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January 28
Long named MIAC athlete of the week
Piper junior defenseman Joe Long (Dayton, Minn.) was named MIAC men's hockey athlete of the week after scoring three goals to lead the Pipers into a first place tie this weekend, the conference office announced today. This weekend, Hamline University went 1-0-1 in their series against St. Olaf, and into a tie for first place in the MIAC with Bethel. Long had both Piper goals in Friday night's 2-2 tie, earning Hamline a point in the standings. Long then added a goal in Saturday's win at St. Olaf. Long is averaging 1.25 points per game in MIAC play (seven goals and three assists in eight conference games). His performance put him into a second place tie in defenseman scoring, and he is fourth in the conference in goal scoring, as well as tied for 15th in the MIAC in point scoring. A power play goal on Friday night moved Long into a tie for first in the conference in power play goals and third in the conference in power play points. Long is tied for eighth in NCAA Division III hockey in points per game by a defenseman (17 games, 12 goals, eight assists, 1.18 points per game) and is tied for ninth in NCAA Division III statistical rankings in power play goals (17 games, 0.47 pp goals per game). He leads a Piper defense that ranks 13th in the country in scoring at 2.41 goals per game (41 goals in 17 games). Hamline's power play is ranked second in the nation with 28 goals in 83 power plays (33.7%), and the Pipers' combined special teams effort is ranked first in the country at 59.4 percent. The Pipers will face off at home against the Bethel University Royals at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, February 1. The game features a show-down between the two teams locked in a tie for first place in the MIAC standings at 13 points each. |