The holiday break is a strange time for college hockey.
Some CCHA teams have played four official games since this column was last published about three weeks ago. Michigan Tech, for example, played in not one but two separate tournaments (the Huskies finished third in both the Great Lakes Invitational and the Coachella Valley Cactus Cup).
Other teams–like Bemidji State, who hosted Minnesota Duluth on New Years’ Eve–played just one official game.
Still others–like Minnesota State–haven’t played any resolution games. (The Mavericks did, however, play two exhibition games in that span.)
The good thing to know, however, is that following this weekend’s slate of CCHA matchups, all nine of the conference’s teams will have officially reached past the halfway point in their league schedules. That means every team aside from Augustana will be at game 14 of their 26. (The Vikings are already there and have played eight of their 16.)
Because we’re essentially at the halfway point now, and because from here on out every CCHA team (aside from Augustana, but we’ll get to that later) is only going to be playing conference series at this point, I thought it would be a good idea to handicap where I think the league is at as the second half of the season kicks off. Because of the league’s points-percentage standings this season, it’s a little more complicated than usual!
But here’s one person’s analysis of where each team is headed as we enter the final three months of the season. The playoffs will be here before we know it!
The odds-on favorite
Minnesota State (14-4-2, 9-1-2 CCHA, 28 pts., 0.778 pts%)
Remaining games: 7 HOME (2 vs. Tech, 1 vs. UST, 2 vs. Augie, 2 vs. BSU); 7 AWAY (2 at NMU, 2 at FSU, 1 at UST, 2 AT LSSU)
Nothing has changed since last month: The Mavericks are currently in the drivers’ seat to win the MacNaughton Cup. The last time they played an official regulation game, they swept Lake Superior State, 3-2 and 6-1 in Mankato. They also played a pair of exhibition games, getting some good workouts in wins over Canadian Manitoba and Division III St. Norbert. They haven’t lost in regulation since early November. It must be said that the Mavericks aren’t an offensive juggernaut, but they’ve been the best defensive team in the country, allowing just 1.5 goals a game thanks to goaltender Alex Tracy and a robust, experienced defensive corps. Their remaining schedule is favorable, too: The travel to Michigan for three series will be tough, but those are all against bottom-half teams. They have the luxury of hosting two of their main contenders (Augustana and Michigan Tech) at home, plus the traditional season-ending series with Bemidji State.
A legit contender
Augustana (12-7-1, 5-3-0 CCHA, 16 pts, 0.667 pts%)
Remaining games: 8 HOME (2 vs. LSSU, 2 vs. Tech; also 2 vs. Lindenwood (NC) and 2 vs. Alaska (NC)); 4 AWAY (2 at BGSU, 2 at MSU)
The only team in the conference with any nonconference games to play, I point those out because the Vikings are in good position for something other than just the MacNaughton Cup: An at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Augustana really turned some heads last weekend with their road sweep of Colorado College, and they’ve played well enough outside of the conference that they are going to be considered a bubble team if they keep on winning. That’s easier said than done, of course, but their schedule is also quite favorable, travel-wise–the Vikings only league Sioux Falls twice more this season. One of those is for a series at Bowling Green–never an easy place to play–before what could be the series that decides the MacNaughton Cup on Feb. 7-8 at Minnesota State in Mankato. The margin for error for both an at-large bid and the MacNaughton is small but doable, but the Vikings are in a great position to at the very least have home ice advantage in the playoffs in their first season as full league members.
Dark horse candidates
Michigan Tech (11-7-2, 7-3-2 CCHA, 23 pts, 0.639 pts%)
Remaining games: 7 HOME (2 vs. LSSU, 1 vs. NMU, 2 vs. BSU, 2 vs. FSU); 7 AWAY (2 at MSU, 1 at NMU, 2 at Augie, 2 at UST)
Michigan Tech ended 2024 with plenty of momentum when scored six times in the third period against Bemidji State to win 9-5. That momentum didn’t quite carry over into the two tournaments they played in (the GLI and the Cactus Cup). The Huskies took third place in both tournaments, falling to a pair of top-ten Pairwise teams in the first round of both competitions (Western Michigan and Massachusetts-Lowell, respectively). However, both of those were one-goal games, and the Huskies are well-positioned for the home stretch of CCHA after seeing three teams from three different conferences in said tournament. Tech’s top line–which features Stiven Sardarian, Isaac Gordon and Logan Morrell–is among the best in the league, with a combined 55 points.
Bowling Green (10-7-2, 6-4-2 CCHA, 23 pts, 0.639 pts%)
Remaining games: 8 HOME (2 vs. BSU, 2 vs. Augie, 2 vs. UST, 2 vs. LSSU); 6 AWAY (2 at FSU, 2 at NMU, 2 at BSU)
I wouldn’t have had Bowling Green on the Dark Horse candidates list last month. But all of a sudden, the Falcons are riding a five-game winning streak–that included two sweeps, which means two consecutive Diamond Cutters. It’s enough to vault them back into contention for home ice. They’re tied with Michigan Tech on points percentage. They don’t have to play the Huskies again. They also are all done with Minnesota State for the regular season, too. The only team BG has to play who is currently ahead of them in the standings is Augustana.
