Pipers pile up accolades with MIAC championship

The Pipers concluded the regular season by winning the MIAC championship in a two-game sweep of Saint John’s, finishing with a record of 15-6-4, 11-3-2 MIAC. The conference title was the first for the Pipers since the 1948 championship, when Harry Truman was President. It was the fourth overall, as the Pipers also won in 1923 and 1932.

Hamline will host the #5 seed Saint John’s at 7:15 p.m. at Drake Arena on the campus of St. Paul Academy and Summit Schools.

Ticket prices are $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for students.  

The newly crowned MIAC coach of the year, Bell took the Pipers from last in the conference to the MIAC championship in one season. This campaign was just his third season at the helm of the program.  

Co-captains Dustin Fulton (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and Joe Long (Jr., Dayton, Minn.) have been named the MIAC co-players of the year. A forward, Fulton was first on the team in overall scoring with 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) in 25 games, and led the MIAC in points scoring (2.00 points per MIAC game) and goal scoring (0.88 goals per MIAC game). He was also third in the conference in assists (1.12 assists per MIAC game).  

Defenseman Long was tied for second on the team in scoring with 30 points (18 goals, 22 assists), and led the conference in power play goals with 0.50 per MIAC game. He also finished the regular season tied for second in the MIAC in goal scoring (0.81 per MIAC game) and was the second-highest scoring defensemen in the league with 1.25 points per MIAC game.  

Fulton and Long are joined on the MIAC All-Conference First Team by fellow Pipers Jared Hummel (D, Fy., Eagan, Minn.) and Andrew Birkholz (So., Maple Grove, Minn.).

Hummel was tied for second on Hamline in scoring with 30 points (four goals, 26 assists), and was the highest scoring defenseman and first-year player in the conference at 1.31 points per MIAC game. He was also second in the conference in assist scoring (1.19 per MIAC game) and power play points per game (0.94 per MIAC game).

Birkholz was fourth on Hamline in scoring with 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists), and led the conference in game-winning goals (4 total), including having both game-winners in the Augsburg series that clinched a Piper playoff berth.

All-MIAC Honorable Mention status was awarded to defenseman Corey Krogen (So., Marshall, Minn.), defenseman Chris Berenguer (Fy., Eden Prairie, Minn.), forward Nick Zilka (Fy., Mound, Minn.), and goalie Matt Wanvig (So., Brooklyn Park, Minn.).

Krogen had 14 points on seven goals and seven assists. Wanvig played over 700 minutes in net for the Pipers, more than 500 of those minutes coming in conference play.  He had a 9-2-1, 7-1-1 MIAC record in goal, and a goals against average of 2.61 and a save percentage of .897 in MIAC games.

Hummel and Berenguer, who pair up together defensively, were named to the All-Rookie team.

Berenguer, a mid-season addition to the Piper roster, had 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in just 16 total games. He was fourth in the MIAC in defenseman scoring (1.08 points per conference game) and was tied with Zilka at fifth in first-year player scoring.

Hummel was also named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

Hamline University belongs to the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. Hamline supports 19 intercollegiate athletic teams for men and women. Find out more about Hamline athletics at www.hamline.edu/athletics.

Creative and innovative teaching and learning attract a diverse student body of nearly 4,600 undergraduate and graduate students to Hamline University. Challenged to create and apply knowledge in local and global contexts, Hamline students develop an individual and community ethic of social justice, civic responsibility, and inclusive leadership and service.

Ranked first in Minnesota among comprehensive master’s universities by U.S.News & World Report, Hamline is also Minnesota’s first university, founded in 1854, and among the first co-educational institutions in the nation.