Ghosts? Goblins? Martha Stewart spinning hot caramel around unsuspecting apples? Things that go bump in the night?

Try things that go bump in the rink.

Try Notre Dame beating Ohio State 3-0, then losing for the first time this season to…Western Michigan.

Try playing Michigan State and Michigan…back to back.

Now that’s scary.

It isn’t magic that’s mixing things up in the CCHA; it’s the parity that everyone talked about last season, bearing fruit now. There are four CCHA teams in the national top ten, and another one knocking on the door–and the season stretches before us, wide open.

This is a tight league, and it should get a little tighter with Northern Michigan’s schedule this weekend.

Last week, league-leading No. 9 Notre Dame beat Ohio State 3-0, then lost to the aforementioned Broncos 2-1. The Irish are idle this week, while WMU–currently tied with OSU for seventh place in the CCHA–travels to Miami for two games.

No. 6 Michigan is second in league play so far. The Wolverines beat Alaska-Fairbanks 6-1 and 2-1 in Alaska last weekend. This week, Michigan looks at Bowling Green and No. 7 Northern Michigan, two games in Yost.

Bowling Green is currently third in the CCHA with five points. The Falcons got shelled by No. 5 Michigan State 7-1 Friday, then turned around and beat Ferris State 2-1 Saturday. The Friday game in Ann Arbor is Bowling Green’s only action this week.

Northern Michigan, Michigan State, and Ferris State are all tied for fourth in the league. No. 7 Northern flexed a little muscle with two road wins over Clarkson, 6-5 and 3-2. As a reward, the Wildcats travel to East Lansing for one game against the fifth-ranked Spartans, then on to Ann Arbor for a game against No. 6 Michigan.

No. 6 Michigan State beat Bowling Green 7-1 on the road, then tied Ohio State 4-4 in Munn. The Spartans’ game against Northern is their only game of the weekend.

The Bulldogs lost their only game of the week to Bowling Green, 2-1 on the road. This week, Ferris State hosts Alaska-Fairbanks for two games. With no points, the Nanooks are currently tied for last place in the league with Lake Superior State.

With just one league win, the Buckeyes have dropped out of the top ten, and are tied with Western for seventh in the league. Last week, Ohio State got blanked by Notre Dame and tied No. 5 Michigan State in Munn. This week, the Buckeyes travel to Buffalo to take on the tough Niagara Purple Eagles.

Western Michigan flexed a little muscle of its own last weekend, beating the formerly undefeated Irish 2-1. This week, the Broncos travel to Goggin Ice Arena for two games against the RedHawks.

Miami split a pair of games out East last weekend, beating Providence 5-3, then losing to New Hampshire 4-1.

Lake Superior lost a pair of games against the same teams, 5-2 to New Hampshire and 7-2 to Providence. The Lakers are idle this week.

Last week’s record in picks: 9-4 Overall record in picks: 19-8

It ain’t witchcraft.

No. 7 Northern Michigan (6-0-0, 2-0-0 CCHA) at No. 5 Michigan State (2-0-2, 1-0-2 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI No. 7 Northern Michigan at No. 6 Michigan (4-1-0, 3-0-0 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI

The Northern Michigan Wildcats are rolling this season, but don’t look for head coach Rick Comley to be too excited about that, or about Northern’s top-ten ranking.

"It’s early," says Comley.

True, but this is a team that lost only three players in the offseason, a team that beat Clarkson twice in Potsdam.

"Those were two close games," says Comley. "They were hotly contested games. We had the advantage because we already had a few games behind us, and those were the first games they played this season."

Come on, Coach–isn’t there something to be happy about?

"I’m encouraged because we are hoping to take a step from last year. We have to not only play as well as last year, but move beyond that to stay in step with the league."

Anyone who’s seen the Wildcats play will tell you that this is a solid team from top to bottom, a team that’s playing at least as well as it did last season–and that was already pretty good. The ‘Cats are a team of hard-working, hard-grinding, blue-collar players who give it all every game. There’s no real star in Marquette.

"It’s been pretty balanced," says Comley.

Six different Wildcats scored in the two wins over Clarkson. Roger Trudeau scored a pair in the 6-5 win, and Bryan Phillips had three goals on the weekend, including both game-winners. Phillips also had an assist on Ian La Rocque’s goal Friday; Trudeau had an assist on Fred Mattersdorfer’s goal Friday. Buddy Smith had two assists Friday night.

Another plus for Northern Michigan is goaltending. Junior Duane Hoey and sophomore Dan Ragusett are each 3-0-0 overall. Hoey boasts an overall save percentage of .923, while Ragusett’s is .921.

As solid as his team is, Comley knows that this weekend presents an enormous challenge.

"We’re playing probably the two best teams in the conference. In this conference, everybody has to prove that they’re better than Michigan and Michigan State."

And Comley isn’t fooled by Michigan State’s two ties or Michigan’s rocky weekend against Niagara. "I don’t think either of them has anything to prove. They’re both pretty patient coaches."

Comley says he’s looking for one thing this weekend from his team. "We’re going to try to continue to get better."

Northern Michigan vs. Michigan State

"You have to appreciate what they’ve done so far," says Spartan head coach Ron Mason of Northern Michigan’s 6-0-0 start. "I think what really made a statement was the two wins at Clarkson. They’re for real."

The Spartans and Wildcats are two evenly-matched teams. The all-time series between these two currently undefeated squads is 9-9-1, 4-4-1 at Munn Ice Arena. Last season, the two teams split the regular season 1-1-1.

In their last regular-season meeting, Northern Michigan beat Michigan State 5-1 in Marquette. Joe Blackburn was in net for the Spartans in that game.

In their last meeting, period, the Spartans beat the Wildcats 5-1 in the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena, a game in which Michigan State scored all five goals in the third period.

To sum up, Mason says, "We’ve had some great games."

Last weekend, the Spartans scored seven goals in a 7-1 win over Bowling Green and a 4-4 tie with Ohio State. The Spartan offense is potentially explosive; Michigan State equaled its offensive production from its first two games–four goals–in less than five minutes at Bowling Green Friday night.

Michigan State’s top line of Mike York, Bryan Adams, and Adam Hall combined for six goals and eight assists in the two games; Adams tallied his first collegiate hat trick against Ohio State.

Mason says that the style of this year’s Spartan team differs from last year’s in that the emphasis is now on offense. In the two ties this season at Munn–1-1 versus Western Michigan, 4-4 with Ohio State–the Spartans outshot their opponents nearly two-to-one.

"For one reason or another, both teams were outplayed."

Of last weekend’s tie with OSU, Mason says, "They had an opportunity to put us away in the first period and didn’t do it."

Mason says that it’s the mark of a very good team when opponents walk away happy with a tie, and he’s encouraged by what he sees in his new-look bunch.

"I think we have a team that’s going to continue to improve. I think this team has real potential. Our team has an upside to it."

Of course, Mike York looks fabulous for the Spartans. So do his linemates. And with Chad Alban and Tyler Harlton gone, it’s easy to forget that this is a team loaded with talent on the defensive side of the puck.

Particularly impressive is junior defenseman Mike Weaver. "For two years he’s been overshadowed by Tyler Harlton," says Mason. "He’s a solid a defensive defenseman as you get."

And how. Against the Buckeyes, Weaver looked amazing, blocking shot after shot on the power play with the length of his body prone to the ice, then quickly recovering to help clear the rebounds.

It’s too soon to say how Joe Blackburn will do in the Spartan net. Mason is pleased with him, and until the Ohio State game, Blackburn had not given up more than one goal in any given game. His league save percentage is .905.

Northern Michigan vs. Michigan

Michigan hockey has had a tough couple of weeks. After squeaking by Niagara at home with a 6-5 overtime win, the Wolverines lost the following night 2-1.

Last weekend, Michigan went all the way up to Alaska to beat Fairbanks 6-1 and 2-1. Those wins, by the way, extend the Wolverine’s all-time undefeated streak against the Nanooks to 17-0- 0.

"Niagara’s a pretty good team," says Berenson. "They were every bit as good as we were. Now, we outshot them so we had them a little bit on their heals."

After facing Bowling Green on Friday, Michigan hosts Northern, a team that’s physically punishing.

"This will be a good test for us now," says Berenson. "Northern is one of the elite teams in our league. The good thing is that we have four games under our belt."

Berenson says that the physical game that Northern plays is something Michigan has seen again and again from opponents.

"That’s a style we’ve run into over the years simply because we’re Michigan. People play us hard. We’re a target."

One thing that concerns Berenson about the Wolverines’ next two games is his players’ ability to recover from the trip to Alaska.

"It’s a long trip. When you get back, with the time difference, you don’t know whether you’re coming or going, and then kids have to get caught up in school. We hope the whiplash from that doesn’t affect us."

So far this season, the Wolverines have played a bit inconsistently but have managed to come out ahead–mostly. The 6-5 win over Niagara came from a Josh Langfeld goal with just seconds to spare in overtime, a game in which rookie goaltender Josh Blackburn let in five goals on 16 shots.

"We’re not the team we were last year," says Berenson. "We don’t have a Billy Muckalt, Matty Herr, Marty Turco. We don’t have a player of that caliber at this point in the season. Maybe we will later in the year, but not just yet."

What Michigan does have is a bunch of guys who play hockey well. A Wolverine has earned CCHA Player of the Week honors each week this season. Blackburn earned the CCHA Rookie of the Week during the first week, Mike Comrie was Rookie of the Week the following week, and Mike Van Ryn was the CCHA Defensive Player of the Week for last weekend’s play.

Van Ryn scored both game-winners against UAF.

While it’s still early in the season, Van Ryn (2-2-4), Comrie (1-2-3), Dale Rominski (0-3-3), and Dave Huntzicker (0-3-3) have all made some CCHA scoring noise.

In three league games, Blackburn has a GAA of just 0.67, and a save percentage of .962. In addition, Michigan’s penalty kill has been perfect on 20 tries in league play.

Lastly, Michigan is 10-8-0 against Northern, including 6-1-0 under Berenson.

Picks

Of the Wildcat-Spartan matchup, Mason says, "These are two teams that are technically undefeated. It’s going to go a long way early in the season to see how the league is going to shape up."

Michigan State is unbeaten in its last 16 games in Munn Ice Arena (12-0-4), the third-longest home unbeaten streak in school history.

Berenson says, "We’re not that good, and every night’s going to be a tough game."

Comley says, "Playing on the road is probably tougher for us than anybody other than Fairbanks. Coaches come in here and complain because of the travel, and we do that every time we go on the road.

"If we get close to .500 on the road, we’re looking pretty good, and we’re 3-0 on the road now."

