#1 Colorado College (26-9-1 Overall, 21-6-1 WCHA)-The Tigers were the league's most consistent team all year, avoiding any long losing streaks and registering at least 1 point in every series during the year. CC is reliant on a deep lineup that can roll 4 lines effectively. Seven players have 20 points or more, led by Junior Chad Rau (27-13-40). The Tigers dominated nearly every WCHA statistic, finishing at or near the top in every offensive and defensive statistic. Their biggest question mark coming into the season was in goal, where Matt Zaba had graduated and left the Tigers with the inconsistent Drew O'Connell and Freshman Richard Bachman as the only options in net. After a couple shaky outings by O'Connell, Bachman took the job and ran with it. Bachman was the backbone of CC's success, dominating from the start of the year en route to posing a 23-6-1 record along with a .934 save percentage and a 1.77 goals against. Those numbers should make the freshman netminder a slam dunk pick for the WCHA Rookie of the Year, and also put him in the running for the title of the league's top goaltender. The Tigers have been atop the WCHA standings since the 1st weekend of the year and are a safe bet to advance to St. Paul next week.
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#10 Alaska-Anchorage (7-19-8 Overall, 3-19-6 WCHA)-The Seawolves placed last for the third straight season in 2008. Their previous two 10th place finishes left them with trips to Mariucci arena, but in 2008 they will travel further south to World Arena in Colorado Springs. Anchorage is a heavy underdog against Colorado College after having won only 3 WCHA games and having severe offensive deficiencies. They have only one player 10 goals and their team leader has only 24 points (both are Josh Lunden at 13-11-24). In net they have not been much better. Sophomore John Olthuis has a poor .886 save percentage, among the worst in the WCHA. The Seawolves have been a pesky squad for much of the year, but they are long shots to move past CC or even push the series to 3 games.
Prediction: Colorado College in 2 games.
-As is typical for Sioux teams under Dake Hakstol's guidance, UND played .500 hockey for the first half of the year before going on an absolute tear in the 2nd half. The Sioux enter the playoffs on a 17 game unbeaten streak and currently are ranked #1 in the nation. The Sioux have been carried by senior goaltender J.P. Lamoreux, who has started 34 of 35 games. He holds a 22-8-4 record with a .934 save percentage and a 1.66 GAA. He is the prohibitive favorite to be the goalie on the All-WCHA squad and his steady play has been the key to UND's success all year. Offensively North Dakota is led by last year's Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan (13-20-33) along with 1st round pick T.J. Oshie (14-21-35). Duncan's numbers have taken a huge hit when compared to last year, but a lot of that can be contributed to the departure of linemate Jonathan Toews, a guy who really made the offense click. The Sioux are strong on the blue-line as well, with Chay Genoway posting 22 points in only 30 games and Robbie Bina chipping in 21 assists. North Dakota is deep, balanced, and has an excellent goalie, all of which make them a heavy favorite in their 1st round series and a good bet to take home the Broadmoor Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Final Five.
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#9 Michigan Tech (13-18-5 Overall, 9-15-4 WCHA)-The Huskies were a sexy pick to jump up the standings and battle for home ice, especially after advancing the Final 5 last year and returning most of their key players from the 2006-2007 campaign. High expectations were not met as the Huskies struggled down the stretch and dipped all the way down to 9th in the standings. Tech's struggles mirrored what they have been most of the decade as they lacked guys who were capable of burying the puck. Tyler Shelast and Peter Roleau chipped in 13 and 12 goals respectively, but after that Tech could not find anyone else to pick up the scoring slack. What they do have is one of the best goalies in the league in Michael-Lee Teslak. Teslak burst onto the scene with a breakout campaign last season and built on that this year. Despite a mediocre 7-9-4 record, Teslak posted a .920 save percentage and a 2.13 GAA. His play in net is going to have to be stellar if the Huskies have any chance of knocking off the Sioux and making a return trip to St. Paul.
Prediction: North Dakota in 2 games.
#3 Denver (22-13-1 Overall, 16-11-1 WCHA)-The Pioneers were hot out of the gate, surging to the top of the standings in October. They appeared poised to battle it out with Colorado College for the McNaughton Cup, but a slump to start 2008 set them back in the standings. Much of that can be attributed to the loss of Brock Trotter, the team's leading scorer who was expelled from the University for a violation of school rules. His loss was a blow to the team's scoring, but they are still armed with plenty of offensive firepower. Freshmen Tyler Bozak (15-15-30) and Kyle Ostrow (10-12-22) combine with sophomore's Rhett Rakhshani (13-13-26) and Tyler Ruegsegger (10-10-20) to give the Pioneers weapons up front. Senior goaltender Peter Mannino has been a key to Denver during his 4 years at Denver, including helping them win a national championship in his freshman season. The Pioneers are limping into the postseason for the 3rd straight year, but a stellar performance from Mannino can propel them into the Final Five for the first time since 2005.
