It has been out of the frying pan and into the fire for the Lawrence University hockey team all season.
The Vikings have played a very difficult schedule, but as Lawrence enters the final month of the regular season, head coach Mike Szkodzinski hopes this trial by fire will benefit his skaters.
“You have to beat the best to become the best,” Szkodzinski said. “We think it’s beneficial for our student-athletes to go against the best so they can see what they need to improve upon moving forward.”
Lawrence has faced only four opponents this season that haven’t been ranked by United States College Hockey Online at some point during the campaign.
“We definitely knew there were some great challenges ahead of us,” Szkodzinski said. “We know we have quality people in our program and we were very confident they would be able to rise to the challenges.”
That started with the first game of the season when the Vikings went to UW-Stevens Point and posted a 5-4 victory over the Pointers, who have been ranked as high as ninth this season. It was the first time the Vikings had beaten the Pointers in five tries.
“We will use that victory as an example for many years to come,” Szkodzinski said. “Every team needs to have a keynote victory and that’s one of those for Lawrence University hockey.”
Lawrence also downed St. Scholastica, ranked 11th to start the season, and skated to a 1-1 tie at UW-Superior, which checks in at No. 15 this week. Lawrence also has had games with perennial power St. Norbert College and UW-Eau Claire.
The Vikings have also faced increasingly difficult competition from within the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. Lawrence just wrapped up a series with No. 9 Adrian College and take on No. 12 MSOE this weekend.
“I think it’s a testament to the MCHA and how much this league has improved over the last five years, especially the last three years with Adrian coming in,” Szkodzinski said.
“At one point this year there were four (MCHA teams) ranked in the top 20 in the nation. That’s something to be proud of and it shows how far our league has come.”
Despite the rigorous schedule, the Vikings are 9-7-1 on the season and are holding down second place in the MCHA Northern Division. With a schedule that features six home games in its final eight regular season contests, Szkodzinski believes his battle-tested group will be strong down the stretch.
“We feel we definitely have the tools to succeed within our league and within the West Region. The experience we’ve had against very high quality opponents will benefit us,” Szkodzinski said.
“It’s just a matter of time before those experiences come together and make us the team we believe we can be. We feel we’re a special moment away from being a legitimate contender for the MCHA title. Whether it’s a big save, a goal at the right time or a bounce we’ve earned.”
Beller joins football staff
Mark Beller, a former player at St. Norbert, has joined the Lawrence football coaching staff. Beller comes to Lawrence from the University of Puget Sound, where he coached the offensive line in 2010.
“I am really excited to be able to work with such a great staff,” Beller said. “It will be fun to get back into the Midwest Conference and be working with coach (Chris) Howard again.”
Beller is a native of Minocqua and played for current Lawrence head coach Chris Howard when he was the defensive coordinator at St. Norbert.
Beller went on to serve as a graduate assistant coach at Minnesota State University Mankato in 2007. Beller moved to the University of Redlands and was a graduate assistant coach for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He earned a Master’s degree in higher education from Redlands in 2010.
Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.