This is Shane …
No more bye weeks. No more nonconference games. It feels like a NASCAR race after a late caution. A restart before the final two laps. Four games remain, two weekends. Everything yet to be decided. How will things look with one lap to go?
Ferris State at Bowling Green
Shane: The Falcons are at home but have been a hard team to figure out down the stretch. Certainly, they’ve had tough schedule, and hosting the Bulldogs doesn’t ease things. Ferris State was red hot before losing two in a row, including a lone nonconference game at Michigan a week ago. The trends say this will be a split. Bulldogs 3-2, Falcons 4-1
Jack: Ferris still, against all odds, has yet to be swept. There are two weekends left int he regular season. I don’t think they will be this week, either — and it could be the difference for Bowling Green’s MacNaughton Cup hopes. Falcons 4-2, Bulldogs 3-2
Alaska at Michigan Tech
Shane: The Nanooks want desperately to find their way above the WCHA’s relegation line. No easy task against the Huskies, who have lost just once in their last 10 games. And they responded to that L at Bemidji State last weekend by racking up a season-high nine goals. Are they still mad? Huskies 4-1, 3-1
Jack: Tech looked like a team possessed last Saturday in Bemidji. Maybe they sense that one more screw-up on their part could cost them a McNaughton Cup. I don’t think they’ll lose this week. Huskies 4-2, 5-1
Northern Michigan at Lake Superior State
Shane: The Wildcats are playing some solid hockey right now, playing like an upper-division team by taking care of business against the lower-division ones. The Lakers are no pushover and have been tough at home lately though. Wildcats 3-0, Lakers 2-0
Jack: The Lakers are on the cusp of a playoff berth after things looked dire for following that long losing streak. Will they have what it takes to make sure they don’t miss out this time? NMU, meanwhile, just wants to keep pace with Ferris for the fourth and final home ice slot. I think they split the difference. Lakers 2-1, Wildcats 3-1
Alabama Huntsville at Bemidji State
Shane: This has been a tough week of travel for the Chargers, going up and back to Marquette and now doing the same to Bemidji. Not sure if trains have been involved by planes and automobiles have. The Beavers’ home record is still troubling, but I think they take care of business against their old rival. Beavers 2-1, 4-1
Jack: The Chargers have a history of coming to Bemidji and winning when they aren’t supposed to (two years ago one of their two wins on the season was against the Beavers at the Sanford Center), but I have a feeling that BSU is going to be pretty angry after getting embarrassed against Michigan Tech on Saturday. Beavers 4-1, 4-1
Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage
Shane: If we could pick ties, I probably would because the Mavericks have seven of them on the road in league play this season. I’m curious to see how they come off the bye week that followed their two ties at Huntsville. The Seawolves have split their last three home series but none was against an upper-half team. Mavericks 2-1, 5-2
Jack: This is the first trip to Alaska this season for the Mavericks. The bye weekend they just have could be a very good thing to get them healed up for the long trip… or it could have let them stew about it a little more. I tend to think the Seawolves can salvage something from this and earn the split. Seawolves 3-2, Mavericks 5-2
Last week: Shane 4-5-0, Jack 4-5-0. Overall: Shane: 103-61-29, Jack 91-73-29
