By Ryan Stieg
Well, Week 1 in the CCHA is in the books, and I’m feeling pretty good about my performance as I got four out of my six predictions right. I’m especially proud with my correct split between Michigan Tech and Minnesota. The Huskies are off this weekend, so they’re probably still on an emotional high, just like me.
This week brings new challenges as teams that were off last week are now facing their first opponents of the season, which of course makes their games a little harder to predict. All games are nonconference affairs with one of them taking place at Grand Casino Arena, home of the Minnesota Wild. I’ll be at that one and it should be a fun game.
Anyway, let’s not mess around any longer. Here’s my picks for CCHA Week 2 and I’ll start with a series involving the top-ranked team in the country.
Ferris State vs. No. 1 Western Michigan (Tonight at Kalamazoo, Friday at Big Rapids)
Oh Ferris. I had high hopes for you last week as you were facing a Miami squad that only managed three wins last season, but you ended up getting swept by the RedHawks. Now, you have to deal with the defending national champion Broncos. Western is at the top of the polls for a reason as they have one of the best goalies in the nation in Hampton Slukynsky and last year’s Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Owen Michaels. The Bulldogs are still looking for their first win and they’ll have to wait a little longer. The Broncos sweep the series, 5-2 and 4-1.
No. 19 St. Thomas vs. No. 10 North Dakota (Friday at Grand Forks, Sunday at St. Paul)
This is probably the best series in the league this weekend and many eyes will be on it. UND won its annual exhibition game against Manitoba last week and the Fighting Hawks will be looking to give new head coach Dane Jackson his first victory. Meanwhile, the Tommies are coming off a nice win at St. Cloud State where they were in control for most of the game. The Huskies were a good opening challenge for UST, but UND is a different beast. The good thing is that the Tommies have former Fighting Hawks goalie coach Karl Goehring on their staff to coach their netminders, so maybe he has some tricks up his sleeves. I think the two teams line up well together, so I’m picking a split. The Fighting Hawks win Friday 3-2, but the Tommies win Sunday 4-2.
Northern Michigan at No. 16 Ohio State
The Wildcats surprised a lot of people last week as they almost stole a game at UMass thanks to an impressive performance by goalie William Gramme, who set a school record with 66 saves, 34 of which came in the first period. However, NMU did get swept and the road doesn’t get any easier as it gets a Buckeyes squad coming off a NCAA Tournament appearance. The ‘Cats have a grueling first month and a win this weekend might be even more impressive than if they’d gotten one last week. However, I don’t see it coming. OSU sweeps the weekend, 5-3 and 4-1.
No. 20 Minnesota State at Omaha (Purple Cows at Red Cows)
The MacNaughton Cup champion Mavericks finally drop puck this week and it’s against the other Mavericks team. Mankato rolls in off an NCAA Tournament appearance where it went skate to skate with the eventual national champion Broncos. They return star goalie Alex Tracy and lockdown defenseman Evan Murr, so they’ll be good on their own end. The question is who will take over the role of offensive leader now that Rhett Pitlick has left town. It’s the first series for both squads, so they might be a little rusty. As a result, I’m picking a split. Red Cows win Friday 3-2, but Purple Cows win Saturday 4-3.
St. Cloud State vs. Bemidji State (Friday at Bemidji, Saturday at St. Cloud)
It’s a battle between two former WCHA squads that are entering with different results. The Huskies lost their only game last week to St. Thomas where they struggled for the first two periods, but then rallied to tie the Tommies in the third period before eventually falling to UST. Bemidji, on the other hand, is coming off a dominant road sweep of Alaska Anchorage. Clearly, the huge time change didn’t have a big effect on them. I think this is a toss-up series, so I’m going with a split. The Beavers win Friday 4-3, but the Huskies win Saturday 3-2.
Augustana at Minnesota Duluth
This should be an interesting one as both squads are flying under the radar this year. The Vikings opened their season with an exhibition tie with St. Cloud State, while the Bulldogs rolled to a road sweep of Alaska Fairbanks. Augie finished second in the CCHA last season and boasts one of the best goalies in Josh Kotai. UMD counters with NCHC preseason All-Conference forward Max Plante, while Adam Gajan had a solid weekend in net against the Nanooks. I know I’ve done this a lot already, but I’m picking another split. UMD wins Friday 5-2, while Augie wins Saturday 3-2.
Lindenwood at Lake Superior State
Will the Lakers open their season 4-0? It’s a distinct possibility. LSSU got its year rolling last week with a strong sweep of Stonehill and now, it gets the winless Lions. LU got swept by Wisconsin, getting outscored 10-2 in the series, and it’d also lost head coach Bill Muckalt to Michigan Tech in the offseason. Oof. Rough times in Missouri. I think Lake State makes things even worse this weekend. The Lakers sweep the series, 4-1 and 5-2.
Bowling Green at Niagara
The Falcons finally get to leave their nest this weekend as they travel to face the Purple Eagles. BG surprised some people last season by getting home ice and making it to the CCHA semifinals. The Falcons also brought in one of the best recruiting classes in the country, which includes CCHA Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year Dominik Rymon. So, there’s a little bit of buzz surrounding BG this year. Will it nab its first two wins? It’s not going to be a cakewalk as Niagara did get a victory last week over St. Lawrence, but I think BG opens its season with two victories. The Falcons sweep the series, 5-3 and 4-1.