UMC Student-Athletes Earn NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston had nine student-athletes recognized as recipients of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award as announced the NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind.

The baseball team was the most recognized sport for UMC with Jesse Jennings (Sr., OF, Robbinsdale, Minn./Criminal Justice), Travis Magdzas (Sr., DH, Duluth, Minn./Criminal Justice) and Richie Navratil (Sr., P, Blansko, Czech Republic/Management) receiving the award. Women’s basketball had two student-athletes honored with Kenzie Church (Sr., F, Fairmount, N.D./Management) and Ashley Martell (Sr., G, Somerset, Wis./Health Science) earning the award. Soccer player Cayla Bendel (Sr., Lakeville, Minn./Natural Resources), men’s golfer Matt Bjorgo (Sr., Crookston, Minn./Natural Resources), football player Matt Borowicz (Sr., Stephen, Minn./Health Science) and volleyball player Brittany Looker (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Health Science) received the honor.

The Golden Eagles nine student-athletes were up from four last year. UMC had the fourth-most student-athletes along with Upper Iowa University, behind only Winona State University, University of Sioux Falls and Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The honor, named for the late NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand, is bestowed to senior NSIC student-athletes who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher, are exhausting their eligibility and are on track to graduate. Each student-athlete will be recognized by the NSIC with a certificate of achievement and a wrist watch. Furthermore, each institution is highly encouraged to have these student-athletes be publicly recognized at a home athletic event. A total of 111 student-athletes from the NSIC’s 16 institutions will receive the award in its sixth year.

5th Annual Justin Knebel Memorial Ice Fishing Tourney

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Fish for prizes and support scholarships during the 5th Annual Justin Knebel Memorial Ice Fishing Tournament to be held Saturday, February 7, 2015. The tournament, which supports scholarships at the University of Minnesota Crookston, will be held at Zippel Bay Resort on Lake of the Woods, Williams, Minn. Tickets are available for $20 by contacting Alysa Tulibaski at 701-215-4300. Tickets are also available at Zippel Bay Resort, 6080 39th St. NW, Williams, Minn., 800-222-2537. 

Raffle tickets also are available for $5 for a chance to win prizes including the grand prize of a 2015 Lil'Skidder Skid Fish house, compliments of Troy Foss and Big Bite Manufacturing of Greenbush, Minn. Raffle tickets will be sold until 1:30 p.m.the day of the tournament.

Registration, limited to the first 150, begins at 9:30 am. on the ice at the tournament site with fishing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the first person to catch a fish, along with prizes for the largest walleye, northern, sauger, perch, and other species caught during the tournament. The registration fee also includes a raffle ticket and road access fee. All proceeds from the tournament support the Justin Knebel Memorial Scholarship Fund at the U of M Crookston.

The Justin Knebel Memorial Ice Fishing Tournament corporate sponsors are Big Bite Manufacturing, Zippel Bay Resort, and Streiff Sporting Goods in Warroad, Minn. A number of other businesses in Northwest Minnesota support the tournament through the donations of prizes and monetary support. 

UND's McIntyre wins NCHC award

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – For the third time in the last five weeks, North Dakota junior Zane McIntyre has been named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Goaltender of the Week.

McIntyre registered season-best save totals on consecutive nights as North Dakota battled conference rival Minnesota Duluth to a series split in Grand Forks. The Thief River Falls, Minn., turned aside a season-high 33 shots in Friday’s 4-1 loss, a benchmark that lasted one day. In UND’s 5-2 win on Saturday, McIntyre stopped a regular-season career-high 41 shots, including 16 in the third period and 31 over the final 40 minutes. He also registered his first assist of the season and third of his career.

The 74 saves by McIntyre on the weekend were 16 more than any other NCHC goaltender.

In 21 games this season (20 starts), McIntyre is 14-5-2 with a 2.01 goals against average and a career-best .930 save percentage. He leads the NCHC in appearances, starts, wins, minutes played (1224:29) and saves (547). His .934 save percentage during conference games also leads the NCHC.

