Saturday's Finals

Minnesota Duluth 3, Minnesota 2
For the second straight night, the Bulldogs received some puck luck in a win over the Gophers at Mariucci Arena -- this time it was the game winner with just over two minutes to play. Mike Montgomery dropped a pass in front of the night and saw the puck bounce off a pair of Gopher skates and into the net. The goal gave UMD a 3-2 lead late, as the 'Dogs swept the Gophers in Minneapolis for the first time since 2003. It was also the second straight night UMD recovered an early 2-0 deficit. Mike Hoeffel and Kevin Wehrs scored goals in the first period to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead after one. Jack Connolly's power play goal, his tenth tally of the season, pulled UMD within one after two before Kyle Schmidt tied it minutes into the third. Brady Hjelle stopped 36 shots to earn the win.

Wisconsin 4, St. Cloud State 1
Jordy Murray and Patrick Johnson scored third period goals for the Badgers as they defeated the Huskies at the National Hockey Center. John Mitchell's second of the year late in the second period was the game winner as the teams tied at one after one. Brendan Smith gave UW a 1-0 lead at 5:11 of the first before SCSU freshman David Eddy scored his first collegiate goal 1:29 later. Smith assisted on Mitchell's goal in the second but the game was tight until the Murray and Johnson scored three minutes apart in the third to give Wisconsin some breathing room. Aaron Bendickson had two assists for the Badgers, who got 18 saves from Scott Gudmandson in the win.

Denver 3, North Dakota 2
A late reversal of a Fighting Sioux goal with under a minute to play allowed the Pioneers to escape with a win over North Dakota at Magness Arena, capping the series sweep. It appeared Brad Malone tied the game with 43.9 seconds remaining but the goal was reviewed and waved off. Denver rebounded from a 2-0 first period deficit by scoring three straight in the second period, all on the power play. Danny Kristo and Chris VandeVelde scored power play goals in the first to give UND a 2-0 lead after one. DU responded on consecutive goals from Joe Colborne followed by one from Kyle Ostrow to grab the lead for good. Denver finished 3-for-11 on the power play against the top rated penalty kill in the league. UND was 2-for-7 on the power play. Marc Cheverie made 24 saves in the win.

Colorado College 4, Robert Morris 1
Bill Sweatt scored a pair of first period goals as the Tigers defeated Robert Morris at World Arena, gaining the series sweep. CC built a 3-0 lead after one and pushed it to 4-0 in the second on Mike Testwuide's second goal of the weekend at 6:04. Tyler O'Brien stopped 19 shots in the win, his first career victory.

Alaska-Anchorage 4, Minnesota State 1
Tommy Grant scored two goals and had an assist as the Seawolves beat the Mavericks at Sullivan Arena, salvaging a series split. Jade Portwood gave UAA the 1-0 lead after one period before Grant and Kevin Clark scored consecutive goals three minutes apart early in the second to push the lead to three. Zach Harrison scored a power play goal for MSU to make it 3-1 after two but Grant's empty netter with under a minute to play capped scoring. Bryce Christianson made 21 saves in the win for UAA, which jumped back ahead of the Mavericks into eighth place in the WCHA standings.

Friday's Action

Minnesota Duluth 4, Minnesota 3 (OT)
Travis Oleksuk's second goal of the season with just 12 seconds to play in overtime gave the Bulldogs the win over the Gophers at Mariucci Arena. Minnesota jumped out to a two goal advantage early in the second on goals by Jordan Schroeder and Jake Hansen. UMD tied the game before the second intermission on tallies by Jack Connolly and Cody Danberg. Connolly scored his second of the game early in the third to give the 'Dogs their first lead of the game before Nico Sacchetti's second of the year tied the game with 2:19 to play in regulation. Rob Bordson had two assists for UMD and Schroeder also had an assist. Kenny Reiter stopped 26 shots in the win.

St. Cloud State 4, Wisconsin 1
Drew LeBlanc's goal at 6:24 was the game winner for the Huskies as they defeated the Badgers at the National Hockey Center. Leading 2-1 late in the game, SCSU added a pair of goals in the final minute -- one of them an empty netter by Garrett Roe to make it 3-1. Ryan Lasch had two goals for the Huskies and Roe added an assist. Blake Geoffrion scored the Badgers' only goal 8:49 into the game to tie the score at one. Mike Lee earned the victory with 38 saves.

