NFL
By: Jason Gulden
It’s that time again, NCHC fans. The weekend is here, which only means one thing. IT’S TIME FOR NCHC ACTION!!!!!
If there is any weekend you should tune in for NCHC action, it’s this weekend. As I mentioned in the last article, this weekend features 3 games with both teams in the top 20 of the USCHO poll.
The national champs also play their first real home game this weekend, which means it’s BANNER NIGHT on Friday.
Before we get into this weekend’s exciting games, we need to finish last weekend’s action with some important news.
Players of the Week for October 5-11
This week’s players of the week include three Western Michigan players and one North Dakota player.
The North Dakota player is Will Zellers. He won Forward of the Week with 6 points in North Dakota’s opening-weekend win over Bemidji State. Friday night, Will assisted on all three North Dakota goals. Saturday night, he scored the first two goals and assisted on the third.
Now, the trio of Western Michigan players earned the other 3 awards. First is the Defenseman of the Week, Joona Väisänen. Over the weekend, he scored 2 goals and assisted on 2 goals for the Broncos. He also helped the Broncos’ penalty kill go 10-11 on the weekend, including 8-8 on Thursday night.
The Goaltender of the Week is Quentin Miller. As Jackson Unger did for Colorado College last week, Quentin Miller did the same for the Broncos this weekend. Quentin stopped all 26 shots he faced on Thursday, then followed up with 21 saves on 22 shots Friday night to help the Broncos sweep Ferris State.
Rookie of the Week: Adam Benák. In his second collegiate game, Adam would dish out four assists. He also won 10 of the 13 faceoffs he took against Ferris State. Adam would also finish the weekend with a +4 in the +/- category.
Congrats to all four players for their outstanding play during the weekend of October 5-11. Will a player from your favorite team be featured next week? Check back next week when we announce the winners for this upcoming weekend.
Thursday Night
We have another 3-night weekend in the NCHC.
St. Cloud State will travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, to face off against #16 Boston College.
Miami (OH) will welcome Robert Morris to Oxford, Ohio, to begin a home-and-home series this weekend.
Omaha will travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to take on NCHC nemesis #15 Augustana to begin a home-and-home series.
Friday Night
In another home-and-home series, Notre Dame will face #6 Western Michigan this weekend. Friday night game will take place in Kalamazoo.
In the first of 3 games featuring both teams ranked, #12 Colorado College will travel to Storrs, Connecticut, to take on #17 UConn.
Arizona State will welcome former North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol to the helm when they take on UMass Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts.
In the second matchup featuring ranked opponents, we have a Minnesota battle. #20 Minnesota travels to take on #9 Minnesota Duluth.
Bentley will travel to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to take on #4 North Dakota.
Now for the biggest game of the NCAA hockey season so far this season. Before the game, the Denver Pioneers will cap off their 2025-2026 National Championship by raising a banner to the rafters alongside the 10 National Championship banners they already have at Magness Arena.
After the banner-raising, the #1 Denver Pioneers will take on the #2 Michigan Wolverines in a rematch of the double-overtime semifinal classic from the Frozen Four this past April in Las Vegas. Denver won that game 4-3. Will Denver win again, or will the Wolverines get their revenge?
Saturday Night
Following its day off on Friday, St. Cloud State and #16 Boston College will resume their series in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
After boarding a plane following Thursday’s game, Miami (OH) and Robert Morris will resume their series, but this time in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.
#12 Colorado College will finish its weekend series in Storrs, Connecticut, against #17 UConn.
#6 Western Michigan will travel to South Bend, Indiana, to take on Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish and complete their home-and-home weekend series.
Arizona State will finish their series up against UMass- Lowell.
After having Friday night off, Omaha will return to Omaha, Nebraska, to welcome #15 Augustana to town.
#4 North Dakota will finish its series off with Bentley, while #9 Minnesota Duluth will wrap up its weekend series against #20 Minnesota.
#2 Michigan and #1 Denver will complete their semifinal rematch.
How will this matchup, along with the other matchup, affect the rankings when they come out on Monday? Check back early next week when we reveal the new top 20 rankings and recap all the action from this 3-day weekend of games.
If you’re still interested in subscribing to the NCHC TV package, click on the link above and look over the options you have.
Remember, no matter where you live, you can see all NCHC games played on NCHC ice. NO Blackout restrictions.
ESPN+
This weekend, you can also watch 3 of the series on ESPN+ if you choose. Both games in the following series will be broadcast on ESPN+. St. Cloud State against Boston College. Colorado College against UConn and Arizona State against UMass Lowell.
Closing
It’s wild that this is the 3rd weekend of the NCHC season and we already have 3 games with both teams ranked in the top 20 of the USCHO poll.
With the NCHC as the best college hockey conference in the United States, you will have weekends this season featuring both teams ranked.
As with last season, I will take you on the journey all the way to the final buzzer for one of your NCHC teams. Let’s just hope it’s in April when we are raising the NCAA Tournament trophy in Washington, DC.
So, NCHC fans. You know the drill. Grab your favorite beverage and snacks, sit in your comfy chair, and cheer on your favorite NCHC teams to victory this weekend.
I will be back early next week to recap this amazing 3rd weekend of the NCHC action.
