By Ryan Stieg
Two weeks ago, I barely dodged a winless week and it was only due to a technicality. So, I was more cautiously optimistic than confident going into last weekend’s matchups.
Well, the same thing happened again, but at least my special rule didn’t come into play. After missing the mark on the first two series, Bowling Green came through for me and easily swept Northern Michigan in my old home of Marquette. A tip of my hat to you, BG.
This week, I have four matchups to predict, so it should be harder for me to go winless. However, it’s a difficult slate as most of the series are even and could go either way, especially the first one on my list, which is a battle for first place.
No. 17 Augustana at No. 15 Minnesota State
If you asked me at the start of the season who would be in first place at this point, the Vikings wouldn’t be the first team to come to mind. Or the second or even the third. However, Augie has been the team to beat this year and it’s been obvious. I would say the Mavericks are the only team that can keep the Vikings from winning the MacNaughton and this is their best chance to regain the top spot. I think it’ll be a split. Mankato wins Friday 4-2, but Augie wins Saturday 3-2.
St. Thomas at Bowling Green
Right now, the Tommies have found their groove and they showed it last week when they split with the Mavericks. However, UST now faces another team that is peaking at the right time. The Falcons are also rolling right now and they might even have a chance to earn the No. 2 seed if they can keep it up the next couple weeks. The last time these two teams faced off, the Tommies ended up with four points, but I think it’ll be a split. BG wins Friday 4-3, but the Tommies win Saturday 5-3.
Bemidji State at Michigan Tech
If Augie is the biggest surprise of the league this year, the Beavers are a close second. Bemidji won the MacNaughton last year and right now, it’s in eighth place and its chances of getting home ice are slim. Meanwhile, the Huskies are just doing what they typically do and that’s play well when they have to. Tech was off last week, so it might be a little rusty during the Winter Carnival. As a result, I’m picking a split here too. The Beavers win Friday 3-2, but the Huskies win Saturday 4-2.
Northern Michigan at Lake Superior State
After back-to-back good weekends, the Wildcats have come crashing back to earth. They got swept by Tech two weeks ago and then only managed a point against BG last week, so NMU is on a slide. The Lakers are a little shaky right now as they blew a lead against Augie last week and ended up getting swept, but they shouldn’t have much trouble with Northern. LSSU sweeps the series, winning 5-2 Friday and 6-3 Saturday to earn the Cappo Cup.