Both goaltenders will play for Northern this weekend, and one of them will earn his first loss of the season in Munn–which means a .500 weekend.

Michigan State over Northern, 4-2; Northern over Michigan, 3-2

Bowling Green (3-2-1, 2-1-1 CCHA) at No. 6 Michigan (4-1-0, 3-0-0 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI

For Bowling Green, it’s so far, so good.

The Falcons split last weekend, losing 7-1 to Michigan State, but beating Ferris State 2-1.

"We’re playing pretty well as a team," says BG head coach Buddy Powers. "We gave a couple of soft goals to [Michigan] State, but we carried the play pretty much against Ferris."

While the Falcons took two points last weekend from the Bulldogs, Bowling Green has been outscored 12-15, and Powers is concerned about the lack of offense.

"We only scored two goals from our forwards last weekend. But we’re getting chances and not finishing. When you’re not getting any chances, that’s more of a problem."

Curtis Valentine (2-2-4), Doug Schueller (3-0-3), Chris Bonvie (1-2-3), Dan Price (1-2-3), Mike Jones (0-3-3), Ryan Murphy (1-2-3), and Adam Edinger (0-3-3) are largely responsible for the Falcons’ scoring. Unfortunately, they’re all at zero or worse in plus/minus.

Adding to the Falcon woes is the early-season play of Shawn Timm, the sophomore goaltender with lots of potential. Timm’s league GAA is 4.22, and his league save percentage is just .792.

Conversely, senior Mike Savard is looking solid. Savard earned the win against Ferris State; his league GAA is 2.72, and his league save percentage is .897.

Powers is keeping quiet about who will start this weekend. Any guesses?

Michigan leads this all-time series 48-27-2, and has been 8-1-1 against the Falcons in the last ten meetings. The Wolverines swept the Falcons last season, winning 4-2 at BG, 4-2 in Yost, and 5-4 at BG.

Berenson says, "Bowling Green will be tough. Obviously, they’re a better team than they were last year."

And a team with something to prove. Powers says he expects an "up-tempo, end-to-end" game. He also says that Yost can be a real factor, given the youth of the Falcon team.

"But I tell them it’s better to have someone yelling to rip your head off than it is to have people disguised as chairs."

Pick

This could be a tougher game than most people expect. If the Falcons solve the problem of finishing chances, they can do some serious offensive damage in this league.

But it may be too soon in the season for that.

Michigan 4-2

Western Michigan (1-2-1, 1-2-1 CCHA) at Miami (1-4-1, 0-3-1 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Goggin Ice Arena, Oxford, OH

Last weekend, the Broncos did what no other team had been able to do this season: they beat Notre Dame 2-1.

"We talked to [the players] about putting together a game plan to shut down the Simon line," says Western head coach Bill Wilkinson, "and that’s what we did."

So that’s how you do it. Is everyone taking notes?

The Van Arkel-Kopischke-Henning line scored the lone goal against the Broncos, and it was an even-strength marker.

"It was a wash on power play," says Wilkinson, "since we didn’t get any either."

But it’s an important wash. Aniket Dhadphale has been ripping opponents to shreds, both even-strength and on the power play. Wonder how much bootleg tapes of this game are selling for around the league.>{?

Still, Wilkinson says that there was at least a little luck in the game. "We scored one off [Forrest] Karr’s head."

That doesn’t hurt.

Wilkinson talks about his team scoring as a committee, and like Powers, he’s concerned about scoring only two goals.

"We don’t have the high-profile type player," says Wilkinson. "We buckle up the chin strap and go hard–go hard or go home.

"We have two lines set. I’m not saying they’re the best two lines in the league, but they’re two lines that can generate offense."

Chuck Mindel and Steve Rymsha scored against Notre Dame, but Wilkinson says that Jason Redenius–who had an assist on Rymsha’s goal–is the current Spark for the Bronco offense.

Matt Barnes, with 31 saves against Notre Dame, looks very good this season, posting a 1.62 league GAA and a .943 league save percentage.

Another impressive Bronco is walk-on rookie defenseman Derek, who in three starts has a plus/minus of +1.

One other Bronco note of interest: The one-game suspensions imposed on all team members in the aftermath of last month’s team party fiasco will be completed when Anthony Battaglia sits out Friday’s game.

Meanwhile, the RedHawks participated in their own first last weekend–their first win of the season, 5-3 over Providence.

"We are very young," says Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni, "and you can’t hide that fact. But we’ve shown a real good competitive instinct this past weekend, an instinct we did not have our first weekend of play."

The ‘Hawks also lost 4-1 to New Hampshire.

"Against New Hampshire, both teams played really well defensively. We didn’t penetrate them really well, we didn’t get to the net very well, but they didn’t get to the net very well either."

Mazzoleni is encouraged by what he’s seeing from his very young team.

"We didn’t play badly, and we’ve improved each weekend.

"You’ve got to strive to improve, in practice every day, from game to game. After Christmas, these players will no longer be freshman. We’re making a lot of fundamental mistakes that we need to address now."

Sophomore Ernie Hartlieb scored twice against Providence (his second goal was the empty-netter); Alex Kim, Pat Leahy, and Gregor Krajnc each had goals.

Jason Deskins had the lone goal against New Hampshire.

Junior goaltender Ian Olsen had 50 saves on the weekend. In three league games this season, Olsen’s GAA is 4.32 and his save percentage is .889.

Picks

Miami took two of three games from Western last season, and the Broncos have lost eight of their last nine games in Goggin Arena.

Neither team is generating many shots on goal. In net, Western has an edge–Matt Barnes looks superb.

Western is knows for its very physical style of play. "They’ll come in very determined and confident because they’ve been playing well," says Mazzoleni. "They’ll compete very hard. That will be consistent between all four of their lines."

It’s hard to pick against Miami in this two-game series. The RedHawks may be young, but they have more potential fire power than do the Broncos. And as good as Barnes is, Goggin can be a tough place for visiting teams, as Western’s recent record there shows.

Miami 4-2, 3-2

Alaska-Fairbanks ( 1-3-0, 0-2-0 CCHA) at Ferris State (2-2-0, 2-2-0 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Ewigleben Arena, Big Rapids, MI

The Nanooks opened their CCHA season with two losses to Michigan, but losing to Michigan is nothing new for Fairbanks; UAF has dropped all 17 of its games against the Wolverines.

Alaska-Fairbanks lost 6-1 and 2-1 in two penalty-filled games at home. Dwayne Zinger scored the only goal for the Nanooks in the 6-1 loss, a tally which tied the game at 1-1 very early–and very briefly–in the second period.

In the 2-1 loss, Darren Tiemstra scored late in the third when the Nanooks were down 2-0.

The Nanooks were outshot by the Wolverines 61-39. Senior goaltender Ian Perkins made 53 saves on the weekend.

Now, UAF makes its first trip to the lower 48 this weekend, to visit Big Rapids. Last weekend, Ferris State lost to Bowling Green 2-1.

Geoff Bennetts scored the sole Bulldog goal, while Vince Owen made 40 saves on 42 shots on goal for Ferris state.

There can be little doubt that Ferris State has the edge in these two games, at least on paper. They’re at home. Owen’s league save percentage is .915, compared with Perkins’ .869. The Bulldogs have more CCHA games behind them than do the Nanooks. And the Bulldogs didn’t have to play Michigan twice last weekend.

Picks

This pairing matches what appears to be the biggest team in the CCHA–Fairbanks–with what may be the smallest–Ferris. Expect these games to be physically demanding for each team. Alaska-Fairbanks takes a lot of penalties, and the Nanooks force their opponents to as well.

Ferris State has the advantage on both sides of the puck, and may have another advantage if the cooler heads prevail for the Bulldogs.

Ferris State 4-1, 4-2

Ohio State (1-4-1, 1-2-1 CCHA) vs. Niagara (2-2-0) Saturday, 5 p.m., Marine Midland Arena, Buffalo, NY

All right–will whomever has stolen the Buckeye offense please return it? Just drop it off in Buffalo, no questions asked.

Hugo Boisvert: one point last weekend. Chris Richards: one point last weekend.

Boisvert led the league in scoring last season, and Richards was third.

What’s up with that?

"I don’t know," says head coach John Markell. "We’ve got to pick up their games."

One thing that has hurt the Buckeye offense is the absence of Boisvert’s linemate, Eric Meloche, who will probably be out until the Bucks’ Nov. 13 home opener against Michigan State. He could be the spark that the first line is missing.

What about that second line? Perhaps the loss of Todd Compeau was greater than anyone realized. Without him, Richards has been struggling to put it in the net. Louie Colsant didn’t work there, so Neal Rech–who works very well with Richards on the penalty kill–has been moved there.

There are a couple of upsides to this rocky start for the Buckeyes. In Meloche’s absence, senior Brandon Lafrance has been give the chance to play, and he’s been sparking offense left and right. Look for him to receive additional help from rookie Mike McCormick, who returns to play after missing most of this season with a sprained knee.

Another upside has been the emergence of sophomore Vinnie Grant as a playmaker.

And yet another plus has been the development of the young Buckeye defense, which while allowing way too many shots on goal, is improving weekly. Rookie Scott Titus and sophomore Jaisen Freeman have been particularly fun to watch.

Injuries have plagued the Buckeyes since. In addition to Meloche and McCormick, several Buckeyes have been playing injured–including Dan Cousineau, Louie Colsant, Vinnie Grant.

"I haven’t played with a full compliment since the Boston College game," says Markell.

This is the first-ever meeting between the Niagara Purple Eagles and the Buckeyes.

Last weekend, the Eagles lost 5-3 to Union before beating Moncton 7-6 in the consolation game of the J.C. Penney Classic at the University of Maine. Jay Kasperck had a hat trick and two assists in the Moncton game.

Niagara goaltender Greg Gardner had 45 saves on 56 shots on the weekend.

Two weeks ago, the Eagles lost a close 6-5 game to Michigan in Yost before beating the Wolverines 3-1. For his 79 saves in two games against Michigan, Gardner was named the U.S. College Hockey Online Defensive Player of the Week.

Pick

The Buckeyes are intimidated by large arena venues–something they need to get over quickly, given that Marine Midland holds just about a thousand more folks than does the Schottenstein Center.

The one very encouraging thing about this Buckeye team was the way in which it rallied against Michigan State to tie the Spartans 4-4 in Munn. You can listen all you want to Spartan afficionados who claim that Ohio State wasn’t in that game, and about how lucky the Buckeyes were–then you can look at the score.

"I think they’re going to be a lot like Yale," says Markell of Niagara, "coming at us fast.

"Gardner played well in net for them when they beat Michigan. They’re going to be in their home town. They’ll be a spirited bunch, with everything to gain and nothing to lose–and that’s always a dangerous game."

