Hockey / Championship Preview: CUW and DePaul battle in rematch of 2023 Championship game

Championship Preview: CUW and DePaul battle in rematch of 2023 Championship game

Date:  Source: Northern Collegiate Hockey League
Championship - #1 Concordia University WI v. #2 DePaul University:
It all comes down to this in the quest for the Hap Cup. Top seeded Concordia University WI and #2 seeded DePaul University will battle for the championship trophy. Some might be feeling a sense of déjà vu as this is a repeat of last season’s championship game. DePaul came away with the 6-4 victory last year, so they come in as the reigning champ.
 
This match up will mark the third time these two teams have met in the postseason. The two previous games were split and CUW holds a slim lead in the postseason scoring average, 4-3.5. Through their quarterfinal and semifinal rounds CUW is averaging 6.5 goals per game and giving up 2 and DePaul is averaging 5.5 goals per game and surrendering 1.5 goals per game.
 
When CUW and DePaul met in the regular season CUW swept the series. A 10-1 blowout in game one was brought down to a 5-2 victory in game two.
 
Proving why he was voted Rookie of the Year, Charlie Emme has had a phenomenal tournament so far with six goals and two assists. So, for DePaul to have a chance they will need to slow him down considerably. One other player for DePaul to watch is Garrett Wilderman. He has five points so far in the tournament, 1 goal and 4 assists, but during their regular season series he tallied nine points, 3 goals and 6 assists.
 
Two players for CUW to watch on the DePaul side are Michael Helf and Chris Lee. Helf has tallied four points so far in the tournament, 2 goals and 1 assist. He also assisted on one goal during their regular season series. Lee broke out in the semifinal round to bring his tournament point total to five, 2 goals and 3 assists. As with Helf, Lee had an assist during the regular season series.