{"id":137697,"date":"2022-12-15T10:00:24","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T16:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=137697"},"modified":"2022-12-15T09:06:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T15:06:58","slug":"this-week-in-ccha-hockey-minnesota-state-bemidji-state-weekend-rivalry-games-have-implications-on-conference-standings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2022\/12\/15\/this-week-in-ccha-hockey-minnesota-state-bemidji-state-weekend-rivalry-games-have-implications-on-conference-standings\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in CCHA Hockey: Minnesota State, Bemidji State weekend rivalry games have implications on conference standings"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Bemidji State and Minnesota State renew their in-state rivalry this weekend in Mankato (photo: BSU Photo Services).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s a holiday tradition unlike any other: Minnesota State versus Bemidji State in mid-December for a chance at first place in the conference at the break.<\/p>\n

If this scenario sounds familiar, it\u2019s because it\u2019s happened before. It\u2019s unclear if it\u2019s some kind of grand design or just how the schedule has happened to play out, but the Mavericks and the Beavers often seem to meet as the first half of the season comes to a close, as was the case during the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

In the COVID-shortened 2020-21, it was a nonconference game, but last season in Bemidji the teams were No. 1 and 2 in the standings. The Mavericks, who had a five-point lead going into the series, swept the Beavers in that series, widening the gap and separating themselves from the CCHA pack en route to their fifth consecutive MacNaughton Cup.<\/p>\n

This season, the situation is similar, as the Mavericks and the Beavers are once again playing for a chance to be atop the CCHA at Christmas. However, there\u2019s one important difference: One of three different teams could lead the league at the end of the weekend.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the situation: The Mavericks are currently tied with Bowling Green for first place in the conference with 23 points. MSU has two games in-hand on the Falcons so unless they are swept by the Beavers on Thursday and Friday, they will pass BGSU (who is playing a nonconference series with Ohio State this weekend). But that doesn\u2019t mean they will be in first place. Bemidji State is just three points behind in fourth place and could leapfrog both teams with the right combination of points.<\/p>\n

Confused yet?<\/p>\n

Good, because there’s a fourth team in the mix: Michigan Tech. The Huskies are in third place but just a point behind MSU and BG. They travel to Sault Ste. Marie to play Upper Peninsula rivals Lake Superior State on Friday and Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are obviously big points right now,\u201d Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore said during his weekly media session. \u201cWhen you take a look at the standings, even though it\u2019s early, there\u2019s mass chaos right there. Who\u2019s in first, who\u2019s in second, who\u2019s in third, who\u2019s in fourth? There\u2019s so many different variables because there\u2019s a discrepancy in games and everything else. But this is going to be our league this year.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s going to go down to the wire, and every game is going to be really important because I have a feeling it\u2019s going to be tight the whole year.\u201d<\/p>\n

To simplify things: By Saturday, one of three teams (Minnesota State, Michigan Tech or Bemidji State) will lead the CCHA as the first half of the season ends. It\u2019s a far cry from last season, where the Mavericks\u2019 crown was never really in doubt. They may very well be on top as 2022 comes to a close, but it\u2019s clear the MacNaughton Cup is very much up for grabs for the first time since 2017, when Bemidji State lifted the cup as WCHA champions. The year before, Tech and Minnesota State shared the title.<\/p>\n

The CCHA (and the previous incarnation of the same teams in the WCHA) is usually known for parity, but for things to be this jumbled this late into the season is unusual.<\/p>\n

Minnesota State head coach Mike Hastings is always clear-headed about how tough it is to win in the CCHA (as it also was in the post-realignment WCHA) but this season especially he knows nothing is a given, despite how his team has dominated in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the goals we have at the beginning of the year is getting home ice,\u201d Hastings said. \u201cWe\u2019re in a battle for that. Another one of the goals is trying to win a league championship. We\u2019re in a battle for that. We want to play in the NCAA tournament, and we\u2019re on the outside looking in right now. All of that combined just puts a little more importance when you\u2019re playing your rival.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mavericks (10-7-1, 7-4-1 CCHA) are No. 20 in the Pairwise while the Beavers (7-5-4, 5-2-3 CCHA) are No. 24. The only CCHA team close to an at-large bid at the moment is Michigan Tech (10-4-3, 6-3-3) at No. 16. It\u2019s very likely the CCHA will be a one-bid league this season, so winning the conference title and earning the highest possible seed for yourself come tournament time is very important.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re playing our in-state rival, our biggest rival in the league, and a team that we have so much respect for, a team that’s so well-coached and a team that has dominated the league,\u201d Serratore said of playing the Mavericks. \u201cWe\u2019re chasing them. We\u2019re trying to catch them. We\u2019re having a decent season, we\u2019re pretty happy with our season, but at the end of the day these games have a lot to say where everybody\u2019s at at the end of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a holiday tradition unlike any other: Minnesota State versus Bemidji State in mid-December for a chance at first place in the conference at the break. If this scenario sounds familiar, it\u2019s because it\u2019s happened before. It\u2019s unclear if it\u2019s some kind of grand design or just how the schedule has happened to play out, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":137698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[812],"coauthors":[854],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThis Week in CCHA Hockey: Minnesota State, Bemidji State weekend rivalry games have implications on conference standings - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s a holiday tradition unlike any other: Minnesota State versus Bemidji State in mid-December for a chance at first place in the conference at the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137697\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Week in CCHA Hockey: Minnesota State, Bemidji State weekend rivalry games have implications on conference standings - 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