A Halloween treat for the Buckeyes?

Ohio State 4-2 (with an empty-netter)

Surprise, surprise.

Western Michigan ties Michigan State.

Michigan leaves a home series with two points.

Ohio State is 1-3-0.

Notre Dame is 5-0-0. Northern Michigan is 4-0-0.

Wait a minute–is any of this surprising at all?

As anyone who follows CCHA hockey knows, the Irish have been on the verge of waking up for two years now. Two weeks into league play, and Notre Dame sits atop the CCHA standings with four league wins and one non-conference win, the number-eight team in the nation.

Northern Michigan is a solid team from top to bottom, a team that bolted from the gate last season, so 4-0-0 is no surprise at all.

Ohio State has one win to its name–and is still a top-ten team. Why? The Buckeyes start slowly, but are still loaded for bear.

Michigan is another team that will start slow and build as the young Wolverines adjust to play at the Division I level…maybe.

Michigan State–now, that’s a surprise. The Broncos can thank Matt Barnes.

No. 8 Notre Dame won another pair last weekend, beating Ferris State 5-3 and Lake Superior 4-3. This weekend, the Irish host No. 9 Ohio State and travel to Western Michigan for one.

Northern Michigan–soon to be a top-ten team–beat Miami twice at home, 3-2 and 5-2. The Wildcats travel to Clarkson for two.

With four league points, the Ferris State Bulldogs are tied for second in the league with Northern Michigan. Ferris dropped a game to Notre Dame 5-3, then beat Ohio State 4-2. The Bulldogs travel to Bowling Green for one game on Saturday.

Bowling Green split a pair with Northeastern, losing 4-2 and winning 5-3. The Falcons host Michigan State and Ferris State this weekend.

No. 6 Michigan squeaked by Niagara in a 6-5 overtime decision, then lost the second round 2-1 the following night. The Wolverines head north to Alaska for two.

No. 9 Ohio State beat Lake Superior 4-1 and lost 4-2 to Ferris State. This weekend, the Buckeyes test Notre Dame in South Bend before heading to The Rematch in East Lansing against the Spartans.

No. 5 Michigan State tied 1-1 with Western Michigan and beat Massachusetts-Amherst 3-1. The Spartans head to Bowling Green Friday, then seek vengeance against Ohio State on Saturday.

Western Michigan and Matt Barnes tied the Spartans 1-1 Friday. This weekend, the Broncos host Notre Dame for one on Saturday.

Miami dropped a pair at Northern Michigan, 3-2 and 5-2. The RedHawks fly east for one game at Providence and one at New Hampshire.

Lake Superior dropped two at home, 4-1 to Ohio State and 4-3 to Notre Dame. The Lakers have the flip side of the Miami schedule, playing New Hampshire and then Providence.

Alaska-Fairbanks split with Alaska-Anchorage, a 5-4 overtime win and a 3-1 loss. The Nanooks see their first league action this weekend with two home games against Michigan.

Last week’s record in picks: 10-4 Overall record in picks: 10-4

So far, so good.

No. 9 Ohio State (1-3-0, 1-1-0 CCHA) at No. 8 Notre Dame (5-0-0, 4-0-0 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Joyce Center, South Bend, IN No. 9 Ohio State at No. 5 Michigan State (1-0-1, 0-0-1 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Munn Arena, East Lansing, MI

Let’s get this out of the way right away. Yes, Jason Selleke bit Casey Harris in Ohio State’s 4-2 loss to Ferris State. According the folks at OSU, Harris had his fingers in Selleke’s mouth. The Ferris people aren’t saying anything different. Near as anyone can tell, this is what happened:

With nine minutes left in the third period, Selleke and Harris were battling along the boards for the puck. Harris’ helmet came off, but play was allowed to continue. By the time the whistle blew, the two players were mixing it up.

When all was said and done–and mostly done–Selleke was given a five-minute major and a game disqualification, and Harris was given a lesson in why you shouldn’t put your fingers in another players’ mouth after you’ve dropped the gloves.

But the biting incident was only the beginning of the third-period mayhem. While Buckeye head coach John Markell did not have to be restrained by his players–as was erroneously reported by a Columbus radio station–Markell was visibly angry after a Buckeye goal was disallowed late in the third.

Was it a goal? This girl reporter thought so. Was the Ferris goal that was disallowed minutes later also a goal? From where this girl reporter was sitting, yes.

Nothing like a bit of controversy to start the season–eh?

Ohio State at Notre Dame

The Irish are rolling. Coming off a two-win weekend, Notre Dame is now five games into the season, undefeated.

There are two big reasons for this: the Irish power play, and senior goaltender Forrest Karr.

Characteristically understated, head coach Dave Poulin says, "It’s early. We’re seeing some things we like. I like our power play."

Who wouldn’t like the Notre Dame power play? The Irish have scored 22 goals this season; half of them have been with the man-advantage.

Poulin credits "poised and talented" players for this early-season power-play success, especially Brian Urick and Aniket Dhadphale. Urick is tied with Miami’s Alex Kim for the lead in conference power-play goals with three; Dhadphale has two.

And to look at conference stats so far, you’d think that only Notre Dame has put a team on the ice. A host of Irish players are dominating league scoring. Urick (6-2-8) and teammate Ben Simon (2-6-8) are tied for the lead; Dhadphale (2-5-7) is third; Dan Carlson (1-4-5) is tied for fourth; and Tyson Fraser (0-4-4) is tied for sixth.

Wow.

The flip side of the Irish success is the steady play of Karr. He’s 4-0-0 in league games, has allowed just nine goals in over 200 minutes played, and has a GAA of 2.25.

And the Irish won two last weekend without defensemen Nathan Borega and Benoit Cotnoir. Both were injured; Cotnoir should be back this week.

Notre Dame faces a big test Friday against Ohio State, a team that so far has played well against Boston College, played crappy against Minnesota, shut down Lake Superior, and should have beaten Ferris State.

Poulin says that his focus this week is primarily on preparing for this single game. "I know we’re playing one of the top teams in the country. Ohio State has two first-string goalies, one of the top players in the country in [Hugo] Boisvert, and [Chris] Richards is a constant, constant factor."

While Richards leads the OSU team in overall scoring with one goal and three assists, both he and Boisvert were relatively silent in the Bucks’ first weekend of CCHA play. Head coach John Markell hopes this relative lack of production from his top two forwards will be short-lived.

"What I’m looking for is for our big players to step it up a little bit. We’re not going to go very far if Hugo Boisvert gets one point on the weekend and Chris Richards gets one point on the weekend."

It’s hard to say why Boisvert and Richards haven’t warmed up yet, but don’t look to the absence of Eric Meloche from the lineup for an excuse. Meloche, out for the next three weeks with a bruised collarbone, has been replaced on the Boisvert’s line with senior winger Brandon Lafrance.

Simply put, Lafrance is on fire.

This kid had three goals and three assists in 25 games last season. Lafrance already has three goals in four games this year; against Ferris State, he scored a goal (from Boisvert) and assisted on linemate J.F. Dufour’s tally.

Lafrance can positively motor, and he scores very pretty goals. If he plays Friday like he has been these past two weekends, CCHA fans may be reminded of former Miami players Randy Robitaille and Adam Copeland, Lafrance’s linemates with the Ottawa Junior Senators.

Like the Irish, the Buckeyes have seen scoring from their third and fourth lines. Against Lake Superior, three of the four Ohio State goals came from these role-players. Rob Gubala and Vinnie Grant–both third-liners–scored a goal apiece against the Lakers. They’ll be joined on line this weekend by rookie Nick Ganga, who scored for OSU’s fourth line in that game.

This kind of depth makes Markell happy. "It’s beautiful when we can get goals from the third and fourth line. We need role-playing from those players."

In net for Ohio State will be sophomore Jeff Maund, who allowed just one goal against Lake Superior, his only conference play.

This game pairs the league’s best power play with one of the league’s better penalty-killing units. While Notre Dame has scored 11 power-play goals in 26 attempts in conference play, Ohio State has allowed just two power-play goals in four games, both against Ferris State–and one of those was an empty-netter.

This is the league’s marquee match of the week, no matter what Spartan fans say about Saturday night.

And speaking of which….

Ohio State vs. Michigan State

Talk about your compliments.

"We’re not Notre Dame, with a lot of returning players."

That’s how Ron Mason describes his Spartans, the team that was number one for most of last season.

Last weekend, Michigan State tied a defensively tough Western Michigan team 1-1, then beat Massachusetts-Amherst 3-1.

On Saturday–after having played in Bowling Green Friday night–the Spartans will try to feed the Buckeyes "a dish best served on ice," a bit of revenge for the 4-3 overtime loss to Ohio State in the NCAA playoffs last season.

But don’t tell Mason that this is anything more than the first regular-season meeting between the Spartans and Buckeyes.

"I think people want to make it that way, but our players haven’t even talked about it," says Mason. "At the time you lose it’s traumatic. At the time they [MSU players] just reflected on the loss. For this game, we have five or six new players. If Chad Alban were coming back, maybe he’d want to prove he can beat them."

The Buckeyes will instead face Joe Blackburn, the sophomore starter, in net for the Spartans. Michigan State has scored one goal or been shut out in three of Blackburn’s six career starts; however, in his one league start this season–against Western Michigan–Blackburn allowed just one goal.

The Spartans have played just two NCAA D-I games, so they have yet to establish any offensive patterns.

"We’re not the same team we were last year," cautions Mason. "Ohio State is a little more in place with returning players. They have their lines set. We need to play a few games to see where we are."

The Spartans are outshooting opponents on average of 35-19, and in the game against Western Michigan, Mark Loeding was the only guy outside of the Spartan net not to have a shot on goal.

The Buckeyes and Spartans played five good games against each other last season, culminating in the Spartans’ 4-3 double-overtime CCHA Championship win and the 4-3 overtime Buckeye win in NCAA play.

Even though Ohio State could sometimes solve the Spartan riddle last season, don’t expect the Buckeyes to be overconfident for this game.

"For some reason in the past, we played well against these guys," says Markell, "but one of the things I like about our team is that we respect everybody.

"After last weekend, we respect everyone even more.

"We’re working hard here toward becoming a team. Who knows what kind of effect last weekend will have on this team, but hopefully it will draw us together. Ohio State teams tend to draw together under adversity."

Ohio State lost a player who seemed to be one of the keys last season against the Spartans. With Todd Compeau gone, the OSU second line is trying to find its feet with Louie Colsant.

Picks

Notre Dame leads the series against Ohio State 20-11-3, but the Buckeyes have taken five of the last seven meetings, including two of three last season. The teams last played Feb. 13 in South Bend, when OSU won 5-3. In that game Neal Rech and Eric Meloche had two goals each for Ohio State, and Aniket Dhadphale had two of Notre Dame’s goals and assisted on the third.

