NCHC teams went 12-2-1 in their nonconference games this week (with both losses coming in a CC sweep at Mass.-Lowell), and this weekend, Nebraska-Omaha opens its new arena as the Mavericks host Air Force, while elsewhere, two of the three teams in the country who are currently 4-0-0 square off — as St. Cloud, already with three shutouts in four games, travels to Vermont.

Weekend Schedule (all two-game series):

Nebraska-Omaha (4-0-0) hosts Air Force (1-2-1):  Following a pair of wins at Minnesota State, Omaha stayed hot on the road last week, sweeping Vermont, and as a result was named CHN Team of the Week on Wednesday. This weekend, the Mavericks open up their brand new facility, Baxter Arena, and will raise their Frozen Four banner honoring last season’s team that advanced to Boston. UNO’s success has been buoyed first of all by offense from its stars:

Of Ortega’s five goals, three have been game-winner, bringing his career total to 15 game-winning goals. But the big question, remember, for UNO heading into the season was how they’d move on without Ryan Massa in net. So far, so good. Dean Blais has used a rotation that has worked well so far, with Kirk Thompson winning both Friday night games, and freshman Evan Weninger dominating on Saturday night games (stopping 69 of 70 shots faced in his career thus far).

UNO hasn’t faced Air Force since last century. The Falcons are young and surprised Denver on opening night with an overtime win. Since then, Air Force is winless in three straight, as freshmen goaltenders Billy Christopoulos and Shane Starrett continue to adjust to the college game. Prediction: Sweep for Nebraska-Omaha.

St. Cloud State (4-0-0) at Quinnipiac (4-0-0): For the Huskies and Bobcats — who squared off in the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four, a win by Quinnipiac, in addition to a pair of split games last season — each starting goaltender (Charlie Lindgren for SCSU, Michael Garteig for the Bobcats) enters the weekend on the strength of two consecutive shutouts.

Garteig blanked Arizona State (14 saves) last week, then Maine (20 saves) three nights ago, while Lindgren stopped all 54 Minnesota State shots on goal last weekend in back-to-back blankings. For St. Cloud, the clean sheets reflect not only strong play from Lindgren, but also a defensive consistency that was lacking last season. Each team has legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations — having both made the tournament for the past few seasons — and this could be a big series with Pairwise implications down the line. Expect a pair of low-scoring games in Hamden this weekend. We’ll have a feature on Charlie Lindgren next week, from CHN writer Nick Marek. Prediction: St. Cloud wins Friday, Quinnipiac wins Saturday.

All other series: Denver is the only league team not in action this week. CC hosts Boston College this weekend, while — just like St. Cloud — North Dakota (at Vermont), Western Michigan (at Clarkson), Miami (at  St. Lawrence), and Minnesota-Duluth (at Notre Dame) all head to the road this weekend. Storylines to watch (which we’ll cover more in the coming days) include: Can injury-riddled North Dakota stay unbeaten, playing a Vermont team looking to rebound from a home sweep last weekend? Will Miami freshman, and NCHC Rookie of the Week, Jack Roslovic (3 goals already this season) stay hot against one of the most talented goalies in the country, St. Lawrence’s sophomore Kyle Hayton? And speaking of sophomore netminders, will Kasimir Kaskisuo continue to play well as UMD looks to build momentum after dominating (again) Minnesota last weekend? It’s Notre Dame’s home-opener.

Predictions: BC beats CC Friday, the teams tie on Saturday. Miami and UMD register road sweeps. North Dakota and Vermont split, as do Clarkson and Western Michigan.

Friday, October 23rd, 2015 - 5:34 pm | Blogs, NCHC, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings