Random Rabble: August 12

Those who live around the Duluth area know why I haven't been around much. It hasn't been because I don't enjoy throwing up the occasional blog about nothing significant.

Been exceptionally busy with the real job, but hopefully things are back to normal on this day. It'll allow me to get back into my normal late-summer routine, preparing for the fall and winter sports season.

UMD football is first up. I'm looking forward to getting up to campus next week for Media Day as we start to get a lay of the land. New coach in Curt Wiese, a good dude and a guy I think we in the media will all like from a standpoint of access and information. New quarterback to "replace" Chase Vogler, one of the more understated guys to come through this program in a long time. I never doubted for a second that Isaac Odim was appreciated when he was playing at UMD. I'm not entirely sure Vogler was appreciated as much as he should have been.

For evidence, look at what he did for the offense in the playoff loss to Missouri Western. 379 total yards, including 184 on the ground. Yeah, Austin Sikorski was a beast running that day, but Vogler almost singlehandedly kept UMD in the game, especially when Western was threatening a blowout early.

Sikorski is back, as is Aaron Roth and most of the offensive line. The defense was practically disastrous at times, especially in the St. Cloud and Western losses. That said, John Steger is a hell of a coach, and nearly everyone is back there as well.

If that's not enough local football, a St. Scholastica team that returns a ton of talent is picked to win the UMAC in the preseason league coaches' poll. The Saints started slowly last year as they broke in a new starting quarterback (Tyler Harper) and tried to find an offensive identity. A 7-1 UMAC record put CSS in a three-way tie for first, one that was broken by a blind draw conducted over the internet; and CSS won the draw for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

The Saints have a slew of starters back, including Harper and running backs Jake Jensen and Chris Gassert. However, the receiving corps took a hit, including the graduation of Nick Thiry, and the defensive line lost a lot of talent.

I'm excited to see what Wisconsin does in its first year under Gary Andersen. Longtime blog readers will know that I was never really a fan of Bret Bielema. I just didn't trust him in big games or close games, and his record -- especially last year -- would seem to support my trust issues. Andersen last worked at Utah State, hardly a powerhouse, but he built a winner there after years of mediocre or worse football.

Job No. 1: Find a quarterback. Usually, I'd put my chips in on the guy the new coach recruited, but it doesn't sound like junior college transfer Tanner McEvoy is throwing well early on. He's the best athlete of the bunch, but senior Curt Phillips and sophomore Joel Stave are both probably better options for the passing game, at least in the early going. How quickly the quarterback race comes together will determine Wisconsin's BCS hopes.

Speaking of the B1G, Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune had a must-read feature on Minnesota coach Jerry Kill in Sunday's paper.

Now, at the dawn of a new season, Kill has come to a pivotal juncture in his eight-year quest to gain control of his seizures. The Gophers need to keep improving, and he needs to prove he can stay healthy.

Knowing the stakes, he found a new doctor, changed medication plans, honed his diet, exercised and adopted a whole new outlook — embracing the word epilepsy instead of shunning it.

“Believe me, there’s nobody who’s trying to do the right thing more than I am because I love coaching the game of football,” Kill said. “And I want to make sure I never have a situation, ever, during a game again.”

Experts say about 70 percent of the people with epilepsy can become seizure-free with the right medication. Kill insists he’s making progress.

We learn that stress and a lack of sleep can make the body less resistant to these seizures. The point? Kill's chosen profession -- football coach -- practically invites his body to continue to have these problems. It means that everything else he does has to be done almost perfectly. He has to make sure he gets enough rest, relaxes as much as possible, and he can't let his guard down.

When Kill seized at halftime of that game against Michigan State last season -- his fifth documented seizure since taking the UMTC job -- people began to talk about the need for the university to move on. Kill himself says in this article that he understands he can't miss entire halves of games when he's the head coach.

Kill is a good coach, and I've heard very good things about him away from the field, too. There is no reason to do anything here but wish for the best for him and his family. He wants to coach, so hopefully his body allows him to continue doing so.

Random Rabble: September 6

Football is front and center, and my NFL division predictions -- tweeted Wednesday -- will be published later.

In the meantime, other happenings this weekend include St. Scholastica taking on Eureka in the UMAC conference opener. The Saints won last year in Illinois 48-7, holding Eureka quarterback Sam Durley to a scant 169 yards passing.

