NFL
By Jason Gulden
Hello again, NCHC fans. It’s the weekend, so it’s time for NCHC action. This weekend, we have an in-city battle separated by 16 miles between the two arenas. A matchup in Ann Arbor between two teams that, in another sport, would come down to a 1-second debacle.
Before we get to those matchups and the rest of the series, we need to talk about the players of the week for October 12th-18th.
Players of the Week
This week we have four players from 4 different teams. This week, we are going to change up the order a bit compared to other weeks. Defenseman of the Week goes to Minnesota Duluth Junior Ty Hanson. Friday night, Ty scored two power-play goals within 52 seconds to help the Bulldogs rout Minnesota 7-1. He was the only NCHC defenseman to score 2 goals this past weekend.
Western Michigan’s Adam Benák is Rookie of the Week. Adam would repeat as Rookie of the Week. Friday, he scored his first collegiate goal. Saturday night, he scored another goal and recorded another assist. Adam was the only NCHC rookie to score 2 or more goals on the weekend. In the last article, I predicted the next two awards. If you read it, you probably know who won. However, if you haven’t yet, click here to read the article recapping last weekend’s games.
If your team outscores its opponent 10-0 over the weekend and you start both games in net, you’ll have a good chance of winning the Goaltender of the Week award. North Dakota blanked Bentley 5-0 both nights, and Caleb Heil was in net both nights. He finished the weekend with 29 saves. He is now tied with Quentin Miller of Western Michigan with 2 shutouts, tying him for the top of the NCAA shutout leaderboard.
The Forward of the Week is Miami (OH) forward Ilia Morozov. He scored 4 goals over the weekend, 2 on each night, with 3 coming on the power play. He is the first Red Hawk to have back-to-back multi-goal games since January 2018. Who wins the award for this weekend? Check back this time next week to find out.
Thursday Night
Once again this week, we have a Thursday NCHC game. These two schools know each other well. Before the NCHC was formed, multiple teams in the conference played in the men’s WCHA (Western Collegiate Hockey Association). North Dakota, as everyone knows, is now in the NCHC, and Minnesota has gone over to the B10. This weekend they will share the ice up in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Friday Night
As I mentioned, North Dakota and Minnesota face off this weekend, with the second game on Friday. Miami (OH) will welcome Alaska Anchorage to Oxford, OH. St. Thomas returns to action after sitting out last weekend, hosting Minnesota State in St. Paul, Minn., to start a home-and-home series. Minnesota Duluth will welcome Bemidji State to Duluth to begin a home-and-home series this weekend.
Denver aims to bounce back from a tough weekend when Boston College visits Magness Arena. Omaha will travel to Maryland Heights, Mo to take on Lindenwood. As I mentioned at the outset, one school is seeking revenge after a debacle between the two in another sport. Western Michigan travels to Ann Arbor to face Michigan.
On September 5th, the two schools met on the football field. Michigan won 13-12 after officials added 1 second to the clock after the stadium and television clocks showed 0:00 left. Let’s hope there isn’t a clock debacle on the ice Friday night between these two teams. The last matchup of the night is a battle of Colorado Springs and a Battle for the Pikes Peak Trophy.
Colorado College will welcome its in-city rival, Air Force, to Ed Robson Arena. This will be Colorado College’s 100th game at Ed Robson Arena, which opened in October 2021.
Saturday Night
After its game in Ann Arbor, Western Michigan will return home to take on Wisconsin in an exhibition game. Miami (OH) will finish its series with Alaska Anchorage. Minnesota Duluth will travel to Bemidji State to finish up its home-and-home series. St. Thomas will travel to Minnesota State to finish its home-and-home series.
Denver will wrap up its series against Boston College. Omaha takes on Lindenwood to wrap up its weekend series in Maryland Heights. Colorado College and Air Force will wrap up their Battle for the Pikes Peak Trophy when the scene shifts to the Air Force Academy.
Will the Trophy return to Colorado College’s campus after the weekend, or will it find a new home at the Air Force Academy for next year? If the Air Force wants the trophy, they must win both games this weekend.
Closing
This is the last weekend until Thanksgiving; the NCHC will play all non-conference games. Next weekend, multiple NCHC teams return to league play. How will teams finish their early non-conference games before league play starts? Come back early next week for the results.
If you have read any of the NCHC articles previewing weekend games, you know what is next. Grab your favorite beverage and snacks, sit in your comfy chair, and enjoy some NCHC action this weekend. If you’re in one of the markets hosting games this weekend, like me, I hope you head out to the arena to cheer on your team. Until next week, NCHC fans, have a great weekend, and we will talk to you all early next week.