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#8 Minnesota-Duluth (13-15-6 Overall, 9-14-5 WCHA)-The Bulldogs enter the playoffs with the dubious distinction of being the league's most anemic offensive squad. Duluth posted only 71 goals in 34 games, putting them at barely over 2 goals/game. In spite of offensive deficiencies the Dogs have managed to stay around .500, relying on tight defense and goaltending to keep them in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid. No Bulldog has over 7 goals or 17 points, leaving the heavy lifting to goaltender Alex Stalock. Stalock thrived in his sophomore season, posting a save percentage of .917 and a goals against of 2.28 despite often getting peppered with shots from the opposition. Stalock is the Bulldogs only reason for hope in the WCHA playoffs as their offense is not going to scare anyone.
Prediction: Denver in 3 games.
#4 Minnesota State (18-14-4 Overall, 12-12-4 WCHA)-The Mavericks were the surprise team in the conference, using a hot second half to earn home ice and ward off low expectations garnered in the preseason. Minnesota State got contributions from their forwards, defenseman, and goaltenders which makes them one of the more balanced teams in the league. Junior forwards Mick Berge led the Mavs with 19 goals and eleven players notched 10 or more points. As with most teams in the league, they got stellar goalt have home ice for the ending. Junior Mike Zacharias was one of the league's best, winning 17 games and posting a .920 save percentage. He kept them above water during October and November until the rest of the squad started clicking. The Mavericks have home ice for the first time since 2003 and have a great chance to advance to St. Paul for only the second time in Troy Jutting's tenure as coach.
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#7 Minnesota (15-14-9 Overall, 9-12-7 WCHA)-It was a down year by Gopher standards, as they were sub-.500 in league play and failed to earn home ice for the first time this decade. The season got off to a tumultous start for Minnesota, as they lost their first four league games. They were also hit by two key losses. Junior forward and captain Ryan Stoa was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury against Michigan on the first weekend of the year. They then lost last season's leading scorer in Kyle Okposo when he signed with the New York Islanders in early December. The Gophers combined big wins over Michigan and North Dakota with bad losses to Alaska-Anchorage and RIT, proving that they can play at both ends of the spectrum. Known for their offensive prowess under Don Lucia, they hit a season long scoring funk. They finished near the bottom of the league in both goals per game and power play percentage, both of which are generally hallmarks of Gopher squads. They did get solid seasons from junior Blake Wheeler (15-17-32) and senior Ben Gordon (14-13-27) to pace the offense. Freshman netminder Alex Kangas took over for struggling Jeff Frazee permanently in January and never relinquished the starting job, stabilizing the team and giving tem a chance to win every night. The Gophers young defenseman and scoring troubles may hinder them in the postseason, but they have owned the all-time series with the Mavericks and always find their way to the Xcel come mid-march.
Prediction: Minnesota in 3 games.
#5 St. Cloud State (17-14-5 Overall, 12-12-4 WCHA)-The Huskies are the antithesis of the WCHA, as they rely on a high scoring offense for most of their success. Sophomore Ryan Lasch (23-25-48) led the WCHA in points and he was complimented by freshman Garrett Roe (18-23-41) and sophomore Andreas Nodl (17-24-41). The Huskies offensive attack is potent, but they have had struggles along the blue-line. Their defenseman are small and have a tough time handling bigger, faster opponents. It is generally a track meet when the Huskies are playing, and they need their big guns to find the net if they are going to make their third striaght trip to the Final Five.
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#6 Wisconsin (15-14-7 Overall, 11-12-5 WCHA)-The Badgers defined medicority this season, as they hovered around .500 all year. They are a very dangerous team however. Led by a talented freshman class headlined by Kyle Turris (11-20-31), the Badgers have forwards who can be a threat whenever they hit the ice. Ben Street (13-26-29) and Blake Geoffrion (9-18-27) give Wisconsin a dangerous top line that can give defenders fits. Junior Shane Connelly had large shoes to fill when he took over for Brian Elliot in net, but he has performed admirably, posting a .914 save percentage, although nobody is going to mistake him for a dominant netminder at this point in his career. Wisconsin is a tough team to figure out. They have loads of potential, but have yet to realize it.
Prediction: Wisconsin in 3 games.
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