Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!

Christmas break is upon us. Thus, we only have a few games on the schedule this weekend, and non next weekend and then some games/tournaments just before New Year’s.


WCHA STANDINGS

Team………………………W-L-T………Points
1. Minnesota………………11-3-0…..……22
2. Minnesota-Duluth……..10-2-2….…….22
3. Nebraska-Omaha………7-4-3……….. 17
4. Colorado College……… 7-5-0……….. 14
4. North Dakota……….…...7-7-0….……..14
6. Denver……………………5-4-3………..13
6. Michigan Tech…………. 6-7-1…….…..13
8. Bemidji State…………. 5-7-2……….. 12
9. St. Cloud St……………. 4-5-3……….. 11
10. Wisconsin……………..4-8-2…..…….10
11. Alaska-Anchorage…...3-10-1…………7
12. Minnesota State……… 2-9-1…………..5


WCHA Games

#7 Colorado College @ Minnesota State
Last weekend the Tigers split with the Seawolves in Colorado Springs and the Mavericks swept the UAH Chargers in Mankato.

The Tigers could leap frog UNO this weekend with a couple of wins on the road. Similarly for the Mavericks, they could move out of the basement with a sweep. The Mavericks will be looking to build off of last weekend’s success and head into Christmas on a high note. The Mavs are averaging almost 3 goals/game in league play, which gives them a chance to win games. The Tigers are 3-4-0 on the road in all games this year. I’m guessing each teams gets a little something in their stocking. SPLIT


#14 Denver @ # St. Cloud State
Last weekend the Pioneers split with the Beavers in Bemidji and the Huskies enjoyed a bye weekend in St. Cloud.

The Pioneers could vault all the way to third in the league this weekend, depending on how all the games turn out. However, they have a tough road trip to St. Cloud this weekend. The Huskies only have one blemish on their home record, they are 3-1-3 at the National Hockey Center, and DU is 2-4-1 on the road. The Huskies can also climb the standings this weekend with some points. SPLIT


NON-CONFERENCE

Alabama-Huntsville (1-17-1)@ Bemidji State (7-9-2)
Last weekend the Beavers split with the Pioneers in Bemidji and the Chargers were swept by the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato. The Charges only have one win on the season, which came against the UNO Mavericks a couple of weeks ago. BEAVERS SWEEP


Michigan Tech (9-8-1) @ Northern Michigan (8-7-3)
Last weekend the Huskies split with the Gophers in Minneapolis and the Wildcats got a road split at CCHA foe Lake Superior State.

I think we could call this series the Battle for Upper Michigan, or something to that effect. The Wildcats are an impressive 6-1-3 at home in Marquette this season and the Huskies are 3-5-0 away from Houghton. Gotta go with the WCHA in this tilt. HUSKIES WIN


EXHIBITION

Russian Red Stars @ #18 North Dakota
Last weekend the Sioux split with UNO Mavericks in Grand Forks and the Red Stars .
Since this game is not officially recognized by the NCAA, I’m un-officially pick the university formerly nicknamed the Sioux to win.


BYE WEEK
Alaska-Anchorage
Nebraska-Omaha
#2 Minnesota
#1 Minnesota-Duluth
Wisconsin Badgers

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

College Hockey, North Dakota Fighting Sioux, WCHA Hockey
Now that we have gobbled up too much turkey, let’s gobble up some hockey games.


WCHA STANDINGS

Team.............................W-L-T....Points1. Minnesota.......................8-2-0...........16
2. Minnesota-Duluth..........7-2-1............15
2. Nebraska-Omaha...........5-3-2............12
4. Denver............................4-2-3............11
4. Michigan Tech................5-4-1............11
6. Colorado College.............5-2-0...........10
7. St. Cloud St.....................4-3-1.............9
8. Wisconsin.......................4-7-1.............9
9. Bemidji State..................3-6-1............7
10. Minnesota State...........2-6-0............4
10. North Dakota...............2-6-0............4
12. Alaska-Anchorage........1-7-0.............2


WCHA GamesAlaska-Anchorage @ Minnesota StateLast weekend the Seawolves split with the MTU Huskies in Anchorage and the Mavericks were swept by the Bulldogs in Duluth.

If one team can sweep the other in this series they will be able move into the middle part of the standings. The Seawolves removed the zero from their win and point column last weekend. The team that put up a few goals this weekend should come out on top, given the lack of scoring on both ledgers. SPLIT


#4 Colorado College @ North DakotaLast weekend the Tigers swept the Badgers in Colorado Springs and the Sioux split with the Beavers in Bemidji.

The Sioux need to get more scoring, period. They can’t win games when they don’t score. They averaging just over 2gpg, that isn’t going to win many games, and their record reflects that. UND has been getting good defensive play and goaltending, now they just need to find their scoring touch. The Tigers on the other hand have been put the puck in opponents nets quite regularly this season. The Ralph might not be so hostile this weekend, one since many students are away for the holiday and two many fans might be suffering from a turkey hangover. SPLIT

St. Cloud State @ #19 Nebraska-Omaha (Sat/Sun)Last weekend the Huskies split with the Gophers in a home/home series and the Mavericks took a point from the Pioneers in Denver.

The Mavericks haven’t done to well away from Omaha this year, having a 2-3-2 road record. The Huskies are undefeated at the NHC this year, 3-0-2. Both teams are pretty even in the GF-GA categories, SCSU is 45-43 and UNO is 47-48. So looking at those numbers, these could be a couple of close games. SPLIT

NON-CONFERENCE#3 Minnesota (11-3-0 overall) @ #20 Michigan State (7-5-0 overall)Last weekend the Gophers split with SCSU Huskies in a home/home series with each team winning at home and the Spartans split with Northern Michigan in Marquette.

In a season and a half this will be 4 game series in the Big Ten (shouldn’t be the little six for hockey…). The Gophers have suffered two of their three loses on the road this year. SPLIT

#18 Michigan Tech (7-4-1 overall) @ St. Lawrence (4-6-0 overall)Last weekend the Huskies split with Seawolves in Anchorage and the Saints beat Dartmouth and then lost to Harvard last weekend.

The Huskies have cooled down a little after their hot start, and this will be a lengthy road trip for them after just traveling to Anchorage. Also MTU is 1-3-0 on the road, so I wouldn’t be surprised if SLU got a win. SPLIT

Mercyhurst (6-5-1 overall) @ Wisconsin (5-8-1 overall)Last weekend the Badgers were swept by the Tigers in Colorado Springs and the Lakers took 3-points from Bentley.

The Lakers from Eire, PA are leading Atlantic Hockey this year with a 5-1-1 record. Ah, it’s the Badgers at home in the Kohl Center. BADGERS SWEEP.

DENVER CUP
Princeton (2-6-1 overall) @ #10 Denver (5-3-3 overall) Friday
Miami(6-6-2 overall) @ #10 Denver (5-3-3 overall) SaturdayLast weekend the Pioneers took 3-points from the UNO Mavericks in Denver and

I’m taking the Pioneers over the Tigers on Friday night and Miami over the Pioneers on Saturday.


