Week Twelve Picks, Late Edition

Well, I'm a day late with my picks this week. Part of that was due to tournament games and the larger portion is due to the fact that I just flat didn't get them done in time.

For those of you who missed the scores yesterday: CC defeated Michigan State 5-4 (Great Lakes Invitational), Michigan defeated Michigan Tech (Great Lakes Invitational), and the most surprising victory is SCSU's victory over Cornell in the Florida College Classic.

I said the Huskies victory over Cornell is the most surprising because SCSU trailed 3-0 with just over two minutes left in the second period of that game. They scored late in the second to draw within two goals, and tied it up with about seven minutes left. The scored the game winner midway through OT. This was the first time the Huskies have overcome a three goal deficit and won since Feb. 3, 2001. Maybe this is the type of game that will get the Huskies back on track...

Last week I went 3-0 to improve my record to 76-60 on the season. There are a lot of picks this week and every game is non-conference, with a couple games WCHA vs. WCHA.

Great Lakes Invitational
Michigan State vs. MTU, Thursday 3:05
Neither MTU of MSU are having great seasons, but Tech has been pretty awful as of late.
MSU wins 4-2

CC vs. Michigan, Thursday 6:35
CC has been on a roll as of late, but Michigan is no slouch. I don't know who to pick in this one. I'm going to have to give it to the "home" team though.
Michigan wins 4-3

Florida College Classic
SCSU vs. Miami, Thursday 6:35
This marks the third meeting between these two teams this season. Miami won the first game 6-3 and the two teams tied the second 1-1 at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud at the beginning of the season. SCSU is now 2-9-1 in its last 11, but they had a nice come from behind win last night. I have to go with the trend here.
Miami wins 4-1

Mariucci Classic
Ferris State vs. BSU, Friday 3:07
Bemidji has kept a pretty good chunk of their games in the first half of the season close with great goaltending and good defense. They will need both again in this one.
Ferris State wins 4-3

Union vs. UMN, Friday 6:07
Union has had a pretty good season thus far and the Gophers have been very up and down so far. Yes, this is the Gophers "tournament", but I think Union is going to pull this one out.
Union wins 4-3

Union vs. BSU, Saturday 4:07
Bemidji, again, will need great goaltending and good D. I think Union will prove too much for them. However, the Beavers have certainly surprised me before.
Union wins 3-2

Ferris State vs. UMN, Saturday 7:07
The Gophers should be hungry enough to rebound from their previous night's loss to win this one.
Gophers win 4-3

Shillelagh Tournament
MSUM vs. Notre Dame, Saturday 6:05
Mankato played UND very tough two weeks ago, and they always seem to work their butts off. However, Notre Dame should be able to pull off the W in this one.
Irish win 4-2

MSUM vs. Boston U. or Brown, Sunday TBD
Given that this is a true tournament I don't know who Mankato will play for sure.
If they play BU, the lose 4-1. If they play Brown, they win 3-1

Non-conference
UNO vs. Quinnipiac, Thursday 6:30, Friday 11:00 am
UNO is a pretty solid team and they should be able to keep up the pace with this opponent to start the second half. UNO sweep.
UNO 4-3, 3-1

UMass vs. UW, Thursday/Friday 7:07
UMass is having a tough time of it this season while Badgers look like they haven't really lost a step. UW sweep.
UW 3-1, 4-0

UND vs. UMD, Thursday 7:37
This game marks the grand opening of UMD's new arena, Amsoil Arena. This should be a pretty good game to watch. However, sometimes all of the pomp and circumstance can be a distraction with these things. This really could go either way, but I really think the Sioux are going to get the last word on this one.
Sioux win 3-2

Northern Michigan vs. Denver, Friday 7:07, Saturday 8:07
NMU isn't having a bad season, but Denver is doing really well given all of the losses they had coming into the season. It's going to be tough to get into the win column this weekend for NMU. Denver sweeps.
DU 5-2, 4-3

UMD vs. Clarkson, Monday/Tuesday 6:00
Duluth will be coming off of a game on Thursday, but they'll be hungry to get into the win column again. Clarkson is no slouch, though. Split.
UMD wins Monday 4-2, Clarkson wins Tuesday 3-2

Week Eleven Picks

We are now at the last weekend of the first half of the season. The only real surprise last weekend was UMD managing only a point at the Gophers. I picked a split in the series, but there wasn't a scenario, given the current lineups and states of the teams, that would've led me to believe that the Gophers would take three of four points from the Dogs.

