WCHA WEEKEND PREVIEW: OCT. 16-17, 2015 News and Notes for the Upcoming Weekend of WCHA Hockey
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WCHA WEEKEND PREVIEW: OCT. 16-17, 2015 News and notes for the upcoming weekend of WCHA hockey Opening Face-Off • A Look at the Polls: No. 10 Bowling Green, No. 14 Minnesota State and No. 16 Michigan Tech give the WCHA three ranked teams in the USCHO.com poll, with Bemidji State (second-highest total in the category, just outside the top 20), Northern Michigan and Ferris State all in the "receiving votes" column. The Mavericks are No. 15 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, with MTU and NMU receiving votes. • Welcome Back, Justin: This past weekend marked the return to the ice of Alaska Nanooks forward Justin Woods, who missed all of last season while undergoing successful treatment for a rare form of bone cancer. Woods totaled a WCHA-high six blocks in two games over the weekend. • Bemidji State Notches Another Upset: Following a power outage-induced postponement Friday in Duluth, Bemidji State opened its campaign with a thrilling 3-2 victory over No. 2/3 UMD on Saturday night. In their last 17 games dating back to last season (Jan. 23), the Beavers have posted five victories over top-10 opponents (No. 7 UMD, No. 1 Minnesota State, No. 6 Bowling Green and No. 2 MSU last season). BSU, which is 10-5-2 overall during that stretch, will get its next opportunity to slay a giant this weekend with a home-and-home against top-ranked North Dakota (whom the Beavers defeated on opening night last season in Grand Forks, when UND was ranked No. 2). • Charging Ahead: Showing the program's continued progress, Alabama Huntsville posted an opening weekend win for the first time since 2010-11, defeating Connecticut 5-2 on Saturday to earn a split. Last season, the Chargers did not post their first victory until their ninth game (0-7- 1); in 2013-14, the winless streak was 15 contests (0-15-0) out of the gate. • 1,600 for the Huskies: Michigan Tech will play its 1,600th all-time WCHA game in the league opener Friday night. A founding member of the league and part of the WCHA for 60 seasons (except 1980-81 through 1983-84), the Huskies are 664-826-109 all-time in league play. The Week Ahead • Cup Quest Begins: The chase for the MacNaughton Cup, which has been decided by just a single point each of the last two years, begins this weekend when No. 16 Michigan Tech opens its season at Ferris State. • More Nonconference Ahead: The WCHA will look to improve on its 5-9-3 opening weekend record with 11 more games against the NCHC (5), Atlantic Hockey (4) and ECAC Hockey (2). • Brice Alaska Goal Rush: Tournament play will return to the Last Frontier for the second straight weekend, with Alaska hosting the Brice Alaska Goal Rush in Fairbanks. The Nanooks will welcome American International, RPI and Alaska Anchorage to Fairbanks. • Wait, You Look Familiar: Upper Peninsula rivals and WCHA member schools Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan will face off in a nonconference home-and-home series this weekend. WCHA.tv • A total of nine WCHA games this weekend can be viewed live via WCHA.tv. All rankings listed by USCHO.com poll first, followed by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll WCHA No. 16 Michigan Tech (0-0-0, 0 pts. WCHA/ 0-0-0) at Ferris State (0-0-0, 0 pts. WCHA / 0-1-1) Ewigleben Arena; Big Rapids, Mich. Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th (7:07 p.m. ET both nights) WATCH LIVE ON WCHA.TV • The quest for the MacNaughton Cup begins at Ewigleben Arena, where Ferris State hosts No. 16 Michigan Tech in the first WCHA series of the season. • Overall, the Huskies boast a 12-8-1 all-time record against the Bulldogs, including a 4-3-0 mark under head coach Mel Pearson. FSU, however, is 6-5-0 on its home ice. • No. 16 MTU officially opens its 95th hockey season with this series against its in-state rival, after winning a pair of exhibition games last weekend. FSU opened its 41st season with a pair of exciting, one-goal games against Western Michigan (0-1-1). • FSU junior G Charles Williams made his return to the net last weekend after missing all of last year due to injury, posting a .939 save percentage (62-of-66) and 1.93 GAA. • MTU senior F Alex Petan (fourth among active D-I players with 102 career points) was named to the College Hockey News Preseason All-America Second Team, while senior G Jamie Phillips (and Winnipeg Jets draftee) was tabbed a “Top 10 Goalie to Watch” by USCHO.com. NONCONFERENCE Alaska (0-2-0) vs. American International (AHA; 0-1-0) and Rensselaer (ECAC; 1-1-0) Brice Alaska Goal Rush - Carlson Center; Fairbanks, Alaska Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th (7:07 p.m. AT both nights) WATCH LIVE ON WCHA.TV • Alaska hosts the eighth annual Brice Alaska Goal Rush this weekend, as the Nanooks will entertain Alaska Anchorage, American National and RPI at the Carlson Center. • The Nanooks will be going for their third-straight Brice title this weekend. • Tyler Morley, the WCHA coaches’ choice for Preseason Player of the Year, scored the first goal of the season for Alaska in the first period of last Saturday’s game against Arizona State. • It was Morley’s 43rd goal of his career and 93rd point, putting him just seven points shy from entering the school’s 100-point club. • Junior Justin Woods made his long-awaited return to the ice after winning his bout against cancer last season. The Fairbanks native played in both games for the Nanooks, marking the first time he was on the ice since the 2013-14 season. Woods tied for the WCHA lead with six blocks last weekend. Alaska Anchorage (1-1-0) vs. Rensselaer (ECAC) and American International (AHA) Brice Alaska Goal Rush - Carlson Center; Fairbanks, Alaska Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th (4:07 p.m. AT both nights) WATCH LIVE ON WCHA.TV • Alaska Anchorage opened its season last weekend by hosting the Kendall Hockey Classic, defeating NCAA Div. 1 newcomer Arizona State 3-2 in OT, before falling to the then-No. 17 St. Cloud State 6-2 on Saturday. • UAA had two players named to the Kendall Hockey Classic All-Tournament team in junior F Brad Duwe and freshman D Wyatt Ege. • Duwe collected an assist and then scored the OT game-winner to lift the Seawolves over the Sun Devils last Friday. Meanwhile, Ege produced two points on the weekend, including his first collegiate goal on Oct. 9. • UAA heads north for the eighth annual Brice Alaska Goal Rush. The Seawolves are 8-5-1 all-time at the BAGR, and has won twice since the inaugural event in 2008. • The Seawolves – who have 20 underclassmen, including 12 freshmen – and the Engineers will meet for just the fourth time ever. UAA is 2-1 vs RPI, with the teams’ last meeting coming at the Brice tournament in 2009 (a 3-0 Seawolves victory). Bemidji State (1-0-0) vs No. 1 North Dakota (NCHC; 2-0-0) Sanford Center; Bemidji, Minn. and Ralph Engelstad Arena; Grand Forks, N.D. Friday, October 16th at 7:37 p.m. CT (WATCH LIVE ON WCHA.TV) Saturday, October 17th at 7:07 p.m. CT • Bemidji State continues its early-season run against ranked opponents with a home-and-home series with No. 1 North Dakota. Beginning Jan. 23 of last season, the Beaves are 10-5-2 in their last 17 games, a stretch that includes five victories over top-10 opponents. • For the second straight season, the Beavers opened their campaign by downing the No. 2 team in the country when they defeated No. 2/3 Minnesota Duluth, 3-2, last Saturday. • BSU’s Charlie O’Connor scored with 22.7 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Beavers to victory at the Sanford Center. The dramatic goal was just the second game-winner of the junior’s career. • Michael Bitzer stopped 28-of-30 shots to earn the win against UMD. In 29 career appearances, the 2014-15 WCHA Rookie of the Year is 15-11-3 with a .930 save percentage and 1.81 GAA. • BSU is 3-36-3 all-time vs. North Dakota, but two of its wins and two of its ties in the series dating back to 1970 have come since the 2011-12 season. BSU has outscored North Dakota 9-4 in the Beavers’ last three appearances at Ralph Englestad Arena, going 1-1-1 (including a 5-1 victory over then-No. 2 UND in the 2014 season opener). No. 10 Bowling Green (2-1-0) at Canisius (AHA; 0-1-0) and RIT (AHA; 0-2-0) HARBORCENTER; Buffalo, New York and the Gene Polisseni Center; Rochester, New York Friday, October 16th at 7:35 p.m. ET and Saturday, October 17th at 7:05 p.m. ET • No. 10 Bowling Green continues its three-team, three-city road week in New York, facing Canisius on Friday in Buffalo and RIT on Saturday in Rochester. • BGSU opened with a home-and-home sweep of Ohio State last weekend for its first 2-0-0 start since the 2004-05 season; however, the Falcons fell Tuesday night at Western Michigan. • Thirteen Falcons scored at least one point during BGSU’s opening weekend sweep of Ohio State, and all six goals in Friday’s 6-3 victory were scored by different players.