By Ryan Stieg
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m feeling pretty good right now. After a terrible Week 3, I had a good Week 4, so I think I’m back on track with my CCHA predictions.
That’s a good thing too as Halloween is Friday and that’s usually a bad sign for me despite it being my favorite holiday. It’s a day full of fun and frights for me with my predictions usually landing in the latter column.
So, will my Halloween weekend result in tricks or treats? I’m not sure, but I’m hoping for some candy. Here’s my picks for CCHA Week 5, and I’ll start with a big rivalry series that starts Halloween about 30 minutes from my backyard.
No. 18 Minnesota State vs. St. Thomas (Friday at St. Paul, Saturday at Mankato)
If there’s a team that needs a win this weekend, it’s the Tommies. Last weekend, they opened their flashy new arena and had a great chance to get two wins over a ranked Providence team. Instead, UST blew a two-goal lead in the third period Friday and had to settle for a tie with the Friars. Then on Saturday, the Tommies had a 4-1 lead in the second period, but then they gave up six unanswered goals and were dealt a 7-4 loss. Yikes. Just yikes.
Now, UST gets the rival Mavericks, who are coming off a home sweep of RPI after coming home with two ties at Wisconsin. Mankato defenseman Evan Murr earned CCHA Defenseman of the Week honors last week and Alex Tracy is one of the best goalies in the league, so the Tommies will need to find some offense and then keep their foot on the gas the rest of the way. I think they do that at home, but they can’t do it again on the road. UST wins Friday 3-2, but the Mavericks win Saturday 4-3.
Bemidji State at Bowling Green
Both teams are coming off successful weekends with the Beavers sweeping Augustana at home, while the Falcons swept Lake State in Sault Ste. Marie. Bemidji was in dire need of a victory at home and they ended up getting two, so maybe it’s back on the right path. Goalie Max Hildebrand earned Rookie of the Week honors after picking up his first victory in net Saturday, so the Beavers might’ve found their new starting goalie. As far as BG goes, I didn’t know what to make of them last week as it’d only played two games and they were both losses. However, it’s clear that the Falcons are better than I thought, so it should be a good matchup. I think the two squads match up evenly, so I’m picking a split. The Falcons win Friday 4-2, but the Beavers win Saturday 3-1.
Northern Michigan at Augustana
We’re in Week 5 now and the Wildcats remain winless. Last week, I don’t think anybody expected them to win as they were facing No. 1 Michigan State, but this week might be the opportunity NMU needs to get back in the win column. The Vikings are reeling after getting swept by Bemidji, but at the same time, they seem to play at their best when I don’t expect them to. I know I’ve done this twice already, but I’m picking another split. The Wildcats win Friday 5-4, but Augie wins Saturday 4-1.
Lindenwood at Ferris State
Oof. Ferris, what happened to you? You had a solid weekend against Western Michigan where you got a split, and then picked up two exhibition wins, but then you got swept easily by Tech? The Bulldogs seem to be a team of huge highs and big lows so far, so this weekend should be interesting. They get a Lions team that just lost to Miami twice in overtime, but it has also defeated Denver and swept LSSU this year. On paper, it looks as if the Lions should take care of business, but I’m going to gamble here. I think Ferris rebounds and gets two wins. The Bulldogs sweep the series, 4-3 and 5-4.
Michigan Tech at Clarkson Friday, at St. Lawrence Saturday
It’s still early in the season, but the Huskies appear to be better than some people thought. Not me though. I thought Tech was going to be better this year and it’s shown it so far. Now, they and Lake State are on an eastern voyage to upstate New York where they’ll face the Golden Knights and the Saints on opposite nights. Clarkson is up first for Tech and it’s having an up and down season. They’ve upset Penn State and North Dakota this year, but have also lost to RIT and Canisius. So, they’re capable of beating good teams, but stumble against ones they should beat. Then there’s SLU, who sits at 1-5. The Saints are a decent team, but they’re a little undermatched against the Huskies. I think Tech’s splits the weekend. The Huskies fall to the Golden Knights 4-3, but they defeat the Saints 5-2.
Lake Superior State at St. Lawrence Friday, at Clarkson Saturday
Last weekend, I said I wasn’t sure what to make of the Lakers, but after getting swept by BG, it’s clear that they have some work to do. The good thing is they have a good chance to rebound quickly as LSSU gets the struggling Saints first, who they match up well against. Then they face the Golden Knights, who like I said earlier, have been impressive one week and not so much the next. Just like the Huskies, I think the Lakers split the weekend. LSSU defeats the Saints 4-1, but it falls to the Golden Knights 5-3.