Bemidji was swept by Wisconsin. Yes, I picked a split, but a sweep wasn't surprising in the least. CC swept SCSU. Definitely no surprise there. Omaha and the Sioux also completed sweeps of Tech and Mankato, respectively. The other series of the weekend saw Denver take three of four points from Anchorage. Again, no surprise there.

Be looking for my mid-season report late next week or early the following week with rundowns of each team and my new predictions on the final standings of the WCHA. Once March hits I'm also going to start a bracketology segment each week, so be looking for that, too.

We have a total of three GAMES this week in the WCHA (excluding the Sioux exhibition game, of course). Last week I went 7-5 and am now 73-60 on the season. That's not too bad considering what a crapshoot it is picking games every week in this league.

Non-conference
Tech @ Northern Michigan, Friday 6:35
Tech and NMU have squared off twice already this season with Tech taking the first game in OT and the second game ending in a tie. Northern has managed to keep a .500 record going this season while Tech has stumbled since the early weeks. I'm going to go with NMU in this one.
NMU wins 5-4

League Games
UNO @ CC, Saturday 8:07, Sunday 7:07
If the last six games are any indication of how a team is performing, the winner is CC. The Tigers are 5-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of the mighty Seawolves in OT. Omaha, on the other hand, is 3-3 with losses against the Sioux (1) and Bemidji (2). The loss against the Sioux doesn't bother me so much. It's being swept by Bemidji that does. Now, I don't know if it was just hot goaltending, or what, but that doesn't sit well with me. By looking at the box score it looks like UNO outplayed the Beaver's both nights, but came up empty. This is a tough series to pick. You have two good teams. One playing well, the other not. I think I'm going to go the safe route and pick a split.
CC wins Friday 4-2, UNO wins Saturday 3-1

Week Ten Picks

Well, I don't even know where to start this week. There were four sweeps in the six series played. Two weren't surprising, one was could've gone either way, and one of them, I think, surprised EVERYONE! Yes, I'm talking about Bemidji State sweeping the Mavericks of UNO. No one, except maybe a few delusional BSU fans, would've thought that Bemidji would absolutely stifle the Mavericks offense the way they did. It really was a sight to be seen.

Not only that, it raises some questions regarding both teams. Is Omaha as good as we all thought they were, or did they just have an off week? Is Bemidji that much better than they've been playing, or did they dig down deep and pull two great games out of their behinds?

I'll start with Omaha. They are your typical Dean Blais team. They are a hard-working, in your face team. Their defensemen are huge, as is their entire team. They are the biggest team in the league. Now, I didn't see the entire game, but I have heard from some people who were there and they relayed to me that UNO decided not to show up to Friday's game. (I didn't get word on the effort Saturday.) I don't think UNO is THAT talented, but I do think that they definitely have some talent on that team, and when you couple that with the Dean Blais work ethic, you get an outstanding product.

Bemidji is another hard-working, but I didn't feel like they were as much of an in your face kind of team as UNO. They really only have had the one line (Read-Lowe-George) this year, but it looks like some others have started to pitch in a little as those top line players only accounted for 3 of the 6 goals on the weekend. That line, is one of the best in all of college hockey, so unless you find a way to shut it down, good luck! Let's not forget the absolutely stellar play of Dan Bakala, too. He did stop 64 of 65 shots last weekend, including 39 of 40 on Saturday. This can be one of those sleeper teams if they can continue to get stellar goaltending.

The other sweep that was, somewhat, shocking was the Mankato sweep of the Gophers. They were two fairly low scoring games that great goaltending out of Phil Cook for the Mavericks. He stopped 82 of 85 shots on the weekend including an incredible 49 of 50 on Saturday night. That is a game changer right there!

The final two weren't very surprising. Although I didn't pick it (but I should have!), CC went into Michigan Tech and swept them pretty convincingly. CC can put up some goals, but they can't seem to do it consistently yet. Sometimes, all it takes is one great offensive weekend for the flood gates to open. Finally, we come to the disappointment that is SCSU. Picked to finish either 2nd or 3rd, the Huskies are proving to everyone that they are not the team we all thought they were. Friday was a pretty good effort by the Huskies, but they let a very winnable game slip away from them. Goaltending and goal scoring were absolutely non-existent against the Sioux on Saturday, and led to an embarrassing loss on the road. I'm still trying to figure out how you let a team absolutely blitz you like that!?!? Sometimes, one player makes a huge enough difference to determine the outcome of the season, and sadly, I think, that player was Ryan Lasch. Unless the Huskies can pull the heads out of the you-know-where, they're going no where this season and might as well continue to pack it in like they've been doing.

