It’s a light schedule this weekend, but everyone played last week. As I suspected, I didn’t do nearly as well this past weekend with predictions as I did the first three weeks of CCHA play.
Last week: 5-6-1 (.458)
Season to date: 47-26-14 (.621)
The wrong-way split in Fairbanks hurt. The non-splits did, too. I’ll count Michigan’s Wednesday night win — and my correct pick — in next week’s totals.
This week
There are two CCHA series, a single (and dandy) nonconference series and a single game in Madison Square Garden between Michigan and Cornell, the game I wish I could attend simply because it’s in New York City.
Alaska at Northern Michigan. The Nanooks split with visiting Western Michigan, a 6-1 win and 3-2 loss. The line of freshmen Nolan Huysmans and Tyler Morley and senior Jarret Granberg was responsible for four of the Nanooks’ eight goals on the weekend. The Wildcats return home after being swept on the road by Ohio State, 2-0 and 4-2, marking the second year in a row that the Buckeyes swept the Wildcats in Columbus. NMU is undefeated against Alaska in the teams’ last 14 meetings (8-0-6-4); the last time the Wildcats lost to the Nanooks was Nov. 30, 2007. Friday-Saturday, games at 7:35 p.m. each night. UA 3-2, NMU 3-2
Ohio State at Lake Superior State. While the Buckeyes were sweeping the Wildcats at home last weekend, the Lakers were splitting with visiting Alabama-Huntsville, giving LSSU the distinction of being the first team that the Chargers have beaten this season. That split was the sixth straight series split for the Lakers. For the Buckeyes, it was their first series sweep since Dec. 2-3, 2011. The last 10 games between these teams are tied 4-4-2; last year, the Buckeyes were 2-1-1-1 versus the Lakers. Friday-Saturday with 7:35 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. start times. LSSU 3-2, OSU 3-2
No. 7 North Dakota at No. 6 Notre Dame. Last week, North Dakota (5-3-2) played two overtime games at home against Minnesota-Duluth, tying the first contest, 4-4, and winning the Saturday game, 4-3. Sophomore Mark MacMillan had the tying and winning goal in the win and now leads North Dakota in goals with five, although senior Danny Kristo (4-8–12) leads the team in points. Junior Clarke Saunders (2.42 GAA, .927 SV%) had the tie; freshman Zane Gothberg (2.63, .902) had the win. The Fighting Irish swept Michigan in Yost Ice Arena, 3-1 and 4-1, making it look easy in the third period of each game by outscoring the Wolverines 2-0 in the third Friday and 3-0 Saturday. Fun note of that series: It was the first time that the Irish had swept the Wolverines in Yost in 35 years (Feb. 3-4, 1978), the year that current Minnesota coach Don Lucia was a rookie for Notre Dame. His son, Notre Dame freshman Mario Lucia, scored his first collegiate goal in Friday’s game. The teams last met Nov. 26-27, 2010, in North Dakota, when the home ND beat the visiting ND, 6-3, the first night; the teams tied 2-2 the following night. Friday-Saturday with 7:35 p.m. and 5:05 p.m. start times. North Dakota 3-2, Notre Dame 3-2
No. 19 Michigan vs. No. 13 Cornell. The Wolverines snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 home win over Bowling Green Wednesday. The Big Red are winless in their last five (0-3-2), having lost 4-1 to Harvard Friday and tied with Dartmouth, 1-1, the following night, both games at home. Cornell is the team that ended Michigan’s 2011-12 season, a 3-2 overtime decision in the NCAA Midwest Regional. UM is 3–1 all-time versus Cornell. Cornell 3-2