Colorado College 4, Robert Morris 3
Mike Testwuide's power play goal with 4:40 remaining in the game was the difference as the Tigers beat Robert Morris in nonconference action at World Arena. The teams traded goals throughout as CC never led by more than a goal but also never trailed in the game. Nick Dineen and Kris Fredheim had a goal and an assist apiece for the Tigers. Joe Howe made 26 saves. Scott Kobialko had two goals and Brooks Ostergard stopped 46 shots in the losing effort.

Denver 1, North Dakota 0
Drew Shore's goal at 10:07 of the second period was the only help Marc Cheverie needed in his return from injury as the Pioneers outlasted the Fighting Sioux at Magness Arena. Just 20 days after receiving 30 stitches in his leg from a skate blade, Cheverie stopped all 34 shots he faced to earn his fifth win and fourth shutout of the season. Brad Eidsness was almost as stellar, stopping 33 shots for UND.

Minnesota State 8, Alaska-Anchorage 2
Jerad Stewart's first career hat trick led the Mavericks in a rout of the Seawolves at Sullivan Arena. Stewart had four goals in all and also had an assist. Kurt Davis added a goal and an assist and Rylan Galiardi had two assists for MSU, which had 11 different players with at least one point. Austin Lee stopped 13 shots in the victory. Kevin Clark and Nick Haddad had goals for Anchorage.

This weekend

Nine conference teams are in action this weekend -- with eight of them in conference action.

Predictions
LAST WEEKEND: 8-2-0
THIS SEASON: 42-18-5

Minnesota Duluth at Minnesota
The Gophers and Bulldogs both split at home last weekend -- Minnesota with Bemidji State and UMD with Michigan Tech. The Bulldogs re-established themselves with an 8-1 win Saturday, including a four goal, one assist effort by Justin Fontaine, the league's Offensive Player of the Week. The line of Fontaine, Jack Connolly and Rob Bordson is 1-2-3 in the WCHA in scoring this season. They spearhead a UMD power play that is second in the league and scored six goals in 10 chances last weekend. So far, their only inconsistency has been in goal, where neither Brady Hjelle or Kenny Reiter has been able to grab the job on a nightly basis. For the Gophers, Jordan Schroeder has shown signs of life. After starting the season with a eight game goal drought, the sophomore scored a goal in each game last weekend -- his first two of the season. With limited resources on the blueline and an injured Jay Barriball, Schroeder must continue to score goals. Alex Kangas will also be critical this weekend. After gaining the win in a solid performance Friday, Kangas was pulled after the first period Saturday. If he can keep the 'Dogs off the board on the power play and make Duluth score 5-on-5, Minnesota will have a shot this weekend.
PREDICTION: Split

Wisconsin at St. Cloud State
Talk about a role reversal... The Badgers are scoring goals in bunches while the Huskies have been inconsistent in that end this season. Back at home, SCSU needs a four point weekend against a team they will likely be competing with for home ice. This one will come down to goaltending. Wisconsin's duo of Brett Bennett and Scott Gudmandson have both been rock solid -- both rank among the top six in the league in goals against average and save percentage. For St. Cloud, Dan Dunn has been better than Mike Lee, although SCSU coach Bob Motzko is unlikely to abandon Lee so early in the season. This is the type of match-up that could kickstart the young goalie's season. SCSU is 4-2 against Wisconsin in their last six meetings at the National Hockey Center -- both losses by one goal.
PREDICTION: St. Cloud State sweep

North Dakota at Denver
In the match-up of the weekend, the Fighting Sioux head to Denver minus their best player to take on the Pioneers. Chay Genoway is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury, and that's a big loss for UND against a team like Denver that is loaded on offense. The senior defenseman is North Dakota's best player in all ends of the rink, and he's the team's captain. In his stead will be sophomore Corey Fienhage, who played well last Saturday against St. Cloud State. Denver has issues of its own though. Defenseman Patrick Wiercioch sustained a sprained MCL two weeks ago against Alaska-Anchorage. His status for this weekend is still up in the air. Goaltender Marc Cheverie (above), recovering from a nasty cut on his left leg, has been doing some light skating for a few days and may be ready to go this weekend. Whether he plays or not will likely be decided Friday morning. Matt Donovan will be in the lineup for DU. Should Cheverie return this weekend, it will match-up the top two goaltenders in the league in terms of goals against average. If not, UND will have a distinct edge -- Adam Murray still has a ways to go.
PREDICTION: Split