After all of that I went a very sorry 5-7 last weekend, but still maintain a winning record at 66-55 on the season. Not too shabby if I say so myself. This week sees all 12 teams in league play, once again. The reason this is out so early is because there is a Thursday evening game and this was the only time I could write before then. So, here we go...

Tech @ UNO, Thursday/Friday 7:37
Omaha and Tech are both coming off of weekends where they were swept. Tech is looking to be the gutter team that everyone predicted them to be. I have to go with the home team both nights (and hope they don't disappoint me this time). UNO sweeps.
UNO 4-2, 4-1

Bemidji @ Wisconsin, Friday/Saturday 7:07
Bemidji is coming off of a fresh sweep at home against UNO and the Badgers defeated Anchorage on Saturday night in Anchorage. The Badgers have proven they can score some goals, but they've also proven that against the top teams their D isn't the greatest. Bemidji hasn't found the scoring touch yet, but they've gotten some pretty good goal tending. Both teams have excellent coaches, so this could go either way. I'm going to stay on the safe side and predict a split.
Bemidji wins Friday 3-1, Wisconsin wins Saturday 2-1

Duluth @ Minnesota, Friday/Saturday 7:07
The Bulldogs are coming into the U having split their final series at the DECC with Denver last weekend, and the Gophers are coming off of being swept at Mankato. The Dogs are a much better team than the Gophers, but sometimes Goldy can surprise you. The Gophers need to win some games at home, and I think they're going to get one there this weekend.
UMD wins Friday 4-3, UMN wins Saturday 3-2

CC @ SCSU, Friday/Saturday 7:07
This is kind of a must split series for the Huskies (if not sweep!). If they want a shot at a top half finish, they'd better get their act together. They're 4 points out of 5th place with two games in hand on that team (and all but three other teams). They need to find a way to win some games. Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to win two games this weekend. CC is coming off of a huge offensive weekend at Tech, so their confidence should be through the roof. The Huskies just got blasted on the road, so they could be a little timid. I'm going with a split, but could easily see Tech sweep the lowly Huskies.
CC wins Friday 5-4, SCSU wins Saturday 4-3

UND @ Mankato, Friday 7:37, Saturday 7:07
Both teams are coming off of home sweeps last weekend, so both teams should be feeling pretty good about themselves. I think the key in this series is going to be the defense of the Sioux. They are a very frustrating team defensively, and the Mavs may find it difficult to bury the puck. Stranger things have happened in this league, i.e. Bemidji sweeping UNO... I think the better team will win here. Sioux sweep.
Sioux 6-3, 4-2

Denver @ Anchorage, Friday/Saturday 10:07
Both teams are coming off of splits last weekend, but Denver is the clear-cut favorite to win. Anchorage, on the other hand, has been a very pesky team thus far. This is another series where I'm not 100%. Logic says that Denver should sweep, but that doesn't mean anything in this league. I'm feeling a split in this one.
Denver wins Friday 3-1, Anchorage wins Saturday 3-2

Week Nine Picks

Well, I'm back online and in full swing this week. Vegas was great, but it's good to be home.

The only league series last weekend was a split by UAA and CC at CC. All other series were non-conference series, including the  Big Ten Showdown (or whatever they call it) where the WCHA teams went 2-1-1. UND got a win and a tie out of Notre Dame. Mankato swept lowly UMass Lowell. Denver took out LSSU and Air Force. Finally, Bemidji split a series with Northern Michigan in Bemidji.

This weekend sees two series played by "natural rivals", as dubbed by the WCHA. The SCSU/UND series and the UNO/Bemidji series. The other rivalry series taking place this weekend is the Gopher/Mankato series in Mankato.

The SCSU/UND series see Aaron Marvin returning to Grand Forks for the first time since he sat Chay Genoway for the season after checking him from behind last year. I think, for the most part, the Sioux players are FINALLY over it, but I am kind of interested to see what the fan reaction is. Yes, the Huskies did play them three times after the incident last year, but two of those games were at the NHC and the other was at the X. Drunk college students tend to exacerbate a situation that doesn't need to be. Chay said at the beginning of the season that he didn't think it was a dirty hit and that it was done.

