NFL
By Jason Gulden
Hello again, NCHC fans. Following another great weekend of league play, we have only three weekends remaining.
As with all other articles, we will look back on the past weekend, the players of the week, the rankings, the standings, and the upcoming games.
The only thing we won’t look at is how our NCHC players are doing in the Olympics. As of this writing, only one team, Slovakia, has played a game, and Adam Gajan did not play. We will have our Olympic update in next week’s article.
Last Weekend’s games
In the four series last weekend, only one series ended in a sweep. St. Cloud State swept Arizona State with scores of 4-1 and 4-3.
Western Michigan and Miami (OH) split the weekend, with Miami (OH) winning Friday night, 3-2. Western would win 3-1 on Saturday.
Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota also skated to a split this weekend. Minnesota Duluth would win 3-2 in overtime on Friday. North Dakota would win 4-1 on Saturday.
The highlight series of the weekend took place in Colorado. Colorado College was trying to win the Gold Pan from Denver this season and had a chance to do it. All they needed to do was win both games in regulation. Unfortunately, that thought ended when the Friday night game went into overtime. The 5 minutes of overtime weren’t enough, and Denver would get the extra point in the standings with a 1-0 victory in the shootout. On Saturday night, Denver won 4-1. The Gold Pan stays in Denver for the seventh straight season.
Players of the Week
The Forward of the Week goes to St. Cloud State’s Junior Tyson Gross. He had four goals and one assist on the weekend to help St. Cloud State earn the sweep in the desert against Arizona State. This is his first win of the season and the second of his career.
The Defenseman of the Week goes to North Dakota’s Junior Abram Wiebe. He had four assists on the weekend to help North Dakota pick up four points in the standings. He posted a +2 plus/minus in the series and blocked two shots. This is his first award of the year and his third overall.
St. Cloud State sophomore Patriks Berzins is the Goaltender of the Week after stopping 73 of 77 shots against the Sun Devils, earning two wins. Now 9-6-0 this season, he has a .916 save percentage and a 2.68 goals-against average. This marks his first weekly NCHC award.
The Rookie of the Week is familiar with this award this season. For the fourth time this season, Miami (OH) Freshman David Deputy earns the honor. He scored three goals over the weekend. On Friday night, he scored the game-tying goal and then added the game-winning goal in overtime.
USCHO Rankings
The four teams that have been ranked all season remain ranked. They stay in the same spots as last week. North Dakota #3. Western Michigan #4. Denver #8 and Minnesota Duluth #10.
This week, another team joins them in the top 20. Miami (OH) is back in the top 20, coming in at #20.
According to Bracketology on USCHO.com, here is the bracket breakdown for the NCAA Tournament as of now.
Denver would be in the Loveland region as they are the host team. They currently sit in the 3rd seed in the region.
Western Michigan would be the No. 4 overall seed and the top seed in the Albany region.
Minnesota Duluth would be in the Worcester Region and the #3 seed.
North Dakota would be the #3 overall seed and top seed in the Sioux Falls region.
Those seedings and locations may change as we approach the NCAA Tournament, except for Denver. They can only move up to a higher seed in their region.
Standings
As we head into the final three weekends of the season, this is how the standings are shaping up in the NCHC.
North Dakota remains on top with 42 points with 18 games played.
Denver comes in with 40 points in 20 games played.
Western Michigan currently has 35 points after 18 games.
Minnesota Duluth has 28 points in 20 games played.
The bottom 4 are shaping out like this.
St. Cloud State has 26 points in 20 games.
Miami (OH) has 24 points in 18 games played.
Colorado College has earned 20 points in 18 games played.
Arizona comes in at number eight with 19 points, with 18 games played
Omaha is on the outside looking in with 18 points with 18 games played.
The teams with 20 games played (Denver, Minnesota Duluth, and St. Cloud State) still have a bye week during one of the last three weekends of the season.
Remember, as we approach the end of the month, the 9th-place team will conclude its season. The top four teams will host the bottom four teams in a best-of-three series. (1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5).
This Weekend
Now is the moment you’ve been waiting for. What exciting matchups are coming up this weekend in the NCHC?
Looking at the schedule given the standings, there isn’t a matchup that really stands out to me as a must-see. This weekend, Minnesota Duluth has its bye week.
If I had to choose a series that could impact the standings, it would be the series up in St. Cloud this weekend. Colorado College travels up to take on the Huskies. The two teams are separated by 6 points in the standings. This is the first matchup of the season between the two teams.
Denver travels to Omaha in hopes of moving closer to the top of the conference standings. Omaha is looking for a big weekend as they currently sit in 9th place in the conference. This is also the first time these teams have faced each other this season.
Arizona State travels to Western Michigan this weekend, which is a crucial moment for both teams. If Western Michigan hopes to keep the Penrose Cup this season, it must win this series. They enter with seven points behind North Dakota for first place. Arizona State needs points this weekend, as it is only one point ahead of Omaha for eighth in the conference.
The last series of the weekend takes place in Grand Forks. Miami (OH) travels to North Dakota. Miami trails idle Minnesota Duluth by four points. Following the games this weekend, if things go in favor of Miami (OH), they can just pass Minnesota Duluth in the standings. North Dakota looks to extend its lead in the standings with victories this weekend.
Olympics
As I said in the opening, as of this writing, only one team featuring NCHC alums or active players that has played has been Slovakia. Adam Gajan, Minnesota Duluth goalie, did not play in the game on Wednesday.
We will have a better recap in next week’s article on how our NCHC players are doing over in Italy.
Closings
Things are warming up across the nation as we inch closer to springtime and the end of the regular season for the NCHC. These games matter more now as we begin setting the seeds for the NCHC playoffs.
Enjoy the weekend, NCHC fans. Grab your favorite beverage and snacks, sit down in a comfy chair, and enjoy some action this weekend. Just like always, if you can’t catch some action this weekend, I will be back next week to recap all the happenings around the NCHC this weekend.