That could be troublesome this time around. Durley set an NCAA record with 736 yards passing in a 62-55 win over Knox last week. That's a great story by itself -- it was No. 2 on SportsCenter's Top 10 that night -- but even better is what wide receiver Jordan Kindred did. The basketball player decided to try football, and his first game was a doozy. Kindred caught 13 passes for 235 yards ... in his first game of organized football.

Seriously.

Might want to cover him, CSS.

UMD hosts Winona State Saturday for the 2012 Malosky Stadium opener. The Bulldogs will pay tribute to retired equipment manager Scott "Honey Bear" Hanna at halftime. It will be UMD's first home game since the offseason death of former coach Jim Malosky.

On the field, expect a stiff test for the Bulldog defense. UMD allowed over 300 passing yards to SW Minnesota State last week, and struggled to generate pass rush and force turnovers. Winona hosted Minnesota-Crookston last week, winning 58-6 and outgaining the Golden Eagles 468-188. UMC's only score came on a pick-six.

With old-and-new-again coordinator John Steger, I expect UMD's defense to be pretty formidable before it's all said and done. But for UMD to be highly effective in this 3-4 scheme, they need players making big plays. That means sacking the quarterback, forcing fumbles, and getting interceptions. The Bulldogs had none of that last week, it needs to change, and there's no reason to think it won't change.

St. Scholastica and St. Norbert Join MCHA

Earlier this year, the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association saw itself blown up. Five members -- all University of Wisconsin system schools -- pulled out of the league so the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference could start its own hockey league.

The move immediately cast doubt on the futures of two private schools -- St. Scholastica of Duluth and St. Norbert, near Green Bay -- in the league.

Now, those futures are more clear. Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press Gazette reported Monday morning that the two will join the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association for men's hockey starting in the 2013-14 season.

Two local sources have since confirmed the report. A press conference is set for the St. Norbert campus on Tuesday afternoon to make the official announcement.

St. Norbert has won ten of the last 11 NCHA regular season championships, and the Green Knights are back-to-back NCAA Division III champions. SNC is unbeaten at 55-0-2 all-time against the current membership of the MCHA.

(That membership, by the way, is as follows: Adrian and Finlandia of Michigan; Concordia, Lawrence, Marian, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Northland of Wisconsin; and Lake Forest of Illinois.)

The league has seen improvement in recent years, thanks in part to the addition of an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs for its tournament champion. Adrian was the NCAA runner-up in 2010, while MSOE made the tournament last year and was hardly embarrassed in its first-ever game, losing 3-1 at Gustavus Adolphus.

Obviously, the WIAC taking in CSS and St. Norbert would have been best from a competitive standpoint. I can't envision a scenario where the Green Knights don't dominate the MCHA, at least at the start. The majority of the league will have plenty of work to do to catch up to the level SNC is capable of playing.

This adds uncertainty on the WIAC side, as the league -- currently set to be comprised of UWS, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Stout -- is one team short of the minimum required for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. There had been rumblings the conference would pursue Concordia (located in Mequon) and MSOE to develop a Milwaukee footprint. Nothing has been announced in that regard, however.

WIAC Schools Leaving NCHA

Big news out of local Division III hockey Wednesday, as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Conference announced its five hockey-playing member schools will leave the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association after the 2013-14 season.

In an emailed statement, WIAC commissioner Gary Karner says the move was announced now so the remaining NCHA teams -- only Duluth-based St. Scholastica and St. Norbert out of Green Bay for men's hockey -- would have a chance to figure out what they are going to do.

Karner noted that the current budgetary challenges confronting all WIAC institutions and the composition of the NCHA (a single-sport conference comprised of institutions that are members of six different multi-sport conferences as well as five institutions that are members for women’s ice hockey only) were among a number of factors that led to a decision that is deemed to be in the long-term, best interests of the WIAC.

This means that UWS, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Stout will be breaking off from the NCHA and forming a five-team league.

Immediately, alarm bells should be ringing. You need seven in your league to get an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Why would a five-team group form its own league without some sort of assurance it will eventually get to that seven-team minimum?

That means something is in the hopper here.

