Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and got enough to eat.
With that said, it’s time to feast on some hockey predictions.
St. Scholastica (4-3-1) vs. Dubuque (0-7-1)
The Saints come into the opening game of the Superior Showdown having won three in a row.
Eino Rissanen has played a pivotal role in that success, especially in the shutout win over Augsburg last week when he made 38 saves. He owns a 2.15 goals against average on the year.
Dubuque is still searching for its first win, but the one thing about the Spartans is they have competed hard.
In five of their games, they have tied once and have lost four others by two goals or less. Expect that trend to continue in this matchup against the Saints.
St. Scholastica, 4-3
St. Olaf (3-4-1, 2-2) )vs. Bethel (3-4-1, 1-1)
The Oles are coming off an impressive 5-1 win over Saint John’s and have proven they can score a lot of goals, tallying four or more four times. Tyler Green leads the way with four goals and five assists.
Bethel hasn’t played bad lately. After going winless in their first four games, the Royals have won three of their last four. Tyler Bracinni has been impressive, scoring two goals and dishing out eight assists.
Bethel, 3-2
UW-Eau Claire (2-3-1) vs. St. Norbert (9-0)
Facing the nation’s second-best team is not going to be an easy task for Eau Claire, which is up against its first ranked opponent of the year.
The Blugolds are going to need their best defensive performance of the year to get a win in this series. The good news is netminder Max Gutjahr is always tough in the net. He has a 1.66 goals against average on the year.
The Green Knights have been nothing short of impressive in the early part of the season and just swept Aurora in a battle of top five teams.
They’ve scored four or more goals seven times and Logan Dombrowsky and Liam Fraser have led the way. Dombrowsky has scored seven goals to go along with 14 assists. Fraser has tallied 10 goals and six assists.
St. Norbert, 5-2 and 4-2
Lawrence (3-5-1) at UW-Superior (3-2-1)
The Vikings need a win bad, having dropped three consecutive games, and it won’t be easy to get it on the road against the Yellowjackets at the Superior Showdown.
Getting the offense rolling is key, especially with Lawrence managing only four goals in its last three outings.
Superior nearly beat UW-Stevens Point last week, losing just 5-4, and it’s a safe bet the Yellowjackets come in hungry to get back on track this weekend.
A strong start is important to set the tone, and look for Superior to do that and remain unbeaten on its home ice (2-0-1).
UW-Superior, 5-2
Lake Forest (2-5-1) at Skidmore (5-2)
Lake Forest is looking to build on some momentum here, but that won’t be easy against a nationally ranked opponent on the road as Skidmore hosts its Thanksgiving tournament starting Saturday.
Four times this season Lake Forest has scored at least four goals in a game. The Foresters will need that kind of production and a stellar defensive effort to pull off an upset.
Skidmore has won its last two, outscoring the opposition 12-5.
Skidmore, 5-2
Trine (7-0-1) vs. Chatham (1-5-1)
The eighth-ranked Thunder are feeling good about the way their season has started off and are ready to keep rolling in this home and home series that begins Saturday.
Trine is clearly the favorite in this one and should expect a sweep here. It is averaging 3.4 goals per game while giving up just 1.6 per outing. Sam Antenucci leads the charge with four goals and three assists.
Trine 4-1 and 5-2