St. Cloud State senior forward Joe Rehkamp (Offensive), Minnesota Duluth senior defenseman Willie Raskob (Defenseman) and Omaha freshman forward Avery Peterson (Rookie) were also recognized by the NCHC.

UND’s NCHC Players of the Week
Oct. 20:     Mark MacMillan, Sr., D (Offensive)
                    Paul LaDue, So., D (Defenseman)
Oct. 27:     Troy Stecher, So., D (Defenseman)
Nov. 17:     Drake Caggiula, Jr., F (Offensive)

Dec. 1:       Zane McIntyre, Jr., G (Goaltender)

Dec. 8         Jordan Schmaltz, Jr., D (Defenseman)

                    Zane McIntyre, Jr., G (Goaltender)

                    Tucker Poolman, Fr., D (Rookie)

Jan. 12:     Zane McIntyre, Jr., G (Goaltender)

UND atop national hockey polls

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota was knocked out of the top spot in both national polls by Minnesota State University this week, but remained ranked in the top three in both sets of rankings.

UND (14-5-2, 7-4-1 NCHC) fell one spot to No. 2 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll and two spots to No. 3 in the USCHO.com poll after a conference split with Minnesota Duluth last weekend. UMD, meanwhile, climbed from No. 7 to No. 5 in both polls.

UND, one of five teams to garner first-place votes in either poll, hosts unranked Niagara in non-conference action on Friday and Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Purple Eagles are 3-15-2 overall and 3-11-1 in the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA).

USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll

Rk.      School (First place votes)       Record           Pts.         PR

1.         Minnesota State (20)                      16-4-1            937            4

2.         Boston University (12)                   12-3-4            916            2

3.         North Dakota (9)                       14-5-2           907            1

4.         Harvard (5)                                      10-2-2            832            3

5.         Minnesota Duluth (4)                      13-7-0            807            7

6.         Massachusetts-Lowell                    14-4-3            668            6

7.         Bowling Green                                 13-3-4            642          11

8.         Omaha                                              14-5-3            639          13

9.         Miami                                               14-8-0            602            5

10.       Vermont                                           15-5-1            575          12

11.       Michigan Tech                                  15-6-1            496            8

12.       Quinnipiac                                        15-6-1            400          15

13.       Denver                                             11-7-1            333          10

14.       Providence                                       14-7-1            330          14

15.       Colgate                                            13-6-1            312          17

16.       Minnesota                                        10-7-1            311            9

17.       Boston College                               12-7-2            253          16

18.       Yale                                                    9-4-2            203          19

19.       Michigan                                          12-7-0            137         NR

20.       Merrimack                                        11-6-2            132          18

Others receiving votes: Robert Morris 33, Northern Michigan 15, St. Cloud State 7, Union 7, Mercyhurst 2, Penn State 2, Bentley 1, Western Michigan 1.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

Rk.      School (1^st place)                      Record           Pts.         PR

1.         Minnesota State (13)                      16-4-1            477            4

2.         North Dakota (8)                       14-5-1           451            1

3.         Boston University (7)                     12-3-4            446            2

4.         Harvard (5)                                      10-2-2            405            3

5.         Minnesota Duluth                            13-7-0            365            7

6.         Massachusetts-Lowell                    14-4-3            273            4

7.         Omaha (1)                                        13-3-4            254          12

8.         Bowling Green                                 13-3-4            249          14

9.         Vermont                                           15-5-1            239          11

10.       Miami                                               14-8-0            238            6

11.       Michigan Tech                                  15-6-1            144            8

12.       Quinnipiac                                        15-6-1            124          15

13.       Minnesota                                        10-7-1            101            9

14.       Colgate                                            13-6-1              77         NR

15.       Providence                                       14-7-1              69          13

Others receiving votes: Yale 52, Denver 49, Boston College 38, Michigan 16, Northern Michigan 8, Merrimack 3, Robert Morris 3.