According to a source, the WIAC is expected to target -- get this -- St. Scholastica and St. Norbert as hockey-only members. Issues surrounding financial aid, transfers, and such are at play. These are issues that existed when I was actively covering the league a few years ago, so none of it is really news. Simply put, this looks like a WIAC power play, meant to get control over rules that it sees as beneficial to the private schools in the NCHA.

The WIAC may also seek a footprint in the Milwaukee area, which would potentially mean going after current MCHA members Milwaukee School of Engineering and Concordia, which is based in Mequon. Concordia is in the NCHA for women's hockey, and the WIAC would need to add three non-WIAC schools for women's hockey in order to secure enough teams for an NCAA automatic bid.

There could be impacts on women's hockey, depending on how the WIAC goes after new members to strengthen the league and get enough teams to secure NCAA autobids. That's much less clear at this point.

In a statement from the school, UWS athletic director Steve Nelson made it clear that the door isn't closed on WIAC membership for anyone.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, as the WIAC schools have had a significant impact on the history of the NCHA.  We didn’t just come to this juncture overnight. We put a lot of thought into this decision, making sure we were doing right by our membership and our student-athletes going forward and as a body we felt this was the best decision, to withdraw from the NCHA and compete solely in the WIAC.

... “This league, the NCHA means a lot to me.  I coached in this league for a long time and I have a lot of love for the NCHA and the teams that compete here.  There have been some tremendous battles over the years and the rivalries that have been developed are among the best in college hockey. At the same time I’m very excited about the future.  The WIAC is going to give our schools every opportunity to be a power in NCAA Division III.  The door is also open for other schools to apply to be members of the WIAC and make us an even stronger league going forward.”

I don't know what this means in the end, but it's interesting to see one of the traditionally powerful leagues in Division III get blown up for unknown reasons. It sounds vaguely familiar to many of you, I'm sure.

UMD, St. Scholastica Softball Qualify for NCAA Tournaments

The spring sports seasons for local college and high school programs have started to wind down, which means it's tournament time.

While you'd think the Northland wouldn't be known for producing competitive baseball and softball programs (given the challenges provided by our oft-crappy climate), area schools have done quite well in recent years, especially in softball.

This spring has been no exception. St. Scholastica won their 15th straight UMAC baseball title and the right to host the league postseason championship, and UMD went on a late run to nab a spot in the NSIC Tournament. Both of those events take place this weekend.

Meanwhile, college softball has moved into national tournament play. Two of the three Twin Ports college teams qualified for national tournaments.

In Division II, UMD was selected to the 64-team field as an at-large entry. The Bulldogs are part of a four-team regional that will be played in Sioux Falls and hosted by NSIC rival Augustana. UMD (31-15) will play Colorado School of Mines in their opening game Thursday afternoon. Augustana won the NSIC regular-season and playoff titles, and they will play Regis (Colorado) in the other opening-round game. The double-elimination tournament runs through the weekend, with the winner moving on to a best-of-three Super Regional series the following weekend.

The NCAA Division II World Series starts May 26 in Salem, Va.

For the first time this year, the UMAC postseason title included an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, and St. Scholastica won that crown at home over the weekend, beating Northwestern 6-4. The Saints (28-13) were placed in an eight-team regional in Eau Claire that starts Thursday and runs through either Sunday or Monday. CSS will play Luther (Iowa) in the opening round. That tournament is also double-elimination, with the winner moving into the NCAA Division III World Series that starts May 20, also in Salem.

UMD has experienced an extremely successful year in sports, with two national championships (football, men's hockey), as well as seeing the volleyball and women's hockey teams make the NCAA Tournament. It's great to see the softball program following that blueprint. Coach Jen Banford has led UMD to the NCAAs in three of her six years at the helm, marking three of the school's five NCAA appearances in history.

This is CSS' second trip to the NCAAs, having made it as an at-large entry in 2006.

UMD Softball Qualifies For NCAA Regional

Good news for one of our local spring sports teams. The UMD softball team made the NCAA Division II regionals.

Here is the info from UMD:

For the fourth time in school history and the second time in Jen Banford's five-year head coaching tenure, the University of Minnesota Duluth has secured a berth in the NCAA Division II softball playoffs.

