Three Things I Think: WCHA, Nov. 11
Posted by: Ryan EvansThis week in the WCHA featured the conference’s top teams flexing their muscle. Three of the four conference series resulted in sweeps, while Alabama-Huntsville continued the league’s success this season in non-conference play.
In the polls, Michigan Tech slid up four spots in the USCHO.com poll to No. 5 after running its undefeated start to 8-0-0. Minnesota State also moved up four places to No. 13 after sweeping Bemidji State. Northern Michigan jumped two spots to No. 18 with a split versus Ferris State — which dropped out of the top-20 – and, at No. 19, Bowling Green broke into the top-20 for the first time this season after sweeping Alaska.
Ferris State (107) is the only WCHA team receiving votes in this week’s poll.
This week’s top-billed matchup, Ferris State at Northern Michigan, saw an epic goaltending dual between two of the league’s top net minders. Bulldogs senior C.J. Motte and Wildcats sophomore Mathias Dahlstrom each registered 24-save shutouts on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Bulldogs took the opener in a 1-0 OT thriller before the Wildcats salvaged the split with a 2-0 win on Saturday.
Michigan Tech got its own solid effort in goal from junior Jamie Phillips against Alaska-Anchorage. Phillips stopped 45-of-46 shots on the weekend, including a 19-save shutout on Friday. Huskies sophomore defenseman Shane Hanna led the way for MTU with three points (1+2) as it continued its undefeated start to the season with 2-0 and 3-1 wins over the Seawolves.
Minnesota State and Bemidji State combined for 17 goals in their two games, but it was the Mavericks that proved why they’re among the conference favorites, sweeping the series with 6-3 and 5-3 wins. MSU has now won five of its past six games. Minnesota State junior forwards Bryce Gervais and Teddy Blueger combined for six goals and 10 points in the series.
Continuing the theme of strong play in the crease, Bowling Green junior Tommy Burke backstopped the Falcons to a pair of 3-2 wins on the road versus Alaska, turning away 62-of-66 shots thrown his way. Sophomore forward Mark Pohlkamp lit the lamp twice for BGSU, including the game-winner on Saturday.
In the week’s only non-conference series, Alabama-Huntsville got into the win column for the first time this season with a 4-2 road win over Air Force on Friday before battling the Falcons to a 3-3 tie on Saturday. Chargers freshman forward Brennan Saulnier earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors for his two points in the series. The WCHA is now 3-3-1 against Atlantic Hockey and 21-16-3 overall in non-conference play this season.
(After the jump: WCHA Three Stars of the Weekend and Three Thoughts on what went down)
WCHA Three Stars of the Weekend (Nov. 7-8)
1.) Teddy Blueger, Minnesota State junior forward
Scored four goals and five points on the weekend, including a hat trick on Saturday, to power the Mavericks’ sweep of in-state rival Bemidji State.
2.) Mathias Dahlstrom, Northern Michigan sophomore goaltender
Turned away 69 of 70 Ferris State shots to backstop the Wildcats to a weekend split. He earned his WCHA and nation-leading third shutout of the season with a 24-save effort in Saturday’s series finale.
3.) Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech sophomore defenseman
Registered three points (1+2) in the Huskies’ sweep of Alaska-Anchorage.
Three Thoughts:
Minnesota State’s offensive depth is unmatched in the league
The Mavericks offense was hyped as the league’s best coming into the season and they’ve lived up to that billing through 10 games, topping the WCHA and ranking fifth in the nation at 3.80 goals per game.
It’s Minnesota State’s depth that makes its offense special. In their sweep of Bemidji State, the Mavericks got 10 goals from six different players and, in total, 11 different players registered a point. Its top six was especially deadly, netting eight of the team’s goals and accounting for 18 total points. The Mavericks boast the league’s top three scorers and seven of the top 25. MSU is also the only WCHA team with four players with double-digit point totals.
It’s not just the usual suspects for the Mavericks either. Sure, consensus preseason All-WCHA picks Matt Leitner and Jean-Paul LaFontaine are picking up where they left off, but players like Gervais and Blueger are stepping up as well. Gervais leads the nation in points (14), is tied for the WCHA and national lead in goals (9), and is already halfway to surpassing his goal, assist and point totals from last season. His line mate, Blueger, the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week, has already surpassed his goal total from last year in 30 less games.
In a league where a number of the top teams are struggling offensively, Minnesota State’s dynamic forwards could put it over the top in what promises to be a tight WCHA race.
The WCHA has great goaltenders
As a league, the WCHA may have the best goaltending depth of any conference in the country. Nationally, the league boasts six goalies in the top-20 in both goals against average and save percentage. Eleven WCHA net minders have save percentages above .900, which is tied with Atlantic Hockey for the most among the six conferences.
Leading the way is Northern Michigan’s Dahlstrom, who is largely responsible for the Wildcats surprising 6-1-1 start. After his spectacular performances against Ferris State, Dahlstrom leads the country in goals against average (0.742), ranks second in save percentage (.970), and is tied for the national lead in shutouts with three in eight games to match his 36-game total from last season.
Michigan Tech’s Phillips has also had a big hand in his team’s undefeated start. Prior to the season, people knew the Huskies had potential, but wondered if it would be wasted thanks to questions in the crease. Enter Phillips, who has seized the starting job and in his first full season as a starter, ranks fourth in the NCAA in both save percentage (.957) and goals against average (1.13) through eight games.
Ferris State’s Motte’s strong play has helped his team tread water while the Bulldogs offense tries to way. Bowling Green’s Burke, this week’s WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, has been great for the Falcons as has sophomore Carmine Guerriero for Alabama-Huntsville.
There’s some exciting young talent in the conference
While the nation’s most talked about underclassman plays out east, the WCHA has shown off an impressive collection of young talent of its own this season.
No team better exemplifies that than Bowling Green and its group of underclassmen. The Falcons freshman and sophomores lead all underclassmen groups nation-wide in points and put on another show this weekend against Alaska, accounting for over half of the team’s 17 points against the Nanooks. Leading the way is sophomore forward Kevin DuFour, who is tied for the national lead in goal with nine in his first 10 career games.
Outside of Bowling Green, Minnesota State rookie forward C.J. Franklin has also impressed with two goals and eight points, as has Alaska’s Peter Krieger, with three goals and five points.
Overall, 16 underclassmen – from seven different schools – are among the WCHA’s top 25 scorers.
