Friday kicks off round one of the month long tourney
It is that special time of year again. The time when the skates are a little faster, checks are a little harder and the stress as a fan is through the roof. That is right, it is post season hockey time. If you are an NHL fan, you are well aware of how much fun the pro playoffs can be. Luckily in the collegiate level, we are able to enjoy the conference tourney before the NCAA’s which allows for double the excitement. MSU sees itself in the prime position with the first round bye and home ice. So, let’s take a look at the first round best of three match ups and see who might come to East Lansing on March 15.
#2 Minnesota vs #7 Notre Dame
The conference has been stacked this year with the potential of almost every team making the NCAA tournament. That one team not making it for sure is Notre Dame. The Irish have had a tough season as Coach Jackson retires. Definitely not the way they wanted to play this season. That being said, it could be the spark for the Irish to be motivated and cause some drama. No larger drama could take place than the Irish ousting Minnesota in the first round on the road. If this were to happen, the Irish would be coming to East Lansing on St Patrick’s Day weekend. However, I don’t see the Irish being that lucky. Minnesota is a legit contender for the National Title, a #1 seed in the Frozen Four and has been on a collision course all year long for the top spot in the Big Ten. Depth, experience, goal tending, PK, PP, are all on the Gophers side. They play very disciplined hockey and I see the Gophers sweeping in two games.
#3 Ohio State vs #6 Wisconsin
This matchup taking place in Columbus could be a lot of fun. OSU has been fairly consistent in the three spot all year. They even had an extreme outside chance at a higher seed but they split with the weasels last weekend and MSU and Minnesota took care of business. Wisconsin has been a very scrappy team all year. They can be very physical and get hot enough to win a couple. The Badgers are 2-8 in their last ten games against the Buckeyes with a current 5 game losing streak. I see the Badgers snapping this streak and winning one of the first two and stretching the series to three games. OSU will come out on top in the third game to advance to take on Minnesota in round two.
#4 weasels vs # 5 Penn State
This is the best matchup in the first round and will likely produce MSU’s next opponent. The weasels have seemed to find a bit of continuity and better goal tending at late. After MSU’s offensive pounding of them at Little Caesars they seemed to right the goaltending ship and play tighter on defense. They hold the regular season matchup at 3 games to 1 and have scored some goals. The difference is PSU has played like a team possessed down the stretch. They have had impressive goaltending by future Calgary Flames goaltender, Sergeev. I definitely see a split in the first two games and wouldn’t be surprised by a couple of overtimes in this matchup. I am going to go with the upset her and take PSU with the win as they are fighting to get that last spot in the NCAA tournament and have a bit more to play for.
If all that plays out then round two would see Ohio State at Minnesota and Penn State in East Lansing. MSU will have its hands full as it tries to win back to back tournament championships. I just see this as an epic tourney with Minnesota coming to Munn to battle for the title on March 22. As co-champs in the regular season this championship game would determine solidly who is tops in the BIG. I’ve been saying all year, this is the Spartans year to raise a banner and I am not backing down from that. This trophy will be coming to Munn as there are two spots open on the shelf.
All first round games are available on BIG+ and second rounds and title game are all on BTN. Enjoy the hockey, maybe we’ll see some upsets, and maybe even an easier road to the title for the Spartans. Let me know your predictions in the comments and Go Green!