With football in swing and the leaves beginning to fall, it’s that time of year again when most sports fans finally realize that hockey started two weeks ago at most levels. It’s been a silent start for both college and professional play, and the small sample of games so far has of course yielded some unexpected results.
In college hockey, Colorado College is finding that they may have a new phenom in goal to replace the early exit of Richard Bachman. CC took 3 of 4 points last weekend from Wisconsin to get off to a nice start in conference play. North Dakota had a successful weekend by taking 3 of 4 points from the wiley Gophers. Mankato got off to a strong start against Bowling Green with a sweep two weeks ago, but then came crashing back down to earth after a weekend sweep in Duluth.
CHA spotlight teams Bemidji State and Alabama-Huntsville are taking advantage of their programs’ hype early in the season. Bemidji rattled-off a sweep against Atlantic Hockey stronghold Air Force, and Huntsville did the same in addition to taking care of business against a solid CCHA team in Notre Dame. Both teams will have something to prove all season long. Meanwhile, the Big Ten teams have looked less than dominant in the first two weeks of play.
The real season starts in November when everyone’s got a few games under their belts. Until then, hockey fans have the opportunity to scout out new faces and new talents.
Look for a weekly pick series in upcoming blogs.
