Week No. 2 of the college hockey season is here and one of the highlights will be Adrian’s weekend in New York. The Bulldogs play Cortland and Oswego in games that could go a long way for them come March.
There are also a couple of conference matchups and some intriguing non-conference battles. Let the puck drop on week two.
Friday
Bethel at UW-Stevens Point
The Royals are searching for their first win. Facing the No. 11 team in the nation on the road won’t be the easiest place to get it.
Bethel nearly won its opener, losing 2-1 to Marian in OT, but had a tough time against No. 5 St. Norbert, falling 5-2. They’ll need to generate some offense early to have a shot against the Pointers, who held off Dubuque in overtime for their first win. Like Bethel, goals haven’t been easy to come by for UW-Stevens Point, which has scored just three on the year. This one should be competitive.
UW-Stevens Point, 3-2
Adrian at Cortland
Big test on the road for the second-ranked team in the nation. The Bulldogs are playing a ranked team for the second straight week as Cortland is 10th in the latest USCHO.com poll and unbeaten at 2-0. The Bulldogs are 1-1 and know what it’s going to take win a matchup like this. The Red Dragons have outscored their opposition 12-4 so far. This should be a fight to the finish.
Adrian, 4-3
Saturday
St. Olaf at UW-Superior
The Oles are winless after week one and now hit the road for a pair of games in Wisconsin, finishing the weekend with a showdown against the Yellowjackets. St. Olaf will look to get its offense back on track after being shutout by Marian and hope to limit the opponent’s offensive success after giving up 12 goals in its first two games. UW-Superior is playing hockey for the first time this season and will look to end the weekend on a high note.
UW-Superior, 5-3
Saint John’s at St. Scholastica
The Johnnies took the first one in this series by a 4-2 score on Thursday and now take aim at a sweep and great shot of momentum early on in the MIAC race. Cam Boche scored twice in Thursday’s win and will look to duplicate that effort in this one. Jon Howe made 28 saves. The Saints are home for this game and that could prove to be an advantage.
Saint John’s, 4-2
Bethel at UW-Eau Claire
The Blugolds received votes in the latest national poll and aims to cap its first weekend of the season with a strong performance. UW-Eau Claire has a lot of potential on offense and the experience of goaltender Matt Gutjahr is the kind of thing that can make a big difference in what should be a tightly contested game.
UW-Eau Claire, 4-2
Adrian at Oswego
The Bulldogs cap their trip to New York with a game against the Lakers, who have started the season 0-1-1. Oswego did receive votes in the national poll this week and will be hungry for an upset. It will be interesting to see how Adrian handles the final night of this trip considering it will have played Cortland the night before.
Adrian, 3-1
Friday and Saturday
Concordia at Augsburg
Nothing like an early-season MIAC battle between two teams that will certainly be in the mix for a title.
The Cobbers are 2-0 and feeling good early on, especially considering they came through in the third period twice to secure their two wins. Netminder Dane Couture is the reigning defensive player of the week in the conference.
Augsburg is 1-1 and ready to set the tone early in its bid to win the MIAC this season. Grahm Harris has played well so far, dishing out four assists and tallying one goal.
Augsburg, 5-3; Concordia, 3-2
Aurora vs. Lake Forest
The Spartans come in ranked 14th nationally and unbeaten at 2-0. They picked up a huge win over UW-Stevens Point last week, winning 7-2, and also edged Augsburg 5-4 in overtime. Landry Schmuck will look to step up again after finishing with three goals and an assist last weekend. If the Spartans are clicking on offense, they’ll be tough to beat. For Lake Forest, it’s a chance to make a statement after starting the year 1-1.
Aurora, 4-2 and 5-3
