A Christmas Carol: MCRHL Edition

Everyone knows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge.  He was a Christmas grouch until he was visited by three ghosts to get him into the Christmas spirit: Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future.  So to get everyone back in the hockey spirit, you will be visited by three ghosts as well: Ghost of MCRHL Past, Present and Future.

 

 

Lets take a look back at first semester and discuss some of the things that stood out.

 

 

Michigan State sits on top of the B division with 11 points.  They have a nearly perfect record and have the top four point getters.  They are closely followed by Eastern Michigan who has a record of 3-2.  Grand Valley and Ohio State round out the division.  

Best Game:  The best game so far was the match up between Grand Valley and Michigan State at the beginning of the year.  Michigan State jumped out to an early 6-2 lead.  They dominated the game, and the score represented that.  Grand Valley didn’t panic and methodically rallied back.  The game tying goal was scored by Jacob Walson with under a minute left, and the game ended in a 7-7 tie.  This game set the tone between these two rivals for the rest of the season.

Midseason First-Team Front Runners:

 

 

Miami (OH) swept the first semester by winning the six games they have played.  They have dominated competition by outscoring opponents 58-16.  The only team to prove they could topple the Red Hawks has been Cincinnati.  The Bearcats sit in second place with a record of 4-2.  Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Michigan Tech may have something to say come the regional tournament.

Best Game: In their only match-up so far this year, Cincinnati and Miami faced off in a nail biter.  The game consisted of five separate ties and five separate lead changes.  Cincinnati scored with 9 seconds left in the second period to take a 6-5 lead, but this would be the last goal they would score.  Miami took the lead in the third and never looked back playing prevent defense.  Miami held off Cincinnati on their way to a 7-6 victory. 

Midseason First-Team Front Runners:

 

 

Ohio State stands alone on top of the Division I leader board.  They have some work to do to stay in that position because Grand Valley and Michigan State are hot on their trail.  Ohio State has yet to beat Grand Valley and Michigan State who are poised to over throw the Buckeyes for the top spot.  Eastern Michigan has also had a good enough first half to keep them in the running for the MCRHL title.  Let’s not forget about Michigan and Central Michigan who will be looking to play spoiler.

Best Game: It was heart break city for Eastern Michigan when they took on Ohio State in mid-November.  Ohio State jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the second before Eastern answered with two of their own.  The third period started with an early goal by Alan Price to put OSU up 4-2.  Eastern rallied and netted two goals to tie the game at 4 a piece.  Just as everyone thought the game would end in a tie, Zach Fleissner redefined the word “clutch” by scoring with .1 seconds remaining.  Ohio State won by the slimiest of margins, 5-4.

Midseason First-Team Front Runners:

 

B Division Power Rankings:

 

 

Eastern Michigan had a big 6-3 victory against Grand Valley jumping to number two in the power rankings.  Michigan State has rolled through competition and remain the number one team in the MCRHL B Division.  Ohio State had a tie against Grand Valley but were not able to jump to the number three spot.

 

Division II Power Rankings:

 

Cincinnati dropped in the national poll due to a 1-2 weekend in Shelby Township, but that was not enough for any other MCRHL team to jump ahead of them.  Michigan Tech had a great weekend with two big wins over Cincinnati and Northern Illinois.  Miami stays a-top the power rankings remaining undefeated.

 

Division I Power Rankings:

 

 

Michigan State passes up Grand Valley by a convincing 8-2 victory, but just slightly due to their tie to Central Michigan.  Ohio State do not have a signature win against MSU and GV which keeps them at number three.  Eastern Michigan is knocking on the doorstep to break into the top three if they can walk away with another key win.  Michigan and Central Michigan will be looking reload for the second semester show who they really are.  

 

The MCRHL wastes no time getting back to regular season games.  In the first weekend of the semester teams will travel to Grandville, MI. Ohio State will have a bye week, but all other Division I teams will be in action.  The MCRHL will also welcome in Division II Delaware from the ECRHA to play Miami, Michigan Tech and DePaul.  And for the first time, the MCRHL will introduce 3 “Showcase Games”.  These games will be in prime time (6, 7, 8 pm) and will include announcers,  music and more.  We strongly encourage everyone (including friends and family) to attend these games and root for their favorite team, because as we all know, fans make it a better experience.

The MCRHL will also be hosting their annual Interregional in Palatine, IL during the first weekend in February.  We are very excited to bring in Brockport from the ECRHA, North Texas from the SCHL, Illinois and Missouri- St. Louis both from GPCIHL.  Teams will be flexing their muscles to represent not only their school/program but also they region they play in.  

The MCRHL Regional Tournament will be held during the first week in March.  The weekend tournament will cap the MCRHL season where teams will be competing for an automatic bid to Nationals held in Fort Myers, FL.