It’s a week before Thanksgiving and hockey fans are thankful another weekend of games is on tap.
Conference play headlines the action out west and that always makes for interesting games, including a huge NCHA showdown between Adrian and Aurora.
Here’s a look at some of the predictions for the weekend ahead.
MIAC
Friday and Saturday
Saint Mary’s (1-5, 1-1) vs. Augsburg (2-2-1, 0-0)
Augsburg has scored 16 goals this season but has allowed 18. The Auggies need to be able to get rolling early with scoring and lean on the goalie play of Samuel Vyletelka.
The Cardinals have dropped three in a row and hoping to flip the script. They are going to need the offense to come alive. Saint Mary’s has scored only nine goals this year.
Augsburg, 5-2 and 4-1
St. Olaf (2-3-1, 0-1-1) vs. Hamline (3-3, 1-1)
Gustavus (0-2) vs. Bethel (4-0-2, 1-0-1)
Bethel is one of only two unbeaten teams in the conference and has a golden opportunity to gain further footing near the top of the standings.
Defense has been huge for the Royals so far as they have allowed the fewest goals (7) among league teams. Travis Allen has already made 92 saves this season and is giving up less than a goal per game.
Gustavus has dropped three in a row but has shown it can beat anyone on any given night, earning a win over nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point earlier this season. The good news is they have two of the better offensive threats in the league in Nate Stone and Grant Ellings. Both have three goals apiece.
Bethel, 4-1; Gustavus 3-2
Saturday
Saint John’s (2-4, 1-2) vs. No. 8 St. Scholastica (6-0, 3-0)
No one is better than the Saints right now in the MIAC. Nationally ranked St. Scholastica already has won win against the Johnnies, beating them 4-2 Thursday night. Arkhip Ledenkov hit the 100-point mark of his career in that game, and if he’s playing well, it makes the Saints that much harder to beat.
For the Johnnies, it’s about taking advantage of the missed opportunities it didn’t cash in on in the first game. Ten of their shots were blocked and eight were wide of the net. If a few of those go in, the story might be different.
St. Scholastica, 4-3
NCHA
Friday and Saturday
No. 2 Adrian (4-1-1, 4-0) at Aurora (3-2-1, 3-1)
Talk about a big early-season showdown. The Bulldogs are the current leader atop the standings. The Spartans are right behind them and hoping to make a statement.
Adrian has won its last four, scoring three or more goals each time, and have won two in a row on the road. Aurora has won its last three after a slow start and faced its first big test of the year.
Both teams have shown they can score goals, with Aurora tallying 22 and Adrian racking up 20. Key plays defensively could decide this series. A sweep either way wouldn’t surprise me. But I have to believe we might see an upset one of the nights, though I might be wrong.
Adrian, 5-2; Aurora, 3-2
Trine (5-1, 3-1) at Lake Forest (2-4, 0-2)
The Thunder have been playing well for the most part and have outscored the opposition 23-12. Getting shutout by St. Norbert in the final game of that series last weekend was the first hiccup of the year for the Thunder. This is a good opportunity for Trine to get back on track.
The Foresters have had a rough road so far and have dropped their last four, though they have shown they can compete, with two of their losses coming by a goal, including a air of one-goal losses to St. Nobert.
Trine, 4-3 and 3-2
Marian (3-4, 2-2) vs. St. Norbert (4-3, 3-1)
An in-state battle is on the schedule here as the Sabres hope to stun the Green Knights in this home-and-home series.
St. Norbert is always tough at home and is 2-0 there this season. Three of the Green Knights’ last four games have been decided by a goal and it wouldn’t be a surprise if this series produces tightly contested games.
The Sabres have been on track lately, rattling off three consecutive wins, including an impressive 6-2 win over Augsburg.
Marian, 4-3; St. Norbert, 4-2
WIAC
Friday
No. 14 UW-Stevens Point (4-2, 1-0) at UW-Stout (3-1-1, 1-0)
The Pointers are coming off a big early week win over UW-Eau Claire in a battle of nationally ranked teams and now face a Stout team currently unbeaten in league play as well.
The two teams are the two highest scoring in the conference, with the Blue Devils racking up 24 goals and the Pointers tallying 23.
The two also combine for seven of the top 10 goal scorers in the WIAC. Noah Finstrom has four goals for the Pointers. Maksis Brimanis and Boyd Stahlbaum have four goals apiece for the Blue Devils. This is one that could go either way.
UW-Stevens Point, 5-4
UW-River Falls (3-2, 0-1) at UW-Superior (1-4, 0-0)
Dysen Skinner could be key in this one. He’s started four games this season and has made 124 saves. As a team, the Falcons are averaging two goals a game and allowing two per outing.
UW-Superior has had a tough time finding the back of the net early on this year, scoring just nine goals, but it did just win its first game of the year, beating Saint Mary’s 4-2, and looks to build on that momentum.
UW-River Falls, 4-2
Saturday
No. 6 UW-Eau Claire (3-1-1, 0-1) at UW-River Falls (3-2, 0-1)
The Blugolds are hungry for a bounce-back win after a tough loss to the rival Pointers. They feature a balanced attack that has led to 18 goals on the season while Max Gutajahr has come through with 125 saves.
For the Falcons, this is an opportunity to close out the weekend with a statement win. They have won their last two against the Blugolds and would love to keep that streak intact.
UW-Eau Claire, 5-4
