Friday, February 7, 2014

Friday Morning Skate (Home Again Edition)

The Mavericks are back in Mankato after going on the road for 10 of the last 12 series. They will try to continue their hot streak at home where they are 9-1-0. They'll take on a Bemidji State team that split with them in early November in Bemidji. Should be a good series.

For Minnesota State, it's had that notable strong play from Jean-Paul LaFontaine, Matt Leitner and Johnny McInnis. For the stretch run, it could use a consistent wave of that so-called secondary scoring. Bryce Geravais is a player who appears to be coming on of late.

As for the Beavers, the Bemidji Pioneer examines the series a la the Super Bowl, as the WCHA's best penalty kill (BSU) goes up against the league's best power play (MSU).

Around the WCHA ...

Northern Michigan at Ferris State: Just two points separate fourth place from eighth place in the WCHA right now, and this series could have a big impact on the standings. Ferris State holds a two-point lead over MSU at the top, but Northern Michigan is hoping to keep itself in the mix for home ice. Matt Wellens of the Marquette's Mining Journal reports that different coaches have different philosophies when it comes to displaying the standings for their teams.

Alabama Huntsville at Michigan Tech: Huntsville is making its first trip to Houghton and will be this year's Winter Carnival opponent. The Chargers certainly don't want to be anybody's automatic four points but have only avoided that twice this season. If the Huskies win twice, they could make a big leap in the standings.

Alaska Anchorage at Lake Superior: Interesting weekend in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Anchorage is one of the nation's most-improved teams from last year and is in fourth place in the WCHA, but the Seawolves haven't been so good on the road. So they took off on Tuesday for the long excursion. The Lakers, meanwhile, were the WCHA's surprise team early on but could be in real danger of missing the postseason if they don't get points this weekend.

Check out my and Matt Wellens' picks for this weekend in the WCHA on our USCHO blog. Also, our WCHA notebook looks at Michigan Tech's movement in the league standings.

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