Michigan State has a 15-game unbeaten streak at Munn Ice Arena (12-0-3) on the line in Saturday night’s game against Ohio State. The Spartans’ last home loss came Dec. 7, 1997, a 1-0 setback to Bowling Green.

Ohio State made this exact same trip (Friday night at Notre Dame, Saturday night at Michigan State) in February of last season. That weekend saw OSU top the Irish 5-3 but fall to the Spartans 4-1.

Markell says of his players, "They’re going to be scared, and they know they’re going to have to play their best games, or they’ll have their lunch handed to them."

Ohio State 4-2 over Notre Dame; Michigan State 2-1 over Ohio State.

(With thanks to Nate Ewell, Michigan State SID, for the excellent turn of an old phrase.)

No. 5 Michigan State (1-0-1, 0-0-1 CCHA) at Bowling Green (2-1-1. 1-0-0 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., BGSU Ice Arena, Bowling Green, OH Ferris State (2-1-0, 2-1-0 CCHA) at Bowling Green Saturday, 7 p.m., BGSU Ice Arena, Bowling Green, OH

The Falcons split a pair of nonconference games with Northeastern last weekend, losing 4-2 Friday and winning 5-3 Saturday.

"We played pretty good on Friday night and didn’t score," says head coach Buddy Powers. Bowling Green was down 3-2 late in the third and pressing when Falcon Ryan Murphy shot it in his own net to make it 4-2.

There was more good news than bad on the weekend, according to Powers, especially in net. "Shawn [Timm] made some real good stops Friday. Savvy [Mike Savard] looked good Saturday."

Powers says that his team just wants to continue to try to improve. "The Miami weekend was an opening weekend for both teams, and last weekend was Northeastern’s first weekend of play.

"This weekend will be a sterner test for us."

Michigan State at Bowling Green

Michigan State has a losing streak against just two CCHA opponents–Ohio State, and Bowling Green.

The Spartans dropped a 1-0 decision to the Falcons December 7, 1997. Shawn Timm posted the shutout in that game.

"Any time we go in down there, it’s a battle," says Ron Mason. "It’s our first real test, and it’s on the road."

Mason takes this challenge very seriously. "We’ve had a lot of good years, so everywhere we play we’re treated like we’re a top team; the teams are up for us. There’s never an easy night for us, and our young players have to learn that."

The Falcons trail the all-time series against the Spartans 45-22-6, but Bowling Green has better luck at home against Michigan State, with a 12-16-3 record in the BGSU Ice Arena against MSU.

The Bowling Green power play may be an interesting match for the Michigan State penalty-killing unit–that is, if the Spartans take a penalty. BG has scored at least two power-play goals per game this season, and seven different Falcons have scored with the man advantage.

However…in one league game played, the Spartans have allowed one power-play goal for just five attempts.

Each team also has potentially explosive offense, with one single player who can break a game open. For the Spartans, of course, it’s Mike York who can score seemingly at will. For the Falcons, Dan Price may prove this season that he’s one of the league’s top players–and can this guy fly.

Ferris State at Bowling Green

The Bulldogs lost 5-3 to Notre Dame and beat Ohio State 4-2 last weekend. Assistant Ferris State coach Drew Famulak is modest about the Bulldogs’ prospects this weekend.

"We just want to stay consistent and improve weekly."

Kevin Swider leads the Bulldogs in scoring with two goals and two assists, and Geoff Bennetts has three goals for Ferris State. Rob Kozak is also proving instrumental in the early-season offense for Ferris with three assists.

Watch for Jason Hodel to come on soon for the Bulldogs. Moved back from center (where, according to Famulak, he added depth last season) to his natural position of right wing, Hodel had several breakaways thwarted by Buckeye goaltender Ray Aho Saturday night–but not for lack of Hodel’s trying.

Without the pressures of playing a more defensive game, Hodel may be flying on that wing.

Sophomore Vince Owen is the starter between the pipes for Ferris State. Owen has a 2.67 GAA and a .893 save percentage.

The Falcons lead the all-time series against Ferris State, 43-27-7, and they’re 27-12-3 against the Bulldogs at home.

Last year, the two teams split the season 1-1-1. Early in the season, the teams tied 3-3 and BG won 3-1 in Bowling Green; in February, Ferris State won 3-0 in Big Rapids.

It’s anyone’s guess as to who Powers will start in net against the Bulldogs. The coach wasn’t happy with Shawn Timm’s play against Miami, but he wasn’t unhappy with it against Northeastern in the loss. Mike Savard got the win over the Bulldogs for Bowling Green last season.

Picks

The key to the Falcons’ game is consistency–on both sides of the puck.

"We have to make sure we play consistently well period to period, shift to shift," says Powers. "When we get good shifts back-to-back, that’s when we get some momentum going."

Michigan State 4-1 Friday; Bowling Green 3-2 Saturday

No. 8 Notre Dame (5-0-0, 4-0-0 CCHA) at Western Michigan (0-2-1, 0-2-1 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Lawson Arena, Kalamazoo, MI

The Broncos had a moral victory of sorts with a 1-1 tie against Michigan State last weekend.

"You can call it that," chuckles Western Michigan head coach Bill Wilkinson.

"We played pretty smart. Our game plan was to circle the wagons around [senior goaltender Matt] Barnes. We played a pretty good forecheck, and we killed off penalties well, including two five-on-threes late in the third."

Special teams were instrumental in this game. The Broncos scored first on the power play at 3:25 in the third; the Spartans scored shorthanded four minutes later.

Barnes was stunning in net, saving 36 of 37 shots on goal.

Wilkinson says that special teams will again be instrumental in this game against the Irish. "Our PK will be tested."

The strategy, he says, is to stay out of the box. "If you don’t give them opportunities on it, the fewer chances the Irish have, and the better your chances are for killing the ones you do face."

One of the difficulties facing the Broncos this weekend is the player suspensions they have to work around. Each Bronco must sit out one game for NCAA rules violations stemming from a preseason team golf outing. Because of this, says Wilkinson, "Nothing’s set.

"It’s tough to get familiarity on the lines."

Pick

With lines that are set, a clicking power play, and uber-confidence, expect the Irish to take this one.

Notre Dame 3-1

No. 6 Michigan (2-1-0, 1-0-0 CCHA) at Alaska-Fairbanks (1-1-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. AT, Carlson Center, Fairbanks, AK

Last weekend, something strange happened in Yost Ice Arena. Michigan played two home games, and took just two points.

Against Niagara.

The Wolverines won 6-5 Friday–by inches–as sophomore Josh Langfeld scored with just two seconds left in overtime. Rookie goaltender Josh Blackburn let in five goals on 16 shots.

The game Saturday was a different beast, with Michigan outshooting Niagara 34-17. But just as head coach Red Berenson had predicted, the Wolverines had trouble finishing, and lost 3- 1.

Rookie goaltender Kevin O’Malley made 15 saves in the game.

While the Wolverines were struggling at home, the Nanooks were busy defending the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup for the second consecutive year. With a 3-1 loss and a 5-4 overtime win –complete with shootout!–Fairbanks won another point of pride against in-state rival Alaska- Anchorage.

By far the brightest spot for the Nanooks last weekend was goaltender Ian Perkins, who had an amazing 93 saves on the weekend.

Isn’t that a good-news-bad-news scenario? The good news, coach Dave Laurion, is that your goalie can stop 93 shots in a two-game series. The bad news, Coach, is that your defense is a little suspect.

Don’t expect senior Wolverine Bobby Hayes to explore the grandeur of Alaska during this year’s trip north. Quoted October 21 in the Ann Arbor News, Hayes says, "I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I can see myself buried in my room studying during all of our free time."

One thing Hayes would probably like to do on this visit is score. Hayes wasn’t on the ice for any of Michigan’s goals when the Wolverines beat the Nanooks 6-3 and 4-3 in Alaska; Hayes had two goals in the 5-1 Michigan win over UAF in Yost.

Picks

Although the Wolverines are having trouble finishing, they’ve had the Nanooks’ number for a while. And in spite of the travel time and the bugs that need to be worked out, at this point Michigan is the better team.

Michigan, 4-3 and 5-3

Northern Michigan (4-0-0, 2-0-0 CCHA) at Clarkson (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Cheel Arena, Potsdam, NY

This overlooked gem of a pairing should be a very good series, pitting the physically punishing Wildcats against the tough Golden Knights.

The Wildcats opened CCHA play last weekend at home by sweeping the fledgling RedHawks 3-2 and 5-2.

With four goals and two assists on the weekend, Wildcat J.P. Vigier was the U.S. College Hockey Online offensive Player of the Week.

After a two-game weekend sweep of former WCHA rivals Michigan Tech the weekend before playing Miami, the hot ‘Cats are off to their best start since the 1981-82 series, and head coach Rick Comley isn’t complaining.

"We’re pleased to open league play with two wins and when you add that to our sweep over Michigan Tech to begin the season it gives us a pretty good start to the year. We’re entering what will probably be our toughest four-game stretch of the season this week with four road games versus three teams ranked in the Top 10 this year and every year. The games will be an excellent test for us and give us a good indication of how far we’ve come and how far we need to go."

The Wildcats are one of two teams in the CCHA whose offense is clicking. Northern Michigan is outscoring overall opponents 19-6, and doubling up on league opponents 8-4.

In spite of Vigier’s performance last weekend, senior Buddy Smith (4-3-7) still leads the team in points and is tied with Vigier in goals.

The Northern Michigan PK is also clicking, having killed off 26 of 28 attempts.

Northern Michigan leads this all-time series 2-1-0. The most recent meeting between the two teams was an 8-4 Wildcat win in the first round of the 1992 NCAA Western Regional playoffs.

For the scoop on the Golden Knights, check out what Becky Blaeser and Jayson Moy have to say in this week’s ECAC preview.

Picks

Even though this is Northern Michigan’s first real test, this is Clarkson’s first weekend of play. The more-together Wildcats will sweep.

Northern Michigan 5-2, 3-2

Lake Superior (0-4-0, 0-4-0 CCHA) and Miami (0-3-1, 0-3-1 CCHA) at No. 9 New Hampshire (1-0-0, 0-0-0 HEA) and Providence College (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HEA) Friday (LSSU), Saturday (Miami), 7 p.m., Whittemore Center, Durham, NH Friday (Miami), Saturday (LSSU), 7 p.m., Schneider Arena, Providence, RI

The Lakers and the RedHawks could each use some wins. And perhaps a little luck.

Lake Superior is off to a very sluggish start to the season, losing 4-1 to Ohio State and 4-2 to Notre Dame last weekend.

