It’s winter break and your Blue Devils are spread across North America in their respective home towns for some family time.  UW-Stout enters the break 6-5-3 overall and 4-3-3 in the NCHA.  UW-Stout has struggled the first half of this season in a few areas.

The most notable of these areas is the defensive zone.  The blue devils have had a hard time breaking out of their own zone, finding the open passing lanes and inevitably turning the puck over in their own zone.  Some of this can be attributed to the loss of Bobby Kuehl, a senior who sustained a devastating knee injury during the opening of the season against St. Norbert’s.  Kuehl was certainly the number one defenseman coming into the season.  Joe Beaudette and Ryan Sullivan have been seeing significant time because of Kuehl’s injury.  These young players will continue to get their feet wet as the season progresses.

Tom Lescovich came into the season slotted as the number two goaltender but has seen nearly all the minutes.  Lescovich has logged the most minutes than any other NCAA Div. III goaltender in the country.  Starting goaltender Nick Hopper went down in the second period of the season opener with an extensive groin injury.  Nick Hopper just returned to 100% health status in the last couple weeks.  The two goaltenders will battle for the starting position during the holiday break.  Don’t be surprised to see Tom Lescovich still get some time, he has certainly proven himself in that starting role.  Lescovich ended the first-half of the season with a .907% and a 3.21 GAA.  While those numbers may not be flashy, keep in mind he played the most minutes and saw the most shots per-game than any goaltender in the NCHA.

The Blue Devils have been plagued by many injuries, not just the ones noted above.  Junior forward Jared Britton has been out with a separated shoulder since the season opener, Mike Hartviksen was out for nearly all of the first half with a mild knee injury, he just returned to the line-up a few weeks ago.  Joe Knoepke was out until recent weeks with a re-aggravated shoulder injury, we’re just starting to see what he can do in his freshmen season.   Would-be sophomore Matt Morin is out all-season recovering from shoulder surgery.  Morin was on the USCHO freshmen all-star team last season.  Injuries have be rampant and the devils now have a chance to get healthy over the holiday’s.   We’ll just be starting to see what this squad is capable of in the second half of the season that starts January 8th against Augsburg College.

The Blue Devils finally looked in-sync on every line in their two-game series against UW-River Falls last weekend.  The team is finally beginning to get comfortable with each other.  It should be an exciting second half as the NCHA shaping to be a tight race with any team able to beat one-another on any given night.

NCHA Standings

Some players have stepped up and made some huge contributions during this 2009-2010 season.  Here are some of the key players thus far:

Andy Sternberg

The senior and leader of this Blue Devil has made huge contributions this season.  He currently has 6G and 8A for 14 points.  He has almost eclipsed his total points from last season (19 pts) in just half the time.  The senior forward is a leader both on and off the ice.  Look for more production out of him as the season continues.

Branden Gay

Branden Gay was a junior transfer from Robert Morris (NCAA Div.I).  Now that he’s found his stride, Gay has turned into an apple machine leading the team in assists.  He has 1G and 9A so far this season.  He truly is a pivotal play-maker centering Stout’s second line.

Scott Motz

Scott Motz has been a superstar since first putting on a UW-Stout sweater.  Motz has had 30 or more points every season he has played at UW-Stout, including two above 35 points.  Motz leads the team in points currently and also has rung up 4 power-play goals.  He again is a huge key to UW-Stout’s scoring prowess on the first line with 7G and 11A (18 Pts) thus far in the season.  Motz will continue to be a play-maker alongside superstars Derek Hanson and Joel Gaulrapp.  Each member of Stout’s first line has above 15 points currently.

Other notable contributors:  Sam Carr, Garrett Grimstad