How they finished.

This is how I predicted the teams would finish at the begining of the season. Yeah! I did real well didn't I?
1. C.C.
2. Minnesota
3. UND
4. Denver
5. Wisconsin
6. Minnesota State
7. UMD
8. SCSU
9. MTU
10. UAA

This how the season actually ended.

(1) North Dakota 38 (22-12-4)
(2) Denver 36 (20-10-5)
(3) Wisconsin 31(17-15-4)
(4) Colorado College 31(16-10-10)
(5) Minnesota 29(15-12-7)
(6) St. Cloud State 28(18-15-3)
(7) Minnesota-Duluth 27 (16-12-8)
(8) Minnesota State 26 (15-15-6)
(9) Alaska-Anchorage 23 (14-15-5)
(10) Michigan Tech 11 (6-23-7)

This was my What If prediction.

UND 28 38
UMN 28 37
Denver 28 36
CC 28 30
UW 28 30
Mankato 28 26
UMD 28 25
SCSU 28 23
AA 28 22
MTech 28 13


38th Annual Coaches Poll.

1. Colorado College (8) 78
2. UND (2) 67
3. Denver 62
4. (tie) Minnesota 53
4. (tie) Wisconsin 53
6. St. Cloud State 48
7. MSU-Mankato 38
8. Minn.-Duluth 24
9. Michigan Tech 14
10. Alaska-Anchorage 13


Here are the results of the Capital times media poll.
Team (first-place votes) Points Last year
1. Colorado College (22) 247 1
2. North Dakota (3) 210 2
3. Denver 192 3
4. Minnesota 156 7
(tie) Wisconsin 156 6
6. St. Cloud State 133 t4
7. Minnesota State 124 t4
8. Minnesota-Duluth 78 8
9. Michigan Tech 51 9
10. Alaska Anchorage 32 10

Here is how Sioux7 picked the team to finish.
1. UND
2. Denver
3. CC
4. SCSU
5. Minnesota
6. Wisconsin
7. UM-Duluth
8. MSU-Mankato
9. MTU
10. UAA

This is how Jess Meyers from INCH picked the league to finish. Nah, Jess Meyer's picks didn't go real well either.

1. Colorado College
2. Denver
3. St. Cloud State
4. Wisconsin
5. Minnesota State
6. Minnesota
7. North Dakota
8. Minnesota Duluth
9. Michigan Tech
10. Alaska Anchorage

Here is what I had to say at the beginning of the season after the exhibition game against the Manitoba Bison.

After watching the Sioux play in an exhibition game against the Manitoba Bison last night I have to say that there is a lot to be positive about. The overrated senior team captain and 2007 Hobey Baker Memorial winner Ryan Duncan (that is how some WCHA fans describe him) looked really good on a line with Chris VandeVelde and Brad Miller. Got that Ducan haters? Even without T.J. Oshie or Toews flanking him, Ryan Duncan managed to score two beautiful goals helping the Sioux to a 6-2 route of the Manitoba Bison.

Also, there is some positive mojo emitting from the Fighting Sioux hockey team getting a balanced attack as 10 of the 14 forwards factored into the games scoring. Granted there were two extra forwards because the game was listed as an exhibition and the Sioux could dress as many players as they wanted. None the less; the Fighting Sioux hockey team looked small (aside from Malone and Davidson), quick and moved the puck around nicely dominating a much slower Manitoba game. The speedy Sioux appeared to run out of gas in the third period but that is to be expected since the Sioux have only had one official practice going into the game.

CCHA preseason polls.

The CCHA had their media day and here is how their preseason polls shook out. I think it is safe to day that Notre Dame is not going to fly under the radar this season. There is a tie for last place in the coaches poll, the fight to be the top cup cake. I do find it kind of puzzling that Notre Dame is ranked so high, they are a decent team but I wouldn't call them elite. If you rewind to last season after the first of the year Notre Dame was a mediocre team that went 11-11-4 their last 25 games of the season, limped into the NCAA playoffs and got hot in the NCAA tourney. Some have made the argument that they were lucky to make the NCAA tourney and were basically one of the last teams to make the NCAA.

Wolverines in top 2 in CCHA's preseason polls
FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES • September 30, 2008
Michigan ranked first in a poll of media members and second in a poll of coaches when the Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced it preseason rankings at its annual media day today in Grand Rapids.

Notre Dame switched places with the Wolverines in the two polls. Michigan State was tapped fifth by the coaches and third by the media.

Coaches poll
1. Notre Dame, (8) 128
2. Michigan, (3) 122
3. Miami, (1) 108
4. Northern Michigan 102
5. Michigan State, 96
6. Ferris State, 84
7. Ohio State, 67
8. Nebraska-Omaha, 59
9. Bowling Green, 56
10. Lake Superior State, 46
11. (tie) Alaska, 28
Western Michigan, 28.

Media poll
1. Michigan (43) 945
2. Notre Dame, (35), 915
3. Michigan State, (2), 776
4. Miami, (2) 746
5. Northern Michigan, (1) 700
6. Ferris State, 529
7. Bowling Green, 444
8. Nebraska-Omaha, 415
9. Ohio State, 339
10. Lake Superior State, 322
11. Alaska, 198
12. Western Michigan, 145