Friday-Saturday, Oct. 25-26
Lake Forest vs. No. 10 St. Thomas
Both teams are young with large freshman and sophomore classes. I think St. Thomas will complete the sweep in the opening weekend due to having a veteran coaching staff and home ice advantage. St.Thomas 3-1, 4-1
Augsburg vs. St. Scholastica (home-and-home)
St. Scholastica has the potential to power through the rankings this year and be a top 10 team overall and a top opponent in their conference. Augsburg has disappointed with their performance in the MIAC over the past two years. St.Scholastica will be too much for Auggies to handle for their home opener. St. Scholastica 3-1, 2-1
Saturday, Oct. 26
No. 1 Norwich at No. 2 Elmira
Starting a season how you ended it makes for a great game. Elmira has unfinished business with Norwich, and the sting from losing the national championship is still fresh to the 14 returners that lead this team. Elmira 3-1
No. 4 Hamline at No. 9 Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Hamline lost two big scorers that put numbers on the board for them. These teams are very similar, which is why I must go with home ice advantage. Wis.-Eau Claire 2-1
Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 26-27
No. 6 Adrian at No. 8 Wisconsin-River Falls
This matchup will be very interesting and fun to watch. The speed and intensity that both teams bring to the game will cause it to be close and a very back-and-forth battle. Wis.-River Falls looks to be a top five powerhouse again, but Adrian is a rough first weekend of games. Adrian 3-1, Tie 2-2