BYE WEEK

Bemidji State - Beavers
Minnesota-Duluth - Bulldogs

Final Five Play-in Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, come one come all to the greatest hockey tournament of them all, the WCHA Final 5.

This is year it is a different format, since we have 6 teams, instead of 5. Now we have two play-in games on Thursday, and eliminated the third place game (which normal took place on Saturday afternoon).

Every team in St. Paul has a chance at the Broadmoor Championship and the NCAA auto-bid to the tournament. Three teams, UND, DU, and UMD are all but guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament, so the remaining three teams have more to lose this weekend.

Note - There will be a total of three Broadmoor Trophies. The largest will be on permanent display at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul in conjunction with the WCHA Final Five, one will be a traveling trophy, and one will be given to the winning team each year as a permanent addition to their display case.

WCHA 2010-11 FINAL standings
TEAM……………..…....W-L-T...Pts1. North Dakota…...…….21-6-1…43
2. Denver……..……...……17-8-3…37
3. Nebraska-Omaha.…..17-9-2…36
4. Minnesota-Duluth......15-8-5…35
5. Minnesota…….....…...13-10-5…31
6. Colorado College…....13-13-2…28
7. Wisconsin……….....….12-13-3…27
8. Alaska-Anchorage…12-14-2…26
8. St. Cloud State….......11-13-4…26
10. Bemidji State…….….8-15-5…21
10. Minnesota State…...8-16-4…20
12. Michigan Tech………2-24-2…6

(Numbers are current PairWise Rank)

Bemidji St. vs #6 Minnesota-Duluth(season series UMD wins 1-0-1)
Last weekend the Beavers swept the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and the Bulldogs swept the SCSU Huskies in Duluth.

These teams played a pair of games in Bemidji back at the end of October, with the Bulldogs winning a 3-2 in OT and the rematch ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Beavers will be the underdog in this series, something they are use to this year. Other than beating up on UNO this season, the Beavers have had a hard time against the other top teams in the WCHA. Perhaps BSU needs to pretend they are playing UNO again this weekend? The Bulldogs dispatched a hot SCSU Husky team last weekend, granted it was a sweep, but going into a 3rd overtime on Saturday night is almost like playing 3 games. That coupled with a short off week, could be a factor in Thursday afternoons game. The Beavers need to continue to ride the stellar goaltending they got last weekend into St. Paul, if they want to advance. Giving up that many shots game in and game out will eventually catch up with a team, BSU hopes that isn’t this weekend. UMD appears to have righted their ship after it was listing a little toward the end of the regular season. If BSU can keep UMD’s top line off the score sheet they should be able to win. If UMD can get some goals into the net and get a lead they can open up the offense and try to bury the Beavers. BULLDOGS WIN

#20 Alaska-Anchorage vs #13 Colorado College(season series UAA wins 3-2-0)
Last weekend the Seawolves swept the UM Gophers in Minneapolis and the Tigers won their series with the Badgers in Colorado Springs.

These teams played have played 5 times this season. First time these teams met this season was in October in Fairbanks Alaska with the Tigers winning that game. In mid-November they met in Colorado Springs with the teams splitting, a 4-3 OT win for UAA and a 2-0 CC win. Then they met in Anchorage in mid-January with the Seawolves sweeping the Tigers, by 4-1 and 2-1 scores.

The Seawolves are riding a season best 5-game winning streak at the moment. The Tigers were the only team to play a 3-game series last weekend. This marks the 2nd time UAA has made the Final 5. The last time was March of 2004 and then like now, they play the CC Tigers. Back in 2004 the Seawolves beat the CC Tigers in the play-in game and then fell to UND and UMD. The Tigers had to come from behind twice to advance to this point, some might call it luck, some might say they rose to the occasion. Whichever way you put, I think they are living dangerously and don’t want to do it a third time. It is also hard to believe that UAA is heating up at the right time of year, they are getting goals and limiting their opponents scoring opportunities. The Tigers need to win to secure up their place in the pairwise and the NCAA picture. The Seawolves need to win this game and one or two more to get into the tournament; obviously if they win the Broadmoor they get the auto-bid. SEAWOLVES WIN

#2 North DakotaLast weekend the Sioux swept the MTU Huskies in Grand Forks.

The Fighting Sioux will play the winner of the UAA-CC game on Friday night.
On the season, UND is 2-0-1 versus UAA, and is 1-1-0 versus CC.

#6 DenverLast weekend the Pioneers swept the MSUM Mavericks in Denver.

The Pioneers will play the winner of the BSU-UMD game on Friday afternoon.
On the season, DU is 1-1-0 versus UMD, and is 2-0-0 versus BSU.

Also to note, UNO is currently tied with CC for 13th in the Pairwise rankings. So barring some major upsets getting auto-bids, the Mavericks have a good shot at getting into the NCAA tournament.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

kceyThe bad news, the regular season is over, the good news, the playoff season is starting, yeah! This is it. Everyone has a chance to start their run to the Broadmoor Championship and the auto-bid to the NCAA tournament.

For the bottom six teams this weekend is do or die time. For the top six it is a time to tune up for a run at/into the NCAA tournament. Last year there were no upsets in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. This year I think we might see an upset or two in the first round. Looking at the match-ups this weekend only UNO-BSU have played each other 4 games this season, everyone else is just 2 games.

The Goon and I will be attending the Final 5 again this year. So, next week I will try and get some predictions up for the 2 play-in games on Thursday. And maybe get something up on Friday and Saturday for those games too.

I hope everyone has enjoyed my weekly guessing attempts again this year. I look forward to seeing some of you in St. Paul next week.


WCHA FINAL standings
TEAM……………........W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota…....…….21-6-1…43
2. Denver……..…….......…17-8-3…37
3. Nebraska-Omah.a.…..17-9-2…36
4. Minnesota-Duluth......15-8-5…35
5. Minnesota…….....…...13-10-5…31
6. Colorado College..….13-13-2…28
7. Wisconsin……….....….12-13-3…27
8. Alaska-Anchorage…12-14-2…26
8. St. Cloud State…......11-13-4…26
10. Bemidji State…….….8-15-5…21
10. Minnesota State..….8-16-4…20
12. Michigan Tech….……2-24-2…6

WCHA (Numbers are current PairWise Rank)

Michigan Tech @ #3 North Dakota (season series UND wins 2-0-0)
Last weekend the Sioux swept the MTU Huskies in Houghton.

The Sioux beat-up the Huskies last weekend, by 6-1 and 11-2 scores. UND just needs to keep playing their game - use their speed and size to their advantage. The Sioux need to take care of Tech in 2-games and then concentrate on the Final Five. It appears that MTU might have decided to phone it in last weekend. But this weekend, it’s a new season, everyone is even. The Huskies can try and play spoiler this weekend, but UND needs to keep focused on the games this weekend and not look ahead. SIOUX SWEEP

Minnesota State @ #5 Denver (season series DU wins 2-0-0)
Last weekend the Mavericks were swept by the UAA Seawolves in Mankato and the Pioneers split with the SCSU Huskies in Denver.

