It’s the final weekend of hockey in the MIAC as far as the regular season is concerned. In the WIAC and NCHA, the first round of action gets underway in their respective tournaments.
Here’s a look at some of the games and picks for the weekend ahead.
Gustavus (13-8-2, 9-3-2) vs. Hamline (7-16, 5-9)
The Gusties can wrap up the regular season championship this weekend and will certainly be favored to do it. Though they only have one win in the month of February, they’ve shown they can be a tough team to beat on any given night. Gustavus has scored the most goals in the MIAC, tallying 83, and it is the only team to allow fewer than 60 (56).
Hamline, which has given up 97 goals on the year while scoring 54, has its work cut out for it.
Gustavus, 5-1 and 4-2
St. Olaf (12-8-3, 7-6-1) vs. Bethel (12-8-3, 8-4-2)
The Oles and Royals both have a ton to play for. Bethel holds a three-point lead over St. Olaf in the standings but that advantage can flip in a hurry. Tyler Braccini is the top goal scorer in the league, with 16 goals, but the Oles have a pretty solid offensive threat of their own in Jonathan Panisa, who has scored 14 goals. Should be a fun series to watch.
St. Olaf, 4-2; Bethel 5-4
Saint John’s (10-13-1, 7-7-1) vs. Concordia (11-10-3, 7-5-3)
The Johnnies lost the opener on Thursday by a 4-2 score and hope for a little revenge in the series finale. The Cobbers are tied for third in the standings with the Johnnies, so a lot is on the line to say the least. Look for both teams to leave it all on the ice for this one.
Concordia, 4-3
Northland (1-24) vs. UW-Eau Claire (10-14-1)
This weekend marks the final time Northland will play hockey as the school is closing at the end of the year.
The storybook here would be if the Lumberjacks could pull off the upset of upsets and move on in the WIAC tournament.
But the reality says the Blugolds are the better team and should come away with a sweep in this situation. The Blugolds outscored the Lumberjacks 13-0 in their three games this season.
Eau Claire, 5-0 and 4-1
UW-Stout (12-11-2) vs. UW-River Falls (14-10-1)
The Blue Devils face a tough task on the road in the WIAC tourney against a Falcons team that was ranked in the Top 15 of the USCHO.com poll earlier this season.
Two of the three games between these teams in the regular season went to overtime and all three were decided by a goal.
Home ice might be the ultimate difference here as the Falcons are 9-4 in their own building. It’s also worth noting that River Falls is 93-34-5 all-time against the Blue Devils.
River Falls, 4-3 and 3-2
Aurora (21-3-1) vs. Lawrence (7-15-2)
The No. 2 Spartans are having their best season in program history, winning 21 games, and now they begin their quest for an NCHA tournament title. Aurora has won three in a row and features two of the best offensive threats in the the game in Landry Schmuck and Hassan Akl. The two have combined for 40 goals.
Lawrence will have its work cut out for it against the Spartans after losing by identical 5-1 scores to Aurora in the regular season.
Aurora, 5-1 and 4-1
Trine (18-5-2) vs. Marian (9-15-1)
The seventh-ranked Thunder are unbeaten on their own ice this season, sporting a 10-0 record, and that’s huge going into an opening round series against the Sabres.
Now, it’s worth noting Marian did beat Trine a couple of weeks ago, winning 5-4 to earn a series split. So this one could get interesting.
Trine, 3-2 and 4-3
Adrian (16-8-1) vs. MSOE (12-9-4)
The 12th-ranked Bulldogs won both games against the Raiders in the regular season and hope that success continues this weekend. Ian Amsbaugh and Ryan Pitoscia lead the Bulldogs with 12 goals apiece, and if they are on, Adrian will be tough to beat.
Eddie Shepler is one to watch for the Raiders, who hope to pull off an upset in this series. They do come into the matchup on a two-game winning streak and have a win over St. Norbert this season, so they’ll be unfazed.
Adrian, 4-3 and 5-4
St. Norbert (20-5) vs. Concordia (12-13)
The No. 6 Green Knights are rolling right now, winning six in a row, and they are 11-3 at home this season.
They split with the Falcons in the regular season, though, losing 2-1 before avenging it with a 3-0 win. If the duo of Liam Fraser and Logan Dombrowsky are clicking, the Green Knights are going to be a tough team to be at home in the postseason.
Concordia has played well on the road, going 9-6, and it will need its best effort to get the job done here.
St. Norbert, 4-2 and 5-2
