The WCHA starts to get really interesting this weekend.<\/p>\n
We have four in-league series scheduled, and three of those come with teams on the same — or at least perceived to be — on the same tier in the league pecking order. Who takes the next jump? Who proves they’re ready to move up?<\/p>\n
Let’s get pickin’….<\/p>\n
Minnesota State at Lake Superior State Sean: I’m with Jack on this one, this is going to be a hell of a weekend series. These teams met in the playoffs last season and both are rolling lately. Can the Lakers keep the offensive churning? I think so. Lakers 4-2, 5-4<\/p>\n Ferris State at Bowling Green Sean: When this season started we all would have pencilled this in as a game between teams near the top of the WCHA standings. Instead it’s a battle of teams looking to climb out of a hole and build upon their first victories this past weekend. It feels like a split, and it has overtime written all over it. Bulldogs 3-2 (OT), Falcons 4-3 (OT)<\/p>\n Alabama Huntsville at Alaska Anchorage Sean: If you want to compete in the WCHA you need to win the games against lower-tier teams. For the Chargers, this is a weekend to pick up points and prove they aren’t amongst the bottom teams in the league. That motivation and opportunity should work out favorably. Chargers 3-0, 3-2<\/p>\n Bemidji State at Alaska Sean: Bemidji State is my kind of hockey team. They play solid defense and they have a goaltender that shuts down all mistakes. It’s made life difficult for opponents and that trend should continue in Alaska. Beavers 3-1, 4-1<\/p>\n Michigan Tech at Michigan State Sean: Former CCHA rivalries are renewed and I think it should be good series. Michigan State is a wildcard of an opponent, and this series sounds like a split. Huskies 3-1, Spartans 4-3<\/p>\n Northern Michigan at Wisconsin Sean: Familiarity breeds contempt, right? And Northern Michigan has grown familiar with trips to Wisconsin. Northern Michigan has a chance to make an out-of-conference statemen, and I think they’ll deliver. Wildcats 4-2, 5-3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The WCHA starts to get really interesting this weekend. We have four in-league series scheduled, and three of those come with teams on the same — or at least perceived to be — on the same tier in the league pecking order. Who takes the next jump? Who proves they’re ready to move up? Let’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1425,934],"tags":[773,1503],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>Jack: They way both teams have been playing as of late, this should be a really fun series. The Lakers have only defeated the Mavericks once since joining the WCHA — that was last season in the playoffs, a 1-0 victory with Gordy Defiel making 54 saves. I think we’ll see more from the high-scoring Lakers offense. Lakers 5-3, Mavericks 3-1<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Jack: Funnily enough, both teams finally got their first victories of the season on Saturday. I’ll bet nobody picked that when the season started. Naturally, this is probably going to be a split, too. Falcons 3-1, Bulldogs 2-0<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Jack: Can the Chargers finally get off the schneid this weekend? Judging from what I saw from the Seawolves last week in Bemidji (and how well the Chargers played in St. Cloud, despite the lopsided-looking scorelines), this would be the series in which to do it. Chargers 4-2, 2-0<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Jack: The Beavers are the last team left unbeaten in conference play. They’ve been getting it done defensively, for the most part — Michael Bitzer has a 0.50 GAA in WCHA play thanks to three shutouts and a solid defensive core in front of him. I think they’ll keep that up this weekend, despite the long trip to Fairbanks. Beavers 4-1, 3-0<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Jack: The first of two WCHA\/B1G matchups this weekend. The Spartans are a weird team — they got wrecked by Lake State on opening weekend but played an extremely tight series against top-10 Denver. I think the Huskies have shaken off some of their early-season struggles, however, and will sweep this one in East Lansing. Huskies 5-2, 3-2<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Jack: Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before. Oh yeah. You have heard this one before. A month ago. The teams split on “neutral” ice in Green Bay, Wis. But this one is in Madison. It should be more of a challenge for NMU, but I think another split seems likely as well. Badgers 4-3, Wildcats 3-2<\/p>\n