The Pioneers are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, not bad, but not good either, especially heading into the playoffs. The Mavericks enter the playoffs on a three game losing skid. MSUM owns a 3-8-3 WCHA road record this year, while DU has an 11-2-1 home WCHA record. The Pioneers beat the Mavericks in Magness Arena back in mid-November by scores of 3-2 and 6-1. Denver definitely is the better team in this match-up, but don’t count the Mavericks out. If MSUM’s goalie(s) get hot they could steal a game in Denver. But in the end, the Pioneers are just too deep for the Mavericks. PIONEERS SWEEP


Bemidji St. @ #6 Nebraska-Omaha (season series BSU wins 3-0-1)
Last weekend the Beavers earned 1-point against the UM Gophers in Bemidji and the Mavericks split with the UMD Bulldogs in Duluth.

The Mavericks get a chance this weekend to get some revenge on the only WCHA team they didn’t beat in the regular season. The Beavers will have the mental edge in this series, they know they can beat UNO. The Mavericks have to stick to their game plan and play at a higher level than BSU, if they want to go on to St. Paul. The Beavers will need to score more than 2 or 3 goals per game in Omaha if they want to win. BSU needs to find some offense, especially if senior Matt Read is unable to play (injury) this weekend.
MAVERICKS in 3

#20 St. Cloud St. @ #10 Minnesota-Duluth (season SCSU wins 1-0-1)
Last weekend the Huskies split with the DU Pioneers in Denver and the Bulldogs split with the UNO Mavericks in Duluth.

In early February the Huskies invaded Amsoil Arena and beat the Bulldogs 8-2 and tied in the rematch 3-3. SCSU is 5-2-2 in their last 9 games with loses to UND and DU, not too shabby. The Bulldogs are 2-4-2 in their last 8 games with wins over UNO and MSUM. This series has upset written all over it. SCSU is playing its best hockey of the year and are looking like the team that was picked to finish in the top 3 to start the year. The Bulldogs seem to be sliding into the playoffs. UMD needs to get back on track if they want to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament, which would include winning their first round playoff series. The Huskies still have hopes of making the NCAA tournament, but they need to win this series and do some damage in St. Paul to get in. Looking at the stats UMD has not last a league game when they were ahead after the 1st period, same goes for their 2nd period. The Huskies need to get a lead or be tied after the 1st and 2nd if they want to win, according to the stats. This could be the most interesting series this weekend, in my opinion.
SCSU in 3

Alaska-Anchorage @ #18 Minnesota (season series tied 1-1-0)
Last weekend the UAA Seawolves swept the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato and the Gophers took 3-points from the Beavers in Bemidji.

At the end of January in Minneapolis the Gophers beat the Seawolves 5-1 to open the series and the Seawolves responded in the rematch winning 1-0. Prior to last weekend UAA had only 3 road wins on the season, now they have 5 with a sweep of MSUM. The Gophers seem to be heating up at the right time of the year, they are riding a 7-game unbeaten streak, 5-2-0. The Seawolves will be looking for the upset this weekend and earn their second ever trip to the Final Five. The Gophers still have hopes of getting into the NCAA. In order for the UM to get in they need to keep winning, but beating UAA will not help them too much, but they need to beat them to move onto St. Paul. The Gophers will need to use their speed and cause UAA to take penalties this weekend. If UAA can find ways to score they could make life miserable for the Gophers. When the Seawolves get a lead and play defense, it can make for a frustrating game.
GOPHERS in 3

Wisconsin @ #14 Colorado College (season series tied 1-1-0)
Last weekend the Tigers split with the Badgers in Madison

A rematch from last weekend, this should be an interesting series, now that they have moved from Madison to Colorado Springs. The Tigers are 7-6-1 at home in WCHA games this year, and the Badgers are 5-7-2 away from the Kohl Center. (The Tigers have lost 3 of their last 4 home playoff series.) CC has clawed their way back into the NCAA picture and UW has fallen off the NCAA picture. Since these teams are the 6 & 7 seeds there won’t be much of an upset if UW won the series. The Badgers need to get more scoring from their forwards, if they want to advance to St. Paul. The Tigers need play smart hockey and not take any bad penalties this weekend.
TIGERS in 3

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Here we are - we’ve finally arrived - the last weekend of the WCHA regular season.
The MacNaughton Cup will be moving to a new home, good-bye Denver, hello Grand Forks. (The Sioux clinched at least a share of it last weekend.) It doesn’t seem that the season started almost five months ago – My how time flies when you’re watching WCHA hockey.

I wonder about the future… Will Goon’s old liver survive the Final 5 in St. Paul? Will team’s still play their “natural league rival” 4 games next season? Will the refereeing improve? (Not likely) How many early departures will teams suffer over this spring? Will UND pick a new nickname?

Okay, enough daydreaming, back to what’s at hand, 10 positions will be decided this weekend, MTU locked up the 12th spot a few weeks ago, and UND locked up the top spot last weekend. The top 4 teams cannot be caught, so it is just deciding who gets what seed there. Spots 5 thru 8, that’s where the action will be. It’s possible to have a 3-way tie for 5th place after this weekend - possible, not probable. The bottom 4 teams are stuck, they cannot get home ice.


WCHA standings

TEAM……………..…....W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota…..….….19-6-1…39
2. Denver……..…………16-7-3…35
3. Nebraska-Omaha.…..16-8-2…34
4. Minnesota-Duluth......14-7-5…33
5. Minnesota……..…...12-10-4…28
6. Colorado College.…12-12-2…26
7. Wisconsin………..…11-12-3…25
8. St. Cloud State........10-12-4…24
9. Alaska-Anchorage…10-14-2…22
10. Bemidji State…….….8-14-4…20
10. Minnesota State…….8-14-4…20
12. Michigan Tech………2-22-2…6


WCHA (Numbers are current PairWise Rank)

#14 Colorado College @ #21 Wisconsin
Last weekend the Tigers took 3-points from the UMD Bulldogs in Colorado Springs and the Badgers were swept by the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.

A month ago the Badgers were a big cheese, now they’ve turned into a dried up, crusty cracker – what happened in Badger-ville? They went winless in February, going a 0-5-1. (Perhaps they were lucky - February is the shortest month.) The Tigers have just been plugging along and are 2-points ahead of the Badgers for the final home ice playoff spot. The fans in Mad-town will need to cheer hard this weekend, as they need a sweep to grab that coveted last playoff spot. It’s also quite possible these teams will be playing each other next weekend too, in the first round of the playoffs. CC has been okay on the road this year posting a 6-7-1 record away from World Arena. The Badgers have been good at the Kohl Center going 13-5-2 at home this season. This is going to be a battle, for both teams. If Wisconsin can score first and get the crowd really into it, CC could be in trouble, but if CC can score first they can take the crowd out of the game. SPLIT

#8 Nebraska-Omaha @ #11 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Mavericks split with the DU Pioneers in Omaha and the Bulldogs got 1-point from the CC Tigers in Colorado Springs.