The Bulldogs, who have won six of their last eight games and own a 32-15 overall record, are among 64 teams chosen to compete in the 2010 event and will begin play this Friday (May 14) in the Central Regional in Wayne, Neb. UMD and host Wayne State College (40-12), which captured last weekend's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Sun Conference Tournament, are scheduled to meet in one first round matchup while the other will feature another pair of NSIC rivals -- Augustana College (42-10) and Concordia University-St. Paul (34-15). The winner of the three-day double-elimination tourney will meet the champion from the other Central Regional bracket. which is comprised of host Metropolitan State College (Denver), Mesa State College, Minnesota State University-Mankato and Winona State University, in a best two-of-three Super Regional series the following weekend (May 21-22). The NCAA II Championships are set for May 27-31 in St. Joseph, Mo.

UMD and Wayne State traded wins in their only two meetings of 2010 with the host Wildcats taking the opener 2-1 before the Bulldogs rebounded with a 4-2 victory on April 25. UMD was 0-2 versus Augustana College this spring and 1-2 against Concordia-St. Paul.

The Bulldogs also advanced to NCAA postseason play in 2007, 2002 and 1996 and made three appearances in the NAIA National Tournament (1991, 1990 and 1988).

You don't think of the Twin Ports as an area where spring sports teams can thrive. However, St. Scholastica has very successful baseball and softball programs, and UWS' baseball program is waking up after a long dry spell.

(Worth noting: the CSS softball team won their 14th UMAC title Sunday, beating Northland College in the championship game. Their season is over, but next year, the UMAC champion will finally get an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tourney.)

SAINTS QUALIFY FOR NCAAs

Just as their season started in February, St. Scholastica baseball lost its patriarch when good friend John Baggs died of cancer.

On the field, the Saints have clearly learned much of what their old coach tried to teach them.

St. Scholastica (35-5) has qualified for the NCAA Division III regionals once again this year. They'll be heading to Oshkosh, Wis., this week to play in a regional hosted by UW-Oshkosh. The Saints are the third seed in a six-team grouping, and will play fourth-seeded St. Norbert in the opening round. The top seed is St. Olaf, followed by St. Thomas. Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Beloit are the other two teams in the regional.

The Saints got to regional play after a busy second day at the UMAC Tournament Friday in Duluth. St. Scholastica scored 56 runs in three straight wins -- two of them over Bethany Lutheran, who had upset the Saints Thursday night -- to clinch their 13th straight UMAC baseball crown.

The regional tournament begins Wednesday. The winner advances to the Division III World Series in Appleton, Wis., beginning May 22.

UMD WOMEN, UWS/CSS MEN MAKE NCAAs

The UMD women's hockey team is in the eight-team NCAA Tournament. They open defense of their 2008 NCAA Championship Saturday at fourth-seed New Hampshire.

The winner advances to the Frozen Four in Boston March 20 and 22.

The full NCAA Division I Women's Championship bracket can be found here.

Meanwhile, UWS and St. Scholastica have both received at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Men's Championship, according to information I have received. The full bracket has not been announced, but it's expected that both teams will be in quarterfinal play Saturday. The best guess I can muster is that UWS will be seeded first in the West and host MIAC champion Gustavus Adolphus, while St. Scholastica will get the third seed and travel to NCHA playoff champion UW-Stout.

The NCAA Division III Men's Frozen Four is March 21 and 22 in Lake Placid, New York.

HOCKEY HOCKEY HOCKEY

There's enough hockey going on to keep even a diehard hockey fan happy and busy.

Let's take a whirl around this great sport.

College men's hockey

UMD--> Can't hide the truth, can we? Not only was the weekend series against Alaska-Anchorage not what anyone expected or hoped for, it reminded us way too much of last year's UMD team.

There's a good reason why this is Alaska-Anchorage's first road sweep since November 10-11, 2000. It's just been a perpetual struggle for the Seawolves to find their legs when they make one of their insanely long road trips that they make every year. It's also a program that's been known for their disastrous meltdowns in the second half of every season.

Now, instead of the home series they could have had to open the WCHA playoffs, UMD is traveling, and it just so happens to be to Colorado Springs. These are tough roadies to make in the playoffs, because they involve the short-notice booking of a flight for a traveling party of approximately 30 people.

