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WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

It just struck me that that old "finish in the top three" mindset goes out the door in a twelve team WCHA.

If you advance past the first WCHA playoff round you need to finish top two to guarantee that you won't have to play on Thursday.

Ouch.


From WCHA.com:
Following the completion of the first round, the six winning teams will advance to the WCHA Final Five at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul. The brackets for the Final Five will be pre-set and the top two seeded teams will receive a bye. The 2011 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, set for March 17-19, will get underway with two games on Thursday on a single-ticket for the opening day. The Thursday games are tentatively set for 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Team No. 3 will play Team No. 6 and Team No. 4 will play Team No. 5.

On Friday of Final Five weekend, Thursday's winners will advance to take on the top two-seeded teams in a pair of semifinal matchups on Friday with separate admission tickets set for 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm. As the brackets will be pre-set, the matchups on Friday could be different than usual. And there will no longer be a third place game.
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Does that "pre-set bracket" thing mean that Minnesota no longer must play on Friday night (and never afternoon)? Or will it just work out that the bracket is pre-set that way.
 
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Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

dggoddard said:
We reload, not rebuild. :D
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I'm defending Denver more than most, I don't think that they're slipping out of home ice, but going in without Cheverie, Colborne, Rahkshani, Ruegsegger and Wiercioch they're not top 3 on paper.
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

SCSU Euro said:
I'm defending Denver more than most, I don't think that they're slipping out of home ice, but going in without Cheverie, Colborne, Rahkshani, Ruegsegger and Wiercioch they're not top 3 on paper.
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I guess we'll just have to see what happens. With two new teams in the league and schedule clustering for the first time there are many variables. I think the top three teams are going to run away in standings. Maybe by 8 points or more over the 4th place team.

Of my projected top four teams, St Cloud has by far the easiest conference schedule. They should be in first place at XMAS.

People always count DU out and Gwoz always finds a way to get things done. I think the way last season ended left a bitter taste and Denver will be far more focused than in recent seasons.
 
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Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

SCSU Euro said:
I'm defending Denver more than most, I don't think that they're slipping out of home ice, but going in without Cheverie, Colborne, Rahkshani, Ruegsegger and Wiercioch they're not top 3 on paper.
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I would agree. UND, UMD and SCSU are all certainly deeper on paper. I see DU, Minnesota, CC and Wisconsin all slugging it out for 4-7 midpack positions and all on the NCAA bubble.
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

I think this year will be as unpredictable as any in recent years.
The favorite never seems able to win the regular season title and that will probably hold true again.

1). St. Cloud
2). North Dakota
3). Minnesota Duluth
4). Denver
5). Minnesota
6). Colorado College
7). Wisconsin
8). Minnesota State
9). Michigan Tech
10). Bemidji State
11). Alaska Anchorage
12). Nebraska-Omaha
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

Going to be a battle between 4 teams for the top spot in my opinion.DU,UND,SCSU,and UMD.The bottom 2 of course will be Tech and AA.In between is anybodies guess but I don't see BSU or UNO getting home ice for the playoffs either.So here is how I see it.

1.UND
2.SCSU
3.DU
4.UMD
5.CC
6.MINN
7.WISC
8.BSU
9.UNO
10.MSU
11.AA
12.TECH
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

Huskiefan906 said:
I think this year will be as unpredictable as any in recent years.
The favorite never seems able to win the regular season title and that will probably hold true again.

1). St. Cloud
2). North Dakota
3). Minnesota Duluth
4). Denver
5). Minnesota
6). Colorado College
7). Wisconsin
8). Minnesota State
9). Michigan Tech
10). Bemidji State
11). Alaska Anchorage
12). Nebraska-Omaha
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You mean besides from last year's favorite, Denver, winning the league?:D

I'll give this a shot:

1- UND
2- UMD
3- SCSU
4- CC
5- Denver
6- Wisconsin
7- Minnesota
8- Bemidji State
9- Nebraska-Omaha
10-Mankato
11- Tech
12- UAA

That said, predictions are a crap shoot and mine are always subject to change once it gets closer to September. A lot of us will probably pick our own teams to do well, whether justified or not. I think it'll be a top heavy year in the WCHA - the top 3 teams are pretty consensus right now. I'm not counting anyone out, but aside from the top 3 teams, there are clear weaknesses in every other squad in the league. (Oh, I should admit I don't know that much about Nebraska-Omaha & only slightly more about Bemidji since we did not play them last season)
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

dggoddard said:
Of my projected top four teams, St Cloud has by far the easiest conference schedule. They should be in first place at XMAS.
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What do you mean? UND and SCSU are partners, so they play the same teams. So by your logic, SCSU must be the vastly superior teams, for they play the "lowly" UND team four times, while UND draws SCSU four times. This must be what you meant, right? :rolleyes:
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

1. Und
2. Duluth
3. Scsu
4. Wisc
5. Du
6. Cc
7. Mn
8. Bsu
9. Msu-m
10.tech
11. No
12. Aa
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

BeaverFan said:
8th or 9th is possible. However, you can't keep comparing their schedule next year to the past season. It's a new conference. A much better conference hence why we have much better recruits than past seasons.

Every team in the WCHA feels the grind of week-to-week play with tough teams, who's to say their the only ones that can't handle it next season?

I've been a Sioux fan my entire life, IMO they are one of the best experienced teams in the WCHA, and even they struggle in the grind from season-to-season.

BSU has shown already that they can beat the top tier teams in the WCHA. (Sweeping UMD while #1 in WCHA standings). I don't care if they played Robert Morris or Alabama Huntsville the weekend before. They still played, and they still won those games. It wasn't a fluke, they outworked them in every aspect of those games.
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If i didn't like them, I could see them as #12, after all, they could get so beat up by the first month, they may not recover. In fact, I am willing to bet plenty that when they face Denver, they will not outwork them, they will be bone tired, and be showing a lack of depth.
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

BeaverFan said:
8th or 9th is possible. However, you can't keep comparing their schedule next year to the past season. It's a new conference. A much better conference hence why we have much better recruits than past seasons.

Every team in the WCHA feels the grind of week-to-week play with tough teams, who's to say their the only ones that can't handle it next season?

I've been a Sioux fan my entire life, IMO they are one of the best experienced teams in the WCHA, and even they struggle in the grind from season-to-season.

BSU has shown already that they can beat the top tier teams in the WCHA. (Sweeping UMD while #1 in WCHA standings). I don't care if they played Robert Morris or Alabama Huntsville the weekend before. They still played, and they still won those games. It wasn't a fluke, they outworked them in every aspect of those games.
Click to expand...

Don't get sucked in by this dipshi#...just looking to stir it up...
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

SCSU Euro said:
What do you mean? UND and SCSU are partners, so they play the same teams. So by your logic, SCSU must be the vastly superior teams, for they play the "lowly" UND team four times, while UND draws SCSU four times. This must be what you meant, right? :rolleyes:
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No two teams in the WCHA have the same schedule, even teams in the same cluster. SCSU and UND may play the same WCHA teams but they dont play the same schedule. The games are going to have a different vibe to them because of either the rivalry, when they play or where they play the games.

Some series are going to be wars and you can tell that before the season even starts.

UND opens WCHA play at Bemidji. The house is going to be rocking all weekend.

UND then gets Denver at home. Ditto

Then UND plays UMD at home. Seeing a pattern yet?

UND has a very difficult WCHA schedule. Plus they have far more built in rivalries because of their tradition and history.
 
Re: WCHA 2010 Predictions Thread

1. Minnesota
2-11. Teams that don't matter.
12. MTU, for tradition's sake.
 
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