By Ryan Stieg
The long wait is over as the 2024-25 men’s college hockey season gets underway this weekend. Unlike previous years where the season might sneak up on me, I’ve been mentally prepared for this one for a while now and I’m excited for the pucks to finally drop.
Opening weekend typically is full of exhibition games and that’s the case this season as well with No. 20 St. Thomas, Augustana, Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech all getting glorified scrimmages Saturday. However, the Tommies also have their season opener Sunday against No. 16 St. Cloud State, so UST doesn’t get a break before the real action begins unlike the other three teams. There’s a lot of hype surrounding the Tommies this year, so they should be fine in their opener even against a difficult opponent.
Five of the other CCHA squads will also be playing real games this week, all of them nonconference contests, and they’re all intriguing in their own way. So, let’s get started. Here’s my picks for Week 1 of the season.
No. 4 Michigan State at Lake Superior State
Last year, the Spartans came agonizingly close to making their first Frozen Four in 17 years, but were bounced by archrival Michigan. MSU is still strong though and it shows with its high preseason ranking. As far as the Lakers go, I think they’ll be better this year, but they’ll be slow out of the gates this week and get swept at home. The Spartans win 4-2 Friday and 4-1 Saturday.
Minnesota State at No. 7/8 Michigan
The Wolverines are coming off their third straight Frozen Four appearance and are, not surprisingly, predicted to be in the hunt again. There’s also been quite a bit of talk about the Mavericks, who should be in the mix for the CCHA title. Mankato also picked up Minnesota star Rhett Pitlick recently, so that should give them a nice boost offensively. All in all, I think it’ll be a tight series that results in a split. The Mavericks win Friday 3-2, but the Wolverines win Saturday 4-3.
Bowling Green at Mercyhurst
The Falcons have a new coach, so there’s a new vibe this year at the CCHA’s lone Ohio school. Will that result in more wins is the big question. BG has underachieved the past couple of seasons and that was clearly on voters’ mind in the CCHA preseason polls. Well, the Falcons will get their first chance to prove the doubters wrong in a battle with the Lakers. I see this series as a toss-up, so I’m picking a split. BG wins Friday 3-1, but Mercyhurst rebounds to win Saturday 2-1.
Miami at Ferris State
There’s nowhere to go but up for the Bulldogs, who finished in last place last season and were picked to do it again in the preseason CCHA Media Poll. The good thing for Ferris is that it opens up against the Redhawks, who’ve struggled badly the past few years and have made a nice home in the NCHC cellar. Head coach Chris Bergeron was fired after a dismal 2023-24 season that ended on a 16-game winless streak, so Miami has a fresh face on the bench this year. When two struggling programs battle, it’s usually a close fight. As a result, I’m picking a split. The Bulldogs win Friday 5-4, but Miami wins Saturday 4-2.
Bemidji State at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth (Sat.)
There’s just one game this weekend between these Minnesota rivals and it should be a good one. The Beavers are the defending MacNaughton Cup champions and they’ve been picked to either finish at the top again, or close to it by the pollsters. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, have fallen off a bit since that impressive run from 2018-22, but I think they’ll get back on track this year. I’m torn on this one as I think it’ll be a close game, so I’ll go with the home team. UMD wins 4-3.