I saw Jeff Papas at the DECC Saturday night, and I told the radio voice of the Bulldogs to make sure he has a lot to read on this trip (I'm way late to the party, but if you're a baseball guy, I recommend David Halberstam's Summer of '49). There's a good chance they will have to leave a day earlier than normal (Wednesday instead of Thursday), and unlike most hotels on the civilized Earth, internet at the hotel in Colorado Springs is not free. Spend three or four nights there, and it can get quite pricey to be plugged in to the superhighway.

Anyway, on to things you care about ...

The boys need to find a way to put the last three games behind them. Ties in Houghton and Minneapolis are hardly shameful, but the way they lost the games to Minnesota (5-3) and Anchorage (5-4 and 4-3) just stinks, and it may be tough to recover from.

They have no choice.

UMD has slipped to 18th in the Pairwise Rankings, which mimic the process used to select teams for the NCAA Tournament. A spot anywhere higher than 15th is usually a good place to be, and 18th will leave UMD on the outside looking in.

Of course, a series win in the Springs would be a great help to UMD's position. Here's hoping that an 0-3-2 string to end the regular season wasn't a sign of things to come, as it's been in the past.

(The Mr. Pessimist in me can't help but remember the 2004-2005 season, when UMD went crazy late in the season, trying to recover from an early losing streak and poor performances in second-half home series against Alaska-Anchorage and Michigan Tech. That Bulldog team fell short of home ice in the WCHA playoffs, and got absolutely whacked in a two-game series at North Dakota. This is not the type of history to repeat.)

UWS

While the NCHA Peters Cup Championship went to UW-Stout Saturday in Superior, the Yellowjackets should still get the top seed among Western teams selected for the NCAA Division III Championship. The pairings are due out Sunday night.

UWS is in a great position, thanks to a balanced attack and experienced goalie Chad Beiswenger, who reminds this observer of St. Norbert's Kyle Jones. You may remember Jones practically carrying the Green Knights to a national title a year ago, pitching back-to-back shutouts at the Frozen Four in Lake Placid. Well, Beiswenger has that kind of talent, and he's had that kind of season.

It's an absolute certainty that UWS will be in the field, a near certainty that they'll host a quarterfinal game Saturday at Wessman Arena, and they're in the best position yet to take home their second title.

St. Scholastica

There may be some bullets coming out of Mark Wick's forehead as I type this on Sunday evening. The Saints are on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament, and I wish I could reassure them.

There have been too many head-scratching decisions by the selection committee over the years, and while I find it illogical that CSS wouldn't make the tournament, I can't guarantee they will.

I can say UWS will make it because you might as well shut the tournament down forever if the Yellowjackets aren't in.

Scholastica presents a tough out in the tourney (assuming they make it), thanks to a senior class second-to-few in Division III. Goalie Steve Bounds keeps them in every game, which is always nice to have in the postseason. Goals, as you know, can be hard to come by in the playoffs.

College women's hockey

UMD/UWS

Both teams lost in their conference tournament semifinals. UMD is likely to make the NCAAs, while UWS is a longshot.

The problem for UMD is that they are clearly inferior to WCHA champion Wisconsin, and they are probably not as good as Minnesota, either.

The problem for the rest of the country is that nobody is likely as good as any of the above three.

UWS made the Frozen Four a year ago, but appear to have ended their season.

High school hockey

The state tournament begins with Class A games Wednesday at XCel Energy Center. Virginia/MIB represents the north, and they draw top seed Little Falls for a quarterfinal game Wednesday at 6pm.

I like this VMIB team, led by Chris Westin and Garrett Hendrickson, but Ben Hanowski and the Flyers are probably too tough. Will Lustig, the Blue Devils' goalie, holds the key. If he can slow down the unbeaten Flyers' attack, he gives his team a chance to win. If VMIB tries to match firepower with Little Falls, it could turn into a long night.

AA games start Thursday in St. Paul. Duluth East, the Section 7 champion, drew the fourth seed and will play Cretin-Derham Hall in the quarterfinals. The Greyhounds are very impressive, led by UMD recruit Max Tardy and North Dakota recruit Derek Forbort. They are clearly the 'Hounds two best players, and they were easily the two best on the ice in the section final Thursday, as East dismantled Elk River 4-1 (outshot them 42-10).

