The Thanksgiving food has been eaten. And now it’s time for hockey.
Several games are on tap this holiday weekend, including a two-game series between nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire and St. Norbert. Can’t beat a matchup like that this early in the season. And two MIAC teams will square off against top five teams in the country.
Friday
St. Olaf (4-3-1) at No. 1 Plattsburgh State (6-0)
Talk about a huge test. The Oles get a shot at the No. 1 team in the nation.
St. Olaf has won two in a row and is playing its second ranked team in the last two weeks. It’s going to take quite the effort for the Oles to pull off this upset, but they are capable of getting it done if they can play a complete game from start to finish. There is little room for error in this one, especially on the road.
The Cardinals have rattled off six consecutive wins to start the season, scoring five or more goals five times. It will be Lukas Haugen of the Oles to the test in goal.
Plattsburgh, 5-4
Saint John’s (2-5) at No. 3 Utica (6-0-2)
Another MIAC team with another big game in front of it. The Johnnies haven’t had the best start to a season but are never an easy out for anyone.
Playing on the road is going to be a challenge. The Johnnies have Huber Bailey in goal and he will need to have maybe the best game of his career for Saint John’s to pull of the upset.
Utica is on a five-game win streak and its offense is clicking, scoring five or more goals during that streak. The Johnnies will need to find a way to match that output against a team that has allowed only eight goals during its streak.
Utica, 5-2
Friday and Saturday
No. 7 UW-Eau Claire (5-1-1) vs. St. Norbert (6-3)
This series begins at St. Norbert, where the Green Knights always make it tough for an opponent. UW-Eau Claire has won its last two. St. Norbert has won three in a row.
The Blugolds have a lot of options on offense, including Kyler Grundy, who has three goals and nine assists. And Max Gutjahr owns a 2.31 goals against average to help lead the defense.
Adam Stacho leads the Green Knights with seven goals and seven assists. High scoring games are possible, though, it’s likely defense decides this series.
St. Norbert, 5-2; UW-Eau Claire, 4-2
Saturday
No. 4 Adrian (5-2-1) vs. Stevenson (5-2-1)
The Bulldogs have been balanced this season, with six players tallying two or more goals. Mathew Rehding leads the team with four goals on the season.
The Mustangs have won three in a row and this will be the second time this yer they have faced a top five team nationally. Earlier this season they came out of a series with Utia with a tie and a loss. A good road test for the Bulldogs for sure, but they seem to find a way to prevail more often than not.
Adrian, 5-3
UW-Superior (3-5, 1-1) at Northland (1-7, 0-2)
The Yellowjackets have been playing better as of late and come in on a two-game winning streak. The Lumberjacks are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Northland needs to have its offense clicking on all cylinders as it has managed only 17 goals all season. Jackson Breton has accounted for four of those goals.
Blake Holmes leads the UW-Superior offense with four goals. I’m expecting both games to be close. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a split.
UW-Superior, 4-2; Northland, 3-2
Sunday
Bethel (5-1-2) at Aurora (4-3-1)
Could be quite an entertaining non-conference battle to close out the weekend.
The Royals and Spartans are both off to good starts. Bethel hasn’t had the best luck on the road, going just 1-1-2 and have given up more than two goals only once. Its ability to step up defensively will be a key to success. Travis Allen has started five games in goal, allowing only eight goals on the season.
Aurora is riding high after an upset win over Adrian last week. The Spartans have won four of their last five. Akl Hassan leads the team with three goals and eight assists. This one could go either way. Give the Spartans the edge being at home.
Aurora, 4-3