UMD has a 4-1-0 advantage in the all time series versus UNO. The Bulldogs had a rough February, going 2-3-3 and the Mavericks went 6-2-0 last month. Both teams still have a chance to grab the number two seed in the WCHA and neither can drop lower than fourth place. If you start looking ahead at first round match-ups, UNO might be concerned about hosting the Beavers. The Bulldogs need to stop the bleeding and playing a tough UNO team isn’t going to make it easy. Both are still in good shape for making the NCAA tournament, but if UMD can’t stop the bleeding their season might end earlier than expected. UNO has scored 88-goals in league play this season and UMD has netted 85-goals. The Bulldogs are 9-4-2 at home this season, 7-1-2 at the old DECC and 2-3-2 in the new Amsoil Arena, while the Mavericks are 7-8-1 away from Omaha. UMD fans might want this series played back at the good old DECC. I’m leaning towards a split in this series, but a sweep either way wouldn’t be to shocking. SPLIT

#19 Minnesota @ Bemidji St.
Last weekend the Gophers swept the MTU Huskies in Minneapolis and the Beavers were swept by the UND Fighting Sioux in Grand Forks.

The Gophers lead the overall series with a 6-1-0 mark. The Gophers also lead the WCHA in penalty minutes this season with 412, and they are 11th in conference on penalty killing. The Beavers should know this and try to capitalize on their power play chances this weekend, since BSU is leading the WCHA power play perecentage at 21.7%. The Gophers look to lock up home ice this weekend, and can do it on Friday with a win. The Beavers can only climb as high as 8th with a sweep this weekend. Don’t expect BSU to roll over play dead, since home ice is out, coach Serratore won’t let his team do that. Do expect the Beavers to play a tough, close to the vest, style game(s) this weekend. BSU has had problems scoring goals, much like the Gophers have this season. The Gophers found some offense last weekend, but hanging a pair of 5’s on MTU is not exactly climbing Mount Everest. The Beavers need scoring from their top line and power play, if they want to get some points this weekend. I see these games as a race to three. The first team to reach three goals in the game will most likely win it. SPLIT

#2 North Dakota @ Michigan Tech
Last weekend the Sioux swept the BSU Beavers in Grand Forks and the Huskies were swept by the UM Gophers in Minneapolis.

The Sioux clinched at least a share of the MacNaughton cup last weekend and can get it out right by getting one point this weekend. I watched the Huskies and Gophers game last weekend, as well as the Sioux-Beavers. MTU isn’t as bad as their record would indicate, they just haven’t gotten any bounces. Look for the Sioux to use their team speed to cause problems this weekend at John MacInnes Arena. This will be the first of back to back weekends these teams play. Next weekend the Huskies will make the return trip to Grand Forks for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. The Sioux are 10-4-2 away from The Ralph and the Huskies are 1-10-4 at home this year. (I can see UND winning Friday and then resting players on Saturday, with nothing to gain.) SIOUX SWEEP

#19 St. Cloud St. @ #5 Denver
Last weekend the Huskies swept the UW Badgers in St. Cloud and the Pioneers split with the UNO Mavericks in Omaha.

The Huskies have been mushing their way up standings in 2011. Unfortunately their horrible first half has them sunk into a bottom half finish. They Huskies are heating up at the right time of the year and are not a team people want to see in the first round of the playoffs. The Pioneers have stumbled a bit, but are back home at Magness Arena where they are an impressive 13-3-2 overall this season. The Huskies are 5-6-1 this season away from the National Hockey Center. (They are going to update/renovate the NHC using $31M to do so, I can’t wait to see a new upgraded NHC.) The Pioneers are just about a shoe-in for the NCAA tourney, and the Huskies still have a chance too. DU has talent and is at home, so I don’t think they’ll get swept, but do they have the instinct to finish off teams? SPLIT

Alaska-Anchorage @ Minnesota State
Last weekend the Seawolves split with in-state rival, the UAF Nanooks, in a home-home series and the Mavericks were enjoying a bye weekend.

These teams met back in October in Anchorage, and MSUM won and tied UAA at Sullivan Arena. The Mavericks hold a 7-6-3 home record at Verizon Wireless Center this season and the Seawolves are a lowly 3-10-0 away from Anchorage. Both teams will be on the road next weekend, regardless of what happens in this series. The Seawolves are the second lowest scoring team in the league (only MTU is lower) netting only 54-goals. So needless to say, they want a couple of low scoring games. Same could be said for the Mavericks, they have only scored 66-goals in the WCHA so far this season. I’m going with the home team in this series. MAVERICKS SWEEP

History

The History of the MacNaughton Cup

The MacNaughton Cup is a trophy awarded annually to the regular season champion of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The trophy is named after James MacNaughton of Calumet, Michigan, who was an avid supporter of amateur ice hockey. The Cup is hand crafted of pure silver and stands almost three feet high and weighs nearly 40 pounds.

In 1913, MacNaughton purchased a cup trophy for approximately $2,000 and donated it to the President of the American Hockey Association, which was to be awarded to the league’s champion at the end of the season. The MacNaughton Cup remained with the American Hockey Association until 1932. From 1933 to 1950, the Cup was given to semi-pro and intermediate hockey teams in Michigan’s Copper Country.

In 1951, the MacNaughton family arranged to have the Cup awarded to the newly founded Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL), a precursor to the WCHA. The MCHL was composed of Michigan Tech, Colorado College, Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Michigan Tech became the trustee for the MacNaughton Cup. In the original spirit of the trophy, the league decided to award the trophy to its regular season champion. In 1953, the MCHL became the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL).

The Cup remained a part of the WIHL until the league was disbanded in March of 1958. There was no league play for the 1958-59 season and for the 1959-60 season, the seven teams resumed competition under the new name of the WCHA.

From the 1961-62 through the 1964-65 seasons, the MacNaughton Cup was awarded to the WCHA’s playoff tournament champion instead of the regular season champion, but the WCHA resumed awarding the Cup to the regular season champion again for the start of the 1965-66 season through the 1981-82 season.

Michigan Tech left the WCHA to join the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the 1981-82 season. Since Michigan Tech is the trustee of the Cup, the Cup went to the CCHA.

The Broadmoor Trophy was created as a replacement and awarded to the regular season champion until Michigan Tech returned to the WCHA for the start of the 1984-85 season. The McNaughton Cup also returned and continues to be awarded to the regular season champion today. With the return of the MacNaughton Cup, the Broadmoor Trophy is awarded to the WCHA tournament champion.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

We have 5 league series lined up this weekend again. Interesting fact - there was not a single sweep last weekend in the 6 WCHA series last weekend. The top 4 teams are separated by only 3 points. Also 5th place thru 11th place is only separated by all 5 points. It looks like the last home ice playoff spot will come down to the last weekend of play, the way things are going. It looks like the top four teams this week will be the top four teams come playoff time. Most teams only have 4 WCHA games left (UAA and MSUM only have 2). The standings show the top 4 have distanced themselves from the middle of the pack, and it is very unlikely that they will be caught. Interesting fact, both UND and CC go their first league tied games last Friday night. If UND sweeps, UNO-DU split, and UMD gets no more than 3-points, the Sioux will claim a share of the MacNaughton Cup this weekend.

