Mother Nature did her best to play spoiler in the postseason, but fear not, hockey will be played in the wake of a winter storm.
MIAC tourney play kicks off this weekend while the second weekend of tournament action in the NCHA and WIAC will take place.
One thing worth noting about the NCHA playoffs, all four teams playing are nationally ranked in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
One other ranked team is still playing out west as well, and that’s UW-Stevens Point. It should be another fun weekend of hockey as we get closer to seeing champions crowned in conference tourney play.
MIAC
St. Olaf at Concordia
If this matchup looks familiar, it’s because it happened last year in the MIAC tournament as well. The Oles won on the road against the Cobbers and went on to win the championship.
Does history repeat itself? Maybe. The Oles are certainly capable of another run, but then again, the Cobbers are hardly pushovers and have won their last three games. The Oles have won two in a row.
Concordia won both games against St. Olaf in the regular season by identical 5-2 scores and I could see that trend continuing. Then again, as we learned last year, never count out the Oles.
St. Olaf, 4-3
Saint John’s at Augsburg
The Johnnies and Auggies are no stranger to each other, and this could be one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend.
Augsburg used a late-season surge to nearly win the regular-season title in the MIAC and the Auggies could very well be the team to beat in this postseason.
Both games in the regular season between these two teams were a lot of fun. The Johnnies prevailed 5-4 in overtime in one game but lost 6-5 in the other.
It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if we see another high-scoring affair this time around. Saint John’s Nick Michel ranks fourth in goals (15) in the conference. Gavin Holland of Augsburg ranks fifth (13).
Augsburg, 5-4
St. Scholastica vs. St. Olaf/Concordia winner
The Saints won the conference title for the first time in program history. Now they look to capture the tourney crown as well.
With Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov on the ice together, a win is possible on any given night. The duo has been tough to slow down. And here’s the other thing to consider. St. Scholastica has Carsen Richels and Nathan Adrian in the lineup as well.
They ranked second and third in goals scored with 19 and 16, respectively. Arkhip leads the league with 20 goals. Filimon is the league leader in assists (28). St. Scholastica swept Concordia and St. Olaf in the regular season. It’s hard to bet against the Saints in what has been a special year so far.
St. Scholastica, 5-2
NCHA
Trine at Adrian
The Thunder are ranked for the first time in program history, checking in at No. 15. The Bulldogs are used to being ranked. The reigning champs check in at No. 3 this week and received one first-place vote in the latest poll.
Adrian has won its last two and is 12-2 at home. The Bulldogs had mixed results against the Thunder in the regular season, winning in overtime by a 3-2 score and then losing 6-2. Matius Spodniak is one of the nation’s best scorers, tallying 27 goals and racking up 51 total points. The Thunder have to be able to keep him in check. Garrett Hallford is a pretty good goal scorer in his own right, scoring 18 on the season.
Adrian, 5-3
St. Norbert at Aurora
The Green Knights and Spartans are tied for 12th in the nation in the latest poll. When these two teams played in the regular season, both games were close. But the Spartans pulled off the sweep, winning 3-1 and 3-2 in overtime.
Defense could be the difference in this one. Colby Entz sports a 1.89 goals against average. Tanner Marshall and Colby Thornton have both shown they can get the job done in goal for the Spartans, boasting save percentages of 90 percent or better. Look for this one to be tightly contested throughout.
St. Norbert, 3-2
WIAC
UW-Stout at UW-Stevens Point
The Blue Devils are having one of their best seasons in program history and now face the task of taking on the eighth-ranked Pointers.
The Pointers have won their last three games and are 8-1-3 at home heading into this playoff series. They won two of the three games against the Blue Devils in the regular season.
Between the two teams, five of the top 10 goal scorers in the conference will be on the ice, including league-leader Peyton Hart (18) of UW-Stout and Andrew Poulias of UW-Stevens Point. He has 12 goals on the year.
An upset here wouldn’t be a surprise but I’ll go with the Pointers at home.
UW-Stevens Point, 4-3 and 3-2
UW-Superior at UW-Eau Claire
Five of the top 10 scorers will be in action for this matchup against two of the best teams in the conference.
The good thing for the Yellowjackets is they have played well away from home, going 8-3-1 on the road this year. That bodes well for a team looking to move on to the conference final next weekend.
The Blugolds won in a shootout in their final meeting of the year after the two teams played to a 3-3 tie. They also won 4-2. UW-Superior’s lone win came in the form of a 2-0 shutout in December.
I expect both games of this series to go down to the wire and a mini game wouldn’t surprise me.
UW-Superior, 4-3; UW-Eau Claire, 3-2; UW-Superior, 2-1 (mini game)