Minnesota State at Alaska-Anchorage
By all accounts, Minnesota State has played very well over its last two series against Denver and Colorado College. For that effort, they've got one point. Last weekend's sweep at home at the hands of the Tigers was devastating. They lost 1-0 in overtime Friday before losing another one goal game Saturday. Now, the Mavericks find themselves all alone in 10th place, one point behind the Seawolves, having won just once in their last eight games (all league games). Anchorage is a place where the Mavericks have had plenty of success however. MSU has lost just once in its last six games at Sullivan Arena, having gone 3-1-2 in that span. With Michigan Tech in Mankato next weekend, now is the time for MSU to get back in the hunt. UAA is tough on home ice, as evidenced by their thrashing of Denver two weeks ago. But the Seawolves were hammered twice last weekend at Wisconsin. Which team will show up this weekend?
PREDICTION: Split

Robert Morris at Colorado College
Joe Howe was fantastic in Mankato last weekend and the Tigers just keep rolling. All alone in first place, CC won't have a chance to extend their lead this weekend. A couple wins are the expectation this weekend and anything less would be quite disappointing.
PREDICTION: Colorado College sweep

Genoway injury sparks NCAA probe

During Friday's St. Cloud State-North Dakota game at Ralph Engelstad Arena, SCSU's Aaron Marvin hit UND's Chay Genoway from behind, drawing a checking from behind penalty and a one game suspension from the WCHA.

Genoway's specific injury has not been officially released, but one can likely guess a concussion, and perhaps more. The injury will keep Genoway out of the line-up indefinitely.

The broader point in all of this -- shots to the head -- has led the NCAA to call an emergency conference call to review its protocol when it comes to penalties and suspensions regarding blows to the head.

Earlier this season, the University of Wisconsin suspended Craig Smith for a check from behind he delivered to Minnesota State's Geoff Irwin. Irwin sustained an injury which kept him from action for two games.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Some thoughts from this weekend's action:

- Colorado College is for real
The Tigers rolled into Mankato and swept the Mavericks, vaulting themselves into first place all by themselves. After winning Friday in overtime, CC goaltender Joe Howe was outstanding in the effort Saturday to gain the sweep. Freshman Rylan Schwartz scored the only goal in Friday's win and assisted on CC's game winner Saturday. Both Howe and Schwartz are freshmen and are the conference's early front-runners for Freshman of the Year.

- Wisconsin's bottom lines wake up
The Badgers hosted the WCHA's version of Jeckal and Hyde, Alaska-Anchorage. Just one week after nabbing two points from Denver, the Seawolves went to Madison and got spanked twice by an all of the sudden potent Wisconsin offense. Ben Street (as was predicted here last week) had a big weekend, scoring two goals and adding two assists. Other than that, UW's offense was rather balanced. Four different players scored their first goals of the season while another scored just his second. If last weekend can get the Badgers third and fourth lines going, Wisconsin is going to be dangerous.

- Dan Dunn is St. Cloud State's best goalie... for now
Mike Lee gets all the publicity. But so far this season, it's been Dan Dunn that has kept the Huskies afloat. His 48 save effort Saturday in a 3-2 SCSU win salvaged a split at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Dunn's .938 save percentage ranks him second in the league while his 1.99 goals against average is fifth. Dunn looks the part physically, but its been his inconsistency that's haunted him in two years at St. Cloud. If he truly had found himself however, the Huskies are in great shape for a long time in net.

- UMD's pretty good when they're mad
After losing to the league's worst team (entering the weekend) on home ice Friday, the Bulldogs exploded Saturday with eight goals in a dominating 8-1 win to gain the split. The Bulldogs fired 98 shots on goal for the weekend. Six of their 10 goals came on the power play and Justin Fontaine had four goals Saturday to lead the way. While the 'Dogs still have some work to do 5-on-5, their power play is very much in midseason form.

- Bemidji State is for real
Six of the Beavers top seven scorers are in line to be back next year and only one of those six is a junior... Their goaltender is a sophomore. Bemidji State rolled into Mariucci Arena and gained a split -- including a dominating performance Sunday night in a 6-2 win. If not for the Gophers finding themselves on the power play Saturday, BSU might have had a chance for the sweep. While Bemidji's schedule still leaves something to be desired, the Beavers will come into the WCHA next season and immediately compete for home ice in the playoffs... bank on it.

Friday's Games

A pair of road teams win while a pair at home hold serve:

Michigan Tech 3, Minnesota Duluth 2
The Huskies scored two goals in the third period and Kevin Genoe made a career high 48 saves en route to an upset victory over the Bulldogs at the DECC. Power play goals by Jack Connolly and Mike Seidel put UMD up 2-1 early in the third. Steven Seigo tied the game 34 seconds later before Eli Vlaisavljevich put Tech ahead for good at 14:07 of the third.

