Match-up of the Week: No. 15 Michigan (2-3-0) at No. 17 Michigan Tech (4-0-0)
Friday, Oct. 31, at 7:07 p.m. (ET); Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:07 p.m. (ET)

Life is good right now in Houghton. Michigan Tech is off to an undefeated 4-0-0 start, ranked in the national polls for the first time since November 2011, and coming off a road sweep of defending MacNaughton Cup champion Ferris State.

This weekend, the Huskies welcomes in-state rival Michigan to the U.P., for the first time since 1983 when they were both in the now-defunct CCHA. However, the rivalry is one of the most played in college hockey history with 221 meetings between the two schools. The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 122-94-5, including two wins last season in Ann Arbor.

This season’s start marks the latest in the season Michigan Tech has been undefeated since 2011-12, which, combined with a big name opponent coming in, should make for a great atmosphere at MacInnes Arena as the buzz around the Huskies grows. It has been awhile since Tech fans have had the opportunity to cheer for a team that looks capable of an NCAA Tournament berth.

The hot start has been keyed by the Huskies’ large stable of returning players, including a forward group that returned all of its top-nine scorers from a season ago. Five Tech forwards already have four points in as many games on the young season, including senior forward Blake Pietila, who is pacing the team with three goals.

During their hot start, the Huskies rank No. 16 in the country in scoring at 3.25 goals per game, while their defense gives up just 1.25 goals per game, which ranks top-five in the country.

The Tech blue line, which returned all but one regular from a year ago, will have its hands full this weekend, however, against a Michigan attack led by the trio of Alex Kile, Dylan Larkin and Zach Hyman, which has been on fire since the start of the season. The group combined for  15 points (6+9) last weekend against UMass Lowell and Boston University.

Player to Watch: Michigan Tech junior goaltender Jamie Phillips

Phillips, the reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, has so far provided an answer to the Huskies’ preseason questions in the crease. In his first season as a No. 1 goaltender, the 2012 Winnipeg Jets draft pick is off to a fantastic start. Phillips is one of only six undefeated net minders in the country and ranks sixth nationally with a 1.25 goals against average and .954 save percentage.

He was the star of Michigan Tech’s sweep of Ferris State last weekend, stopping 67-of-68 shots to stonewall the Bulldogs. The Caledonia, Ontario, native faces his first real test of the season against a Wolverines offense which ranks in the top-20 nationally at 3.20 goals per game.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

No. 12 Minnesota State (4-2-0) at Bowling Green (4-1-1)
Friday, Oct. 31, at 7:07 p.m. (ET); Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:07 p.m. ET

Minnesota State heads to Bowling Green, who is off to its best start in a decade, for a re-match of last season’s Final Five semifinal, which the Mavericks won, 4-0, en route to the program’s first Broadmoor Trophy title.

The two teams quietly developed a pretty good rivalry (the type the re-building WCHA needs) in their four regular season match-ups last season. They split four, one-goal match-ups, including three that went to overtime.

The excitement shouldn’t stop this season. So far, the Mavericks and Falcons have both shown off prolific offenses this season and are tied atop the WCHA at 3.50 goals per game. Bowling Green’s offensive emergence has been led by its underclassmen, who have scored an NCAA best 18 goals and 44 points for the Falcons this season.

No. 14 Ferris State (2-3-0) at Michigan State
Friday, Oct. 31, at 7:00 p.m. (ET); Saturday, Nov. 1, 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Ferris State has owned this in-state rivalry recently. Including a 2-0 win over Michigan State in East Lansing last year, the Bulldogs have won four-straight over the Spartans, six of the last seven, and nine of their last 11 meetings.

Ferris State defense is tied for eighth-best in the country through five games this season, which should bode well against a Michigan State team that has had problems this year finding the back of the net. The Bulldogs need to get their own offense jumpstarted, however. After lighting the lamp seven times in its first two games this season, FSU has scored just once in its last three.

No. 16 Alaska (5-1-0) at Bemidji State (1-3-0)
Friday, Oct. 31, at 7:37 p.m. (CT); Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:07 p.m. (CT)

Backstopped by the strong play of senior goalie Sean Cahill, the Nanooks are off to a great start this season and sit at No. 16 in the polls, marking the third-straight ranked opponent Bemidji State faces to start the season.

Cahill has been great between the pipes for Alaska to anchor a Nanook defense that is conceding only twice per game. Alaska is looking to rebound after sustaining its first loss of the season, 4-2, last Saturday to Western Michigan.

After starting the season with a bang by clobbering then-No. 2 North Dakota, 5-1, in Grand Forks, Bemidji State has lost three straight. The Beavers rank near the bottom of the WCHA in most major categories, but maybe playing in their home barn for the first time this season will help cure what ails them.

Alabama-Huntsville (0-6-0) at Northern Michigan (4-0-0)
Friday, Oct. 31, at 7:07 p.m. (ET); Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:07 p.m. (ET)

The Chargers and Wildcats meet in Marquette for a rare non-conference meeting between two WCHA schools.

Historic hot starts are a theme so far this season in the WCHA, and Northern Michigan is among them at an undefeated 4-0-0, which is the Wildcats best start since 1999-00 when they went on to win 22 games. A big part of that has been NMU’s defense, which is the stingiest in the country through four games. Wildcats sophomore goalie Mathias Dahlstrom is tied for the NCAA lead with two shutouts and ranks second with a 0.751 goals against average to go with a .968 save percentage.

That probably doesn’t bode well for a winless Alabama-Huntsville team that hasn’t been able to find the back of the net much this season.

Lake Superior State (0-8-0) at Alaska Anchorage (3-1-2)
Friday, Oct. 31, at 7:07 p.m. (AT); Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:07 p.m. (AT)

It has been a tough go for first year Lakers head coach Damon Whitten. After Lake Superior State lost three of its top four scorers from a season ago, Whitten had to know it wouldn’t be easy to begin righting the ship in Sault Ste. Marie, and it won’t get any easier this weekend in Anchorage.

The Lakers have not opened a season winless through nine games since 1998-99, but will have to start putting something together on offense to avoid a new low this year. LSSU is scoring just over a goal per game this season, which barely edges out Alabama-Huntsville in the WCHA basement.

On the other end of the spectrum, UAA is off to its best start in seven years. There were questions in the offseason about whether or not Anchorage could sustain last season’s momentum, but with their start, it seems head coach Matt Thomas has the Seawolves going in the right direction.

Friday, October 31st, 2014 - 11:37 am | Blogs, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings, WCHA