In four league games, the Lakers have been outscored 14-6 by their opponents.

Sophomore netminders Rob Galatiuk and Jayme Platt are posting numbers that are not impressive as yet. Galatiuk–the preseason frontrunner for the starting job–has a GAA of 4.02, while Platt’s GAA is 2.92.

Still, assistant coach Mike Collins says the team and coaching staff remain optimistic.

"I see a lot of promise, a young team that’s starving to learn and excited about getting their feet wet at the college level.

"We’re not trying to put a lot of pressure on them. We haven’t had the success in the wins and losses yet, but that will come."

Galatiuk was shelled by Ohio State for three goals in the first period of that loss, and Collins says that the starting job is still up for grabs.

"We haven’t made that decision yet. We haven’t even decided on a goaltending system yet."

This early in the season, it’s hard to say what the bright spots are for the Lakers, although Platt looked solid after giving up a quick goal when he came in to replace Galatiuk against OSU.

The Lakers are also plagued by injuries. Mike Vigilante–who returned to the lineup against OSU–is out indefinitely because of a deep thigh contusion suffered in the Notre Dame loss. Perhaps the toughest potential loss is Jeff Cheeseman, who is day-to-day.

In addition, Mike Kusculain has been suspended indefinitely from the Laker lineup, but there’s no word yet on why.

The Lakers’ travel partner is the seemingly equally hapless Miami RedHawks. While the Lakers and the ‘Hawks are two teams with many new and youngish faces on their rosters, they have very little in common beyond their records at this point in the season.

The RedHawks dropped a pair of games to the very tough Wildcats in Marquette last weekend, losing 3-2 and 5-2. The score of the first game was tied at 2-2 when Northern Michigan scored with just 1:48 left in the third to win the game.

In spite of that loss, junior goaltender Ian Olsen posted some good numbers for Miami, making 33 saves on 36 shots. In four games, Olsen has struggled, giving up 16 goals for a 4.32 save percentage, but he’s had little help from the Miami defense, which has given up on average 36 shots per game.

One definite bright spot for Miami is sophomore Alex Kim, a sniper with three goals and an assist in his first four games. All three of Kim’s goals have come on the RedHawk power play.

Miami continues to groom offensive defensemen. Junior Josh Mizerek has four assists in his first four games. Mizerek didn’t post his fourth point last season until the 11th game of the year.

On paper, with players like Kim, Gregor Krajnc, Dustin Whitecotton, Jason Deskins, rookie Evan Cheverie, and Josh Harrold (who made the move from defense to forward this season), the RedHawks should be able to score. It’s just a matter of time before this team wakes up offensively.

Defense, however, is still a bit of a concern.

For the skinny on New Hampshire and Providence, read Dave Hendrickson’s Hockey East weekly preview.

Picks

Collins says, "It’s going to be interesting with the Olympic sheet on Saturday."

Interesting, and perhaps painful.

New Hampshire over Lake State 6-1, and over Miami 4-2 Miami over Providence 4-3; Providence over Lake State 4-2

The human skull can be shattered by an impact at 7-10 kilometers per hour.

When stationary, however, it can apparently survive blows from faster-moving objects with such little consequence as a bump, loss of blood, and a couple of staples to the scalp.

It’s estimated that head injuries occur with the frequency of 610 per 100,000 people, most from automobile accidents.

Statistics on how many of those injuries are incurred when someone sustains a blow to his or her naked head from a hockey puck are not available.

It can take up to 24 hours for the severity of a head injury to become apparent, and one can cause loss of consciousness or immediate memory, severe headache, lethargy, confusion, seizures, vision problems.

And when the scalp is cut, it bleeds. A lot.

Interestingly, headaches resulting from a severe blow to the head are caused in large part by the same mechanism that causes headaches from caffeine withdrawal. The culprit behind both is adenosine, which is released from body cells after tissue damage occurs, causing pain and vascular dilation.

And here’s something to keep in mind (no pun intended): it’s normal for the area around a tetanus shot to become swollen, red, and itchy. These symptoms can last for up to five days.

In short: when you go to a hockey game, Gentle Reader, please keep your eye on the puck.

And now back to our regularly scheduled preview…

Last weekend saw the CCHA rearrange itself a bit, and now that everyone has played at least seven games, a much clearer hierarchy has been established.

Sitting alone at the top of the league with 13 points is No. 4 Notre Dame. The Irish beat Bowling Green 6-2 and tied No. 8 Michigan 2-2. This week, the Irish host Western Michigan Friday, head down to Yost for a Saturday rematch, then go up to Grand Rapids to play Ferris State Tuesday.

No. 5 Michigan State is in second place in the league with 12 points. The Spartans lost 3-2 to Ohio State before beating up on Miami 5-0. Michigan State heads to Michigan Friday and Western Michigan Saturday.

No. 8 Michigan has third place with 11 points, beating Alaska-Fairbanks 6-3 Friday before tying with Notre Dame Saturday. The Wolverines host the Spartans and the Irish this weekend.

With 10 points, No. 9 Northern Michigan is fourth in the league. The Wildcats beat Miami 4-3 before losing to Ohio State 4-2. This week, Northern Michigan hosts Ferris State for two games.

After tying Lake Superior 1-1 and losing to the Lakers 3-1, Ferris State drops to fifth place with nine points. The Bulldogs head to Marquette for two games against Northern this weekend before a Tuesday night game with Notre Dame in Grand Rapids.

Ohio State doubled its league point total with wins over Michigan State and Northern Michigan. The Buckeyes possess eight points and climb to sixth place. This weekend, they share a home-home series with Miami, with "home" being Columbus Friday.

With seven points, Bowling Green is in seventh place. The Falcons lost 6-2 to Notre Dame and 6-5 to Alaska-Fairbanks. Bowling Green is idle this week.

Western Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks are tied for eighth with six points each. The Broncos are back in action this week after taking last weekend off, traveling to Notre Dame and hosting Michigan State.

The Nanooks return to Fairbanks with two points from their road trip, and will sit this weekend out.

Tied for tenth place with four points each are Lake Superior and Miami. The Lakers notched their first CCHA win of the season and took three points from Ferris State last weekend, and will spend this weekend idle.

Miami lost to Northern Michigan and Michigan State last weekend. The RedHawks have that home-home series with Ohio State this weekend.

Last week’s record in picks: 6-4 Overall record in picks: 36-20

No. 5 Michigan State (6-1-2, 5-1-2 CCHA) at No. 8 Michigan (6-2-1, 5-1-1 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI No. 4 Notre Dame (8-1-2, 6-1-1 CCHA) at No. 8 Michigan (6-2-1, 5-1-1 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI

The Wolverines returned to action after a weekend off by beating Alaska-Fairbanks 6-3.

"Alaska put up a pretty good fight," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson.

A good fight–perhaps a little like a fish on a line. With the win, the Wolverines swept the Nanooks for the season and continued their dominance in the all-time series. UAF has never beaten Michigan.

The six goals tied Michigan’s best this season, and that from a team which has scored two goals or fewer five out of nine games. "That was our best offensive production in a while," says the coach.

"We don’t know who our offense is," says Berenson. "We’ve got four sophomore forwards who are struggling."

Berenson adds that he expects this sophomore class to step up and take on leadership responsibilities. "It’s their role. They were a high-profile rookie class."

Stepping up against Fairbanks was sophomore Josh Langfeld, who tallied his first collegiate hat trick, including the game-winning goal.

Rookie Mike Comrie isn’t waiting for the sophomore class to wake up. Comrie leads the team in scoring (5-9–14) with three goals on the power play. He’s also tied with Dave Huntzicker for the team’s highest plus/minus ratio with plus-6.

Comrie has a four-game scoring streak on the line going into this weekend, and he’s scored in seven of Michigan’s last nine games.

While the Wolverines are having difficulty finding offense, Berenson says that the strength of this Michigan team is its defense. "[Bubba] Berenzweig and Huntzicker are playing really well."

Another plus for Michigan has been the play between the pipes of rookie Josh Blackburn.

"I’d say Josh has been pretty consistent," says Berenson. "For a freshman he’s playing pretty well. He’s had two games out of the eight that have been weak, but for the most part it’s been pretty good."

Blackburn is 6-1-1 with a 2.27 GAA and overall save percentage of .898. Of his 17 goals against this season, nine were allowed in just two games. Take away those two "weak" games and his GAA is 1.42.

In addition to a good defensive effort, the Wolverine special teams are beginning to click. Last weekend, Michigan’s power play went 6 for 14. In conference play, the Wolverines have allowed just four goals in 47 chances for a penalty kill of 91.5 percent.

The First Taste of the Best Rivalry in CCHA Play: Michigan State vs. Michigan

"It’s a shame that it’s sort of overshadowed by the Ohio State football game," says Berenson.

Football? Never heard of it.

This is the 225th meeting between these intrastate rivals. Michigan holds the lead in the all-time series 118-100-6, but the Spartans owned the Wolverines last season, taking four games (the regular-season series and the Great Lakes Invitational).

The four-game Spartan win streak is the longest since the Wolverines dropped six consecutive games from Dec. 9, 1988 to Dec. 10, 1989.

After experiencing their first loss of the season to Ohio State last weekend, the Spartans thumped Miami 5-0, earning sophomore goaltender Joe Blackburn–no, they’re not related–his first collegiate shutout.

Mike York finally has a goal in conference play. The momentous score came at 2:33 of the second period against Miami, and it was–appropriately enough–unassisted. York paces the Spartans with one goal and 11 assists in CCHA play, tying him for fifth in league scoring with Notre Dame’s Aniket Dhadphale.

York’s linemate Bryan Adams (6-3–9) and Shawn Horcoff (4-4–8) round out the top three scorers for the Spartans.

While the Michigan State offense isn’t exactly explosive, the defense is nearly impenetrable. The Spartans are outshooting their opponents more than two-to-one (34.7-17.2), and they’ve outscored opponents 27-12. Led by Chris Bogas and Mike Weaver, this is one of the most intimidating Ds in the league.

Joe Blackburn has been more than just solid for the Spartans this season–he’s been sterling. Blackburn has allowed no more than one goal against every team he’s faced except for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the only team that’s been able to solve him, scoring four (in a tie) and three (in a win).

In nearly 500 minutes of play, Blackburn has the lowest league GAA–1.47–so far this season. His league save percentage is .913.

And when considering how the Wolverines and the Spartans may match up, consider this: The Spartans are shutting down opponents like no one else in the league, having allowed more than 20 shots in just three games.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan

The Wolverines and the Irish skated to a 2-2 tie last weekend, and Berenson was happy about the way his team played the game. "In terms of overall work ethic, sticking to the game plan, good goalkeeping, our penalty killing had to play well–it was a good game."