Remember, I’ve changing my rankings; I was using the USCHO poll, but changed to the PairWise Rankings. Since the PairWise mimic who is selected to the NCAA tourney.

WCHA Standings

TEAM……………..…....W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota……….17-6-1…35
2. Denver………………15-6-3…33
3. Minnesota-Duluth.....14-6-4…32
3. Nebraska-Omaha…..15-7-2…32
5. Wisconsin……….…11-10-2…25
6. Minnesota……..…..10-10-4…24
6. Colorado College…11-12-1…24
8. Alaska-Anchorage…10-14-2…22
9. Bemidji State…….….8-12-4…20
9. St. Cloud State…......8-12-4…20
9. Minnesota State…….8-14-4…20
12. Michigan Tech………2-20-2…6

WCHA

Michigan Tech @ #18 Minnesota
Last weekend the Huskies split with the DU Pioneers in Denver and Gophers took 3-points from the UW Badgers in Madison.

Can we say MTU is making waves, late in the season? They have gotten a win and a tie over their last two WCHA series, doubling their point total. Have the Gophers finally hit their stride this season? They are 2-1-1 in their last 4 league games, and those are teams that are higher in the standings. Three weeks ago I would have said the Gophers should sweep MTU, but now I’m not sure. The Huskies should be gaining some confidence now with some success, as should the Gophers. The Maroon & Gold faithful better hope they don’t have a letdown after their big UW road series. The Gophers now control their own fate, win out and they get home ice. The Huskies can put a kink into the Goldy’s hopes if they can pull a point or two out of Mariucci. The Gophers are 7-8-1 at home this season, and without a sweep they will not have winning home record in the regular season. GOPHERS 3-POINTS

#4 Denver @ #8 Nebraska-Omaha
Last weekend Pioneers split with the MTU Huskies in Denver and the Mavericks split with the UAA Seawolves in Anchorage.

This should be the “premier series in the WCHA” this weekend. Both the Pioneers and Mavericks suffered minor setbacks last weekend. This is a very important series for both teams; DU and UNO both have a chance to win the league. Both have secured home ice, so that isn’t an issue, but the PairWise ratings are. The Mavericks have a sparkling 12-3-1 record at the Qwest Center this season and the Pioneers have a decent road record of 6-5-3. The Pioneers are 2nd in league scoring with 82-goals and the Mavericks are 3rd with 81-goals. Denver has played the Mavericks a few times with DU holding a 7-2-0 all-time mark versus UNO. It wouldn’t surprise me if we saw a couple of shoot-outs in Omaha’s barn this weekend. SPLIT

Bemidji State @ #2 North Dakota (Sat. & Sun. @ 3:37pm)
Last weekend the Beavers took 3-points from the CC Tigers in Bemidji and the Sioux took 3-points from the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.

BSU opened their WCHA schedule by hosting the Sioux at their new arena, back in October. The Sioux spoiled their opening by sweeping the Beavers in a pair of 5-2 games. The Beavers still have an outside chance at home ice, but the need points and lots of help to get there. UND is looking to put a strangle hold on first place this weekend with getting a home sweep. UND is averaging 3.54goals/game in the WCHA and BSU is at 2.25goals/game. The Sioux lead the WCHA in goals scored at 85 and fewest surrendered at 56. Not too often does a team lead in both categories, this late in the season. It is senior weekend at Grand Forks, since it is the last regular season home games. No doubt, that the 7 seniors on the team will want to go out with a sweep, and the rest of the team wants to see that too. If the Sioux continue their consistent play, I see them taking care of business this weekend. SIOUX SWEEP.

#14 Wisconsin @ St. Cloud St.
Last weekend the Tigers split with the MSUM Mavericks in Colorado Springs and the Beavers took 3-points for the MTU Huskies in Houghton.

Two weeks ago the Badgers looked to have a lock on a home ice spot. But getting only one point in their last four games has hurt them badly, not only in the WCHA standings but the PairWise too. The Huskies have played well as of late going 1-1-2 against UMD and UND the past two weekends. SCSU can continue their climb and sink the Badgers this weekend, if, they can pull off a sweep at the National Hockey Center. It appears these teams are heading in opposite directions now, SCSU going up, UW going down. The Badgers are 5-5-2 away from home this year and the Huskies are a dismal 4-8-4 at home. The Badger’s can ill afford to get swept this weekend. If that happens the Kohl Center might see a protest or two, just like the Wisconsin capitol building. It appears that both teams might be circling the panic button. SCSU has nothing to lose, and UW is getting desperate, so this series could have some good action. SPLIT

#7 Minnesota-Duluth @ #19 Colorado College
Last weekend the Bulldogs split with the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato and the Tigers got 1-point from the BSU Beavers in Bemidji.

The Bulldogs still have a shot at the title, and are pretty much locked into home ice. The Tiger lose the tie-breaker to the Gophers for 6th place currently, so they need points to try and grab a home ice spot. The Bulldogs are an impressive 10-3-1 away from Duluth and the Tigers are 9-7-1 at World Arena this season. UMD has slipped a little going 1-2-1 in their last 4 games, all against lower half teams. The Tigers will need sink their teeth into this series and claw their way back into the top half of the league. If CC contains the “law firm of Connelly, Connelly, & Fontaine” they should be able to get some points. SPLIT

Governor’s Cup

Alaska-Anchorage (11-16-3) vs Alaska (13-14-5 overall)
Last weekend the Seawolves split with the UNO Mavericks in Anchorage and the Nanooks split with the Michigan State Spartans in Fairbanks.

In any case, if you’re wondering the current governor of Alaska is Sean Parnell. This is a home and home series, at Fairbanks Friday and Anchorage on Saturday. I was in Anchorage to kick of the season at the Kendall Classic back in October. Back then I saw UAF play a couple of games, they didn’t look to bad, but that was 4 months ago. I just saw UAA two weeks ago in Grand Forks; they looked a bit slow compared to the Sioux. I have to go with the Seawolves in this series, just because I loved the city of Anchorage, when I was there. SEAWOLVES SWEEP

BYE WEEK
Minnesota State University Mankato – Mavericks

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

We have 6 league series this weekend again. The top 4 teams are separated by only 2 points. Also 6th place thru 10th place is only separated by 4 points. It looks like the last home ice playoff spot will come down to the last weekend of play, the way things are going. Just think, in one month (March 17th) the Final Five will be starting in St. Paul. I think it is safe to say the current top 4 teams will be hosting a first round playoff series. UND is the first team to officially lock-up a home playoff series.

I figured it’s that time of year again, conference playoffs are just around the corner and the NCAA tournament is lurking in the background. So, I’m changing my ranking numbers this week. Previously I was going off the USCHO poll, now I’ll be using the PairWise Rankings. Since the PairWise mimics the selection process of who does and doesn’t make the tournament.

