By Ryan Stieg
Two weeks ago, I had the worst performance that I’ve had in a long time in making my CCHA predictions and only a sweep by Ohio State saved me from my first ever winless weekend. Thanks again to the Buckeyes for coming through and keeping me from looking completely foolish.
I tried to redeem myself last week and I did somewhat as I went 2 for 4 on the weekend. The tough part to take was that I could’ve swept the weekend, but Northern Michigan blew an early two-goal lead in Houghton and Ferris State couldn’t find the equalizer against Bowling Green in the third period. Oh well, at least I got back to .500.
This week is a different challenge as there’s only three series for me to predict as St. Thomas is playing a home and home with Minnesota State, which increases my likelihood of going winless. However, I’m feeling cautiously optimistic about my chances, so let’s get started by predicting the other Upper Peninsula rivalry.
Lake Superior State at Northern Michigan
NMU and Tech have the big rivalry in the U.P., but the Wildcats also have a smaller one with the Lakers that fans in Sault Ste. Marie look forward to. Northern is playing poorly as expected as it sits at 1-7, while Lake State (1-5) is reeling after getting smoked by the Buckeyes in an easy sweep. (Once again, thanks to OSU for coming through for me.) It is a rivalry series and since neither team is particularly playing well, I’m picking a split. The Wildcats win Friday 3-2, but the Lakers win Saturday 4-3.
Michigan Tech at Ferris State
The Huskies bounced back nicely after a tough sweep at the hands of Clarkson and now, they get the Bulldogs, who have lost three in a row. Ferris is playing better than I thought it would right now and it’s at home this week, but I don’t feel confident in picking the Bulldogs to be successful. Tech is the better team and I think it gets the job done in Big Rapids. The Huskies sweep the series, winning 4-2 Friday and 5-3 Saturday.
Bemidji State at Augustana
The last series of the weekend is an intriguing one. The Beavers have looked solid overall during the first five weeks, especially on defense, while the Vikings are just doing what they do and that is to be unpredictable. They looked rough Friday against the Tommies, but then took advantage of some sloppy play to win Saturday. This is the toughest series to predict and as a result, I’m picking a split. Bemidji wins Friday 2-1, but Augie wins Saturday 4-2.