By Ryan Stieg
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone is having a great holiday and that all of you on winter break will continue to enjoy yourselves.
I’m doing quite well. I’m enjoying a cup of hot cocoa, which was my reward for being successful with my picks in Week 11. St. Thomas came through for me by sweeping NMU and Augustana split its series with Omaha, so I went 2 for 4. Normally, I don’t drink cocoa when it’s above freezing outside, but it is Christmas Eve and I’m pretty proud of myself.
This weekend, we enter the winter holiday tournament season and there’s two of them going on this weekend in the Upper Midwest. What’s my reward this time? Some crispy bacon from a griddle as it’s National Bacon Day on Tuesday. If I’m successful, I urge you to have some along with me.
Let’s get started. Here’s my predictions for CCHA Week 12 and we’ll start with a tournament I’ve covered before during my days in Michigan.
Great Lakes Invitational (Sunday-Monday) in Grand Rapids
Miami vs. Michigan Tech
The host Huskies are coming in confident thanks to an easy road sweep of Ferris and after a full two weeks off, they should be well-rested. They’ll take on a RedHawks team that is having a surprisingly good year after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign. The teams match up well here and I think it could go either way. However, Tech usually plays well in its own tournament, so I’ll give it the edge. The Huskies win 4-2.
Ferris State vs. No. 3 Michigan State
The first game of the GLI looks like a tough one on paper. However, this one looks like a major mismatch. The mighty Spartans are a popular national champion pick and are having the type of season (12-4) many expected them to have. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are having a rough one (4-14). Ferris picked up a nice win in Mankato, but then it got swept by Tech and will need to have a strong second half if it has any hope of getting home ice in the CCHA playoffs. The Bulldogs best hope Sunday is that MSU starts slow as it hasn’t played since Dec. 6 and will be dealing with a 22-day layoff. I think the Spartans are just too talented for that to have a huge effect and they cruise. MSU wins 5-2.
Third place: Ferris State vs. Miami
Can the Bulldogs come home with a victory? I like their chances here better than I did against the Spartans. Miami has having a much better season than Ferris, but the Bulldogs have already dueled with the RedHawks twice this year, so they know what to expect. Even though it got swept in that series, I think Ferris gets a victory. The Bulldogs win 3-2.
Championship: Michigan Tech vs. Michigan State
This could be a good one. The Spartans may be more talented, but Tech plays well against teams that are more skilled than it is. At the same time, MSU is a different beast than some other schools, and I think the Huskies come up short in the end. The Spartans win the GLI 5-3.
Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off (Sunday-Monday) in Milwaukee
Lake Superior State vs. No. 2 Wisconsin (winner to face No. 7 Western Michigan or No. 12 Boston College)
The odds are definitely against the Lakers in this game and probably the entire tournament since the other teams are all highly ranked. First up for LSSU are the Badgers, who are having a better-than-expected season. Wisco has only lost twice this year and it’s won five in a row and six of its last seven games. The Lakers, on the other hand, are struggling, but since they play in the unpredictable CCHA, they’re still in contention for home ice. However, against Wisco, LSSU is just overmatched. The Badgers win 4-1.
Third place: Lake Superior State vs. No. 12 Boston College
It was a tough call on who would play the Lakers for third place, but I flipped a coin and went with the Eagles. BC comes into the weekend hot after winning eight of its last nine games and although the Eagles aren’t as strong as they’ve been the last two seasons, they’re still very good. I’ve watched the Lakers in person and they’re not as bad as their record, but again, this is a matchup where LSSU isn’t as deep as its opponent. As a result, the Lakers come home winless. BC wins 4-2. As far as the championship goes, I think Western uses the steady glove of goalie Hampton Slukynsky to win the title. The Broncos edge the Badgers 2-1.