The Wolverines hold a 49-33-3 edge in this all-time series. In the last six games between the Irish and the Wolverines, Notre Dame won once in regulation, Michigan won twice in regulation, Michigan one twice in overtime, and there was one tie.

In those six games, Michigan has outscored Notre Dame by a 16-14 margin.

This is going to be a good one.

Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin says that this last meeting was "a little bit of a chess match, with each team feeling the other out in the first period."

But, he adds, "It wasn’t trapping and boring hockey at all."

Rookie David Inman’s fifth goal of the year was the first for Notre Dame at 10:05 of the opening stanza, but Dave Huntzicker answered on the Wolverine power play one minute later.

Mark Kosick made it 2-1 for Michigan on the power play in the second, and Ben Simon scored his sixth goal of the season just 26 seconds into the third.

For the Wolverines, Blackburn made a career-high 34 saves, while Notre Dame’s Forrest Karr faced just 22 shots in the 65-minute match.

"We have been playing well defensively," says Poulin, whose Irish have outscored opponents 43-24 in overall play. Until the return of Nathan Borega last weekend, Notre Dame had been playing without at least one defender since the middle of last season.

There is no secret to the Irish success this season. The top Notre Dame line of Ben Simon (5-9–14), Brian Urick (6-7-13), and Aniket Dhadphale (6-6–12) is the most dominant in CCHA play. Simon is tied for second in scoring with Northern Michigan’s Buddy Smith. Urick is third in the league, and Dhadphale is fourth.

Another key to Notre Dame’s success is its forceful power play. Nearly half (19 goals) of Notre Dame’s overall scoring has come on the power play. The league-leading Irish have scored 13 power-play goals on 45 conference attempts, and are converting at a rate of nearly 30 percent–ten percent more than the CCHA’s number-two power play, which just happens to be Michigan.

A powerful defense, an explosive offense, and Forrest Karr. In nearly 500 minutes of league play, Karr’s GAA is 1.86, and his save percentage is .912.

Picks

The Spartans last won in Yost on Oct. 25 of last year, a 4-2 win over Michigan, but the last game played by Michigan State in Yost was a 4-3 overtime loss to Ohio State in the NCAA tournament.

During that game, Spartan fans had to endure the spectacle of Michigan fans actually rooting for Ohio State.

Berenson says that in recent years, these two teams have matched well against each other. "The teams should be better matched this year than they were last year. I think that makes a rivalry better. For some years, this team or the other was really better, but now we’re more evenly matched."

Berenson says that the Wolverines played their best game of the season in the 2-2 tie with Notre Dame, and that "it’ll be a good measuring stick to play them again so quickly."

The Spartans should extend their streak against the Wolverines to five games.

And, remember, where Notre Dame’s concerned, this girl reporter is a convert.

Michigan State over Michigan 4-1; Notre Dame over Michigan 3-2

Ferris State (5-3-2, 4-3-1 CCHA) at No. 9 Northern Michigan (9-3-0, 5-3-0 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Lakeview Arena, Marquette, MI

Friday the 13th wasn’t just freaky for top-ten teams. Consider what happened to Ferris State.

The Bulldogs tied the Lakers 1-1 Friday, and helped the Lakers earn their first win of the season Saturday–in Big Rapids.

"We’ve been playing really well, so we were ready for a glitch," says Ferris State assistant coach Drew Famulak. "But I give the Lakers high marks. They competed hard, and they were ready."

The Bulldogs allowed three first-period goals in the second game–the Laker win–and if it weren’t for Geoff Bennetts’ goal at 19:32 of the third in the tie, Ferris would have lost all four points on the weekend.

And to add insult to injury, it’s reported that Lake Superior called to measure Ferris goaltender Vince Owen’s glove before the start of the second game.

Owen has looked solid for Ferris State, with a .914 league save percentage and a 2.39 GAA.

A trio of players has seven points for the Bulldogs. Joel Irwin (3-4–7), Kevin Swider (3-4– 7), and Bennetts (6-1–7) are currently tied for 20th with a bunch of other folks in CCHA scoring. Rob Kozak (2-4–6) and Brian McCullough (3-2–5) are also among the lead scorers for Ferris State.

Famulak says that the Bulldogs are well aware that they’re going into one of the toughest arenas in college hockey, to play one of the hardest-working teams in the league.

"They’re tenacious, they’re physical, and they’re fast," says Famulak of Northern Michigan.

Like virtually every other top-ten team, the Wildcats lost points to an unranked opponent last weekend, in the form of a 4-2 loss to Ohio State.

Head coach Rick Comley wasn’t too surprised after the game in Columbus. "We played well for two periods and then they kind of shut us down.

"They battled very hard, and they’ve really been beat up until now. We were competitive Saturday. I think the difference was goaltending. Maund is very good, and the two teams matched up very well."

The loss to Ohio State notwithstanding, Northern Michigan has been playing some of the best hockey in the country. With 12 goals and three assists in conference play, J.P. Vigier is by far the league’s most prolific goal-scorer. His linemate, Buddy Smith, has two goals and 12 assists, and is second in league scoring.

The third man on that line, Roger Trudeau, has four goals and four assists.

The physical, fast Wildcats have a pair of fine goaltenders in net. Dan Ragusett has a league GAA of 2.00 and a .919 save percentage. Until the loss to Ohio State, the goalie with the hot glove hand was undefeated.

Duane Hoey has shared time with Ragusett in net. Hoey’s league GAA is 3.51, and his save percentage is .863.

Picks

The Wildcats have lead this series by a 29-9-1 margin, including a 19-4-0 advantage in games played at Lakeview Arena. However, the ‘Cats and ‘Dogs have split their contests in 1990s (5-5-0) with Ferris capturing the season series last year by a 2-1-0 margin.

Comley says that Ferris State is "probably the most mature team in the league." In fact, this is a meeting between the league’s two most mature teams, and the play should reflect that.

Northern Michigan 4-2, 4-3

Western Michigan (1-3-4, 1-3-4 CCHA) at No. 4 Notre Dame (8-1-2, 6-1-1 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Joyce Center, South Bend, IN No. 5 Michigan State (6-1-2, 5-1-2 CCHA) at Western Michigan (1-3-4, 1-3-4 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Lawson Ice Arena, Kalamazoo, MI

Western Michigan head coach Bill Wilkinson says that there are just a few things the Broncos are doing differently to make them competitive this season.

"We’re not taking as many penalties as we did last year. And our defense is a little bit more mobile than last year, a little bit more experienced.

"Offensively, we’re physical and aggressive–but without the penalties."

The Broncos are being outscored 16-26 by opponents, but when they do have some success–as they have against the two ranked opponents they meet this weekend–it’s because of one simple plan.

"Circle the wagons around Matt Barnes," says Wilkinson. "That’s our team strategy.

"He’s playing solid, and he played well last year but maybe didn’t get the defensive support in front of him. In general, we’re clearing pucks better for him."

Senior Matt Barnes has always been a well-respected goaltender, and he’s capable of spectacular play. This season, his league GAA is 2.46, and his save percentage is .913.

On the other side of the puck, David Gove (3-3–6) and Jason Redenius (3-2–5) lead the Broncos in scoring.

Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan

The Broncos lead this all-time series 26-12-2 (15-6-1 since the Irish rejoined the CCHA in 1992-93), but Notre Dame owns a 4-3-1 edge in the last eight games.

This is the rubber match of the season series, as the teams are 1-1 this year. The Irish spanked the Broncos 7-1 on Oct. 10 in the Joyce Center, a game in which Brian Urick and David Inman scored two goals apiece.

But the Broncos made Notre Dame pay with the first Irish loss of the season on Oct. 24. Although Notre Dame outshot Western Michigan 32-22, the Broncos won 2-1 on goals by Chuck Mindel and Steve Rymsha.

The Irish are 1-12-0 in Lawson. Good thing this ones in the Joyce.

Michigan State vs. Western Michigan

The Spartans lead the competition 47-19-4, including a 20-13-0 lead in Lawson Arena. The Spartans and Broncos tied 1-1 on Oct. 16, a game in which Barnes made 36 saves.

Michigan State took the series 2-0-1 last season, and is 4-0-2 in the last six meetings between the two teams. In the past six games between the Spartans and the Broncos, Michigan State has held Western to just seven goals.

Trivia: this game pits the seventh-best conference power play (Michigan State) against the seventh-best conference penalty kill (Western Michigan).

Picks

Wilkinson is well aware that Notre Dame possesses the top line in the league, and one of the best players in Ben Simon. "They’re certainly very dangerous, and he’s a very capable with the puck.

"We played them pretty good here, when we circled the wagons around Barnes."

Wilkinson doesn’t put too much stock in tying Michigan State early. "When we played MSU, they only had one game under their belts."

Western Michigan’s fortunes this weekend depend on how well they can protect their own end. Both of these ranked teams like to shoot the puck, and often.

On a completely unrelated topic, this note is too good to pass up: Spartan rookie Joe Goodenow, who had MSU’s only goal against WMU in the Oct. 16, is an avid horseman and member of the MSU rodeo club. It’s safe to say he’s no stranger to Broncos.

Let the groaning begin.

Notre Dame over Western Michigan 4-2; Michigan State over Western Michigan 4-1

Miami (2-8-2, 1-7-2 CCHA) vs. Ohio State (3-6-2, 3-3-2 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., OSU Ice Rink, Columbus, OH Saturday, 7 p.m., Goggin Ice Arena, Oxford, OH

Slumping? Who’s slumping?

After a very slow start to the season, the Buckeyes did everything right in two games against ranked opponents last weekend, handing Michigan State a 3-2 loss–the first of the Spartan season–before beating Northern Michigan 4-2, the fourth consecutive Buckeye win over the Wildcats.

But don’t look for head coach John Markell or his players to gloat.

"We have to build on what we did right this weekend," says Markell. "As coaches, we’re discovering that how we practice is how we play. We have to continue on with the intensity."

Intensity is one thing the Buckeyes had in spades last weekend in two gritty games in the teeny, tiny OSU Ice Rink. Against Michigan State, the intensity led to committing retaliatory penalties that Markell called "troubling."

Against Northern Michigan, however, it led to a focus that allowed Ohio State to put together its first back-to-back wins of the season.

After a dismal start, Ohio State began to turn it around with a solid performance in a 3-1 loss to Michigan State two weeks ago, and 2-2 to Western–the last two games at the end of a nine-game road run.

With a healthy Eric Meloche–the team’s sparkplug–and a healthy Mike McCormick–the rookie forward who will be the team’s surprise–Ohio State was able to put everything together for two solid wins.