Searching for home ice
Lake Superior State (8-11-1, 6-6-0 CCHA, 19 pts, 0.528 pts%)
Remaining games: 6 HOME (2 vs. UST, 2 vs. NMU, 2 vs. MSU); 8 AWAY (2 at Tech, 2 at Augie, 2 at FSU, 2 at BGSU)
At the beginning of the month, the Lakers were fighting Minnesota State for first place in the standings. But since then they’ve lost five of six, including sweeps at the hands of Minnesota State and Bowling Green. There’s still plenty of time for the Lakers to right the ship, though. Their special teams (a 22.4% power play and an 84.1% penalty kill) are among the best in the conference, and their scoring offense (54 goals in 20 games) has been solid. They just need to figure out how to put some more wins together in conference play. They’ve notched sweeps against Northern Michigan and St. Thomas, and have a series against both of those teams in the season’s second half. Last season, LSSU was a dangerous team down the stretch and this edition of the Lakers look to be no different.
Bemidji State (8-9-3, 5-5-2 CCHA, 18 pts, 0.500 pts%)
Remaining games: 6 HOME (2 vs. NMU, 2 vs. FSU, 2 vs. BGSU); 8 AWAY (2 at BGSU, 2 at UST, 2 at Tech, 2 at MSU)
Last season, the defending MacNaughton Cup champs were in first place at the holiday break. They wound up going 9-3-2 in the second half of the season to win the league title. This time around, the Beavers are looking up at the top of the league ladder. The MacNaughton is a longer shot, but home ice in the playoffs is still doable. The Beavers, like the Lakers, simply need more consistency. They’re 8-9-3 overall and 5-5-2 in league play but have yet to sweep any team outright this season. This despite some great single-game results against Minnesota, North Dakota and Minnesota State. The Beavers have six home games remaining but all are series against favorable opponents; if they can get a sweep or two at home and at least earn positive points in two of their four road series they could be staying in Bemidji for the playoffs.
Fighting for a good seed
Ferris State (6-12-2, 5-7-0 CCHA, 15 pts, 0.417 pts%)
Remaining games: 8 HOME (2 vs. BGSU, 2 vs. MSU, 2 vs. LSSU, 2 vs. NMU); 6 AWAY (2 at UST, 2 at BSU, 2 at Tech)
Ferris State finished last in the conference a season ago, with just 19 points. They’re already just four points away from surpassing that total this season. Because of the way things are playing out this season, it seems unlikely that the Bulldogs will finish in last place again this season, but it’s hard to say if they’re going to be able to pick up enough points to compete for home ice. Certainly they’re going to need to pick up a few more wins at home–they’ve only won twice in Big Rapids.
St. Thomas (6-10-4, 3-6-3 CCHA, 12 pts, 0.333 pts%)
Remaining games: 7 HOME (2 vs. FSU, 2 vs. BSU, 1 vs. MSU, 2 vs. Tech); 7 AWAY (2 at LSSU, 1 at MSU, 2 at BGSU, 2 at MSU)
After their second-place finish last season, many had the Tommies finishing at or around first place this season. It’s been something of a struggle for them in the first half, however. It isn’t due to lack of offense–Liam Malmquist is second in the conference in scoring with 23 points, while Cooper Gay’s nine goals is tied for the CCHA lead. The Tommies had home ice in the playoffs last season; getting there this year might be tough but they do play all three of the teams ahead of them head-to-head in their first three series of 2025.
Do they have time to salvage the playoffs?
Northern Michigan (1-18-1, 0-11-1 CCHA, 2 pts, 0.056 pts%)
Remaining games: 7 HOME (2 vs. MSU, 1 vs. Tech, 2 vs. BGSU, 2 vs. UST); 7 AWAY (2 at BSU, 1 at MSU, 2 at LSSU, 2 at FSU)
It’s been rough going for Northern Michigan in Dave Shyiak’s first season behind the bench. Due to the nature of their roster–just two players who had any experience returned to Marquette at the start of this season–the Wildcats have had plenty of issues finding anything approaching consistency. This is especially true on offense, which has seen NMU score just 25 goals in 20 games. They’ve been shut out six times. Goaltender Ryan Ouelette and the NMU defense has done an admirable job attempting to keep the puck out of the net and keeping them in a few games, but for the most part there’s not been much for Wildcat fans to cheer for this year. So far the only points they’ve managed were a shootout win against Minnesota State in November. Unless the Wildcats figure out a way to get a lot of points quickly in the first few series, they’re going to find themselves in the cellar of the CCHA standings and will be on the outside looking into the playoffs this year.