WCHA Standings

TEAM……………..…....W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota……….16-6-0…32
2. Denver………………14-5-3…31
3. Minnesota-Duluth.....13-5-4…30
3. Nebraska-Omaha…..14-6-2…30
5. Wisconsin……..….…11-9-2…24
6. Colorado College…11-11-0…22
7. Minnesota……..……9-10-3…21
8. Alaska-Anchorage….9-13-2…20
9. St. Cloud State…......8-11-3…19
10. Minnesota State……7-13-4…18
11. Bemidji State……….7-12-3…17
12. Michigan Tech………1-19-2…4

WCHA

#19 Minnesota @ #15 Wisconsin
Last weekend the Badgers were swept by the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and Gophers split with the DU Pioneers in Minneapolis.

These teams met earlier in the season in Minneapolis with the Badgers taking 3-points with a 6-0 win and a 3-3 tie. By going pointless last weekend the Badgers are now in fight for a home ice spot. The Gophers by getting points again last weekend are only a point out of the last home ice spot. The Gophers have played well in 2011 against the upper half teams, so they have hope. The Badgers have not fared well against top teams, but have taken care of business against the lower teams this season. The Badgers are good at the Kohl Center posting a 13-4-1 home record and the Gophers sport a 5-4-1 road record this year. It is interesting that the Gophers have scored more goals in WCHA play than the Badgers, 67 versus 60. But the Badgers are the best defensive team, allowing a league low 49 goals, where the Gophers have let in 64 on the season (middle of the pack). SPLIT

Michigan Tech @ #4 Denver
Last weekend Huskies got a point playing the BSU Beavers in Houghton and the Pioneers split with the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis.

The Huskies are closing in a dubious record, that the CC Tigers own, the longest winless streak. MTU is up to 25 games, going abysmal 0-23-2 since October 16th, they only need to go winless in their next 4 games to tie the record. The Pioneers have cooled down, going 2-2-0 in their last four games. The Pioneers need to take MTU seriously and take care of business and not look ahead to their next series, a road trip to Omaha. PIONEERS SWEEP.

#7 Nebraska-Omaha @ Alaska-Anchorage
Last weekend the Mavericks swept the UW Badgers in Omaha and the Seawolves were swept by the UND Fighting Sioux in Grand Forks.

This being the Mavericks first year in WCHA action, has them sniffing at a league title with three weeks to go. UAA has been in the league for over a decade and has yet to finish in the top half. But the Seawolves are in the hunt to host a first round series, just 2 points out of 6th place. This will be the second meeting between UNO and UAA, they played Oct. 14, 2006 in Anchorage (Nye Classic) and tied 2-2. The Mavericks have taken a long plane ride before, when they had to visit Alaska, in Fairbanks, their old CCHA foe. The Mavericks will need points this weekend if they want to keep on the heels of the WCHA leaders. UNO plays their “neighbors” the last two series, DU and UMD. After this weekend, the Seawolves only have 1 WCHA series left, a trip to Mankato, to play the other Mavericks (UAA plays Alaska next weekend). Omaha has dropped some games to teams that they probably shouldn’t have this year, namely BSU, QU, and UAH. The Mavericks are 6-7-1 on the road this year. I don’t think the Seawolves are throwing in the towel this year. I think coach Shyiak will have his team ready this weekend. SPLIT


#3 North Dakota @ St. Cloud St.
Last weekend the Sioux swept the UAA Seawolves in Grand Forks and the Huskies took 3-points from the UMD Bulldogs in Duluth.

These teams met in early December with the Sioux sweeping that series, 3-1 and 6-2 in Grand Forks. The Huskies got their first win over a top half of the league team last weekend. This year SCSU has not lived up to preseason expectations, they started off this year’s campaign ranked #4 and have slid since then. Home ice for the first round is still possible, but not likely, since they need to make up 3 points and play UW and DU after this weekend. The Sioux have officially locked up a home ice spot and are now looking to put a lock on the league’s top spot. UND has an easier schedule then SCSU does down the stretch, the Sioux host BSU and travel to MTU to end the season. The Huskies have squandered a pair of 3-goal leads in two of their past three games. The Sioux will need to continue their style of play this weekend to grab more points. SIOUX 3-POINTS

#18 Colorado College @ Bemidji State
Last weekend the Tigers split with the MSUM Mavericks in Colorado Springs and the Beavers took 3-points for the MTU Huskies in Houghton.

The Tigers are clinging to the last home ice playoff spot by a point, and the Beavers are clinging to hopes of climbing into that spot. BSU still has a chance at home ice, but they need to sweep CC to keep that chance alive. The Tigers control their own fate, put together some wins and they can maintain their spot, drop too many games and, well, others will control their fate. The Beavers have struggled in their first year as a WCHA member, but have been in most of their games. For instance in 2011, the Beavers have played 5 overtime games in their 8 league games. BSU is a more defensive minded team this season, as their numbers show, scoring 47 goals and giving up 56 goals. If the scores remain low this weekend, they have a chance of winning. SPLIT

#6 Minnesota-Duluth @ Minnesota State
Last weekend the Bulldogs got 1-point against the SCSU Huskies in Duluth and the Mavericks split with the CC Tigers in Colorado Springs.

The Bulldogs have only 1 win in their last 4 games, going 1-1-2, since their sweep of the hapless (MTU) Huskies. The Mavericks need to sweep this weekend if they want any shot at home ice, since they have only 1 WCHA series after this weekend (UAA Mar.4-5). UMD slipped from a first place tie into a tie for third (with UNO) last weekend, thanks to SCSU making themselves at home in Amsoil arena. The Bulldogs are an impressive 9-2-3 (overall) away from Duluth this season. Both teams know the end of the season is near, and points are becoming expensive, it’s just a matter of which is willing to pay the price. SPLIT.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

The playoff picture is starting to take shape with only four more weekends to go in the regular season. We have all 12 teams in league games this weekend again. The top 5 teams are separated by only 5 points. Also 6th place thru 11th place is only separated by 6 points. It looks like the last home ice playoff spot will come down to the last weekend of play, the way things are going. MTU is the first team to be eliminated from home ice contention. The most points Tech can end with is 19, and that would require them to win their last 8 games. The Sioux look to have the “easiest” schedule down the stretch, they do not playing any of the current top teams in the WCHA. (UND schedule has series with UAA, @ SCSU, BSU, and @ MTU to finish out the regular season.)

We at Goon’s World are still hoping Kristo will make a full recovery from his frostbite, keep going Danny.

WCHA standings

TEAM……………..…....W-L-T...Pts
1. Denver………….....……13-4-3…29
1. Minnesota-Duluth.....13-4-3…29
3. North Dakota…….….14-6-0…28
4. Nebraska-Omaha…..12-6-2…26
5. Wisconsin……...….…11-7-2…24
6. Colorado College…10-10-0…20
6. Alaska-Anchorage….9-11-2…20
8. Minnesota……….……8-9-3…19
9. Minnesota State……6-12-4…16
9. St. Cloud State….....7-11-2…16
11. Bemidji State……….6-12-2…14
12. Michigan Tech………1-18-1…3

WCHA

#7 Wisconsin @ #16 Nebraska-Omaha
Last weekend the Badgers enjoyed a free weekend and the Mavericks swept with the SCSU Huskies in Omaha.

