2007-08 WIAC Men's Headlines

Loen Named UW-Eau Claire Men’s Ice Hockey Head Coach

RELEASED: Monday, April 14, 2008

Eau Claire, Wis.--After leading the UW-Eau Claire men’s hockey program to one of its most successful seasons ever as interim head coach, Matt Loen has been named the permanent head coach following a national search, Director of Athletics Scott Kilgallon announced today.

The Blugolds finished with an overall record of 11-16-1 and 6-7-1 in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, taking fifth place in the conference. In the NCHA playoffs, the Blugolds won their first-round series against Superior and then lost to Stout in overtime of the NCHA Semifinals. Prior to the 2007-08 first-round playoff series victory, the Blugolds had never won a series since joining the NCHA.

“We are excited to have Matt Loen on board as the head men’s hockey coach,” Kilgallon said. “He did a tremendous job with the program last season and has what it takes to get the program to the next level. He knows UW-Eau Claire and the community very well and will provide great leadership for the program.”

Loen is equally excited about the opportunity to be the Blugolds’ ninth head coach in program history.

“I am honored to be the head coach for the Blugold men’s hockey team,” Loen said. “I feel very fortunate to be in the position, and it is a dream come true. I look forward to continuing the process of building a strong program.”

Loen is a Blugold alum who played for Ian Perrin in the period from 1991 through 1995. The Spring Lake Park, Minnesota native was the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year for the 1994-95 season. He was a two-time All-NCHA first team pick and also one of only four Blugolds ever named to the American Hockey Coaches Association All-American first team. With that award, he stands in the company of Alex Hicks, Greg Robertson and Mike Schwengler as Blugold AHCA All-Americans.

Loen ranks 10th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 120 points on 43 goals and 77 assists. However, he was not a dominant performer until his junior season. In his final two years, he scored 96 points in 54 games including 56 as a senior. That represents the fifth best single season production in school history.

Following his Blugold career, Loen spent eight seasons playing professional hockey. He was affiliated with the Madison Monsters and Madison Kodiaks of the UHL, the of the IHL and the AHL, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL, the Kalamazoo K-Wings of the UHL, the Tacoma Sabercats of the WCHL and the Rockford IceHogs of the UHL. He played over 500 games and compiled over 575 points. He was named the Rookie of the Year in 1995-96 while playing for the Madison Monsters.

During his final year as a professional player, he was also an assistant coach with the Rockford IceHogs. He returned to Eau Claire to assist Jean Laforest as a Blugold assistant for one season before helping college teammate Mike Schwengler at Eau Claire Memorial High School during the 2004-05 campaign. He returned to the Blugolds when former head coach Luke Strand took over in 2005-06.

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Eight Secure USCHO.com All-America Honors

RELEASED: Monday, April 14, 2008

Madison, Wis.--Eight Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) individuals have been named to the 2008 USCHO.com NCAA Division III All-America West Team.

UW-River Falls’ T.J. Dahl (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) and Jim Henkemeyer (Sr., St. Cloud Minn.) and UW-Stout’s Jack Wolgemuth (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska) were first team choices, while the Falcons’ Pat Borgestad (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) and Derek Hansberry (Jr., Arvada, Colo.) and UW-Superior’s Chad Beiswenger (Jr., Moorhead, Minn.) were second team selections.

The Blue Devils’ Derek Hanson (So., Bemidji, Minn.) and the Yellowjackets’ Derek Paige (Sr., Lagon Lake, British Columbia) were honorable mention honorees.

UW-Stevens Point’s Thomas Speer (Fr., Janesville, Wis.) was selected to the All-Rookie Team.

The teams were chosen by the USCHO.com staff.

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Four Claim RBK Hockey All-America Honors

RELEASED: Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Madison, Wis.--Four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) individuals have been named to the 2008 RBK Hockey NCAA Division III All-America Team.

UW-River Falls’ T.J. Dahl (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) and Jim Henkemeyer (Sr., St. Cloud, Minn.) were first team selections, while the Falcons’ Pat Borgestad (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) and UW-Stout’s Jack Wolgemuth (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska) were second team choices.

Dahl and Henkemeyer claimed first team recognition for the second straight year.

The RBK Hockey All-American Teams are sponsored by RBK Hockey, an international leader in hockey equipment, and chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association.

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UW-Stout Claims NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Bid

RELEASED: Monday, March 10, 2008

Madison, Wis.--For the first time in school history, University of Wisconsin-Stout has been invited to participate in the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament.

The Blue Devils (18-8-3) earned one of four at-large bids into the 10-team national field and will travel to University of St. Thomas (Minn.) (19-6-2) for a first round contest on March 12 at 7 p.m.

