This week in the CCHA: a glamor matchup that spells trouble for the visitors, a crucial test for Rico Blasi, and a gigantic opportunity in Minnesota.

Book Of Work: Bemidji State Vs. No. 2 St. Cloud

In the wacky world of college hockey, a team’s at-large bid for the NCAA tournament is often determined in October. Sadly for the CCHA, October has been the cruelest month, as the league has dropped 21 out of 33 non-conference games, shrinking each club’s vital Pairwise rankings out of national contention. Should favorite Minnesota State claim the 2023 Mason Cup as CCHA tourney champs, the league faces the possibility of only having one representative in the national tournament. Pretty grim news for the CCHA this early in the season. 

Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech both host ECAC North Country schools, Clarkson at the former and St. Lawrence at the latter, an opportunity to inch back towards contention if the two Upper Peninsula teams are successful. But the CCHA school that can essentially punch their own ticket to the NCAA tourney through non-conference play is Bemidji State, and their road to an at-large bid begins Friday night. They play No. 2 St. Cloud in an intra-state, home-and-home series. The Huskies are the current king of the Pairwise rankings, a boat laden with extremely valuable treasure. 

It is Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings who coined the phrase, “Book of work,” regarding scoring points from heavyweight non-conference play. But his ledger sheet shows blood-red ink after his Mavericks were swept in painful losses to his alma mater St. Cloud. Now it is Bemidji’s turn. 

Is St. Cloud goalie Jaxon Castor really a .942 save percentage superman? His career numbers are 40 points lower than his gaudy stats of October. Serratore’s Beavers riddled all-CCHA goalie Blake Pietila for five goals in last Friday’s demolition of Michigan Tech, led by transfer Mitch Martan and freshman Lleyton Roed. They might claim another scalp Friday night in Bemidji.

This is the first of three mega-weighted series Beaver coach Tom Serratore has cobbled together for his club—games with NCHC powers North Dakota and Duluth are slotted for later in the year, enough national muscle to catapult their Pairwise rankings to an NCAA post-season berth. Points are gained only if one can avoid being swept, however. 

Online betting parlor Draft Kings has been wowed by St. Cloud’s 6-0 start, and made them the road favorites in Bemidji Friday. We say, take the goal-and-a-half offered by Vegas, and look for the Beavers to start their steep climb to the NCAA tourney.

Bowling Green Vs. No. 8 Minnesota State

On paper, the Falcons visiting Mankato is big box office. Few can forget their epic league championship game of 2019. But times have changed—while Minnesota State remains a perennial NCAA power, Bowling Green has flirted with mediocrity, having not returned to the national tournament since 2019. They were last seen surrendering nine goals on home ice to No. 17 Western Michigan. 

After suffering a rare sweep last weekend, Mike Hastings has had the full attention of his crestfallen troops. MNSU practices are known to be tougher than most games, one can only imagine the paces the Mavericks have been put through this week. 

In analyzing this series, neither team has an obvious edge in goal. BGSU’s top unit that includes Austen Swankler and Nathan Burke is formidable, but Minnesota State has three lines that match their will and skill. And no team in the country can boast of a defense tandem like the Mavericks duo Akito Hirose and Jake Livingstone. Their power-play prowess could prove fatal to the Falcons this weekend. 

The best reason to watch BGSU versus MNSU this weekend is for the “Baryshnikov Effect,” watching masters apply their artistic brilliance. Despite the entertaining history of these two schools, don’t expect a competitive series.

Prediction: Hometown Mavericks in a sweep, at least one game a blowout.

St. Thomas Vs. Ferris State

The two teams featured here were both insulted by the CCHA coaches poll—Ferris No. 7, St. Thomas No. 8. 

“We’re no last-place place team,” said Tommies second-year coach Rico Blasi. 

And this past Friday certainly supported that claim as St. Thomas came within seconds of tying unbeaten Penn State in Happy Valley. But there lies the rub. How does Blasi change the habit of losing, whether it occurs in the finals seconds of overtime, or by surrendering five consecutive goals in 30 minutes of play, as they did in the Penn State opener? 

After the 1-5 Tommies only win of the season versus Fairbanks, Blasi spoke about how his charges needed to learn, “what it takes to win at this level.” This weekend we will see what this collection of transfers and recruits know about closing out games. They take on a solid Ferris squad, adept at playing on the short ice and tall glass of Ewigleben Arena. Should Ferris sweep, both Bob Daniels and Michigan Tech coach Joe Shawhan have the right to say, “I told you so.” 

Both are bullish on the Bulldogs.

Blasi needs a league win in Big Rapids this weekend. Without at least a split, his Tommies will recognize they are on a familiar set of stairs, ones that lead to the basement.