Playoff Hockey is here

NCHC first round

No. 8 Miami (12-19-3) – PWR 40 at No. 1 St. Cloud State (21-8-5) – PWR 5

No. 7 Colorado College (6-22-6) – PWR 51 at No. 2 North Dakota (20-11-3) – PWR 10

No. 6 Denver (16-14-6) – PWR 26 at No. 3 Nebraska Omaha (16-16-2) – PWR 34

No. 5 Western Michigan (17-14-5) – PWR 21 at No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth (16-14-4) – PWR  19

The NCHC Playoff bracket is set. predictions and thoughts.

NCHC Hockey: Going down to the Wire

North Dakota	NoDak	42	22	14	8	0	0	0.636	73	61	32	19	10	3	0.641	101	84
St. Cloud State	SCSU	42	22	13	6	3	0	0.659	76	59	32	19	8	5	0.672	114	86
Nebraska Omaha	UNO	39	22	12	8	2	1	0.591	76	60	32	15	15	2	0.500	106	101
Minnesota Duluth	UMD	34	22	10	10	2	2	0.500	60	64	32	15	13	4	0.531	90	91
Western Michigan	WMU	34	22	10	10	2	2	0.500	64	66	34	16	13	5	0.544	91	89
Denver	DU	32	22	9	10	3	2	0.477	54	54	34	15	13	6	0.529	86	77
Colorado College	CC	24	22	6	11	5	1	0.386	47	64	32	6	20	6	0.281	61	100
Miami	MIAMI	17	22	5	16	1	1	0.250	52	74	32	11	18	3	0.391	92	98

 I guess we should take a look at the standings. This is definitely going down to the wire this season. Three teams (UND, SCSU, UNO) have a chance to finish first overall. Tiger’s beat writer Joe Pasiley has the procedures for breaking ties on his blog. This is what happens if teams tie in standings of the NCHC. So, if UND and SCSU win out, UND gets the tie breaker.

1. The team with the greater number of NCHC regular-season wins shall be the higher seed.

2. Head-to-head competition. Among the teams tied in the standings, the team with the highest winning percentage will be the higher seed.

3. Goal differential: Total goals for and against in contests between the teams tied in the standings.
4. Winning percentage of the teams tied in the standings against the remaining NCHC teams, starting at the top of the standings and working toward the bottom until the tie is broken.

5. Coin flip.

 

Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

The race for the Penrose Cup is on.  We are down to the last two weekends of NCHC regular season play.  We know for sure Miami, CC, UMD, and DU are out of contention for the title.  The title could be decided this weekend in St. Cloud when the top two teams square off.
 

NCHC STANDINGS 2013-2014

Team………………………W-L-T-SW………Points

North Dakota……………..13-7-0-0…..…….….39
St. Cloud St……………….12-5-3-0…………...39
Nebraska-Omaha………..10-8-2-1…..………..33
Western Michigan………...9-9-2-1…….………31
Denver………………………8-9-3-2………….…29
Minnesota-Duluth………….8-10-2-2….….……28
Colorado College……….. ..6-9-5-1…….….…..24
Miami………………………..5-14-1-1….…….….17
 

NCHC Games

#20 Minnesota-Duluth @ Miami

Last weekend the Bulldogs were swept by NoDak (3-0, 6-2) in Duluth and the RedHawks split with the Huskies (4-3W, 3-0L) in Oxford.

The Bulldogs have taken some lumps the last two weekends, but they have come at the hands of the top two teams in the conference.  Miami showed a sign of life on Friday with a win, but they are still not the team everyone predicted at the beginning of this year.  The Bulldogs still have a good chance to get home ice the first round of the playoffs, so hope is not lost in Duluth.  In Oxford, hope was lost a few months ago, now they can only hope to drag down others with them.  SPLIT

 

#10 North Dakota @ #5 SCSU

Last weekend NoDak swept the Bulldogs (3-0, 6-2) in Duluth and the Huskies split with the RedHawks (4-3L, 3-0W) in Oxford.

If this was a boxing match, it would be the main event, a battle of the heavy-weights.  This series could determine the first ever NCHC regular season title.  If one team gets a sweep they will have clinched at least a share of the Penrose Cup.  A split and it comes down to the last weekend of the regular season.  Way back, the first and second of November these teams played a series in Grand Forks with SCSU sweeping 3-2 and 3-1.  The Huskies are 6-3-5 at home and NoDak is 7-4-2 on the road this season.  I see the title being up for grabs next weekend, with nothing decided in the National Hockey Center this weekend.  SPLIT

 

Colorado College @ Nebraska-Omaha

Last weekend the Tigers swept the Pioneers (3-2, 3-1) in a home and home series and the Mavericks split with the Broncos (5-1W, 5-3L) in Kalamazoo.

The Tigers are seven points behind the Mavericks in the standings and UNO is sitting in a home spot.  The Mavericks are 7-9-0 at home and the Tigers are 1-11-2 on the road this season.  This weekend is the chance the Mavericks need to lock up a home ice spot.  The Tigers are not very good on the road, and their record reflects it, and I don’t see them getting a win in Omaha.  MAVERICKS SWEEP

 

Denver @ Western Michigan

Last weekend the Pioneers were swept by the Tigers (3-2, 3-1) in a home and home series and the Broncos split with the Mavericks (5-1L, 5-3W) in Kalamazoo.

The Pioneers have had a snag, dropping four of their last five games.  The Broncos too have been skidding, having only one regulation win in their last four games.  Back in mid-November these teams played a series in Denver with the Pioneers sweeping 5-3 and 1-0.  The teams are only two points apart in the standings and the Broncos are sitting in the last home ice spot.  This could be a playoff rematch in a couple of weeks… With that last home spot on the line, this should be a good series to watch, I think each team will get a win, in the “Omelet Series”.  SPLIT

NCAA Hockey: National Scoring Race

Points Per Game: GP G- A- P P/GM
  1 Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)      Boston College    JR F       33   29-34-63    1.91
  2 Greg Carey                 St. Lawrence      SR F       32   15-36-51    1.59
  3 Kevin Hayes (CHI)          Boston College    SR F       33   22-29-51    1.55
  4 Ryan Dzingel (OTT)         Ohio State        JR F       28   17-21-38    1.36
  5 Austin Czarnik             Miami             JR F       29   11-28-39    1.34
  6 Brett Gensler              Bentley           SR F       32   17-26-43    1.34
  7 Bill Arnold (CGY)          Boston College    SR F       33   12-32-44    1.33
  8 Kevin Roy (ANA)            Northeastern      SO F       32   17-25-42    1.31
  9 Devin Shore (DAL)          Maine             SO F       30   13-26-39    1.30
10 Riley Barber (WSH)         Miami             SO F       30   18-20-38    1.27
    Josh Archibald (PIT)       Nebraska Omaha    JR F       30   26-12-38    1.27
    Ryan Haggerty              Rensselaer        JR F       30   24-14-38    1.27
13 Mark Naclerio              Brown             SO F       27   16-18-34    1.26
14 Chris McCarthy             Vermont           SR F       31   16-23-39    1.26
15 Matthew Zay                Mercyhurst        JR F       32   16-24-40    1.25
    Jesse Root                 Yale              SR F       24   12-18-30    1.25
17 Kevin Goumas               New Hampshire     SR F       33   13-27-40    1.21
18 Cole Gunner                Air Force         JR F       34   14-27-41    1.21
19 Matt Leitner               Minnesota State   JR F       30    9-27-36    1.20
20 Nick Lappin                Brown             SO F       26   12-19-31    1.19