By Ryan Stieg
Two weeks ago, I had the worst performance I’ve ever had making predictions on this site. So, I took a vow not to gamble that much again for the rest of the season and went into last week looking for redemption.
I didn’t find it though. I was wrong about St. Thomas-Bemidji State, Northern Michigan-Ferris State, Augustana’s Colorado trip and Michigan Tech and Lake Superior State’s combined New York venture where they both played games against Clarkson and St. Lawrence. There was only one series that saved me from going winless again, but that was due to a technicality. I thought North Dakota would sweep Minnesota State in Grand Forks and the Fighting Hawks emerged with a win and a tie. Due to my rule that ties automatically go in my favor, I managed to dodge a second disastrous week.
After barely succeeding at all last week, I’ll try to get back on the right track again this time with a strong performance, and unlike last week, I won’t be including St. Thomas with my predictions since the Tommies host NMU this week and I’ll be covering it live. So where do I start with my picks this week? I think I’ll begin with the series in Ohio as a certain team returns from a week off.
Mercyhurst at Bowling Green
The Falcons are flying low and are probably pretty close to the ground at this point. After winning its season opener, BG has now lost five straight, including a surprising sweep at the hands of Augustana. Falcons head coach Ty Eigner returned to the bench a couple weeks ago and although BG did look better, it was still swept by Western Michigan. The good thing for the Falcons is that this week is a great opportunity for them to get back in the win column. The Lakers are winless and haven’t particularly looked good during the first month of the season. I think BG rolls this week and gets a much-needed home sweep. The Falcons win 5-1 Friday and 6-2 Saturday.
St. Lawrence at Ferris State
There are a couple teams in the conference right now that I’m still trying to figure out and one of them is the Bulldogs. How good is Ferris? There have been times this year where the Bulldogs have looked very good and others, not so much. Ferris has split all three of its series so far, including last week’s battle with NMU in Marquette, so I’m tempted to pick another one. However, the Saints didn’t impress me last week when I watched them on TV, and I think the Bulldogs come out with two victories. Ferris wins Friday 4-3 and Saturday 5-3.
Bemidji State at Lake Superior State
Here’s a fun conference series with the Beavers getting a chance to build on last week’s sweep of St. Thomas and the Lakers having an opportunity to do the same after they got two nonconference wins in New York. I think Bemidji is better than people think and LSSU has shown signs that it’s improving, so it’s a tough call. So, I’ll play it safe and pick a split. The Beavers win Friday 3-2, but the Lakers win Saturday 4-3.
Augustana at Michigan Tech
Remember how I said earlier that there were a couple teams that I’m still trying to figure out? Here’s the other one and you’re probably thinking it’s the Vikings. Nope, it’s the Huskies and I think Tech fans are scratching their heads just as much as I am. As I’ve said before, Tech was seen as the team to beat in the CCHA, and it made sense considering it was coming off a NCAA Tournament appearance. However, the Huskies are still winless after their trip to New York and I’m starting to wonder when they’ll finally nab their first victory. As far as Augie goes, it has looked pretty good overall, but I don’t know if the Vikings can sustain it much longer. So, I’m going to stick with the Huskies and pick a sweep. Tech wins Friday 3-2 and Saturday 4-1.