It isn’t good … but it isn’t wretched. Yet.
Last week: 12-7-3
Season to date: 12-7-4 (.609)
This does not include Thursday night’s Notre Dame loss. I’ll include the whole ND series in next week’s picks percentage.
We have another full schedule this week, with every CCHA team playing in nonconference action. I picked the series between Minnesota-Duluth and Notre Dame yesterday. All remaining series are Friday-Saturday, but Michigan hosts a single Friday night game. All times are local.
Bentley at No. 5 Michigan. Bentley began its season with a 7-1 win over Sacred Heart Tuesday night, a game in which sophomore Alex Grieve had two goals and junior Branden Komm made 15 saves. The Wolverines split with visiting RIT, losing 5-4 in overtime Friday and winning 7-2 the following night. A pair of freshmen played in Michigan’s net, with Jared Rutledge earning the loss and Steve Racine the win. Michigan swept this series last year. The game begins at 7:35 p.m. UM 4-2
Bowling Green at Colgate. Each of these teams lost in Ohio last weekend. The Falcons dropped a pair of home games to Union, 5-3 and 4-1; the Raiders lost twice in Oxford to Miami, 3-0 and 5-1. Colgate did outscore Niagara by eight goals in a single game two weeks ago, though. Four different Raiders have two goals each and junior Eric Mihalik has all three of Colgate’s decisions this season. BGSU is 5-0-1 all-time against Colgate, but the teams haven’t met since 2006. Games begin at 7:00 p.m. Bowling Green 3-2, Colgate 3-2
Canisius at No. 12 Western Michigan. Last week, Canisius split a pair of games in the Kendall Hockey Classic, losing to host Anchorage, 2-0, before beating Alaska, 3-1. Three different Golden Griffins have netted a goal each so far this season, while sophomore Keegan Asmundson and junior Tony Capobianco have each played in net. The Broncos opened their season with an overtime loss at home to St. Lawrence, 4-3, before beating the Saints the following night, 3-2. Sophomore defenseman Garrett Haar has two goals to lead WMU so far; sophomore Frank Slubowski played in net both games against SLU. These teams split a pair in Kalamazoo in October 2010. Games begin at 7:05 p.m. WMU 3-2, 4-2
Lake Superior State at Bemidji State. The Lakers split a home-and-home series with Michigan Tech last weekend, winning 4-2 at home and losing 8-4 on the road. Eight different players account for the eight total LSSU goals; junior Kevin Kapalka had both games in net, although his classmate, Niels-Erik Ravn, played the third period of the loss. These games will be the first of the D-I season for the Beavers, who beat the U.S. Under-18 team last Saturday, 4-3. This is a series that goes all the way back to 1966 when both teams were members of the International Collegiate Hockey Association. Last season, the teams split a pair in Sault Ste. Marie. Friday’s game begins at 7:37 p.m., Saturday’s at 7:07 p.m. LSSU 4-3, BSU 4-3
Mercyhurst at No. 16 Ferris State. The Lakers have played one D-I game this season, last Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Niagara. Sophomore Ryan Misiak had Mercyhurst’s only goal and senior Max Strang had the loss in net. The Bulldogs lost and tied on the road against Rensselaer, 3-1 Friday and 2-2 Saturday. Three different players scored for FSU and sophomore C.J. Motte manned the pipes. These teams last met in October 2006. Games begin at 7:05 p.m. FSU 3-2, 4-2
Niagara at Michigan State. There’s one thing we know for sure about each of these teams in the early going: each can allow more than a few goals in a game. Niagara beat Mercyhurst, 2-1, last Saturday but lost 10-2 to Colgate the previous Tuesday; MSU was outscored by Minnesota 12-2 in two losses last weekend. Senior Giancarlo Iuorio has two goals for the Purple Eagles and three different players have seen time in net so far this season, with junior Carsen Chubak picking up that win. For the Spartans, sophomores Brent Darnell and Tanner Sorenson have scored, while junior Will Yanakeff has both losses. These two teams have never met. Games begin at 7:05 p.m. MSU 3-2, 3-1
No. 17 Northern Michigan at Nebraska-Omaha. The Wildcats did the CCHA proud last weekend with a sweep of Wisconsin in Green Bay. Freshman Cohen Adair had two goals in the series and junior goaltender Jared Coreau picked up both wins. The Mavericks beat Army, 5-1, in the Ice Breaker Tournament last weekend before losing the title game, 3-2, to Notre Dame. Seven Mavs scored for UNO; senior goaltender John Faulkner had the win and freshman Anthony Stolarz the loss. This series is tied 15-15-2, and the teams last faced each other as CCHA opponents in the 2009-10 season when the teams played four times with each winning a high-scoring series at home. Friday’s game begins at 7:37 p.m., Saturday’s at 7:07 p.m. NMU 3-2, UNO 3-2
Ohio State at No. 20 Quinnipiac. OSU split a pair of road games with Minnesota-Duluth last weekend, losing 6-2 Friday before Saturday’s 3-2 win. Five different Buckeyes tallied in the series; freshman Collin Olson had the win with senior Brady Hjelle earning the loss. Quinnipiac split a pair of 4-0 home games against Robert Morris, winning the Friday contest. Six different Bobcats have netted goals this season; senior goaltender Eric Hartzell is 2-1-0. These teams split a pair of games at the start of the 2010-11 season, a 2-1 win for Quinnipiac and a 4-0 win for Ohio State. Friday’s game begins at 7:00 p.m., Saturday’s at 4:00 p.m. QU 3-1, OSU 3-2
Providence at No. 4 Miami. Providence is 1-1-0 this season after beating Sacred Heart, 8-2, last Friday and losing 4-2 to Boston University on Saturday. Four different Friars have two goals apiece so far this season and freshman goaltender Jon Gillies earned the win and loss, although senior Russ Stein played the last period of the win, allowing both goals. Miami swept visiting Colgate last weekend, 3-0 and 5-1. Two freshmen picked up wins for the RedHawks, Ryan McKay and Jay Williams; McKay had the shutout. Sophomore Blake Coleman has three goals already for Miami. These teams met in last year’s Denver Cup with Miami earning the 6-2 win. Friday’s game begins at 7:35 p.m., Saturday’s at 7:05 p.m. Miami 3-1, 4-1
Merrimack and No. 2 North Dakota at Alaska. These games are part of the Brice Alaska Goal Rush. Merrimack is 1-1-0 after beating Union, 4-1, Oct. 6 and losing to Northeastern, 4-2, Oct. 10. Sophomore Josh Myers has two goals for the Warriors; junior Sam Marotta has the win in net and sophomore Rasmus Tirronen the loss. This is the first D-I action of the season for North Dakota. NoDak beat the U.S. Under-18 Team, 6-4, last Friday. The Nanooks tied Air Force, 3-3, before losing to Canisius, 3-1, in the Kendall Hockey Classic in Anchorage last weekend. Senior Nik Yaremchuk had two goals in the tournament. Sophomore Sean Cahill had the tie and freshman John Keeney the loss in net for Alaska. Merrimack last traveled to Fairbanks in 1995, and the last trip to Fairbanks for North Dakota was in 1991. Friday’s game begins at 8:05 p.m., Saturday’s at 7:05 p.m. Merrimack 3-2, North Dakota 4-1