Hugo Boisvert (3-5–8) snapped out of his slump for one goal and three assists, earning him USCHO Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Jeff Maund looked like the goaltender who took OSU to the Final Four last year, stopping 59 of 63 shots and earning CCHA Defensive Player of the Week Honors. Maund’s .925 save percentage is the best in league play.

McCormick scored his first collegiate assist against Michigan State, and his first collegiate goal against Northern Michigan–the game-winner–and earned CCHA Rookie of the Week honors.

Shades of February 1998.

With the four points, the Buckeyes leaped from ninth to sixth place in the league, improving their league record to 3-3-2. And the win on Friday the 13th over Michigan State makes Ohio State 5-0 under Markell on Friday the 13th, in any month.

The two teams that OSU defeated last weekend were the two teams that beat Miami. While the Buckeyes delivered Michigan State’s first loss on Friday the 13th, the RedHawks lost 4-3 to Northern Michigan.

And while OSU beat NMU 4-2 Saturday, Michigan State was taking out a little frustration in Goggin, shutting out the ‘Hawks 5-0.

"We played well that first night," says Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni. "But we’re fighting for confidence.

"The second night, well, they’re a very, very difficult team to penetrate. It was 2-0 with two minutes to go in the second period and they scored two goals and deflated us. We just hung on in the third period. You got that sense that we were just hanging on."

The RedHawks are a young, talented, and injured team. Junior forwards Gregor Krajnc and Dustin Whitecotton, two of the team’s scorers, were both injured when the ‘Hawks visited Alaska-Fairbanks.

Krajnc, fourth on the team in scoring at the time of his injury, suffered a second-degree sprain of his medial collateral ligament during Thursday’s practice skate. He will probably be out for four to six games.

Whitecotton, the team’s top returning scorer from a year ago, was lost Saturday when he broke his left humerus during the first period. He’s out for the season.

Pacing the RedHawks in league scoring are Mark Shalawylo (4-6–10), Alex Kim (4-6–10), and Jason Deskins (4-5–9).

"We have one senior forward and two juniors," says Mazzoleni. "All the rest are freshmen and sophomores. We play four freshmen defensemen."

Ian Olsen has started most games in net for the RedHawks. Olsen’s league GAA is 4.01 and his league save percentage is .870.

Mazzoleni says that the RedHawks play fairly predictably, and the key to turning the team around is confidence.

"In mostly every game this year, we play a very good first period. Then when our opponents find success, that’s when we fall apart. They go back into the locker room after their good second period and lose some of their emotion, and we come out to work and play a good third period.

"That’s the pattern."

Ohio State holds a slight 37-34-6 advantage over Miami, but the RedHawks are 19-3-3 against the Buckeyes in the last 25 games. OSU won the last two meetings between the teams last season, both at the OSU Ice Rink.

Ohio State took the season series 2-1-0 last year, the first time the Buckeyes beat the RedHawks in a season series since the 1990-91 season.

It was the Nov. 8 come-from-behind 5-4 win over Miami to which current Ohio State players often point as the moment last season when the Buckeyes first believed in themselves.

"When they beat us," says Mazzoleni, "it was like they’d won the Stanley Cup.

"They’re beyond that now. They know they’re a good team, and they don’t need to prove themselves to us."

Picks

Mazzoleni says he’s well aware of what Ohio State can do, but his focus this week is completely in-house.

"I don’t want to be disrespectful, but we have enough to concern ourselves," says Mazzoleni. "We have to sail our own ship. There’s a lot we have to do ourselves, so that we won’t necessarily be thinking about Ohio State."

John Markell doesn’t talk like a coach with nothing to prove, and at 3-3-2 in league play, the preseason media darlings probably feel like they do.

"This is what makes the CCHA so interesting," says Markell, "a weekend like this with Miami. Miami, [which] doesn’t have many wins, can step up and beat you.

"We know the Miamis of the past have been good and they’re very well-coached. Traditionally, they’ve been a lot better than we have."

There’s no strutting in Columbus after beating two top-ten teams. "While you’re patting yourselves on the back," says Markell, "other teams are plotting to beat you."

Ohio State 4-2, 4-3

No. 4 Notre Dame vs. Ferris State Tuesday, November 24, 7 p.m., Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI

Notre Dame took the first meeting between these two teams this season, a 5-3 decision in Big Rapids.

Five different Irish players scored the five goals, while Geoff Bennetts has two of the three Bulldog goals.

Notre Dame went two-for-four on the power play, while Ferris State went one-for-five.

Forrest Karr made 25 saves for the Irish. Vince Owen saved 18 of 23 shots for Ferris State.

Pick: Notre Dame 5-3

The word of the week for the CCHA is cautious, as in cautiously optimistic.

It was the first week of regular-season play for some teams, while others have yet to see league or even NCAA play. Several winning coaches are happy with what they saw–to a point.

"We played well for this early in the year," says Notre Dame’s Dave Poulin, whose Irish beat Lake Superior 4-2 and thumped Western Michigan 7-1.

"I like the fact that we scored some goals," says Buddy Powers, whose Falcons tallied nine goals to Miami’s seven while outshooting the RedHawks 75-38.

"We played pretty well defensively, and when we did give up a good chance, our young goalie seemed to be up to the job," says Michigan’s Red Berenson, whose young goalie tallied his first collegiate shutout in his first-ever CCHA game in a 2-0 win over Lake Superior.

But, as usual, Michigan State’s Ron Mason puts his team’s weekend in perspective better than any other coach when he says, "The right things happened. Mike York scored, our freshmen scored, and Joe [Blackburn] had a shutout.

"But it’s still the Green and White game."

There are pairings this weekend around the CCHA that already have playoff implications, including the fascinating contradance that Ferris State, Lake Superior, Notre Dame, and Ohio State play out in Michigan’s upper regions.

But first, from the proverbial and tentative top:

So, you think you wanna join the CCHA, Blaise MacDonald? No. 2 Michigan plays Niagara for two games in Yost Arena.

No. 4 Ohio State is probably grateful to return to CCHA play after dropping two games in the Ice Breaker last weekend, a 4-3 double-overtime loss to Boston College, and a 4-3 loss to Minnesota. The Buckeyes take on Lake Superior and Ferris State on the road.

No. 5 Michigan State beat Western Ontario 5-0 in exhibition play Tuesday night. This weekend, the Spartans host Western Michigan and Massachusetts-Amherst in Munn.

Northern Michigan defeated former WCHA rivals Michigan Tech 8-2 and 3-0. The Wildcats host Miami–which lost to Bowling Green 4-2, and tied the Falcons 5-5 at home–this weekend.

Notre Dame beat Lake Superior 4-2 and Western Michigan 7-1. The Irish have the flip side of the Buckeye trip, playing Ferris State Friday and Lake Superior Saturday.

Ferris State beat Western Michigan 3-1 Friday. They host the Irish, a team they finished just one point behind in the league standings last year, and Ohio State, the team largely responsible for that eighth-place finish. The Buckeyes swept the Bulldogs in the final regular-season weekend of play last year.

Lake Superior hosts Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Lakers may have a bit of revenge on their minds when OSU comes to town, having lost two straight to the Buckeyes in the opening round of the CCHA playoffs last year. LSSU finished tied in points with Notre Dame last season, and lost to the Irish just last week.

After dropping their first two CCHA games and scoring just two goals last weekend, Western Michigan will try to find a spark against Michigan State.

Bowling Green defeated and tied Miami in Goggin Ice Arena last week. The Falcons host Northeastern for two this weekend.

Alaska-Fairbanks opens its season with a home-home series against Alaska-Anchorage.

Notre Dame (3-0-0, 2-0-0 CCHA) at Ferris State (1-0-0, 1-0-0 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Ewigleben Ice Arena, Big Rapids, MI Notre Dame at Lake Superior (0-2-0, 0-2-0 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Notre Dame made a statement with its first weekend of CCHA play. Two wins: 11 goals for, three against.

"We played pretty well," says head coach Dave Poulin. "Both were pretty good games."

After beating Lake Superior State 4-2 on Friday, the Irish took it to Western Michigan in a 7-1 win. Poulin says that he is encouraged by the offensive production, and by the number of players who scored.

"For our first seven goals, there were six different scorers. You need some depth for success in this league."

Senior Brian Urick had four goals on the weekend. Sophomore Chad Chipchase and rookie David Inman each had two goals. Sophomores Matt Van Arkel and Dan Carlson, and junior Ben Simon had a goal apiece. For his efforts, Urick was named the CCHA Offensive Player of the Week.

Poulin says that special teams were a factor, as four of the Irish goals against the Broncos came on the power play.

Poulin also finds his net play encouraging. "[Senior Forrest] Karr played very well," says Poulin. "He’s a really steady goaltender." Karr made 41 saves on the weekend, and earned CCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Poulin says he can’t really talk about what to expect from either Ferris State or Lake Superior this weekend, since it’s so early in the season.

"You know, at this point in the season, doesn’t everyone focus more on what’s in-house?" He does add that it’s "tough" to play the same team–Lake Superior–twice in two weekends.

Notre Dame vs. Ferris State

Ferris State has traditionally had Notre Dame’s number, leading the all-time series 21-8-3. Last season, the Bulldogs and Irish were 1-1-1 against each other; the last meeting was a 7-1 Irish victory which broke a seven-game winless streak against Ferris State for Notre Dame.

Last week, Ferris State beat Western Michigan 3-1, with the usual suspects scoring for the Bulldogs–Joel Irwin, Kevin Swider, and Brent Wishart.

Matt Barnes faced just 17 shots from the Broncos. It’s too early to tell whether this is a sign of a strong Ferris defense or a weak Western offense.

Expect a very physical game when these two teams collide. Each team has something to prove, but each may go about doing so differently. The Bulldogs don’t have any huge advantage to playing at home, but they may catch an overconfident Notre Dame team off guard.

Notre Dame vs. Lake Superior

It seems the Irish are breaking droughts all over the place. Last week’s win over Lake Superior marked the first Notre Dame win over the Lakers in eight games.

Lake Superior swept the Irish last season, but that was last season. The new-look Lakers were held to shots on goal in the single digits in last week’s 4-2 loss to the Irish.

Picks: Ferris State 3-1 Friday; Notre Dame 4-2 Saturday

Miami (0-1-1, 0-1-1 CCHA) at Northern Michigan (2-0-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Lakeview Arena, Marquette, MI

Northern Michigan is another team making an early-season statement. The Wildcats beat Michigan Tech 8-2 and 3-0 to begin their NCAA season.

Before the season began, head coach Rick Comley said his team would do as well as his upperclassmen, meaning that the success of the team depended on how well his veterans had matured.

