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
