WCHA Playoffs

                  If the playoffs started today the pairing for the home series of the 
          WCHA playoffs would look like this Mankato State would travel to Grand Forks 
          play UND. Anchorage would travel to Saint Cloud to play the Huskies at 
          the National Hockey Center. Denver would invade Dade County Coliseum to 
          play the Badgers (I base this on head to head in total goals between the two
          teams as SCSU beat Wisconsin 10-9). The Gophers who will have to travel 
          in the first round a feat that they have not been accomplished since the 
          late 1970's as they have to go back to Colorado College and play the Tigers 
          again where they were swept last weekend. The Tech Huskies would play the 
          Dawgs in Duluth. 
                  After the first found home series this is the teams I would pick 
          to advance to the So here are the teams that I predict that would 
          advance to final five in Milwaukee, UND, SCSU, Denver, Colorado College and 
          Michigan tech. The reason I pick Denver is that I feel they are ripe for an 
          upset, and Wisconsin has stumbled down the stretch. 

                  Ice Chips

          *UND hockey Fans don't forget to send UND athletic director Terry Wanless an 
          E-mail about womens College hockey, his E-mail address is 
          twanless@badlands.nodak.edu, seems that there quite a few people interested 
          in women's college hockey. I think it would be interesting to see the 
          Lady Sioux and Gophers face off in womens WCHA hockey... 

          *Former Fighting Sioux hockey player Dave Christian is now the coach of 
          the Fargo Moorhead Ice sharks who took over the head coaching job with 8 
          games remaining in the final season.

          *Former Sioux hockey player Landon Wilson was recalled from Providence 
          Of the AHL to the Boston Bruins of the NHL. Wilson has played 9 games this 
          year and has recorded one assist.

          * Former SCSU Great Matt Cullen of the Ducks scored his third goal of the 
          year Sunday night as the Ducks lost to the St. Louis Blues 6-2. It would 
          be interesting to see where SCSU would be sitting in the standing if they 
          had this guy.

                  This week's Predictions

          **University of Wisconsin at UND, earlier this season freshman Kevin 
          Granato made the statement that Wisconsin was a better team. The Sioux kept 
          those words posted on the team bulletin board during the week of practice,
          then went on to sweep the Badgers for the first time since 1987, since that
          series both teams have gone in different directions. The Sioux winning 
          the WCHA regular season title and the Badger barely holding on to second. 
          Look for this game to be a hard fought series as the Badger must win if 
          they want to make their case for an NCAA tournament selection.

          **Gophers and Huskies in the I-94 series. Look for a tough series as the 
          Huskies will sweep the Gophers in two 4-3 games.

          **MTU at Colorado College, look for the Tigers to play like they have 
          soar paws, as they will sweep the Huskies.

          **UMD at Denver, as they play the last two games of the WCHA regular season 
          Sunday and Monday, I expect a tough season ending series at the Pioneers 
          split with the Bull Dogs.

          **Buy your WCHA homes series tickets, Good luck and have a good weekend 
          of WCHA hockey.

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