The UNO/Bemidji series marks the first match-up between the newbies of the WCHA. They really are telling two different tales with the success and failure of each season. UNO has come in and surprised, I think, everyone in the league with their success. No one was expecting them to be this good this soon. I guess it's not surprising that UNO is having success this early on. It has a coach that has been in the WCHA before and knows how to win it. The Beavers, on the other hand, have been met with many failures in this early season when some of their fans thought they'd come in and have an impact immediately. Sadly, those fans thought the CHA was just as competitive as the WCHA is...

Last weekend I went 9-5 and am now 61-48 on the season. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. This weekend sees all 12 teams playing conference games, so we have six league match-ups for the first time ever.

CC @ Tech, Friday/Saturday 6:07
CC comes into this series having split with UAA in Colorado Springs last weekend while Tech had a weekend off after being swept at home by the Gophers. CC is still trying to find/define itself as we approach the midway point of the season. They're a struggling team who's trying dig themselves out of an early hole. Tech is trying to keep itself from being buried in the cellar of the league for another season. Both teams have had good offensive games, but can either do it this weekend? I'm gonna call a split here.
Tech wins Friday 4-2, CC wins Saturday 4-3

DU @ UMD, Friday/Saturday 7:07
This series marks that end of an era at UMD. These are the final two games to be played at the DECC. The Dogs will even be wearing throwback jerseys this weekend in commemoration of the event. Add all the hoopla together with the fact that they're a pretty good hockey team and you could get another good weekend out of them. They're 6-0 at the DECC this season, and I don't know if that's going to change. Denver comes into the weekend with a .500 road record and they'll be facing a very full, very tough crowd at the DECC. Yes, they're a good team, but they did get blown out by CC already this year and Bemidji gave them a run for their money too. I'm not quite sure what to expect yet, but my gut is telling me that UMD is going to sweep this one.
UMD 4-1, 4-3

UMN @ MSUM, Friday 7:37, Saturday 7:07
The Gophers come into this series fresh off a win over #8 Michigan, and Mankato is fresh off a sweep of UMass Lowell. This is usually a pretty intense series because it's the Gophers. (Do they have a series in this league that isn't a rivalry?) The question is, what Gopher team is going to show up? The one doesn't compete and buries themselves early on, or the one that comes out flying and doesn't quit? I'm going to have to go with the second one. The Gophers have played much better away from the confines of Mariucci arena than they have in the building. They're 4-5-1 at home and 4-0-0 on the road. Mankato will outwork you if you're not ready for them, so the Gophers need to be careful to not get blitzed in the early goings of either game. I don't suspect that'll be a problem, though. Gopher sweeps this one.
Gophers 5-2, 3-1

UNO @ Bemidji, Friday 7:37, Saturday 7:07
This marks the first time these two teams have met as members of the WCHA. As mentioned earlier, it really has been a tale of success and failure for these two. UNO has all the success and Bemidji the failure. The Beavers have shown little to no life at home, and it doesn't seem to matter to UNO where they win. Bemidji is a hardworking team, but so is Omaha. Omaha seems to be more physical than Bemdji and they are definitely bigger than the Beavers. I don't think these games are going to be too close. Omaha sweeps.
Omaha 6-1, 5-2

SCSU @ UND, Friday 7:37, Saturday 7:07
Both teams came into the season with high expectations. The Sioux were picked to win the league, while the Huskies were picked to finish second or third, depending on the poll. With the exception of an embarrassing sweep at Maine, the Sioux have mostly lived up to their expectations, thus far. The Huskies can't seem to get it ingrained into their thick skulls that they need to play a full 60 minutes. This could be the weekend that they turn it all around, but I highly doubt that. If they couldn't figure it out against Omaha (which is the hardest working team I've seen thus far), there's nothing to make me think they can figure it out against the Sioux. This series could end up in a split, but I highly doubt it. Sioux sweep.
Sioux 5-2, 4-1

UW @ UAA, Friday/Saturday 10:07
Anchorage seems to have this uncanny ability to keep the game close and make it interesting. They haven't been defeated by multiple goals many times this season, and I don't expect that trend to stop this weekend. The Badgers have found a way to beat the teams they should, but haven't found a way to beat the ones they shouldn't. I got chewed out by a Twitter follower during the UND series because I said I didn't believe in them yet because they hadn't beaten/played anyone too tough up to that point. I think I was right in what I said. They proceeded to be swept by UND and UMD at home in consecutive weekends. Although I'm still not sold on the, I do think they'll be able to to continue they're trend of beating the teams the should. I have to go with a Badger sweep in two one-goal games (Anchorage could easily salvage a tie or pull one out, though).
UW 4-3, 3-2