The two teams met earlier this season in St. Paul, Minn., and skated to a 3-3 draw.

The winner of the first round game will travel to St. Norbert College for a quarterfinal matchup on March 15.

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UW-River Falls’ Freeman Claims Men’s Ice Hockey Coach of the Year Honor

RELEASED: Thursday, February 28, 2008

Madison, Wis.--For the sixth straight season, University of Wisconsin-River Falls’ Steve Freeman has been named the 2008 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men’s Ice Hockey Coach of the Year, based on a vote of the league coaches. Freeman earned the award for the seventh time in his career after directing the Falcons to the WIAC championship for the fifth consecutive year.

He is in his 12th season at UW-River Falls and owns a career record of 238-98-25. The 238 wins rank third on the conference’s all-time list.

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UW-Superior’s Cosgrove Claims Men’s Ice Hockey Scholar-Athlete Award

RELEASED: Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Dustin Cosgrove has been named the 2008 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Max Sparger Men’s Ice Hockey Scholar-Athlete.

A senior from Neepawa, Manitoba, Cosgrove is majoring in accounting and boasts a 3.87 grade point average. He is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and a two-time Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) All-Academic selection. Cosgrove has also been recognized on UW-Superior’s Dean’s List and received the school’s Leslie Olson Scholarship, which is given annually to one accounting major.

A two-year team , Cosgrove was named to the All-WIAC Sportsmanship Team this year and received All- WIAC first team recognition a year ago after securing honorable mention status in 2006. He also earned All-NCHA honorable mention accolades during the 2006 campaign.

Cosgrove has served as a volunteer for Buddy Walk and a middle school mentoring program.

Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were: UW-Eau Claire’s Jeremiah Weber (Sr., Hayward, Wis.), UW-River Falls’ Jason Usher (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) and UW-Stout’s Jacob Erickson (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Century).

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger and sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. Sparger served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference from July, 1971 - July, 1993.

In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in their last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.

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Falcons Claim Fifth Straight Hockey Crown

RELEASED: Saturday, February 16, 2008

River Falls, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-River Falls won its fifth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) men’s ice hockey championship with a 5-3 victory over rival UW-Stout on Feb. 15 at Hunt Arena.

The league title is the 14th in program history, while the string of five straight trophies is the second longest in WIAC history behind their own streak of seven consecutive crowns from 1982-1988.

In the victory over the No. 11-ranked Blue Devils, the 10th ranked Falcons got on the scoreboard just 3:15 into the game when Tyler Czuba tapped in a rebound on a power play.

Under four minutes later, UW-River Falls’ Dustin Norman stole the puck from a Blue Devil defenseman. As he skated in, he attempted to dish the puck across to Pat Borgestad, but the puck tipped off a UW-Stout player and found the back of the net. The Falcons struck quickly again when TJ Dahl wristed the puck past Devil Mike Stone off a faceoff win from Czuba.

UW-Stout recorded back-to-back power-play goals from Jack Wolgemuth after falling behind 4-0 in the second period, but the Falcons’ Matt Szupura countered with a early in the third stanza to put the game out of reach.

Stephen Ritter make 39 saves on 42 shots for UW-River Falls, while Mike Stone stopped 23 shots for the Blue Devils.

UW-River Falls finished the regular season with a 16-6-3 mark overall and 5-2-1 in WIAC contests, while the Blue Devils were 15-7-3 and 3-4-1.

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UW-Stout’s DeFrancesca Finalist For Hockey Humanitarian Award

RELEASED: Thursday, January 31, 2008

Menomonie, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Jeff DeFrancesca is one of eight finalists for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented by BNY Mellon Wealth Management. The award is presented annually to college hockey’s finest citizen.

The finalists, along with DeFrancesca (Sr., D, Mt. Prospect, Ill.), listed in alphabetical order are: Ryan Adler, Jr., Hobart College; William Bruce, Sr., Williams College; Ethan Cox, So., Colgate University; Missy Elumba, Jr., Northeastern University; Jody Heywood, Jr., Ohio State University; Ashley King, Sr., Wayne State University; Caralyn Quan, Sr., Williams College.

Each finalist will be interviewed by members of the selection committee and additional information will be released in late February about each student athlete.

The 13th annual recipient of the award will be named at the 2008 NCAA Division I Frozen Four at a ceremony in conjunction with the NCAA Skills Competition and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Friday, April 11 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.

