Three games. Three titles. Three berths to the NCAA Division III hockey tournament on the line.
It all comes down to an exciting Saturday night of hockey in the west region.
The NCHA final features a pair of top 10 teams in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, with No. 3 Adrian and No. 8 Aurora battling for the Harris Cup.
St. Scholastica and Augsburg square off for the MIAC crown and seventh-ranked UW-Stevens Point battles UW-Eau Clair for the Commissioner’s Cup.
All three games are slated for Saturday. Here’s a look at my game picks.
Adrian (22-4-2) vs. Aurora (19-7-2)
The reigning national champion Bulldogs are the favorite. They swept the regular-season series against the Spartans, and did so in impressive fashion, winning the two games by a combined score of 16-6. They come into this title matchup having won their last three games and are 13-2 on their home ice.
Matus Spodniak is the player of the year in the conference and leads the country in scoring with 28 goals and 27 assists. If he’s on his game, the Bulldogs are going to be tough to stop as they take aim at a repeat.
The Spartans are just 5-5-1 away from home this season face a tall order taking on the Bulldogs with a title on the line.
But are they up to the task? Of course. Adam Keyes and Jack Jaunich are two of the best players in the league and have fueled the offensive attack of the Spartans, combining for 25 goals and 29 assists.
A quick start is key for Adrian. You don’t want the Bulldogs getting off to a hot start in their building. It won’t surprise me if Aurora pulls this off, but I’m going with Adrian.
Adrian, 7-4
UW-Stevens Point (18-5-4) vs. UW-Eau Claire (18-8-1)
For the ninth consecutive year, the Pointers are playing for the Commissioner’s Cup. They enter the title bout on a five-game winning streak and look to keep the momentum rolling in their favor.
They went 2-1 against the Blugolds in the regular season, with one game being decided in overtime – a 3-2 win for the Pointers – and are seeking their first conference crown since 2019 when they won the national championship.
UW-Eau Claire has prevailed the last two times these teams have played for the conference title, including last year when it rolled to a 6-2 win on the road.
The Blugolds are playing well right now, winning four consecutive games, and they won’t make anything easy for the Pointers.
UW-Stevens Point is the top goal-scoring team in the conference with 95 goals. UW-Eau Claire has tallied 88. But I expect this one to be a defensive battle. After all two of the three times these teams played this season, one goal decided the outcome.
UW-Stevens Point, 3-2
St. Scholastica (17-6-3) vs. Augsburg (15-9-2)
The fact that both of these teams are playing for the MIAC title isn’t a surprise. St. Scholastica has been the front-runner all season in the conference. Augsburg has made a habit of playing for the MIAC crown. The Auggies fell short of it a year ago but still made a run to the final four.
The Saints have won two in a row and are 11-2-1 at home this season. The Auggies are just 6-7 on the road but they know what it takes to win games like this.
In the regular season, the two teams played to a 5-5 tie in the opening game of their series before the Saints prevailed in a shootout. St. Scholastica finished out that series with a 4-1 win.
No team has put up more goals than the Saints, who hae 108 on the year. The Auggies rank second in goals scored with 89. I can definitely see this game being a high scoring affair, especially with the Saints featuring four of the top five scorers in the league, including goal leader Arkhip Ledenkov (21).
Gavin Holland of Augsburg ranks seventh in the conference with 13 goals. Augsburg winning wouldn’t be a surprise, but I think this special season continues for the Saints.
St. Scholastica, 5-3
