Weekend Match-Ups (Sioux 7)

Well, here we are, we’re at the end of the regular season in the WCHA. We have a full slate of games, 5 WCHA series to play this weekend. Congratulations to the Denver Pioneers, they are the 2009-2010 MacNaughton Cup champions. To go with that, we now know the home teams for the playoffs, DU, UW, SCSU, UMD, and UND, but the order can still change. Since this is the end of the regular season, let’s look back to the past and see how close the WCHA coaches were in their preseason voting.

Pre-Season
Grand Forks Herald WCHA Coaches
1. Denver
2. North Dakota
3. Wisconsin
4. Minnesota
5. St. Cloud State
6. Minnesota Duluth
7. Minnesota State
8. Colorado College
9. Alaska Anchorage
10. Michigan Tech


CURRENT WCHA STANGINGS
(Everyone has played 26 league games now)

TEAM………………....W-L-T….PTS
1 Denver…………….......18-4-4….40
2 Wisconsin………….....16-7-3….35
3 St. Cloud State……..15-8-3….33
4 Minnesota-Duluth…..15-10-1…31
5 North Dakota………....13-10-3…29
6 Colorado College…....11-12-3…25
7 Minnesota…………......11-13-2…24
8 Alaska-Anchorage.....8-16-2….18
9 Minnesota State……..8-17-1….17
10 Michigan Tech……...4-22-0…..8


WCHA

#12 Minnesota-Duluth at Alaska-Anchorage
Last weekend the Bulldogs split a series with the Gophers in Duluth, and the Seawolves got swept by their in-state rival UA-Fairbanks.

With a win on Saturday night the Bulldogs stopped a three game losing streak, but are still struggling going 3-7-0 in their last ten games. I watched both UMD-UM games last weekend, and the announcers pointed out that UMD has gotten 43% of their goals on the power play. That tells me one, they do have a great power play, and two if you can keep it 5-on-5 you have a good chance of beating the Bulldogs. UMD goalie Hjelle got his first WCHA shut-out on Saturday, so congrats to him. The Seawolves continue to put together some wins, they now have an overall record of 10-20-2 and a home record of 6-9-0. UMD is 6-7-1 away from the DECC this season. UAA seems to have developed a pattern in WCHA home series, they tend to lose on Friday and then bounce back in win on Saturday. I think this is due to coaching adjustments made by UAA bench boss Shyiak. I don’t think people give Shyiak enough credit for his coaching abilities. With that, it is never an easy task for anyone making the trip to Alaska. SPLIT


#3 Wisconsin at Minnesota
Last weekend the Badgers swept the MTU Huskies in Houghton, and the Gophers gained a split on the road with UM-Duluth.

Back in the first week in November these teams split their series in Madison. The Badgers locked up home ice last weekend are now looking to finish in 2nd place. The Gophers gave themselves hope on Friday with a win, but lost on Saturday, which coupled with UND’s win puts them on the road next weekend. These games are on Friday night and then Sunday afternoon, which is a weird time for a game, in my opinion. The Badgers only need one win to hold on to 2nd place in the league (I believe they have the tie breaker on SCSU) so it is possible if they win on Friday, they might rest up some on Sunday’s game. The Gophers now in 7th place might look to move up to 6th place and pass CC. The Gophers can somewhat control who they might want to face in the playoffs. Even the FSN guys said UM would have a better chance of pulling off an upset in the first round if they avoid UW or UND. UW is one of the hottest teams in the WHCA and country now, and well, UM is not so hot. It will be interesting to see if the Gophers can elevate their game to match the Badgers in this Border Battle. If the Gophers can score first and get the crowd into it, they have a chance. If the Badgers score first, and silence the crowd, the Gophers might phone it in. BADGERS SWEEP


#1 Denver vs #15 Colorado College
Last weekend the Pioneers got a road swept at the expense of MSU-Mankato, and the Tiger got swept at World Arena by the visiting Sioux.

Earlier this season the DU won at CC, and then they tied in Denver. DU is on a 10 game winning streak and CC is on a 4 game losing streak. Since the calendar flipped to 2010, the Tigers are 3-9-0 in WCHA play, while the Pioneers are 9-1-1. Obviously these teams are on two different paths in the second half of the season. However, this is the battle for the Gold Pan. I can see DU taking a game off in this series, since they really have nothing to play for, they have got the MacNaughton Cup, and pretty much sown up a number one seed in the NCAA tourney. The Tigers are still alive to make a NCAA berth, but need to start winning games to get back in the mix. Of course, I’m sure DU knows this as well and would like to have CC watching the NCAA tourney from their dorm rooms. All this makes a tough series to predict, but the crystal ball has been extraordinary that last couple of weeks, so I will consult it again. SPLIT


Michigan Tech at #7 North Dakota
Last weekend the Huskies got swept in Houghton by the UW Badgers, and the Sioux swept the CC Tigers in Colorado Springs.

Earlier this season the Sioux swept the Huskies in Houghton. The Huskies will be on the road this weekend, and next weekend too, when they will travel to Denver to take on the Pioneers in the first round of the playoffs. The Sioux will be hosting a 1st round playoff series next weekend, most likely against CC or UM. The Sioux have now surged into the top ten in the PWR (which mimics NCAA selection) and look to get locked into a number two seed in the NCAA tourney. The Sioux are now on a season best 5-game win streak, and will most likely add two more wins to that streak this weekend. The hapless Huskies own a 1-12-0 road record and have had another rough season. MTU has scored the fewest goals in the league, and UND has given up the fewest. Those stats don’t bode well for the Huskies this weekend. All of MTU’s 4 WCHA wins have been against teams from the state of Minnesota; they have beat MSUM, SCSU, and UMD twice. I don’t see UND letting their foot of the gas pedal this weekend. SIOUX SWEEP


#4 St. Cloud State vs Minnesota State Mankato
Last weekend the Huskies enjoyed a weekend of rest, and the Mavericks were swept by the Pioneers in Mankato.

This is a home and home series for these teams, Friday in Mankato and Saturday in St. Cloud, since this is the only games these teams play against each other this year. However, it is possible that these teams my tangle again next weekend in the first round of the playoffs. The Huskies have been surprisingly good this season and will likely finish 3rd in the league. The Mavericks gave DU a scare last weekend and had a chance to upset them in the OT, but lost with 13 seconds left. MSUM only has one win over the top 5 teams in the conference; they beat UW back in October. In WCHA play the Mavericks are 3-9-0 in 2010, while SCSU is 8-3-1. I don’t see the Mavericks sweeping this weekend, or for that matter getting any points. SCSU SWEEP.