I think Duluth East has a puncher's chance at a state title, and the potential semifinal matchup with Edina Friday could be one of the best games in a long time at the state tournament.

FAREWELL, COACH BAGGS

I remember the first time I spoke to John Baggs. He was so proud of his St. Scholastica baseball team, which was playing in NAIA at the time. In that season, they would earn the right to host an NAIA Super Regional. They lost the series, but it was a sign this program was unquestionably moving in the right direction.

For the Northland, having a high-quality baseball program was kind of a new thing. UMD has a tradition of being competitive, but they were rarely a threat to win a national title.

Under Baggs, the Saints became an elite small-college baseball program. He won over 500 games in 17 years, and his teams won 12 straight UMAC baseball titles, and they had their best-ever finish in an NCAA regional (second) this past season.

Baggs lost his battle with a rare form of cancer Tuesday morning. At just 42, far too young to be taken from us. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

John had his son Maddux (yes, named after Greg) penciled into the CSS rotation for 2019. And why not? If he could teach other people's children how to pitch, he surely could teach his own.

He was a devoted Cub fan who loved to taunt me with stories of how much my Brewers stunk. And what could I say in response, since they were usually true?

There was the day John called me and pitched an idea for a radio segment. He wanted to interview me. Got tired, I guess, of me asking him questions, which was normally how the radio thing worked.

He asked me over 30 questions. I had to answer all of them, or he was going to drag me out for a round of golf. Since I hate golf, I was happy to oblige.

John was a joy to know, because he had such passion for baseball. He understood the game like so few people do. In an area where baseball is not a high priority, and where it can be hard to develop a great program because of the limitations put on you by the weather, the success Baggs enjoyed had a great impact.

Not only did it give fans an elite program to follow, but it also raised the proverbial bar for everyone else. Baggs disciple Eddy Morgan is the third-year coach at longtime doormat UWS now, and there have already been signs of life. A program that won just three games the season before he arrived won 17 last year, for their most wins since 1974.

It's fitting that a guy who wasn't just a baseball coach would be able to - even indirectly - help a neighbor program get on its feet. Ask any of his former players, and they'll tell you about what kind of man John Baggs was. Same for St. Scholastica faculty, local media, and any fans who were fortunate enough to meet him.

Please take some time to leave your thoughts here. And if you are the type who prays, please do so, for John's family, as well as the St. Scholastica family.

PLAYOFFS ARE COMING

It's amazing what happens when you don't have a "real" job.

I was sitting on my couch last night, watching the St. Scholastica-UWS game on iFan.

(Would have been at the game, but the boy had minor surgery Friday and the Mrs. was out of town, so I had to pretend to be a parent for a night.)

Even though it was a few seconds behind, I listened to the webcast from ESPN Radio 560, even though it's Scholastica's station. Steve Jezierski and Mark Marette do an entertaining broadcast, and Steve's always been one of the better play-by-play guys we have around here.

As I'm sitting there taking the game in (UWS won 4-3 in a highly-entertaining game), it hits me.

The playoffs are coming.

It's not that I haven't been paying attention. It's more that I haven't really been paying that kind of attention. When you're on the air every day, you're much more cognizant of what's coming up in one, two, or even three weeks. When you're just being a fan, those things don't stick in your head as much.

High school girls hockey playoffs are underway. Their state tournament is coming up at the end of February at the XCel Energy Center (gah!).

UWS and St. Scholastica are preparing for the NCHA playoffs, which begin next weekend. UWS knows they will host Lake Forest, the last-place team in the NCHA. The Yellowjackets (20-2-3, 11-1-2 NCHA) won the league title. Lake Forest (5-17-2, 0-12-1) needs to beat St. Norbert Saturday night to avoid a winless conference season.

St. Scholastica (18-5-2, 9-4-1) hasn't played a home playoff series at any point I can remember. They host either UW-River Falls or UW-Eau Claire next weekend.

Both teams are almost sure bets to make the NCAA Division III Tournament. With UMD in a good position in Division I (but with a ton of hockey to go before that tournament selection), it's been a wonderful year for local college hockey.

Oh, and the high school boys start their road to St. Paul next weekend.

For those who support local sports, it's the most wonderful time of the year. There are games all over the place, admission is affordable, and the action is top-notch.

It's good to be a fan sometimes.