After a much-needed bounce back year for Hamline’s Men’s Hockey, the Pipers will look to carry that momentum into a fresh season. Last season, the Pipers finished 13–11–1, the best season the program has seen in eight years thanks to a midseason surge.
“I think the experience helped a lot,” senior Joe Collins said. “The older guys know what to expect from some of these teams, and we can’t take anyone lightly because anyone can win at any time.”
Last season’s success seems to have already found its way into this year, with the Pipers at the .500 with a few defensive performances earning the victories. Piper netminder Maximillian Haselbacher was a brick wall this past Friday stopping 40 out of 41 shots on goal to lift the Pipers over Northland College 4–1.
Haselbacher was just as dominant earlier in the month when on Nov. 4 versus Saint Mary’s. He pitched a 30 save shutout, helping Hamline win their home opener in dominant fashion 3–0. His staggering .951 save percentage has kept the Pipers in every game he HAS started, allowing just six goals in his first four games of the season.
The offense has been off to a strong start as well, as junior Brandon McNamara leads the Pipers with three goals and is tied for the team lead in points with A. J. Carls. The first year out of Coon Rapids leads the program with five assists on the year but has yet to find the back of the goal himself.
“Some of the games we played we’ve taken a period off, and that’s costed us,” Collins said. “We know how we play and we can play well, we just have to figure out how to do that for a full sixty [minutes] every game.”
The next slate of games will be held this upcoming weekend versus MIAC rival St. Olaf in a two game series where each program will host a game. The Oles have had a less than spectacular start, losing half of their games in overtime to this point.
The Pipers will need to continue the strong defense in order to sweep, a recipe for success should be in the works this weekend as the Oles have struggled with scoring versus easier defenses.
This season has more buzz than most have had in recent memory, offering the Pipers a chance to reach heights they have not seen in over a decade.