Well, the WCHA race is really heating up. North Dakota, St. Cloud and
Wisconsin are the prime contenders right now. Colorado College suffered
a setback this past weekend as they were swept by the Sioux in Grand
Forks. That put the Tigers just 2 points ahead of Michigan Tech. That's
right, the long-suffering Huskies are an improved team this season and
are making a run at home ice. It looks like an interesting race again
this season. Let's now look at the updated "Unvarnished Truth" WCHA Poll.
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UNVARNISHED TRUTH WCHA POLL (1/15/98)
TEAM (FIRST PLACE VOTES) POINTS PREVIOUS RANKING
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1. North Dakota (5) 69 2
2. St. Cloud (3) 67 1
3. Wisconsin 54 4
4. Colorado College 48 3
5. Minn-Duluth 39.5 T5
6. Michigan Tech 37.5 T5
7. Minnesota 24 7
8. Alaska-Anchorage 18 8
9. Denver 8 9
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UND takes #1 from St. Cloud, Wisconsin and CC trade places, everyone else
stays pretty much the same. Now, let's look at my predictions for this
weekend.
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PREDICTIONS FOR THIS WEEKEND IN THE WCHA.
ST. CLOUD (11-2-1, 14-4-2) AT MINN-DULUTH (5-8-1, 10-11-1)
The Huskies need to win to stay ahead of North Dakota. The Bulldogs are
coming off a 1 point weekend at Wisconsin despite a good performance and
need some wins to contend for home ice. The Bulldogs are at home, but
St. Cloud has too much talent to be swept. PREDICTION: SPLIT (Huskies
win 4-2, Bulldogs win 2-1).
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DENVER (3-11-0, 4-16-0) AT MINNESOTA (3-9-0, 7-13-0)
A battle between two teams having terrible seasons. Denver has went
from being an NCAA Tournament team to dead last in the league this
season. The Gophers have suffered from pro defections and injuries, and
some say questionable coaching. Both teams are tied for 9th place with
6 points. Look for the Gophers to get out of the cellar this weekend.
PREDICTION: GOPHERS SWEEP (5-2, 5-3).
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MICHIGAN TECH (6-9-1, 11-10-2) AT NORTH DAKOTA (10-3-1, 14-3-1)
This might be a better series than most people think. MTU has improved
drastically from last season, and has a winning overall record. The
Sioux are beginning to gel as a team after a slow start. Tech is
improved, but UND is at home and has more talent. PREDICTION: SIOUX
SWEEP (3-1, 5-0).
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COLORADO COLLEGE (7-6-1, 12-7-2) AT ALASKA-ANCHORAGE (5-9-2, 5-12-3)
The Tigers will try and rebound from being swept last weekend as they
travel to Anchorage to face the Seawolves and their "bore you to death"
defensive style. The Seawolves are improving little by little and have
the tremendous home-ice advantage in their favor. The Tigers are a
little banged up, but look for them to rebound this weekend. PREDICTION:
CC SWEEPS (2-1, 3-0)
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NEB-OMAHA (5-15-0) VS WISCONSIN (10-3-1, 13-6-1)
(AT WISCONSIN FRIDAY, AT OMAHA SUNDAY)
The UNO Mavericks get another taste of the WCHA this weekend as they'll
face the Badgers in a Home and Away series. The Badgers took 3 of 4 from
Duluth at home last weekend and have established themselves as a genuine
contender for the Cup. Omaha has been very competitive in their first
year of hockey, but doesn't have a good record to show for it. Look for
UNO to break their losing streak at home. PREDICTION: SPLIT (Friday:
Wisconsin wins 5-2; Sunday: Omaha wins 3-2).
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Well, that's all for now! I'll see you next week. Later!
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