Tournament play gets underway in the WIAC and NCHA while the MIAC will wrap up its regular season this weekend, though the regular-season championship has already been decided as Augsburg clinched it last weekend.
The Auggies play Saint John’s in their final series, and that should be an interesting one as the Johnnies are still in the hunt for the second seed.
Meanwhile in the WIAC, UW-Superior begins its push for back-to-back tournament titles and Adrian looks to carry its regular-season dominance into the postseason.
Those games and more are among the ones we are picking this weekend.
UW-Superior( 13-10-2) at UW-Stout (8-17)
Can the Yellowjackets repeat as conference tourney champs? We’re about to find out. UW-Superior takes its first step towards that goal this weekend when it opens tourney play against the Blue Devils, who have the luxury of playing this series at home.
These two teams just met last weekend, splitting their series, and the Blue Devils are 2-1 against the Yellowjackets this year.
At one time UW-Superior was on track to win the regular-season title. It will look to get on track for the tournament and play well in a series that should be tightly contested throughout.
UW-Superior, 5-4, UW-Stout, 4-2; UW-Superior, 2-1 in mini game
Northland (4-18-3) at UW-Eau Claire (13-11-1)
The Lumberjacks are going to try to play spoiler here in this opening round series of the WIAC tournament. It won’t be easy. They come in on a six-game losing streak and haven’t won a road game. But both games against the Blugolds have been close ( a pair of 2-0 losses).
UW-Eau Claire has played well in the second half of the year and looks to begin a run at the conference title that once seemed improbable when they were 4-8 heading into Christmas. The Blugolds are unbeaten in their last eight and have been tough defensively in that stretch, holding seven of the opponents to a goal or less.
UW-Eau Claire, 4-2 and 2-1
Lake Forest (7-16-2) at Adrian (24-1)
The Foresters are in the NCHA tournament. That’s the good news. The bad news is they are up against the No. 1 team in the nation in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll. Lake Forest has dropped its last three and has only three road wins. Lake Forest lost both games to Adrian in the regular season, but led 3-2 in a game that eventually ended in a 7-4 loss. The key is a fast start and playing a complete game, especially on the road.
The Bulldogs ran the table in the regular season and roll into the opening series having won their last 24 games. They are unbeaten at home this season and have scored 151 goals. If that offense is clicking, the Bulldogs will be tough for anyone to beat.
Adrian, 5-2 and 7-3
Lawrence (10-11-4) at Trine (17-8)
The Vikings have dropped two in a row after struggling in last weekend’s regular-season series against Trine where they were outscored 13-4. It will be important for the Vikings to play well early and play consistent if they are going to have a chance at the upset.
Trine is having its best season in program history and has a chance to contend for the tourney crown. The Thunder has won its last three and if it’s offense clicked the way it did last week, it shouldn’t have a problem moving on in the the tourney.
Trine, 6-2 and 5-1
Marian (10-12-3) at St. Norbert (20-5)
Marian won the conference tournament last season, but this year hasn’t been an easy one for the Sabres. Still, they come into this series on a four-game winning streak and competed hard in last month’s regular-season series against St. Norbert, the seventh-ranked team in the country. They’ll need to duplicate that kind of effort to have a shot at the upset.
The Green Knights are eager to get back to their winning ways after losing both games to Adrian last weekend. They’ve won 19 of 21 and are 9-1 at home. This is the time of the year where St. Norbert thrives and has added motivation after not having a season last year.
St. Norbert, 4-1 and 5-2
MSOE (10-13-2) at Aurora (17-7)
The Raiders have shown at times this season how good they can be, but the final stretch of the year was a tough one as they enter this series having lost their last four games. That streak includes two losses to Aurora last weekend.
The Spartans are No. 13 in the nation and determined to make a run at the conference crown. It’s never easy playing an opponent in back-to-back weekends but the Spartans hope to pick up where they left off last weekend, especially at home, where they are 8-3 on the year.
Aurora, 5-3 and 4-2
Augsburg (21-2, 13-1 MIAC) vs. Saint John’s (15-6-2, 8-3-1 MIAC)
The Auggies are ranked fourth in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll and come into this home-and-home series riding a 12-game winning streak.
The Johnnies have won their last four.
Augsburg features one of the best offenses in the nation, cranking out 88 goals, and both teams have been stellar defensively, allowing less than two goals per game.
In the last 15 meetings, Augsburg has won eight times, and a year ago these two teams split their series. Don’t be surprised if this one ends the same way.
Augsburg, 5-3; Saint John’s, 3-2
Concordia (12-9-2, 9-4-1 MIAC) at Hamline (4-16-3, 1-9-2 MIAC)
The Cobbers head out on the road for their final series of the regular season with a chance to nail down the second seed in the conference tournament. Winners of six of eight, the Cobbers just need to avoid looking ahead and they’ll be fine. Tyler Bossert continues to lead the MIAC in points (31) and goals (22).
Hamline is just looking to finish on a high note before the offseason begins. The Pipers are hoping to bounce back after a tough 9-0 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday. That won’t be an easy task against the Cobbers.
Concordia, 5-2 and 4-1
