tie and two straight losses the following week dropped the Blue Devils out of the poll. 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, 2012, garnering eight votes in the Jan. 21, 2012, poll, effectively ranking the Blue Devils 19th. Stout returned to the poll in the early part of the 2012-13 season, receiving seven votes in the Dec. 3, 2012 poll before dropping out. | USCHO.com Division III poll

SCORELESS TIE: If fans were looking for scoring in the UW-Stout/Gustavus Adolphus College game Nov. 7, 2015, they went away disappointed. The scoreless tie with the Gusties was a first for UW-Stout, which has never had a scoreless tie in any of the program's varsity games, stretching back to 1968. Gustavus last season set an NCAA Division III record for ties with eight and one was a scoreless tie. According to Tim Danehy of collegehockeystats.net, scoreless ties are "not common obviously, but not that rare overall" across all divisions, both men and women, and appear to be on the rise. So far this year, six scoreless ties have been reported, but the Stout/Gustavus double goose eggs were the first of the season for Division III men. Last season there were 17 scoreless ties reported to collegehockeystats.net, of which six were Division III men, Danehy said. In 2013-14 there were nine total and 2012-13 had 10 total. The same night UW-Stout and Gustavus were going scoreless, the UW-Eau Claire women and St. Catherine played to a 0-0 decision.

ALL TIED UP: When the Blue Devils notched a 3-3 tie with St. Scholastica, Jan. 19, 2016, it tied a school record for most ties in a single season with four. The 2009-10 team and the 2004-05 team each finished with four ties. The Blue Devils snapped that record a week later, Jan. 28, when they forged a 2-2 tie with ninth ranked UW-Eau Claire, then finished with six in the final game of the season against UW-River Falls.

HOME ICE: The Dunn County Board in 2015 approved renaming the Dunn County Ice Arena the Fanetti Community Center in recognition of Marilyn Fanetti's contribution to fundraising efforts undertaken by the Menomonie Youth Hockey Association to remodel and add to the arena at the Dunn County Recreation Park. Fanetti donated $370,000 to the project and asked that the hockey arena and new community room be named for her family.

LIGHTING THE LAMP: It will now be easier to see when the the Blue Devils score. The Fanetti Community Center this summer received an upgrade in their lighting. The lighting in the ice arena was recently replaced with LED lights. The replacement was helped by Xcel Energy through their incentive program, Focus on Energy. The incentives offered by Xcel Energy and Focus on Energy - including bonus incentives through the program's limited-time Community Small Business Offerings (CSBO) campaign - helped offset the cost of the Menomonie Youth Hockey Association Ice Board's investment. | Complete Story

UP NEXT: : The Blue Devils will travel to Northland College, Tuesday, Jan. 8 before hosting Hamline University, Friday, Jan. 11 and Augsburg University, Saturday, Jan. 12.