By Ryan Stieg
Heading into last weekend, I was hoping to close out 2024 on a good note, but I ended up leaving it on a mediocre one.
I did a great job picking the two tournaments involving CCHA teams correctly as I correctly predicted Ferris to take fourth at the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off and that Michigan Tech would finish third at the Great Lakes Invitational. I also was right that No. 1 Michigan State would win the GLI. Unfortunately, I finished 2-2 on the weekend as St. Thomas lost to St. Cloud State and Bemidji State lost to Minnesota Duluth. Oh well. At least I finished the weekend at .500.
Now, we begin the 2025 half of the season and Tech is playing in yet another tournament. That’s the main highlight of the weekend, but there’s also some interesting other series including an important one with key CCHA points on the line. So, let’s begin with that tournament and it’s a wacky one in southern California.
Coachella Valley Cactus Cup
Michigan Tech vs. No. 10 UMass Lowell (winner vs. Omaha/Holy Cross)
It’s the first year of this odd tournament in the Palm Springs area and it’s a fun reminder that there’s an AHL franchise in this part of the state. As I said before, the Huskies finished third at their own tournament in Grand Rapids and they surprisingly needed overtime to defeat rival Northern Michigan and win the third place game. Now, they’re heading out west to face a River Hawks squad that hung tough with Boston College and before that, won the Adirondack Winter Invitational. Tech played well against a good Western Michigan team at the GLI, but almost blowing what should’ve been an easy win over the Wildcats makes me hesitant to pick them. I think Lowell wins 4-2 and then beats Omaha for the title.
Michigan Tech vs. Holy Cross
Now, the Huskies find themselves in another third place game and they’ll get a Crusaders team that almost beat Lowell earlier this season, but fell in OT. HC is a solid Atlantic Hockey team this year, but I think Tech gets the job done here. The Huskies win 5-2.
Non-tournament series
St. Thomas at Lindenwood
Last week, the Tommies lost a tight one to St. Cloud despite a great performance from goalie Aaron Trotter. This week, they head down to Missouri for their last nonconference matchup this season. The Lions aren’t very good, but they have pulled upset wins over Wisconsin and Omaha. They also gave UST a good battle last year in Minnesota as they forced a tie before losing the next night. The Tommies need a boost to start the second half of the season and I think they get it with a sweep. UST wins Friday 3-1 and Saturday 4-2.
Augustana at No. 8 Colorado College
The other nonconference series involves the Vikings taking on another ranked foe. The Tigers are having a good year and are currently on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, so on paper, this looks like a mismatch. However, Augie tends to play well against good teams and I think they find a way to force a split. The Vikings win Friday 4-3, but CC wins Saturday 3-1.
Bowling Green at Lake Superior State
This is the only conference series during the weekend and it involves two teams fighting hard for home ice. The Falcons roll into the weekend with a little momentum after sweeping NMU right before the holiday break and then beating RIT on Sunday. The Lakers, on the other hand, were swept by Minnesota State before the break and have been off for a while, so they might be a little rusty. As a result, I’m picking a split here. I think BG wins Friday 3-2, but LSSU wins Saturday 4-3.