It’s taken three weeks, but we’ll finally have all of the WCHA teams with a game under their belt when Lake Superior State battles Michigan State.
The Lakers are the last team to open their season, and it comes in a weekend that features a couple sneaky good matchups between Northern Michigan-Bemidji State and St. Cloud State-Minnesota State.
Alabama Huntsville at Michigan Tech
Jack: Will the Huskies finally get back on the right foot? They’re 0-4 right now and haven’t looked particularly good. Huntsville looked OK in their sweep against Ferris, but was shut out in two games against UConn. I think Tech gets back on track. Huskies 4-2, 3-1
Sean: Pair of teams trying to turn things around here. The Huskies still need that first win and the Chargers need to prove the losses against UConn were a minor bump in the road. Michigan Tech is staring 0-6 in the face with a bad weekend, but they won’t let that happen. Huskie 3-1, 2-0
Bemidji State at Northern Michigan
Jack: The Beavers looked very good last weekend against Bowling Green. NMU, meanwhile, had a bonkers series split against Wisconsin. It looks like the Wildcats might be able to score this season. I think a split seems likely. Beavers 4-2, Wildcats 4-1
Sean: Northern Michigan played a pair of back-and-forth games with Wisconsin and Bemidji put together a nice sweep against a deflated Bowling Green team. I think this series has sweep written all over it. Beavers 4-3, Wildcats 2-1.
Western Michigan at Bowling Green
Jack: It’s another chance for the WCHA to bolster its nonconference resume against the NCHC. WMU swept Ferris, but I think BG finally gets the job done against their MAC brethren. Falcons 5-3, 4-1
Sean: Bowling Green coach Chris Bergeron was furious with his team last week and didn’t like how they fought while getting swept by Bemidji. The Falcons better get the message against Western Michigan, but it could take one loss before they turn things around. Broncos 3-2, Falcons 5-1.
Michigan State at Lake Superior State
Jack: Fifteen years ago this would have been a marquee matchup. Now it’s two struggling programs looking to rebuild. LSSU hasn’t played yet this season — which is its 50th as a program. It would be nice to see them start their milestone season with at least a split with their former league rivals. Lakers 4-2, Spartans 4-1
Sean: Lake Superior State gets a late start to the season and it’s a chance build against a struggling Michigan State team. The Lakers should be ready to go, the opening night nerves might exist — but they should be part of a sweep. Lakers 3-2, 5-4.
St. Cloud State at Minnesota State
Jack: This should be fun. The Mavs went 0-3 against the Huskies last season — the Huskies shut out MSU in both games of their early-season series before beating them 5-4 in the North Star College Cup. Think the Mavs want to get a little revenge? Mavericks 5-4, Huskies 3-2
Sean: I don’t know why, but I see a lot of goals getting scored in this series. Last team with the puck wins. HUskies 6-5, Mavericks 5-4.
Brice Alaska Gold Rush
Friday: Alaska Anchorage vs. Omaha, Alaska vs. Canisius; Saturday: Alaska Anchorage vs. Canisius, Alaska vs. Omaha
Jack: Both Alaska teams were beaten by Minnesota last weekend. The Nanooks, however, looked better — they got three goals against the Gophers. The Seawolves didn’t score any. It may be a tall order for either to beat Omaha, but I can see both teams beating Canisius. Mavericks 3, Seawolves 1; Nanooks 5, Griffins 3; Seawolves 3, Griffins 2; Mavericks 5, Nanooks 3
Sean: The Alaska teams are looking for gold, er, goals after both lost to Minnesota last week. I think they each show up against Canisius, but Omaha could be heading home with a bigger bounty. Mavericks 4, Seawolves 2; Nanooks 4, Griffins 3; Seawolves 2, Griffins 1; Mavericks 3, Nanooks 0.
