There are still some playoff races in discussion with two weekends left in the regular season. With eight of the league’s 10 teams in action, the playoff picture should be a lot clearer by the time the dust settles on Sunday.
Keep an eye on Alaska Anchorage and Ferris State this weekend. Both teams enter the weekend in the race for the eighth and final spot, and both have matchups that will be difficult to pick up points in.
Daver last week: 6-1-3
Jack last week: 7-0-3
Daver this season: 93-44-20
Jack this season: 106-56-17
Ferris State at Bowling Green
The Bulldogs enter the weekend three points back of the Seawolves for eighth and final playoff spot. They are fresh off a sweep at home at the hands of Michigan Tech, so they will likely be looking to bounce back.
The Falcons and Nanooks battled to a pair of ties last weekend. Six different Falcons scored on the weekend, as they continue to get balanced offense, which could make them dangerous come playoff time. They trail the Huskies, who are idle, by four points in the race for the fifth spot in the standings.
Jack: BGSU wins 3-2 Friday, Ferris wins 2-0 Saturday
Daver: BGSU sweeps, 4-1 and 3-1
Northern Michigan at Lake Superior State
The Wildcats took a pair on the chin last weekend at home in a tough weekend against the Beavers, who scored 10 goals over the course of the two games. Looking to hold on to a home playoff spot, they need points from this series against the Lakers, as they hold a one-point lead over the Nanooks and a three-point lead over the Huskies in the standings.
The Lakers enter the weekend five points back of the Falcons for sixth in the WCHA standings. They battled to a 0-0 tie on Friday last against the Chargers last weekend before exploding for a 4-1 win on Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada.
Jack: NMU wins 3-1 Friday, Lake State wins 4-2 Saturday
Daver: LSSU wins Friday 3-2, NMU wins Saturday, 4-1
Alabama Huntsville at Minnesota State
The Chargers’ hopes of sneaking into the playoffs are slim, however, they are not dead yet. They are seven points back of the Seawolves with a possible 12 points on the line over the final two weekends.
Unfortunately, their path goes through the Mavericks, which makes life very difficult. The Mavericks enter the weekend having won three of their last five games and are 10-1-1 since losing back-to-back games to the Wildcats and to St. Cloud State in late December.
Jack: MSU sweeps, 6-1 and 3-0
Daver: MSU sweeps, 5-1 and 4-1
Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage
The Beavers trail the Mavericks by five points for the top spot in the WCHA with two weekends remaining. Realistically, they will likely need to sweep the Seawolves to keep pace with the Mavericks this weekend. They are fresh off a road sweep of the Wildcats and are playing some of their best hockey of the season right now.
The Seawolves need points to hold onto their three-point advantage over the Bulldogs for the eighth and final playoff spot. They are getting some very strong play from senior forward Luc Brown right now, and will need more of it this weekend to scrape some points from the Beavers’ clutches.
Jack: BSU sweeps, 5-2 and 4-0
Daver: BSU wins Friday 4-1, UAA wins Saturday 3-2