Colorado College 1, Minnesota State 0 (OT)
Rylan Schwartz's power play goal with 52 seconds remaining in overtime broke a scoreless tie in favor of the Tigers as they defeated the host Mavericks at the Verizon Wireless Center. A controversial holding penalty on MSU's Nick Canzanello gave CC a power play and a face off in the Maverick end at 3:58 of overtime. Schwartz scored off a screened shot 10 seconds later. Joe Howe made 31 saves for the Tigers. Austin Lee stopped 26 shots for the Mavs.

Wisconsin 5, Alaska-Anchorage 1
Three first period goals propelled the Badgers to a dominating win over the Seawolves at the Kohl Center. Aaron Bendickson scored two goals and Craig Smith had a goal and an assist for UW. Brett Bennett made 19 saves for his fourth win of the season.

North Dakota 4, St. Cloud State 2
David Toews (above) scored two goals and Mario Lamoureux had a goal and an assist at the Fighting Sioux beat the Huskies at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Ryan Lasch had a goal and an assist for SCSU. Brad Eidsness stopped 21 shots for UND.

This weekend

After a busy week, at least in these parts (Minnesota), it's finally time to get back on the ice:

Predictions
LAST WEEK: 6-2-0
THIS SEASON: 34-16-5

Alaska-Anchorage at Wisconsin
Where did that effort last Saturday come from for UAA? The Seawolves scored seven goals in a dominating win over Denver. Things will be a little stingier this weekend at Wisconsin, where the Badgers have two of the best goalies in the league. Sitting in the bottom half of the standings after a disappointing weekend against the Gophers last weekend, Wisconsin needs four points against the Seawolves this weekend. UW needs more output from senior forward Ben Street, who has just two goals. I called out Blake Geoffrion last year about this time last season. Let's see if I can make it two in a row. My guess: Street has a nice weekend.
PREDICTION: Wisconsin sweep

Michigan Tech at Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs blew a pair of leads in last Saturday's game as they tried to finish off a sweep at Colorado College. The line of Jack Connolly, Justin Fontaine and Rob Bordson is one of the best in all of college hockey and could feast this weekend on a Michigan Tech team which lacks the skill to keep up. Tech also has the worst power play in the league -- not a good sign when you're about to go against one of the best power play units in the league, and one of the most dynamic in the country.
PREDICTION: Minnesota Duluth sweep

Colorado College at Minnesota State
The key to this series will come in goal for the Mavericks. Joe Howe has established himself as a regular in the Tigers' net. Colorado College has shown it can score goals too. Minnesota State had a week off to try and work out its own kinks. The Mavericks showed signs of life two weeks ago Saturday on the power play and will need to again this weekend to find success. That power play would be improved with the return of Geoff Irwin -- the team's senior captain who has been out almost a month with an injury suffered against Wisconsin. A pair of losses would put MSU in an extremely deep hole before Thanksgiving while a pair of wins puts them squarely back in the race, especially with a favorable conference schedule coming up. MSU needs these games more, but the week off may hurt them.
PREDICTION: Split

St. Cloud State at North Dakota
Consider this a statement weekend for both teams. SCSU hasn't experienced as much success as they would have liked so far to start the season. And without the help of freshman forward Ben Hanowski, the Huskies would be hurting. At North Dakota, this is where the big guns need to play like the big guns -- meaning Ryan Lasch, Garrett Raboin and Garrett Roe (who is suspended for Friday's game by SCSU head coach Bob Motzko for a team rules violation) need to have big weekends. The Fighting Sioux are hitting on all cylinders already and at home this weekend, they have a chance to put some space between themselves and the teams behind them.
PREDICTION: Split

Bemidji State at Minnesota
Next season, this game is a conference game. And if I told you before the season began that the No. 7 team in the nation was playing in this one against an unranked opponent -- you'd probably guess the former was the ranked team. No so. The Beavers are off to a red-hot start and own the nation's longest unbeaten streak. Do you think the Beavers want to make a point this weekend at Mariucci Arena? The main question entering this weekend for Minnesota is this: Are they focused? After losing defenseman Sam Lofquist to the OHL earlier this week, assistant captain Jordan Schroeder was forced to release a statement regarding his future as well. No matter what players or coaches may say, Bemidji State has not been the talk of the Twin Cities this week. And that's too bad... the Beavers -- led by the nation's third-leading scorer Matt Read (above) -- are a good hockey team.
PREDICTION: Split