BNY Mellon Wealth Management is among the nation’s leading wealth managers, with more than two centuries of experience in providing investment management, wealth and estate planning, and private banking and finance services to financially successful individuals and families, their family offices and business enterprises, charitable gift programs, and endowments and foundations. It ranks as one of the top 10 US wealth managers with approximately $170 billion in private client assets and an expansive network of more than 80 offices globally.

More information on the history of the award, the 2008 schedule of events and a list of past nominees, finalists and recipients can be found at www.hockeyhumanitarian.org

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Matt Loen To Lead Blugold Men’s Ice Hockey

RELEASED: Friday, August 24, 2007

Eau Claire, Wis.--A familiar face will lead the UW-Eau Claire men’s ice hockey team for the 2007-08 season.

Matt Loen, who has been an assistant to Luke Strand the past two years, has been named the interim head coach for the upcoming season, Director of Athletics Scott Kilgallon has announced.

Strand submitted his resignation last Friday after two years as the Blugold head coach to take an assistant coaching position with the Houston Aeros of the . Like Strand, Loen is a Blugold alum, having played for Ian Perrin in the period from 1991 through 1995. The Spring Lake Park, Minnesota native was the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year for the 1994-95 season. He was a two-time All-NCHA first team pick and also one of only four Blugolds ever named to the American Hockey Coaches Association All-American first team. With that award, he stands in the company of Alex Hicks, Greg Robertson and Mike Schwengler as Blugold AHCA All-Americans.

Loen ranks 10th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 120 points on 43 goals and 77 assists. However, he was not a dominant performer until his junior season. In his final two years, he scored 96 points in 54 games including 56 as a senior. That represents the fifth best single season production in school history.

Following his Blugold career, Loen spent eight seasons playing professional hockey. He was affiliated with the Madison Monsters and Madison Kodiaks of the UHL, the Milwaukee Admirals of the IHL and the AHL, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL, the Kalamazoo K-Wings of the UHL, the Tacoma Sabercats of the WCHL and the Rockford IceHogs of the UHL. He played over 500 games and compiled over 575 points. He was named the United Hockey League Rookie of the Year in 1995-96 while playing for the Madison Monsters.

During his final year as a professional player, he was also an assistant coach with the Rockford IceHogs. He returned to Eau Claire to assist Jean Laforest as a Blugold assistant for one season before helping college teammate Mike Schwengler at Eau Claire Memorial High School during the 2004-05 campaign. He returned to the Blugolds when Strand took over in 2005-06.

“In the best interest of our student-athletes and the recruits that Luke and Matt have brought here for the upcoming season, Matt is the right person to move this program forward in the coming year,” said Kilgallon. “I’m very confident in Matt’s coaching ability and his work ethic.” Kilgallon indicated that “A national search for a permanent head coach will begin immediately after the 2007-08 season.”

Loen will be introduced to alumni at a hockey booster golf outing at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Country Club.

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UW-Eau Claire’s Strand Resigns To Take Position With Houston Aeros

RELEASED: Monday, August 20, 2007

Eau Claire, Wis.--After just two years as the UW-Eau Claire head men’s ice hockey coach, Luke Strand has resigned to take a position with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League.

Strand will join former Blugold player and coach Troy Ward as one of two assistants with the Aeros under Kevin Constantine who was hired as head coach May 29.

Strand, like Ward a former Blugold player and coach himself, has been working at Ward’s Hockey and Sons Camp the past two weeks in Faribault, Minnesota. Ward was named an Aeros’ assistant coach on July 31. He had been on Constantine’s staff with the in the late 1990s.

Strand replaced Jean LaForest as the Blugolds’ eighth head coach two years ago, and after struggling to a 2-21-4 mark his first season, improved to 9-14-4 this past season. The improvement the team made over the course of last season was evident in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs where the Blugolds lost to conference co-champion St. Norbert College, 3-1 and 4-3, in the best of three opening-round series.

Strand was a Blugold player from 1993-97 when Ian Perrin was head coach. He then spent two years with the Madison Monsters and one with the Madison Kodiaks as a player before joining the coaching staff at St. Norbert College under head coach Tim Coghlin. Prior to coming to Eau Claire, Strand had a two-year stint as head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League.

An Eau Claire native who played his prep hockey under Tom Kuklinski at North High School, Strand is joining an Aeros team that is the primary development affiliate of the . The Aeros are in the West Division of the Western Conference of the AHL along with the , Iowa Stars, Milwaukee Admirals, Peoria Rivermen, Quad Cities Flames, Rockford IceHogs and San Antonio Rampage. With Strand’s late resignation, Director of Athletics Scott Kilgallon indicated that the university will move as quickly as possible to find the best possible replacement for the Blugold men’s ice hockey squad.

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