This should be the marquee matchup this week in the WCHA. These teams are separated by only 2 points in the standings. This will be a battle to take possession of 4th place and keep pace on the league leaders. The Badgers and the Mavericks have played 5 times before this weekend, with Bucky winning all 5 times. The Badgers are leading the league in defense, giving up a league low 41 goals. The Mavericks are 3rd in the league with goals scored at 67 (trailing DU and UND with 70 each). Buck also have done well this year away from the Kohl Center posting an overall road record of 5-3-2, and the Mavericks have a 10-3-1 overall record at the Qwest Center in Omaha. The Badgers are red hot going 12-1-0 in their last 13 games, but they can’t look past UNO and to the Gophers next weekend. We’ll see what the Mavericks are made of the next month, after UW, they go to UAA, host DU, and finish up at UMD. With a schedule like that, they could easily end up in a fight for a home ice spot. SPLIT

#4 Denver @ Minnesota
Last weekend the Pioneers split with the CC Tigers and the Golden Gophers got a point against the Bulldogs in Duluth.

The Pioneers are owners of a 5-4-3 overall road record this season and the Gophers sport a 6-7-1 overall home record. The Gophers are in need of points, if they don’t want to travel the second weekend in March. DU has gone 6-3-1 in their last ten games, while the Gophers 3-4-3 in their last ten games. I watched both Gopher games last weekend, and they showed some resolve in their games against UMD. They also showed some defensive lapses too. This year’s Gopher’s season is shaping up to be like their last 3 seasons, where home ice is decided that last weekend. Like they say, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” I think that desperation will get them some points this weekend. SPLIT

Bemidji State @ Michigan Tech
Last weekend the Beavers split with the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato and the Huskies were swept by the Seawolves in Anchorage.

The Beavers can seal the Huskies fate this weekend. If BSU can sweep the hapless Huskies, MTU will be locked into the bottom spot. The Beavers have played better since the Christmas break, they are 5-4-1 overall over that span. BSU has seen overtime in 4 of their last 6 games. The Huskies are still winless since October 15th, this weekend is looking the best for MTU to get another win this season. After the Beavers, the Tech-sters play, DU, UM, and UND. This could be Tech’s weekend, the Beavers have scored only 44 goals in league play (2.20/game) and Tech has 36 goals (1.8/game) in the WCHA. With what could theoretically be a couple of 2-1 games, the Huskies have hopes of winning. SPLIT

Alaska-Anchorage @ #5 North Dakota
Last weekend the Seawolves swept the MTU Huskies in Anchorage and the Sioux were on a bye weekend.

The Seawolves keep their dream of hosting a first round playoff series alive with a sweep of MTU. But this weekend, they have a much taller order, the 5th ranked Sioux, in Grand Forks. These teams met once this season back in October, in Anchorage at the Kendall Classic, where the teams skated to a tie. The Sioux will be missing a couple of key players this weekend, forward Danny Kristo (frostbite) and their captain, d-man Chay Genoway. Fortunately for the Sioux have great depth this and should be able to manage this weekend. All the Sioux players had last week to rest up and get healthy, and now should be ready to start the stretch run. If UND isn’t rusty on Friday from the break and come to play they should be able to take care of business. SIOUX SWEEP

Minnesota State @ #19 Colorado College
Last weekend the Mavericks split with the BSU Beavers in Mankato and the Tigers split with the Pioneers in a home-and-home series.

These teams met back in October with the teams splitting that series, MSUM 5-4, and CC 1-0 in the rematch. The Mavericks will be down to four league games, after this series, so they direly need points if they want to climb into the 6-spot and host a playoff series. The Tigers are currently tied for the last home ice spot, with UAA, but have two games in hand on the Seawolves (and MSUM). The Tigers could assure the Mavericks a bottom half finish, if they can sweep them at World Arena. CC played their arch-rivals tough last weekend, so they proved they can play with the big boys, but they have also lost to lesser teams. SPLIT

St. Cloud St. @ #3 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Huskies were swept by the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and the Bulldogs got 3-points against the Gophers in Duluth.

The Bulldogs are slowly breaking in their new Amsoil Arena, they are 2-2-1 in their new home and are 9-3-1 overall at home this season. The Huskies are 4-6-0 overall away from the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud (3-1-0 at neutral sites). The Huskies need help if they want to host a first round playoff game, which is a long shot when looking at the schedule they face. SCSU had high hopes to start the season, and most coaches and the media thought that SCSU would be a MacNaughton Cup contender this season. Now they can play spoiler role. By getting some points over the last month they can try and avoid a bottom 3 finish and avoid playing the “big boys” in the first round. The Bulldogs will get home, barring some type of historic meltdown. UMD is a puck possession team, so if SCSU wants to win, they need to play keep-away with the Bulldogs. UMD’s weakness appears to be their defensive zone coverage, followed by their net minders. The Huskies need to exploit these aspects if they want some points. SPLIT.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

We are now into February and the league race for a top half finish is heating up.
And mathematically everyone still has a chance to finish in the top six. However, there are some teams that realistically will not get home ice. I think we all know which team(s) those are. UND’s Danny Kristo suffered frostbite on this right foot this past week, we here at Goon’s World wish him a quick and full recovery.

WCHA standings

TEAM……………..…....W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota……….14-6-0…28
2. Denver………………12-3-3…27
3. Minnesota-Duluth.....12-4-2…26
4. Wisconsin……..….…11-7-2…24
5. Nebraska-Omaha…..10-6-2…22
6. Colorado College……9-9-0…18
6. Minnesota……….……8-8-2…18
8. Alaska-Anchorage….7-11-2…16
8. St. Cloud State….......7-9-2…16
10. Minnesota State……5-11-4…14
11. Bemidji State……….5-11-2…12
12. Michigan Tech………1-16-1…3

WCHA

Michigan Tech @ Alaska-Anchorage
Last weekend the Huskies were swept the Badgers in Houghton and the Seawolves split with the Gophers in Minneapolis.

The Huskies are, well, not a good team this year, let’s just let those poor doggy’s lie. The Seawolves are still in the hunt for hosting a first round playoff series. The UAA guys need to get all four points this weekend to keep in the race. I saw both UM-UAA games last weekend and the Seawolves played their game on Saturday night and won. They should be able to take out the lowly Huskies twice this weekend. SEAWOLVES SWEEP

#2 Denver vs #20 Colorado College
Last weekend the Tigers split with the Sioux in Colorado Springs and the Pioneers were on a bye weekend.

Earlier this season these teams split their series. This weekend is a huge series for both teams again, more so for CC. The Tigers are looking to secure a home ice spot and the Pioneers are looking to repeat as league champions. DU has pretty much locked up home ice and a spot in the NCAA tourney, barring some type of historical melt down. CC would like nothing better than to beat their archrival – twice – and watch them fall down the standings and rankings. The Pioneers are coming off a bye, so they might be a little rusty on Friday and the Tigers will be out to avenge last Saturday’s blow-out loss. Then Saturday’s rematch should be a good one too. Also of note – CC’s captain alluding to a Tigers sweep of the Pioneers, by win the Gold Pan (it’s good to be confident and not so good to be cocky, in my book). SPLIT

Minnesota @ #4 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Golden Gophers split with the Seawolves in Minneapolis and the Bulldogs enjoyed a free weekend.

