NFL
By: Jason Gulden
We have arrived, NCHC fans. It’s time for conference play until Thanksgiving. All teams will be in action, with all but one playing conference series this weekend. However, before we get to the schedule for the weekend, there are a couple of things we need to take care of from last week. We must talk about the rankings heading into the weekend and the Players of the week for the week of October 20-26th.
First thing is the rankings. After they split against Michigan, Western Michigan dropped one spot to #3. With the split up in Massachusetts, Denver moves up one spot to #6. North Dakota stays put at #8. The biggest move this weekend in all of college hockey was Minnesota Duluth, who swept #12 last weekend, Minnesota and they moved up 8 spots to #10. The only other team in the top 20 is Colorado College, and they moved up 1 spot to #15 after being idle last weekend.
For the second straight weekend, we have awards going to 4 different schools.
The forward of the week comes to us from the 6-0-0 Miami (OH) Redhawks. Sophomore Ryan Smith got that honor this weekend. In the series against Lindenwood, he tallied 4 goals and 1 assist. He also finished the weekend with a +3 and blocked 3 shots as well.
The Defenseman of the week comes to us from the 2-2-0 Omaha Mavericks. Aiden de La Gorgendiere would get the honor. He tied all NCHC defensemen over the weekend with 4 points on a goal and 3 assists. He blocked 3 shots and had a +3 plus/minus.
The Goalie of the week comes to us from 7-1-0 and the new #10 team in the nation, the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, Adam Gajan. Against Minnesota, he totaled 45 saves of the 46 he faced. Friday night, he recorded the shutout on 17 shots faced.
The Rookie of the Week comes to us from the 2-2-0 St. Cloud State Huskies. Nolan Roed will get the honor this week. He would have a goal and 2 assists on the weekend. He would have a great weekend in the faceoff circle by going 19-14 from the dot, winning at least 9 each night.
Will a player from your favorite team win an award this coming weekend? Come back next week to find out.
There is a game this weekend that isn’t a conference game. Alaska Anchorage travels to Magness Arena in Denver, Colorado, to take on the Denver Pioneers. These two were part of the former WCHA conference; this will be their 74th matchup in history, with Denver holding a commanding lead in the head-to-head matchup with a 50-16-7 record. They have gone 27-7-2 against Alaska in Denver.
The reigning league champs, #3 Western Michigan Broncos, set out to defend their crown as league play starts when they travel to St. Cloud State to take on the Huskies on Friday and Saturday Night. It will be the only matchup this year between the two teams. St. Cloud State holds a slight 25-19-5 advantage over the Broncos in the history between the two teams. However, the Broncos have won the last 4 matchups and 6 of the last 10 dating back to November 2023.
#15 Colorado College Tigers welcomes the Omaha Mavericks to Ed Robson Arena. Teams will face off 4 times this season. This weekend in Colorado, before meeting again in Omaha in late January. In the previous 54 matchups between the two teams, Omaha holds a 32-15-7 record, including a 14-10-1 record in Colorado Springs.
Arizona State Sun Devils will make another trip up to Oxford, OH, to face off with Miami (OH) Redhawks. Unlike the other series in the NCHC, this matchup doesn’t have many matchups due to Arizona State only being a Division 1 hockey program for a couple of years. They do, however, hold a 2-1-1 record against Miami (OH) in 4 games played. They will face off again in mid-January in Arizona.
Our last matchup of the weekend is a USCHO Top 10 battle as #10 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs will travel up to Grand Forks, North Dakota, and visit #8 North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Friday’s matchup will be the 264th time meeting between the two teams have met. North Dakota holds a commanding lead in the series with a 161-91-11 record. Teams will face off again in early February in Duluth.
Above is what the standings look like as we start league play. The NCHC has a different point system than the NHL does.
The breakdown is as follows: Each conference game is worth three (3) points in the standings. Teams are awarded three (3) points for each conference win in regulation, two (2) points for an overtime or shootout win, and one (1) point for an overtime or shootout loss. NCHC overtime wins and losses appear in both the conference record, as well as the OW and OL columns in a team’s conference record. Shootouts will only occur if a game ends in a tie after the 3-on-3 overtime, with the shootout winner (SW column) earning two points and the loser getting one point, the same as an overtime win and loss.
Well, guys, we have come to the end of the weekend preview for the games. What team will be holding the Penrose Cup at the end of the season? It all starts this weekend. Talk to you all next week.
