There were some upsets last weekend that knocked the standings around. St. Scholastica’s sweep of Wisconsin-River Falls helped St. Norbert gain control of the NCHA. Three teams are jammed in second place in the MIAC, with St. Thomas coasting out to a comfortable lead. Adrian will battle with Milwaukee School of Engineering for control of the MCHA, while the other teams in the conference battle for position within the league.
For those keeping score, I went 7-2 in last week’s picks; that made my record 34-20 for the season, a .588 winning percentage.
{Predicted winners bolded}
Friday, January 27, 2012
Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) at Adrian
Both teams are considered the cream of the crop in the MCHA and are nationally ranked in the USCHO.com poll. No. 6 Adrian has been surging, after being beaten twice at home at its own Thanksgiving Tournament. Adrian has lost only once since then, on the road at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. MSOE has the distinction of handing Adrian its other loss, in an early season game in Milwaukee. These teams match up well both offensively and defensively. Adrian’s main advantage in the game will be home ice.
Lake Forest at Concordia (Wis.)
All of Concordia’s (Wis.) wins have been at home this season, which is unfortunate for Lake Forest, which has struggled on the road. The two teams play Saturday in Lake Forest, where the tables will be turned because Concordia (Wis.) is not a good road team either.
St. John’s at Hamline
Just a point behind in the standings, St. John’s could jump ahead of Hamline in the MIAC with a good series this weekend. The series will feature four of the top 10 scorers in the MIAC. St. John’s is on a roll, winning three in a row. Hamline is 1-1-1 in its last three games.
St. Thomas at St. Olaf
The MIAC’s No. 1 offense, St. Thomas, faces the No. 1 defense, St. Olaf in the series. St. Olaf has not allowed a team to score more than two goals since November. The two teams skated to a 1-1 tie the first game of the season in the MIAC showcase. St. Thomas is in the midst of a seven-game win streak, and has a big cushion in the standings.
Wis.-River Falls at St. Norbert
Wis.-River Falls is 0-18 against St. Norbert at Cornerstone Community Center, St. Norbert’s home ice.
Saturday, January 22, 2012
Finlandia at Marian
After Adrian handed Marian its first two losses at home last weekend, look for Marian to rebound against Finlandia. Marian is 5-2-2 at home, while Finlandia is 1-9 on the road this season.
Concordia (Minn.) at Gustavus
After having last weekend off, Gustavus hosts defensively-minded Concordia (Minn.). Gustavus, two points behind second place Concordia (Minn.), is in sixth place in the MIAC. Gustavus is 3-1 in its last four games, while Concordia (Minn.) is sliding the other direction, going 1-3 in its last four.
St. Scholastica at Wisconsin-Stout
St. Scholastica has been hot as of late. Going 3-0-1 in its last four games, St. Scholastica has cracked the top 15 in the national rankings. Wis.-Stout was swept by St. Norbert last weekend, but played tough.
