By Ryan Stieg
So how was everybody’s weekend? If you enjoy big college hockey upsets, you probably had a blast. I liked the national upsets, but the ones in the CCHA caused me to have mixed results and helped me reach an important conclusion. It’s getting harder to win college hockey games and even more difficult to sweep a series.
On the national side, Top 10 teams Michigan State, Penn State and Minnesota all stumbled Thursday, while Quinnipiac did the same Friday night. Also on Friday, Ferris State bounced back in a big way after a season opening sweep at the hands of Miami as the Bulldogs upset top-ranked Western Michigan on the same night the Broncos were raising their national championship banner. I didn’t see that win coming and I’m pretty sure nobody else outside of Big Rapids saw it either. However, that’s what makes college hockey so much fun.
Now, it’s a new week and that brings new challenging series to predict. So, let’s get things started with a potential revenge series in Madison.
No. 20 Minnesota State at No. 17 Wisconsin (Thurs.-Fri.)
Mankato fans have been waiting for this series for a long time and they’re probably eager to get at least one victory over the Badgers after head coach Mike Hastings ditched the Mavericks for Madison. Now, their chance has finally come. It won’t be an easy series though. The Mavs split with Omaha last week, looking terrible on Friday, but good on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Badgers have swept Lindenwood and then blew out the USNTDP Under-18 team, 6-0. Those aren’t exactly noteworthy victories, but UW is still a good team that will be tough to beat at home. However, I think Mankato does get a dose of revenge and it earns a split. The Mavs win Thursday 4-3, but the Badgers win Friday 3-2.
No. 15 Arizona State at Augustana
The Vikings are probably feeling pretty good right now after a split with Minnesota Duluth with goalie Josh Kotai pitching a shutout Saturday night. Now, there’s a more difficult task this weekend as a ranked Sun Devils squad rolls into Sioux Falls. After getting swept by Penn State to start the season, ASU rebounded to win the Ice Breaker Tournament last week on its home rink. Kotai will have to be at his best this weekend and I think he does enough to steal a win from the Sun Devils and force a split. ASU wins Friday 5-2, but Augie wins Saturday 3-2.
No. 19 Colorado College at Northern Michigan
Just like two weeks ago, the Wildcats had their chances to get an upset victory, but they couldn’t pull it off and ended up getting swept again, this time by Ohio State. This weekend might be their best opportunity to get that elusive upset win. However, just like their previous two opponents, the Tigers are ranked for a reason. They split with No. 12 UConn to start the season and then got wins over Bentley and Air Force last week. NMU’s two goalies, William Gramme and Oliver Auyeung-Ashton, are what’s kept the Wildcats in the last four games, and I think one of them steps up and helps notch a split. CC wins Friday 6-2, but NMU wins Saturday 4-3.
Minnesota Duluth vs. Bemidji State (Friday at Bemidji, Saturday at Duluth)
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster for the Beavers so far. They dominated on their trip to Alaska Anchorage, outscoring the Seawolves 14-2 in the series. However, last week against St. Cloud State, Bemidji was swept in a home and home series. So yeah, it’s been up and down. Now they get another home and home, this time with the Bulldogs. UMD also went up to Alaska during its opening weekend and swept the Nanooks in Fairbanks, but as I said earlier, it split with Augie last week. So, the Bulldogs have also had mixed results. This weekend is kind of a toss-up and in those situations, I pick splits. I’ll say both teams win at home. The Beavers win Friday 4-3, and the Bulldogs win Saturday 3-2.
St. Thomas at Air Force
The Tommies have shown signs that they’re the preseason CCHA favorite, but they’ve also struggled. UST looked good against St. Cloud in its first game, but it looked rough against North Dakota Friday in Grand Forks. The Tommies showed improvement Sunday at Grand Casino Arena, looking especially strong in the second and third periods. However, they were still swept by UND and are rolling into Colorado Springs on a down note. The good thing is that it’s still early in the season and UST’s next opponent also had a frustrating weekend as the Falcons lost to CC, but tied Denver. Air Force is never an easy opponent, so the Tommies are going to have to grind hard to come out with two wins. However, I think they get the job done. UST sweeps the series, 4-2 and 5-2.
Michigan Tech at Alaska Fairbanks
The final series of the weekend takes place in the Last Frontier. The Huskies were off last week after upsetting Minnesota to force a split in Minneapolis during opening weekend, so they might be coming in a little rusty. Meanwhile, the Nanooks are 1-3, but they’re probably feeling pretty good after their performance in the Ice Breaker Tournament. UAF upset Quinnipiac in the semifinal before eventually falling to host ASU after a good fight in the championship. Trips to Alaska can rattle some teams and I think being off last week could hurt Tech, so I’m picking a split. The Nanooks win Friday 4-3, but the Huskies win Saturday 5-2.