The 2007-08 Season Preview

The 2007-08 Concordia men’s hockey preview can be summed up in one word – goaltending.

The fortunes of the Cobbers will once again ride on finding a goalie that can be consistent throughout the entire season, especially in conference games. Last year CC was eighth in the league in goals allowed during MIAC play, allowing an average of 4.75 goals per game in their 16 league games. The team allowed at least four goals in 16 of their 25 games last year. Not surprisingly, Concordia stumbled to a 1-15 record in those 16 games.

The top goalie for the Cobbers in 2006-07, Mike Persson (Regina, Sask.) had a 4.34 goals against average in conference games. Of the five teams that made the playoffs last year, all five had at least one goalie with a GAA under 3.05. If Concordia is going to climb out of the cellar in 2007-08, they will need one of their four goalies on the roster to step up and consistently keep the team in the game.

The winds of change might be blowing in favor of the Cobbers in 2007-08 as 22nd-year head coach Steve Baumgartner has brought in 12 newcomers to shore up the roster. Of those 12, six are defensemen that will help lower the Cobbers’ goals against average and give the team a more physical presence in front of their own net.

A quartet of defensemen will return to help the six newcomers get acquainted with the speed of the college game. Alternate captain Kirby Markowsky (Sr., Warkaw, Sask.) is the top physical presence on the blue line. His 6-4, 215 frame has helped him deal with the biggest forwards in the league and will help toughen up his teammates in practice. Markowsky is joined by sophomore Casey Olson (Rock Springs, Wyo.) and the Babich boys. Olson had five assists on the season last year and was one of only two defenseman who was on the right side of the ledger when it came to plus/minus.
Both Chris and Carl Babich (Jr., Eveleth, Minn.) are two-year starters that will add necessary experience to the younger defense corps. Both players are solid two-way defensemen that can jump into the attack and provide scoring punch.

The best news for the Cobbers will be the depth on offense. Concordia returns five of their top seven scorers from last year when the team scored at least six goals on four occasions and scored an average of 5.14 goals in their seven wins.

Leading the way will be Alec Holen (Jr., Thief River Falls, Minn.) who was named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team in 2006-07 and led the team in scoring with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points. Linemate Ryan Clukey (Moorhead, Minn.) was second on the team in scoring with 23 points and led the team in assists. The third member of the team’s top line also returns. Captain Cory Johnson (Moorhead, Minn.) was sixth on the team with 15 points and will help Holen and Clukey to improve once he joins the team after his stint with the Concordia football team.

Sophomore Knut Bitustoeyl (Asker, Norway) had many outstanding highlights in 2006-07 and finished fourth on the team in scoring with 19 points. He led the team in power play goals with six. The other returning player that tallied more than 10 points on the season is sophomore Blaine Gamst (Willow River, Minn.). Gamst had five goals and eight assists for 13 points.

Saving the most critical for last, the returning Cobber netminding crew of Persson, Jeremy Boniface (Jr., Goderich, Ont.) and Josh Hand (Sr., Temple, Pa.) have all shown flashes of being top-flight college goalies but have also gone through moments of being unable to stop shots from anywhere on the rink. Boniface brings the most experience from last season. He appeared in 20 games and finished with a GAA of 4.33. He also posted the team’s only two shutouts of the year and had a team-high five wins. Persson had an overall goals against average of 4.04 but was slowed by an injury in the first game after the Christmas break. A healthy person will help push both Boniface and Hand in practice and keep the trio sharp throughout the season.

The early part of the schedule will not be kind to Concordia. The Cobbers open up the year on the road at NCHA powers UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point. They return home to face Lake Forest in the home opener on Nov. 9 and will then square off against St. Norbert one night later. St. Norbert tied for the NCHA title last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament semifinals. CC will open the MIAC slate on Nov. 30 when they play at Hamline at 7 p.m.

2007-08 MIAC Coaches' Preseason Poll

Bethel claimed the top spot in the 2007-08 Men's Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll over St. Thomas and Gustavus. Bethel won the 2006-07 MIAC regular season and playoff championships and return five all-conference players from that team. Non-conference men's hockey games start tonight with conference play beginning on Friday, November 16.

1. Bethel (6)
2. St. Thomas (3)
3. Gustavus
4. (tie) Saint John's
4. (tie) St. Olaf
6. Augsburg
7. Saint Mary's
8. Hamline
9. Concordia