Here we go. The first first full weekend of hockey for 2024 and it should be an entertaining one to say the least.
Friday and Saturday
No. 2 St. Scholastica (10-1, 4-0) at Concordia (6-4-1, 2-2)
The Saints lost their first game of the season last weekend but hope to shake that off and maintain their hold on at least a share of first place real estate in the MIAC.
St. Scholastica features one of the top offenses nationally, racking up 49 goals on the year, behind the efforts of players like Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov, as well as Brodie Girod and Carsen Richels. If that offense is clicking, the Saints will be difficult to stop.
The Cobbers have dropped two in a row but have yet to be beaten at home this season. That certainly should give Concordia some added confidence. Mason Plante leads the way for the Cobbers with six goals. He has also dished out seven assists. The Cobbers will be play hard and an upset wouldn’t be a surprise, but the Saints should find a way to prevail in the series.
St. Scholastica, 4-2 and 5-4
St. John’s (3-8-2, 1-5) vs. Gustavus (7-4-2, 2-3-1)
This home and home series begins at St. John’s, and it’s a huge opportunity for both teams to gain some ground in the tightly contested MIAC.
The Johnnies have had good fortune against the Gusties in recent years, winning the last nine meetings and are 43-13-9 overall in the series. A couple of new additions will be on the ice for St. John’s, which added Sam Berry and Justin Thompson. Barry played the last three seasons for Fairbanks in the NAHL. Thompson is a former player at Division I Long Island.
The Gusties have gotten solid goaltending from Jackson Hjelle, who was a league defensive player of the week last month and has two shutouts in his last three appearances.
St. John’s, 3-1; Gustavus, 2-0
Concordia (4-9) vs. Lake Forest (5-8)
The Falcons earned a big win over Oswego State over the holiday break and hope that confidence carries into a matchup against the Foresters.
Concordia will need to find a way to duplicate the offense it put up against Oswego, when it scored eight goals.
The Foresters have an opportunity to stay in the top five in the standings and has shown it can put a lot of goals up. This one comes down to which team makes the biggest plays on defense.
Lake Forest, 5-4; Concordia, 4-3
Friday
No. 9 UW-Eau Claire at St. Olaf (5-6-1, 3-2-1)
The Blugolds look to keep their hold on a top 10 ranking nationally. The Oles hope to make a statement.
UW-Eau Claire is looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The good news is the Blugolds are unbeaten against MIAC teams this season. Scoring goals hasn’t been an issue for this team as it has put up 40 on the year. Leo Bacallao leads the way with six goals.
Like the Blugolds, the Oles have dropped two in a row. They are 3-1-1 at home this season, and that could help. Defense is going to be key here for the Oles, who have Lukas Haugen in goal. He has a 1.69 goals against average.
UW-Eau Claire, 4-2
No. 4 Adrian (9-3) at No. 14 Trine (11-3)
Talk about a great way to ring in the new year. The Bulldogs and Thunder meet up in a huge NCHA battle that will also have implications on a national level.
Adrian and Trine are among three teams tied for first in the conference and the scoreboard operator could get a lot of work in this one. Trine leads the conference with 52 goals. Adrian has scored 48.
The question is which goalie will rise to the occasion here. Dershahn Stewart leads Adrian with a 1.79 goals against average. Trine is counting on Kyle Kozma in goal. He has a 1.81 GAA. Look for a fight to the finish. Let’s have fun here and go with Trine with the upset.
Trine, 5-4
Saturday
No. 8 UW-Stevens Point (9-3) at Augsburg (6-4-1, 3-1)
The Pointers face off against a team that it could very well see in March. In fact, this is a rematch of last year’s wild NCAA tournament game that ended with a 2-1 win for the Pointers in four overtimes.
This one might not last as long, but it should be close throughout. Cade Stibbe has been a key piece of the Augsburg offense, scoring six goals, while Samuel Vyletelka remains one of the top goalies in the country, racking up 341 saves on the season. He’ll be tested against the Pointers.
Andrew Poulias is among the scoring threats for the Pointers, tallying six goals, and netminder Alex Proctor has 242 saves. He’ll have to be ready to step up against a tough Auggies team.
I expect this one to go down to the wire and could easily go either way.
UW-Stevens Point, 3-2 OT
Aurora (7-6-1) at Adrian (7-1)
Another matchup between two really good hockey teams. The Bulldogs are up against another solid offensive team as the Spartans have tallied 49 goals on the year.
Both of these teams can score at will but the key here could be on defense, where Adrian has been a little bit better, allowing only 23 goals on the season.
The interesting thing about this game is will be on neutral ice as the game will be played in Toledo, Ohio. This is a big opportunity for the Spartans, who are just two points behind Adrian in the standings.
Adrian, 4-2