Earlier this season, just before Christmas break the Gophers took 3-points from the Bulldogs in Minneapolis. This will be the Gophers first visit to the new AMSOIL arena in Duluth. The Gophers are running out of games to get points to try and climb into a home ice spot. Watching them play UAA last weekend, it looks like they were un-inspired on Saturday. The Gophers appear to be “satisfied” to get splits every weekend. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Bulldogs are in the hunt for the MacNaughton cup and want to keep themselves in that race. UMD fans might say they have been on back-to-back bye weeks; they played MTU two weeks ago. The Bulldogs could be a little rusty on Friday. The Gophers have been good on Friday’s lately, so they hope to continue that pattern this weekend. SPLIT

Bemidji State @ Minnesota State
Last weekend the Beavers were on a bye and the Mavericks took 3-points from the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.

The last time the Beavers were in action they lost twice to SCSU. If the Mavericks are to stick to their four game streaks, they should get a win or two this weekend. Both teams could use a sweep to keep their hopes alive for a home ice spot. Getting swept this weekend, by either, would pretty much seal their fate to a bottom half finish. These teams are similar, not only in their records, but their hot and cold playing. The Mavericks should be motivated this weekend. They don’t want to lose to the new guys in the league and end up behind them in the standings at the end of the year. SPLIT

St. Cloud St. @ #18 Nebraska-Omaha
Last weekend the Huskies got 1-point against the MSUM Mavericks in St. Cloud and the UNO Mavericks split with the UAH Chargers in Omaha.

The Huskies were riding a six game win streak until last weekend. SCSU fans are hoping that was just a blip, and then can get back on track this weekend against the other Mavericks. These teams met in St. Cloud back in mid November with UNO grabbing 3-points that weekend. The Mavericks started the season red hot, but have cooled their heels in 2011. The Huskies have done better this half, after a few players were let go from the team. I kind of wonder if it was those players affecting the others, like one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. Anyway they’re playing like everyone thought they would be playing the whole season. One thing for sure is there will be lots of red, white, and black at the Qwest Center this weekend. SPLIT

BYE week

#5 University of North Dakota – Fighting Sioux
#7 University of Wisconsin – Badgers

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

This is the last weekend in January, which means we only have one full month of the regular season left, February (plus one weekend in March). We'll have to wait and see if a middle of the pack team(s), step up in the following month or so of the season. Currently 5th thru 8th is separated by 5 points with UW leading, but having played 2 more games than the other teams there. The standings looking like teams will need a five-hundred record or better to get home ice in the playoffs. That being said, it appears DU, UND, UMD are locks for home ice, UNO should get home ice, but they have a hard schedule. It also looks likely that BSU, MSUM, and MTU will be on the road come playoff time.

WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. Denver………………12-3-3…27
2. North Dakota……….13-5-0…26
2. Minnesota-Duluth.....12-4-2…26
4. Nebraska-Omaha…..10-6-2…22
5. Wisconsin………….…9-7-2…20
6. Colorado College……8-8-0…16
6. Minnesota……………7-7-2…16
8. St. Cloud State….......7-8-1…15
9. Alaska-Anchorage….6-10-2…14
10. Bemidji State……….5-11-2…12
11. Minnesota State……4-11-3…11
12. Michigan Tech………1-14-1…3

WCHA

#8 Wisconsin @ Michigan Tech
Last weekend the Badgers swept the MSUM Mavericks in Madison and the Huskies got swept by the UMD Bulldogs in Houghton.

The Badgers and Huskies played in Madison back in October, with UW getting the sweep (5-2 and 4-1). Bucky has lost only once in their past 10 games going 9-1-0 over that stretch. The Huskies still haven’t won a game since October. The Badgers put some distance between them and the teams vying for the sixth and last home ice spot. They also kind of jumped into the title race. After these games, Bucky’s schedule gets tougher - @UNO, UM, @SCSU, CC. Those are the current teams right around UW in the current league standings. Tech is again playing the role of spoiler. IF they can find a way to win some games they can hurt other team’s chances of getting home ice. BADGERS SWEEP


#4 North Dakota @ #20 Colorado College
Last weekend the Sioux split with the UNO Mavericks in Grand Forks and the Tigers swept the UAH Chargers in Colorado Springs.

The Sioux might have cooled off a little the last two series they played but still are in great shape to win the conference. The Tigers are in good shape to get home ice, but still have some tough series on the schedule. After losing three in a row, CC got some much needed wins against the lowly UAH Chargers. UND can reclaim the top spot in the league this weekend with some points, while DU and UMD are on their bye week (the Sioux are on a bye next weekend). The Sioux have an easier schedule down the home stretch, so getting points now will really help them in the title race and put the pressure back on DU and UMD. I’m going to take the easy way out on this series. SPLIT

Alaska-Anchorage @ Minnesota
Last weekend the Seawolves were swept by the Pioneers in Denver and the Golden Gophers enjoyed a free weekend.

The Gophers are just two points of the Seawolves in the standings, but the Gophers have two games in hand. The Seawolves have a 2-6-0 road record and the Gophers have a 5-6-3 home record. The Gophers have a nasty schedule stretch after this - @UMD, DU, @UW. The Seawolves need to get points this weekend to stay in the home ice race, same for the Gophers. The Gophers have gotten some wins against some of the top WCHA teams, but have also lost to some of the bottom teams too. SPLIT

Minnesota State @ St. Cloud St.
Last weekend the Mavericks were swept by the Badgers in Madison and the Huskies swept the Beavers in Bemidji.

The Huskies are on a roll in 2011 they ended 2010 by winning the Florida College Classic. SCSU is riding a six game winning streak, heading into this in-state rivalry games. The Mavericks are win less in their last four games (0-3-1), and those losses were by one goal. MSUM has gone on four game streaks this season, for better (two 4 game winning) and for worse (two 4 game win less), for what it’s worth. Are the Huskies finally turning into the team everyone thought they were going to be to start the season? SCSU has a rough slate of games after this weekend to end the season (@UNO, @UMD, UND, UW, and @DU). The Huskies are now back into the race for home ice, and getting over the hump isn’t going to be easy. SPLIT

NON-CONFERENCE

Alabama-Huntsville (3-23-2 overall) @ #15 Nebraska-Omaha (13-9-2 overall)
Last weekend the Chargers got swept by the CC Tigers in Colorado Springs and the Mavericks split with the Sioux and Grand Forks.

The Chargers have not won a road game this season going 0-12-2 on the road. The Mavericks are 7-2-1 at home at the Qwest Center in Omaha this year. This should be a nice easy weekend for UNO, as long as they don’t have any let downs. MAVERICKS SWEEP


BYE week
Bemidji State University – Beavers
#3 Denver University – Pioneers
#5 University of Minnesota-Duluth – Bulldogs