Let's Play Hockey

It's the first full week of the season, and we've got a bunch of great non-conference match-ups to preview. It should be a great weekend of college hockey.

Games to Watch

#3 Ohio State at #2 Colorado College

Colorado College proved they were for real last weekend with an overtime win over Maine, while Ohio State is trying to prove that they deserve to be the favorite in the CCHA for the first time in school history. This should be a good match-up between two of the best teams in each conference to see how each conference will stack up this year.

#10 Alaska-Fairbanks at #1 Minnesota

Everyone knows Minnesota is going to be a talented team this year, but Alaska-Fairbanks has the potential to surprise some people this season. Goalie Wylie Rogers will need to pick up where he left off at the CCHA tournament and stand on his head to help keep the Nanooks in the game. There will be an interesting match-up on the first line when Phil Kessel goes up against forward Kelly Czuy, who is over four and a half years Kessel's senior. Minnesota will probably end up beating the Nanooks, but I expect the Nanooks to keep it closer than people think.

Boston College at #4 Michigan (Fri.)

After a warm-up against Quinnipiac, Michigan faces their first big test of the season. Michigan's large freshmen class, including goalie Billy Sauer, will get to experience their first "big game" at the college level. Tonight will probably serve as more of a learning experience for the Wolverines than anything.

# 5 Denver at Maine

Denver opens up their second consecutive defense of the national title at Alfond Arena in Maine. Maine is a tough non-conference opponent and it's always difficult to win on the road, but I think Hockey East is just a little step behind the WCHA in terms of talent and Denver comes away with a pair of wins.

St. Cloud State at #8 Northern Michigan

St. Cloud State's program has been re-energized thanks to new head coach Bob Motzko. The question is whether or not that will allow the Huskies to score enough goals to match the free-wheeling Wildcats. I expect a series similar to last year, which was hard-fought and ended in a split.

Minnesota State, Mankato at Bemidji State

Everyone knew Bemidji was a good team, but I think they were still a little surprised when they swept Minnesota-Duluth last weekend. The Mavericks have questions all over their lineup, and it's a shame they start the season on the road, because I'm sure Troy Jutting would much rather have the extra lineup flexibility. I expect the Mavericks to steal a game though and walk away from this weekend with a split.

Players to Watch:

Players in Their Second Weekend vs. Players in Their First Weekend

One interesting story to keep an eye on is that there are a number of teams that had games last weekend playing teams that only had exhibitions last weekend. The extra weekend of games should help those teams have a better powerplay as well as better game conditioning.

Jon Dubel, Minnesota State, Mankato

With defensive leader Chad Brownlee out with a shoulder injury for two more weeks, The Mavericks will need Dubel to play strong defense all weekend, especially if he is paired with a freshmen defenseman again.

Nate Dey, St. Cloud State

Goals are going to be at a premium for the Huskies this weekend. One place that they will be looking to for production is the former Mr. Hockey in Minnesota. As a sophomore, Dey will need to step up and give the Huskies a viable scoring threat to turn to.

Wylie Rogers, Alaska-Fairbanks

As I mentioned earlier, with the offensive talent that the Gophers possess, Rogers will probably have to make a lot of difficult saves this weekend just to keep things close. Rogers is one of the most underrated goalies in the country and has the ability to do that.

Andrew Cogliano, Michigan

There were very high expectations for Cogliano coming into this season after he received rave reviews from just about everyone that watched him play. Cogliano didn't have a great series last weekend against Quinnipiac last weekend and Michigan will need his speed and scoring ability this weekend against Boston College.

Dave Caruso, Ohio State

This weekend's series is an opportunity for Dave Caruso and the Buckeyes to make a serious statement. Not only can the Buckeyes establish themselves as one of the top teams in the country, if Caruso can shut down the powerful CC offense, he could solidfy himself as a Hobey Baker candidate.