Matt and I have done pretty well with the picks so far, which is surprising considering how little we knew about the no-longer new WCHA. This is the last week before break, and I’m enjoying a slim lead on my colleague from the UP. Of course, this is for entertainment purposes only. Onto this week’s picks …
Bowling Green at Michigan Tech
Shane: The Falcons are reeling with one win in their last five games. They’re also 1-6-2 on the road. The Huskies are on a five-game unbeaten streak, although there are three ties in there, and they’ve been good at home. Huskies 3-2, 2-1
Matt: I can’t think of a worse place to try and break out of a slump than John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. I expect the Huskies to be hungry after tying twice against Bemidji State at home a week ago. Huskies 4-2, 3-1
Minnesota State at Alabama Huntsville
Shane: Two teams feeling good about themselves right now. The Mavericks have won five in a row, while the Chargers won for the first time last Saturday. Minnesota State is finally playing like we thought they’d play. Huntsville won’t make it easy, but I don’t see a slip this weekend: Mavericks 3-1, 4-1
Matt: I said it on the blog earlier in the week that MSU is alive and well, finally living up to its preseason hype. UAH will get a home win soon enough, but not against the Mavericks. Mavericks 4-1, 3-0.
Alaska at Bemidji State
Shane: The Nanooks snapped a long, five-game losing streak on Saturday night, and now they make a tough road trip to northern Minnesota to face the Beavers. Both of these teams can score but both give up more than 3 goals per game. Beavers 5-4, Nanooks 4-3
Matt: I was really impressed by the Beavers ability to hang with the Huskies last week in what is a very tough environment to play in. The Beavers may very well be a top four team in the league, not a bottom four team. Beavers 3-2, 4-3
Lake Superior at Alaska Anchorage
Shane: Anchorage has never had a better start at home, going 6-1-2 to start at the Sully. The Lakers, however, have had some road success with splits at Tech and Bemidji. Lakers 3-1, Seawolves 4-3
Matt: The Lakers should not be down right now about being swept by Ferris State in Sault Ste. Marie. Ferris is doing that to a lot of teams lately. As good as the Seawolves have been at home, I expect Kevin Kapalka to not only keep each game close, but get the Lakers a win Saturday. Seawolves 2-1, Lakers 2-1
Northern Michigan at North Dakota
Shane: The Wildcats looked a little beat up last week in Mankato, in my opinion, and it sounds like the calvary’s not coming until after break. Mathias Dahlstrom’s good enough to keep things close but I see a UND sweep. North Dakota 3-2, 4-2
Matt: Dahlstrom is good enough to keep things close, but you’re right about the injuries. NMU probably needs the holiday break more than any team in the league right now to get things figured out. North Dakota 4-1, 2-1.
Ferris State at Michigan State
Shane: The Bulldogs kept their unbeaten streak going with a thrilling tie against Michigan on Wednesday. If this game had been the next night I might have predicted a letdown. I say Ferris keeps rolling. Bulldogs 3-2
Matt: Even the meaningless shootout against Michigan was exciting on Wednesday night, probably because I knew it was meaningless. It’s really tough to pick against Ferris State right now, especially when they are playing a team like Michigan State which is nowhere near the level of Michigan at this point in the year. Bulldogs 4-1
Last week: Shane 6-2-3, Matt 6-2-3. Overall: Shane 66-31-14, Matt 62-35-14
