A Consolidated And Brief WCHA Preview

Predictions are like tailfeathers. So, let's review some stuff real quickly, then make a quick hockey prediction for the conference this year and get out. Come back tomorrow (Friday) morning and check out a short preview of the North Dakota - Minnesota series starting Friday night.

In case you've been rock-living-under this week, take a few minutes to review my Gopher previews of the offense, defense, and goaltenders for the 2009-10 team.

Here are the 2009-10 WCHA Pre-Season Awards:

Player of the Year: Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota

Goalie of the Year: Brad Eidsness, North Dakota

Rookie of the Year: Dylan Olsen, Minnesota-Duluth

Defenseman of the Year: Chay Genoway, North Dakota

Next up, the Preseason All-WCHA First Team:

F-Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota

F-Justin Fontaine, Minnesota-Duluth

F-Chris VandeVelde, North Dakota

D-Chay Genoway, North Dakota

D-Patrick Wiercioch, Denver

G-Brad Eidsness, North Dakota

Crap, lots of Sioux here. How about the second team?

F-Derek Stepan, Wisconsin

F-Ryan Lasch, St. Cloud

F-Anthony Maiani, Denver

D-Ryan McDonagh, Wisconsin

D-Garrett Raboin, St. Cloud

G-Marc Cheverie, Denver

Uh, Gophers? How about the All-Rookie Team?

F-Danny Kristo, North Dakota

F-Ben Hanowski, St. Cloud

F-Rylan Schwartz, Colorado College

D- Dylan Olsen, Minnesota-Duluth

D-Nick Leddy, Minnesota

G-Mike Lee, St. Cloud

Thanks, Leddy, for showing up.

Here was the media pre-season poll (there's the coaches poll too, but frankly coaches don't watch other teams, so proveth by college football coaches who vote Oklahoma over BYU and Penn State over Iowa):

(1) Denver (23 first place votes)

(2) North Dakota(1)

(3) Wisconsin

(4) Minnesota (1)

(5) St. Cloud

(6) Minnesota-Duluth

(7) Colorado College

(8) Minnesota State

(9) Alaska-Anchorage

(10) Michigan Tech.

Some teams started play last week. Denver split at home to Vermont, North Dakota swept Merrimack, St. Cloud was swept by Miami (Ohio - Do I need to even write that with hockey?), UMD defeated Lake Superior and lost to Northern Michigan, CC split with Northeastern, MN State swept Bowling Green, Alaska-Anchorage beat Mercyhurst and lost to Michigan, and Michigan Tech defeated Northern Michigan and lost to Lake Superior.

Silly results of last weekend: Ohio State was swept at home by Quinnipiac, and Michigan lost to Alaska 2-0.

Well, here's my WCHA prediction:

(1) Minnesota

(2) North Dakota

(3) Denver

(4) St. Cloud State

(5) UMD

(6) CC

(7) Wisconsin

(8) Michigan Tech

(9) Minnesota State

(10) Alaska - Anchorage

Prepare for stickball on ice, it starts tomorrow.