Hello hockey fans. It’s time for another season. And you can’t ask for anything better than a couple of matchups on the opening weekend that are worthy of being played late in March.
Reigning champ Adrian battles Utica, the last team to beat Adrian, and UW-Stevens Point squares off with St. Norbert in a huge in-state battle featuring a pair of top 10 teams.
Here’s a look at few of the games on tap for this weekend.
Friday and Saturday
Utica at Adrian
Utica handed Adrian its only loss a season ago before the Bulldogs rattled off 31 consecutive wins on their way to a national title.
This is a huge test for both teams. The Bulldogs go into the year as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Both teams execute well on both ends of the ice and this is a series could easily end in a split. But the Bulldogs are the team to beat until proven otherwise.
Adrian, 3-2, 2-1
Stevens Point vs. St. Norbert
Like the Adrian-Utica series, this matchup is one worthy of the NCAA tournament. The Pointers are ranked 10th in the country and the Green Knights are sixth.
It’s a series that features two of the best scorers in the game in the Pointers’ Jordan Fader and the Green Knights’ Liam Fraser.
UW-Stevens Point, 5-3; St. Norbert 4-3
Lake Forest at Saint Mary’s
The Foresters are looking for a turnaround season and have a roster with 23 returning players on it. Lake Forest has a chance to get off to a great start to the year. But so are the Cardinals. After managing only eight wins last season, the Cardinals have a chance to build some confidence early. They return 25 players.
Lake Forest, 3-1; Saint Mary’s, 2-1
Fredonia at Trine
The Thunder are coming off their best season in program history and have the potential to be even better this season.
Trine faces a team that won 10 games last year and welcomes back one of its best players in Garrett Hallford, who is back for a fifth year and scored 10 goals while dishing out 22 assists.
Fredonia won only three games on the road, which means Trine should have the edge.
Trine, 4-2 and 5-2
Friday
St. Scholastica at Concordia (Wisconsin)
The Saints are poised to be one of the better teams in the MIAC this season and have an opportunity to get started on the right foot. They return their top three scorers and that should make all the difference in the world for them.
Saint Scholastica, 4-2
Saturday
Saint Scholastica at MSOE
This might be one of the more interesting matchups in the early part of the season. The Saints have a good number of their returning players back, and not just offensively. They also have two goaltenders that have experience.
The Raiders have a lot of young talent but expectations are high and beating a team like the Saints would bolster their confidence.
Saint Scholastica, 5-2
Saint John’s at UW-River Falls
The Johnnies and Falcons are consistently two of the better teams in the west region and this year should be no exception. Saint John’s is led by team captain Auggie Moore, who led the team in points (28).
The Falcons bring back a talented cast of returning players, including Noah Ganske, who spent part of his summer at the Edmonton Oilers’ development camp.
Saint John’s, 3-2
