No. 1 Denver vs. No. 10 Michigan Tech
This series is a battle of the haves and the have-nots.
What No. 1 Denver has: one of the best lines in the nation (senior center Tyler Ruegsegger flanked by wingers Rhett Rakhshani and Joe Colborne), the far-and-away best goaltender in the league (junior Marc Cheverie) and an 11-1 record in its last 12 games. Throw in a coach with extensive postseason experience for good measure.
What Michigan Tech does not have: the ability to keep the puck out of or put it into the net, more than two players with double-digit goals or four players with ten or more assists, a defense that prevents opponents from getting 37 shots on goal per game, or much of a prayer to upset the Pioneers.
The Huskies had a terrifically bad season, going 5-28-1 while giving up twice as many goals as they scored, while Denver won the MacNaughton Cup by five points and has a six-game winning streak against the Huskies.The only saving grace for the underdogs may be that three of Tech's four WCHA wins have come against teams in the top half of the conference.
PREDICTION: Denver in two games.
—Ben Breiner
No. 2 Wisconsin vs No. 9 Alaska-Anchorage
It can be dangerous to rely solely on statistics. However, the disparity in depth between Alaska-Anchorage and the Badgers was apparent both on paper and on the ice this season.
The Seawolves are led by senior forward Kevin Clark, who finished the season with 23 goals and 37 total points. While nobody scored that many goals for Wisconsin (senior center Blake Geoffrion had 21 goals), four Badgers finished with at least 37 points.
In the one regular season series between the teams, Wisconsin took 46 more shots than the Seawolves and scored 11 times en route to a home sweep. The Badgers have been very good at home this year, compiling a 13-3-3 record in Madison. Conversely, the Seawolves have struggled on the road, going just 3-10-2 away from Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.
PREDICTION: Wisconsin in two games.
—Parker Gabriel
No. 3 St. Cloud State vs. No. 8 Minnesota State
The only all-Minnesota matchup of the first round, this series is headlined by a Husky offense led by prolific skill players Ryan Lasch and Garrett Roe. Mankato does not bring much to the table, placing poorly in the league in most offensive, defensive and special teams categories.
Perhaps the best thing going for the Mavericks is momentum after taking three points from St. Cloud in the last weekend of the season, their only meeting this year. St. Cloud has rotated goaltenders all season, but will likely go with junior Dan Dunn, who started the last two games and has only taken one loss since mid-November.
PREDICTION: St. Cloud State in three games.
—Ben Breiner
No. 4 North Dakota vs. No. 7 Minnesota
The regular seasons of Minnesota and North Dakota followed similar tracks.
Minnesota lost senior center and career 100-point scorer Jay Barriball to a torn ACL in early November and struggled to replace his scoring, finishing seventh in the league. North Dakota lost senior center and Hobey Baker hopeful Chay Genoway to a concussion two weeks later and played inconsistently for most of the year before surging to a fourth-place finish.
The Fighting Sioux swept Michigan Tech on the last weekend of the regular season and ride a seven-game win-streak into the playoffs. The Gophers dismantled Wisconsin Sunday and should have some momentum of their own come Friday. In each of the head-to-head matchups, the home team earned three points. Despite all of the parallels, there will be no love lost when these two bitter rivals square off at Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
PREDICTION: North Dakota in three games
—Parker Gabriel
No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth vs. No. 6 Colorado College
These teams were flying high through most of the season, but given the past few games Minnesota-Duluth and Colorado College have had, they enter the WCHA playoffs with the opposite of positive momentum.
Led by freshman goalie Joe Howe, Colorado College put together a number of strong performances and were far exceeding expectations by the end of November. Since then, though, things have not gone as well. The Tigers head into the postseason having lost five of their last six to Minnesota, North Dakota and in-state rival Denver.
In Duluth, the Bulldogs were also considered a top contender for the WCHA title, but the end of the season was not kind to them either. Duluth still has their explosive top scorers, however, and Justin Fontaine, Jack Connolly and Mike Connolly will put Howe to the test.
The Bulldogs probably will not repeat their Broadmoor Trophy run from a year ago, but after taking three wins in four games against the Tigers in the regular season, and with home ice in the series, Duluth should win the series.
PREDICTION: Minnesota-Duluth in three games.
—Nico Savidge
