The marquee matchup in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association occurs with No. 10 Adrian hosting rival Marian Friday and Saturday
The league foes last met in the MCHA championship, with the Bulldogs winning 3-2 to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. This season, Adrian has been picked to repeat as league champs in a pre-season coaches poll while Marian is tabbed for second.
The Sabres have a head start with three games in hand, beating nonconference foe University of Wisconsin-Stout, 6-5, Oct. 25 and sweeping a pair from Finlandia, 6-0 and 2-1 (OT) Oct. 29-30. Meanwhile, the crucial weekend matchup happens to be Adrian’s season opener.
“We’re very aware this is their fourth game and it’s our first,” Adrian coach Ron Fogarty said. “So they are going to have some of the kinks ironed out right away.
“We’ve been practicing now for three weeks in preparation for this, but it becomes a little stagnant competing against yourselves. We have to be sharp right off the puck drop.”
Marian coach Jasen Wise said he’s talked with Fogarty and the pair agree the highly anticipated tilt would be better suited for the season’s latter half.
“I think our teams would be hitting full stride down the stretch,” said Wise, who was named last season’s MCHA Coach of the Year after the Sabres set a school-record by going 14-6-0. “It would be kind of neat to see both teams playing their best hockey and hopefully competing for a conference title.
“But the schedule is what it is.”
The teams met in early November last season with visiting Adrian taking both games, 4-1 and 9-1. The season-opening victories set the tone, as the Bulldogs went undefeated in MCHA play and finished 24-4-0 overall, earning their first-ever NCAA DIII tournament bid.
The two losses were Marian’s lone blemishes in an otherwise stellar league campaign, as the Sabres finished as runner up with a 13-2 mark.
Pick: Though Marian has an edge with a handful of games already played, Adrian possesses too much firepower with MCHA Player of the Year Mike Dahlinger leading a cast of returning scorers who accounted for 95 percent –or 179 of 188 — the team’s goals last season. Adrian 4-2, 5-3
Other prognostications:
Friday, Nov. 5
St. Norbert at Hamline: This matchup pits the pre-season favorites in their respective conferences Friday. Northern Collegiate Hockey Association’s St. Norbert, ranked No. 3, reeled off a pair of wins at University of Wisconsin-Stout last weekend while No. 15 Hamline dominated the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Showcase with victories over St. John’s and St. Olaf. The Pipers have style, but the Green Knights possess depth. St. Norbert, 4-2
Saturday, Nov. 6
UW-River Falls at Gustavus Adolphus: This encounter should put some real estate between the two schools in the D-III polls, where the No. 9 Falcons are coming off a 3-2 home loss to NCHA rival UW-Superior Saturday while No. 8 Gusties were letter-perfect in the MIAC Showcase with 2-1 victories over Augsburg and St. Mary’s respectively. UW-River Falls has a few more offensive weapons with Josh Calleja (3 goals, 4 assists) and Justin Brossman (3 goals, 3 assists). UW-River Falls, 3-2
St. Olaf at St. Thomas: The Tommies had a nice 2-0 start with a pair of victories in the MIAC Showcase while St. Olaf went 1-1, beating St. John’s 3-2 but losing 3-2 to No. 15 Hamline. St. Thomas’ Matt Lipinski scored three goals while Travis Baker netted a hat trick against Bethel and freshman goalie Geoff Sadjardi earned two wins. The home opener should bring out the Tommies’ best. St. Thomas, 4-1
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