It’s clear that senior Buddy Smith has returned in good form. The Wildcat captain had a hat trick in Northern’s 8-2 win over Michigan Tech.

A pair of sophomores–defenseman Doug Schmidt and center Ian LaRocque–scored two goals on the weekend.

Northern saw solid play from two goaltenders. Junior Duane Hoey made 22 saves on 24 shots, while sophomore Dan Ragusett stopped 31 shots in the Wildcats’ 3-0 shutout Saturday.

At the start of the season, RedHawks head coach Mark Mazzoleni said that he thought his team would score a lot of goals, but that he was a little worried about team defense.

For the first weekend of play, Mazzoleni seemed to be right on the money. The ‘Hawks scored seven goals on the weekend but allowed nine, which adds up to just one point as Miami lost 4-2 to Bowling Green, and tied the Falcons 5-5 in overtime.

Miami was outshot 73-40, and allowed five power-play goals on the weekend.

Last season, the Wildcats were 4-1-0 against the RedHawks, including a two-game sweep of Miami in the opening round of the CCHA playoffs.

Given Northern Michigan’s maturity and hard-checking style of play, and the home-ice advantage, this will be a long road trip for the fledgling ‘Hawks.

Picks: Northern Michigan 4-3, 4-3

No. 4 Ohio State (0-2-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) at Lake Superior (0-2-0, 0-2-0 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI Ohio State at Ferris State (1-0-0, 1-0-0 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Ewigleben Ice Arena, Big Rapids, MI

Two consecutive losses is not exactly the kind of statement Ohio State wanted to make at the start of the season.

The Buckeyes return from the Ice Breaker with little to show for the trip, unless you count an overtime loss to the number-one team in the country. Ohio State lost 4-3 in double OT to Boston College, then fell completely flat in a 4-3 loss to host Minnesota the following day.

"We had a couple of guys play poorly," says Markell. "A couple of veterans played badly. It seems to be a pattern for us, but we were not prepared when they dropped the puck. Boston College came at us like madmen. It took us a while to adjust to their speed, especially on the bigger rink."

Markell says he is concerned about starting slowly, given the tough road schedule the Buckeyes face at the beginning of the season, and the unlikelihood of another season-ending 18-game undefeated streak.

"We want to be in good shape after this first half of the season, to put us in good position to finish in one of the top four spots in the league."

Markell says he is encouraged by some of what he saw on the weekend. "I was really proud of the two rookie defensemen, Jason Crain and Scott Titus.

"The goaltending was solid, the penalty kill was solid, and our power play was pretty good."

Two key players were injured. Eric Meloche suffered a bruised collarbone and is day-to-day. Rookie Mike McCormick sprained a knee, and may be out for a couple of weeks.

Filling in for Meloche on Ohio State’s first line with Hugo Boisvert and J.F. Dufour will be senior Brandon Lafrance. Lafrance had a goal in each game last weekend, and replaced Meloche for the Minnesota game. Markell says that Lafrance is a player with something to prove; the winger’s two goals last weekend equal two-thirds of his goal production in 25 games last season.

One note of interest: junior Hugo Boisvert and senior Chris Richards are each one point away from 100 points as Buckeyes. Last weekend, Boisvert had three goals–and Richards assisted on all three, all on the OSU power play.

Ohio State vs. Lake Superior

Ohio State was the team that ended Lake Superior’s season last year with a two-game sweep in the first round of the CCHA playoffs. Lake Superior was also at the receiving end of a 7-0 whipping the Buckeyes delivered after dropping two games to Michigan in January. That win was the first of eight straight for Ohio State.

Markell says that Lake Superior is a dangerous team, given the little bit of recent history, and the two CCHA Laker losses last weekend. "I expect them to come at us and grind it out with us, doing everything they can to win. They have so many new players we don’t know exactly what to expect."

Last weekend, Lake Superior lost 4-2 to Notre Dame and 2-0 to Michigan. Against the Wolverines, the Lakers were held to just 20 shots on goal.

One bright spot may be the play of the two Laker sophomore goaltenders, Jayme Platt and Rob Galatiuk. Platt saved 33 of 36 shots he faced against the Irish; Galatiuk–the frontrunner for the starting position–saved 38 of 40 shots in the Michigan game.

While this young Lake Superior team may gel later in the season, and emotions will be high, given last year’s CCHA playoff results, Ohio State is a team with more firepower, more unity, and better goaltending.

Ohio State vs. Ferris State

The recent history here isn’t especially pretty. Ferris State dropped its last two regular-season games to Ohio State last year, giving the Bulldogs an eighth-place finish.

And those two games weren’t pretty–they were penalty-filled melees, and Markell knows that the very same thing could happen again in Big Rapids. "They have a good solid hockey club. They’ll take it to us, and we’ll have to watch our Ps and Qs to stay out of the penalty box."

The Buckeyes owned Ferris State last season, and don’t think the Bulldogs don’t remember. With two wins–4-1 and 6-1–in Big Rapids during the last weekend of regular-season play, Ohio State swept Ferris State on the year.

Ferris State has yet to score an even-strength goal. Two of three goals against Western Michigan last weekend were on the power-play, and Kevin Swider’s was shorthanded.

Vince Owen was solid in net for Ferris State, stopping 23 of 26 shots on goal.

The Bulldogs and Buckeyes will play a tough, physical game. There’s no love lost between these two teams.

The Buckeyes have something to prove this season–that last year wasn’t a fluke. They’ll try to begin to persuade the college hockey world this weekend.

Picks: Ohio State 5-2, 4-2

Western Michigan (0-2-0, 0-2-0 CCHA) at No. 5 Michigan State (0-0-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI Massachusetts-Amherst at Michigan State Saturday, 7 p.m., Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI

"We’re in a state of transition here in terms of the way we play," says Michigan State head coach Ron Mason. "It’s going to take a few games played before we can see what we have consistently."

Of course, Mason is referring to L.A.C.A.–or life after Chad Alban. Alban, the Hobey Baker runner-up last season, was the kind of goaltender who dictated the way in which a defense played its game.

Sophomore Joe Blackburn’s style of play may be different from Alban’s, but so far Blackburn stymied would-be goal scorers, with a shutout in the Spartans’ Green and White game, and a 5-0 shutout Tuesday night against Western Ontario.

Mason, of course, would caution that Blackburn hasn’t yet been tested.

Blackburn may have to wait another week before feeling any real heat.

Western Michigan vs. Michigan State

The Spartans open CCHA play against Western Michigan, a team struggling with player suspensions, the off-season loss of scoring talent, and perhaps an overall malaise.

The Broncos lost an exhibition game against Wilfrid Laurier, then dropped games 7-1 to Notre Dame and 3-1 to Ferris State last weekend.

The Spartans own this series, especially in Munn, where Michigan State is 24-4-3 against Western Michigan. The Broncos last beat the Spartans in February of 1997.

The Spartans have Mike York, Dustyn Rolyny, a great defense led by Mike Weaver, Joe Blackburn, the best power play in the league, and a cast of great supporting players.

The Broncos have trouble.

Massachusetts-Amherst vs. Michigan State

Michigan State is just 6-10-0 against Hockey East teams in the 1990s. For the skinny on Massachusetts-Amherst, check out Dave Hendrickson’s Hockey East season preview.

Picks: The Spartans keep Western Michigan in the doldrums, then exorcise a few of their Eastern demons against the Minutemen. MSU 4, WMU 0; MSU 4, Mass-Amherst 1

Niagara at No. 2 Michigan (1-0-0, 1-0-0 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Yost Arena, Ann Arbor, MI

Michigan head coach Red Berenson is a bit concerned about his youngish team. "We don’t have the returning team we had even last year. We don’t have the cornerstone players–a Muckalt, a Turco.

"We’re having trouble finishing around the net. We don’t seem to be as prolific in our scoring. We had 42 shots and two goals–that’s not a typical Michigan team."

While it’s true that the Wolverines scored just twice in their CCHA-opening shutout over Lake Superior, it’s not much to worry about–yet. With a solid defense led by Bubba Berenzweig and Mike Van Ryn, a good offense led by Bobby Hayes, Josh Langfeld, and Mike Kosick, and an apparently tough young goaltender, Josh Blackburn, Michigan is still a difficult team to beat, especially in Yost.

Berenson says of Niagara, "They’re an emerging program. It’ll be good competition. It will give our team a little more game experience.

Picks: Michigan 4-3, 4-2

Northeastern at Bowling Green (1-1-0, 1-1-0 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., BGSU Ice Arena, Bowling Green, OH

Nine goals. A win and a tie. Who are these Falcons?

With characteristic wit, Bowling Green head coach Buddy Powers compares this year’s team to last year’s team.

"We were real young, and now we’re just young."

Bowling Green beat Miami 4-2 and tied the RedHawks 5-5 in Goggin Ice Arena last weekend.

"We played hard both nights," says Powers. "I thought our team showed good character."

The good news is that eight different Falcons scored goals. The bad news is that sophomore goaltender Shawn Timm gave up two goals on 16 shots Friday, and five goals on just 22 shots Saturday.

"Goaltending is a concern for us this weekend," says Powers, who will split time in net between Timm and senior Mike Savard.

In defense of his young goaltender, Powers says, "I think it’s harder for the goalies than for anyone at the beginning of the year to get their rhythm down."

After a season that must have seemed like a penance, the Falcons are showing signs of making real noise in the CCHA, and Powers sounds confident.

"We played as a team, really well, and a lot of our young guys did a nice job.

"Chris Bonvie had a great weekend as a player, even though the he scored just one goal. He had 10 shots on goal alone Friday night.

"I like our jump and the way we went about things."

Powers says this weekend against Northeastern is a good tune-up, given what the Falcons are facing in CCHA play in the coming weeks. "Michigan State, Ferris and Michigan are lurking right out the corner so we have to play better than we played in Oxford."

To read all about the Falcons’ competition, see Dave Hendrickson’s Hockey East season preview.

Picks: Northeastern 4-3, Bowling Green 4-3

Alaska-Anchorage at Alaska-Fairbanks (0-0-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m. AT, Carlson Center, Fairbanks, AK Alaska-Fairbanks at Alaska-Anchorage Saturday, 7 p.m. AT, Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, AK

The battle of Alaska rages on.

Last season, the Nanooks opened with a 5-5 road tie and a 4-0 home win over the Seawolves.

This year, Alaska-Fairbanks is huge–literally. A team that likes to hit and hit hard, the Nanooks have an advantage over nearly anyone in terms of size.

These are two teams who are struggling for respect. Last season, the ‘Wolves won just six games overall, the Nanooks just ten.

For more on Alaska-Anchorage, read Todd Milewski’s WCHA season preview.

Picks: Fairbanks 4-3, 3-1