February is rolling along and the action on the ice is heating up. Two big matchups loom this weekend as UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior battle in a series where the WIAC title will be on the line. Nationally ranked opponents Adrian and St. Norbert will do the same in the NCHA.
Check out the picks below and enjoy the weekend.
UW-Stevens Point (14-5-4, 10-2-1) at UW-Superior (14-7-2, 9-3-1)
The WIAC title will be decided this weekend when the Pointers and Yellowjackets square off.
The Pointers, ranked 10th in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, hit the road to try to seal the deal on the title. Few teams are hotter than the Yellowjackets at the moment. They’ve rattled off four consecutive wins.
When these two teams last played, the Pointers prevailed 3-2 in overtime. The games this weekend should be just as close and an exciting brand of hockey is expected to be played.
Six of the top 10 goal scorers in the conference will be in action in this series, including Conor Witherspoon (10) of UW-Stevens Point and Colton Friesen of UW-Superior. Both players have 10 goals apiece.
UW-Stevens Point, 4-3; UW-Superior, 5-4
UW-Stout (15-7-1, 6-6-1) at UW-Eau Claire (14-8-1, 7-5-1)
The Blue Devils trail the Blugolds by four points in the standings and hope to close out the regular season on a high note. The Blugolds are hoping to solidify their hold on third place in the standings. Both teams come in looking to end a two-game losing streak.
UW-Stout has enjoyed a turnaround season up to this point and leads the league in goals scored with 81. Peyton Hart has led that charge with a WIAC-best 14 goals. Quinn Green is UW-Eau Claire’s top goal scoring threat with 11 goals on the season.
The Blugolds look to keep their success going against the Blue Devils after winning the Dec. 3 matchup by a 4-2 score.
UW-Eau Claire, 3-2; UW-Stout, 6-4
St. Olaf (11-9-1, 5-7) vs. Saint John’s (12-9-2 8-5-1)
The Oles are on the outside looking in at the moment as far as the MIAC tournament is concerned. If they want a shot to defend their title, they need to be at their best this weekend.
Sitting just one point out of first, the Oles are certainly capable of getting the job done. But it won’t be easy against a Johnnies team that is currently in second and wants to maintain that position.
Bailey Huber has been solid in goal for the Johnnies, recording 393 saves while boasting a 2.12 goals against average. That’s a tall order for an Oles team that hasn’t scored more than two goals in each of its last three games. St. Olaf has lost its last four.
Saint John’s, 5-2; St. Olaf, 3-2
Saint Mary’s (10-10-1, 6-6) vs. St. Scholastica (14-5-2, 11-0-1)
The Saints continue to look like one of the best teams in college hockey, rattling off six consecutive wins and maintaining their hold on first place in the MIAC. They lead Saint John’s by seven points in the standings.
This team features a balanced offense that has cranked out 88 goals and has a netminder in Jack Bostedt, averages nearly 31 saves a game. The Cardinals won’t be an easy out, though, capable of winning on any given night and capable of generating a lot of goals, as was the case in a 7-3 win over Saint John’s last week. I have to stick with the Saints here but it won’t surprise me if Saint Mary’s gets at least one game out of this series.
St. Scholastica, 5-4 and 4-3
Augsburg (12-8-1, 8-4) vs. Hamline (11-9-1, 4-8)
The Auggies aren’t having one of their typical seasons but they are still a team that can’t be overlooked, especially having won their last three games. Hamline has won its last two games.
Augsburg has an offense that has produced 69 goals and thrives off a balanced attack that makes things tough on any opponent. The Pipers, though, have been fairly solid on defense and lead the conference in fewest goals allowed with 48. And they’ve won some big games this season. Hard to bet against Augsburg, however, at this time of the year. Then again, it is the MIAC, so you never know how things are going to go.
Augsburg, 3-1 and 4-3
Adrian (18-3-2, 12-3-1) at St. Norbert (14-7-2, 11-4-1)
It’s one of the best matchups in college hockey year after year and a lot is riding on this series. For the reigning national champs, who are riding the high of a sweep of nationally ranked Aurora, they need three points to secure the title. The 14th-ranked Green Knights needs four points to win the crown, though they could end up as low as the fourth seed in the conference tourney.
The No. 3 Bulldogs lead the league in goals scored with 122 while the Green Knights have tallied 93 on the year. This series should be fun to watch. It always seems to be when these rivals square off in games that always seem to have something riding on them.
Adrian, 4-3 and 3-2
Aurora (15-6-2, 11-3-2) vs. MSOE (14-9, 9-7)
This is a big series for both teams. Aurora is looking to clinch a home series in the conference tourney and needs just two points in this series to make that happen. The No. 10 Spartans are in a position, though, where they could be as as low as the fifth seed.
The Raiders could still end up with a home series if a few things go their way. The most important thing for MSOE is beating Aurora would give it a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. For the Spartans, while they are out of the regular-season title hunt, they can still make a postseason run. And they are hungry for a bounce-back series after how things went down against Adrian.
Aurora, 5-2 and 6-5
Concordia (4-19, 4-12) at Finlandia (3-18-1, 2-14)
The Falcons are looking to seal the deal on being the eighth seed in the conference tournament. They just need to get six points out of this series. Finlandia needs a lot of help to get the eighth seed, starting with needing a sweep of the Falcons in regulation. Concordia has struggled on the road this year, losing all 12 of its games away from home. This could be the weekend that streak ends. The Lions have lost their last four games and are just 3-10 on home ice.
Concordia, 5-2 and 4-1
