Well, it took awhile, but here is the first edition of the Unvarnished Truth for this season. Today, we'll look at the first "Unvarnished Truth" WCHA Poll of the season, along with my thoughts on the WCHA season so far. But first, we'll look at the upcoming matchups in the WCHA this weekend.
MINNESOTA (4-4-0) AT ALASKA-ANCHORAGE (1-6-1).
We'll start off with an interesting match-up. The Gophers travel to Sullivan Arena to face the Seawolves. Minnesota has been up and down so far this season, splitting their first four series this season. The Seawolves have had even more problems, as they picked up their first win last Saturday against Denver. The roadtrip to Anchorage is always draining on a team and the Gophers have been struggling a little bit. But the Seawolves are just too short on talent this season. PREDICTION: GOPHERS SWEEP (2-1, 3-0).
ST. CLOUD STATE (4-3-1) AT COLORADO COLLEGE (3-1-2).
The Huskies travel to Cadet Ice Arena to tangle with the Tigers of CC. St. Cloud pulled off a tough split with the improving MTU Huskies last weekend. The Tigers had to settle for a tie and loss at home to defending NCAA Champion North Dakota. St. Cloud is still trying to adjust to losing Matt Cullen and Mark Parrish to the pro's, while CC will be looking for redemption after last weekend's 1 point performance. Look for them to get it. PREDICTION: TIGERS SWEEP (5-2, 3-1).
MICHIGAN TECH (3-5-1) AT WISCONSIN (4-2-0).
This is a battle of two improving teams. The Badgers are coming off a home split with the Gophers, and have looked better this season. Tech was swept by SCSU last weekend, but also has shown signs of improvement. The games are in Madison and the Badgers have more talent, so look for a sweep for Bucky. PREDICTION: BADGERS SWEEP (4-1, 5-2).
MINN-DULUTH (3-5-0) AT NORTH DAKOTA (2-1-1).
It's the long awaited home opener for the defending national champions as North Dakota hosts the UMD Bulldogs. Duluth has talent in goal (Brant Nicklen) and at foreward (Mike Peluso), but was swept by Providence last weekend. The Sioux, meanwhile, are in good shape after taking 5 of 8 points on the road at Minnesota and Colorado College. There are some injury concerns as goaltender Aaron Schweitzer (pulled groin) and Brad Williamson (bruised ribs) are questionable for this weekend. But even with those problems, UND has loads of talent and are playing at home, where they lost just twice last season. Nicklen could steal a game, but don't count on it. PREDICTION: SIOUX SWEEP (5-2, 4-2).
DENVER (3-3-0) AT NEB-OMAHA (2-5-0).
The Pioneers travel to Omaha to face the upstart UNO Mavericks. Denver has struggled to replace some big graduation losses, as they have lost games to Mankato State and Alaska-Anchorage. The Mavericks are struggling in their first season of organized hockey. They'll have the home ice advantage, but that's about all. PREDICTION: DENVER SWEEPS (5-0, 4-1).
At long last, the first "Unvarnished Truth" WCHA Poll is here! All of the pollsters didn't send in their ballots, so it's a little smaller than normal. Sorry about that. In any event, here it is:
TEAM (FIRST PLACE VOTES)------------------------POINTS
1. North Dakota (4)-----------------------------------------36
2. (tie) Colorado College------------------------------------28
Minnesota
4. Wisconsin-------------------------------------------------25
5. St. Cloud--------------------------------------------------23
6. Minn-Duluth----------------------------------------------16
7. Denver---------------------------------------------------12
8. (tie) Michigan Tech-----------------------------------------6
Alaska-Anchorage
The Sioux are #1, picking up all four first-place votes. CC and Minnesota are tied for second, as are Michigan Tech and Anchorage for the cellar. Next week, the debut of the "Unvarnished Truth" Cummulative Rankings.
It's early yet, but there are some trends already taking shape in the league. North Dakota looks to be tough as they took 5 of 8 points on the road at Minnesota and Colorado College. Speaking of the Tigers, they look like UND's main challenger for the McNaughton Cup. They are more talented than last season, and will likely finish second. Then, it get's a little messy. The Gophers are trying to find themselves after Mike Crowley and Eric Rasmussen turned pro. The SCSU Huskies are facing the same problem with Matt Cullen and Mark Parrish leaving early. The Badgers look improved, but still raw and unproven. Duluth is up to the same old tricks: They have talent, but not enough character or discipline. Denver lost a ton to graduation, but will probably improve some as the season goes on. Then we get to the contenders for the position of cellar-dweller: Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage. Tech looks improved this season, but not enough to finish above 8th place. Anchorage is off to a terrible start and is in danger of having the season slip away. At this point, I'd say that Anchorage will finish last. Look for Mankato State to be seeded above both of these teams come playoff time.
Well, that's all for the first column of the season. I'll be back Monday with a recap of this weekend's games. Until then, later!
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