By Ryan Stieg
Well, it’s come down to this. It’s time for the CCHA Championship and one last chance for me to go out on a high note.
Last week, I had to predict two games correctly to earn a perfect playoff week, but I only got one of them right. I was correct that top-seeded Bemidji State would cruise past Lake Superior State, but Michigan Tech got a fortunate bounce in the closing seconds of the third period to edge Minnesota State up in Houghton. That loss kept the Mavericks out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years, which is an impressive streak.
There’s only one game to predict this week, so let’s get started. Here’s my pick for the CCHA title game.
Michigan Tech at Bemidji State
If you had asked me back in January if this would be the CCHA Championship matchup, I would’ve said no. However, Tech has gotten its act together and Bemidji has caught fire at the right time as it’s won nine games in a row and hasn’t lost since early February.
If you ask Mankato fans, they’ll probably tell you that the Huskies won last weekend because of some calls/non calls that went their way, and they’re partially right. However, the bottom line is the Huskies made the plays they needed to make in order to earn a spot in the title game. The Beavers, on the other hand, have just been unstoppable and it reminds me of Northern Michigan’s run last year where the Wildcats reached the CCHA Championship before falling in OT. Some questionable officiating took place in that game too. It’s kind of how this league rolls.
Anyway, this game should be a tight one and I know it’s a cliche, but when there’s a win-and-in situation, it’s going to come down to who wants it more. I think the Beavers are on a mission right now and they’re not going to be content with just the MacNaughton Cup. They’ll want the Mason Cup too and I think they’ll hoist it on Friday. Bemidji wins 4-2.