It’s the last full weekend of hockey before Christmas and there are plenty of entertaining non-conference games on tap as well as one huge conference game that pits nationally ranked foes UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire against each other.
So let’s dive into the picks and take a guess at how things might go down this week in the world of D-III hockey out west.
Friday
Northland (1-12) at No. 5 St. Scholastica (8-0)
The Saints are unbeaten and have already beaten the Lumberjacks once, winning 5-2 on Tuesday. Hard to imagine this game will go any differently. Northland plays hard and effort is never going to be a question, but the Saints are just too talented on both ends of the ice and nationally ranked for a reason.
St. Scholastica, 5-1
Friday and Saturday
No. 9 UW-Stevens Point (7-3, 4-1) ) vs. No. 8 UW-Eau Claire (8-2-1, 4-1)
This is the series of the weekend as it doesn’t get much better than two top 15 teams squaring off in early December.
These two teams have already played once this season, with the Pointers taking a 5-3 win back on Nov. 14 at home.
We could certainly see a lot of offense this time around. The Pointers are led by Noah Finstrom, who has racked up six goals, though he is the only player on the team in the top 10 in scoring in the league. UW-Eau Claire’s Kyler Grundy and Leo Bacallo have five goals apiece. I imagine we we see a split in this series.
UW-Eau Claire, 3-2; UW-Stevens Point, 4-1
UW-River Falls (5-4, 2-3) vs. UW-Stout (4-5-1, 2-3)
The Blue Devils won the first meeting between the two teams, earning a 5-2 victory. The big thing for UW-Stout is get off to a strong start and build some confidence as the last three games they have played have all ended in a loss. The Blue Devils do have two of the top goal scorers in the WIAC in Boyd Stahlbaum (8) and Peyton Hart (6), and that bodes well for them in this series.
The Falcons have scored just 16 goals, but on the flip side, have given up only 17.
Dean Buchholz and Dysen Skinner have combined to fashion the top save percentage in the conference (.923) with Buchholz starting the last five games and allowing just 1.39 goals per outing. If that trend continues, the Falcons have a great shot. Let’s go with the split here.
UW-Stout, 4-2; UW-River Falls, 2-1
Augsburg (5-3-1) ) at No. 3 Adrian (8-2-1)
The Auggies have a big opportunity here against one of the nation’s best teams. Augsburg has scored 31 goals this season and Erik Palmqvist has been a playmaker, dishing out eight assists to go along with four goals. Samuel Vyletelka has been solid in goal, saving more than 92 percent of the shots he’s faced.
He’ll be put to the test against Adrian team that has cranked out 43 goals, with Zachary Heintz leading the charge. He’s scored eight goals on the season. Adrian is unbeaten at home this year and has won three in a row.
Adrian, 3-2 and 4-3
Gustavus (5-4-2) at Concordia (Wi.) (3-6)
The Gusties are unbeaten in their last four games, scoring four or more goals in each of those games, and they are the favorite coming into this series. They have plenty of options on offense, including Jack Suchy, who have scored six and five goals, respectively, as two of the MIAC’s top scorers.
Those weapons the Gusties boast could make it tough on the Falcons, who have allowed 43 goals on the year. They need to find a way to be on point defensively to have a shot at victory in this series.
Gustavus, 5-1 and 4-1
Concordia (MN) (6-2-1) at Marian (3-8)
The Cobbers have won two of their last three and look to add to their win total. The Cobbers have been strong offensively this season, scoring 33 goals, with Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe leading the way with five of those goals. If they keep that offense clicking, they’ll be tough to stop in this series.
The Sabres have dropped four consecutive games and getting back on track is not going to be easy against a strong Concordia team. They are 1-2 against the MIAC this season, scoring a win against Augsburg on Nov. 18 in a game where they scored six goals in a 6-2 victory. It will take that kind of performance to pull out a win in this series.
Concordia, 4-2 and 3-1
Dubuque (0-10-1) at Saint Mary’s (2-8-1)
The Cardinals haven’t had the easiest start to the year, but playing at home against a winless team could be just what they need to carry some momentum into the holiday break. Minimizing scoring opportunities will be key. Saint Mary’s has allowed 48 goals this year. In the end, it’s hard to see the Cardinals not coming away with a sweep.
The Spartans are still searching for their first win in program history. They have managed more than two goals only once this season and I think for them to have a chance at an upset here, they need to have their best offensive performance of the year.
Saint Mary’s 5-2
Saturday
St. Olaf (5-5-1) at Bethel (8-2-2)
This is a huge game between two teams who are close to each other in the standings. The Royals are tied for first and the Oles are just two points behind them.
They last played each other on Nov. 3, with Bethel hanging on for a 2-1 win in overtime before playing to a 1-1- tie in the second game. Expect this one to be just as close and as low scoring. Lukas Haugen for the Oles and Travis Allen of the Royals have both allowed just 12 goals apiece on the season. The cool thing about this game is it will be played outdoors.
St. Olaf, 2-1
Saturday and Sunday
MSOE (6-5-1) ) at Saint John’s (3-7-1)
The Johnnies have dropped two in a row and have struggled offensively in that stretch, managing a total of two goals. Playing at home will be a big deal but they’ll need to be on their game offensively to get this one done, much the way they were in the upset of nationally ranked Oswego earlier this season. And, of course, with Bailey Huber in goal, they are always going to have a chance to win.
The Raiders are led by Carson Jones (6) and have a strong goalie of their own in Austin Schwab, who has allowed 20 goals on the season. I think we see a series here where defense and special teams play the biggest roles.
MSOE, 3-2; Saint John’s, 3-1
