This year's WCHA Tournament has not exactly been upset-heavy.
Last year, seventh-seeded Minnesota-Duluth stormed from the back of the field to claim the title, knocking off top teams like North Dakota and Denver. The Bulldogs are in the tournament again this year, though as a five seed they will likely not play a big role.
In the best-of-three first round series, the five higher-seeded teams all advanced, and it looks like that trend will continue as the remaining teams descend on Minneapolis for the Final Five. The tournament will likely turn into a showcase for powerhouse teams like the top-seeded Pioneers and second-seeded Badgers, so while it might not be friendly to Cinderella stories it will make for some awesome hockey.
Here is a look at how we think the tournament will go and who will take home the Broadmoor Trophy.
Quarterfinal: (4) North Dakota vs. (5) Minnesota-Duluth
The Final Five kicks off at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday night with a showdown between North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth.
The Fighting Sioux enter the Final Five as one of the hottest teams in the country, having won eight of their last nine contests. North Dakota needed three games to get past Minnesota in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, but defeated the Gophers 4-1 Sunday night in Grand Forks, N.D., to advance. Also, Sioux forward and WCHA freshman of the year candidate Danny Kristo enters the Final Five working on a career-best ten-game scoring streak to help get North Dakota's offense going.
Minnesota-Duluth advanced to this point after beating Colorado College at home in three games. The Bulldogs will continue to rely on an explosive quartet of 40-point scorers in sophomores Jack and Mike Connolly and juniors Rob Bordson and Justin Fontaine.
Fatigue could come into play for these two teams as both were forced to play an extra day last week and a day early this week. North Dakota won three of four regular season contests. The reward for Thursday's winner: A Friday night date with the top-ranked Denver Pioneers.
Semifinal 1: (2) Wisconsin vs. (3) St. Cloud State
If the WCHA playoffs were a meal, last week's Kohl Center sweep of Alaska-Anchorage would be something like the salad (the Seawolves even wear green).
But a Final Five opener of No. 3 seed St. Cloud State will serve as the main course.
The Huskies, more of a skill team than one that relies on brute force, have played well against Wisconsin this season, splitting the season series by scoring a 4-1 win at home and a 6-1 win on the road. St. Cloud is led by the dangerous productive duo of Garrett Roe and Ryan Lasch, who play on different lines but team up on the powerplay.
Freshman netminder Mike Lee appears to have taken the reigns at his position, starting the final two games of the Huskies' first-round series against Minnesota State.
In pursuit of their first WCHA tournament crown in the Mike Eaves era, the Badgers counter with the nation's second-best offense featuring four 40-point scorers.
A key to the game may come in the corners, where the Badgers may be able to beat up St. Cloud players in pursuit of loose pucks.
Wisconsin should hold a slight advantage with one of the strongest, deepest group of skaters in the country, but do not be surprised if the Huskies manage to jump out early and hold on to win in pursuit of their own No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Semifinal 2: (1) Denver vs. Quarterfinal Winner
In a field that includes five teams ranked in the top eleven, at least two legitimate national title contenders and a talent pool that has 30 NHL general managers drooling, there is at least one advantage to having the top seed if you are the Denver Pioneers. They essentially have a normal week as they prepare to play the winner of Thursday's North Dakota/Minnesota-Duluth matchup.
The Pioneers' semifinal game will be played at 7:00 Friday night, a time the team is used to, whereas Wisconsin and St. Cloud State square off at 2:00 Friday afternoon. A friendly schedule is not the only thing working in the Pioneers' favor.
They also have the best goaltender in the WCHA in junior Marc Cheverie and arguably the most feared line in the country. Seniors Rhett Rakhshani and Tyler Ruegsegger and sophomore Joe Colborne have combined to rack up 57 goals and 128 points so far this season.
After getting only one point in Madison in late January, Denver reeled off ten straight wins and won the regular season by five points. As for the prospective opponents, Denver swept North Dakota twice and split with UMD in Duluth. It is fair to say they are the favorites.
Championship Game
Yes, playoff hockey is unpredictable, but in this tournament there are only two teams we can see facing off for the WCHA playoff title Saturday.
Wisconsin and Denver have been the two teams atop the conference all year long, and though there has been a rotating cast of characters nipping at their heels throughout the season, the race for the Broadmoor Trophy will come down to these teams.
When they faced off in their only meeting of the season Jan. 22 and 23, the Badgers played their best hockey of the season and claimed three of an available four points at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin played like a team possessed in that series. The offense fared better than just about anyone else against Cheverie, Badger junior goaltenders Scott Gudmandson and Brett Bennett were strong in goal and the defense in front of them was superb.
There are two important differences between that series and the meeting the teams could have if they play to decide the WCHA tournament championship, the first of which is the atmosphere at the Kohl Center. Yes, the conventional wisdom is that the Badgers struggle at home against Denver, but the arena was rocking all weekend and it is hard to argue the fans did not give Wisconsin at least some help. They will not have that advantage if they meet at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis.
The more important difference is that the Denver series showcased the team living up to their potential. If the Badgers play like they did that weekend for the next six games, they will not just win the Broadmoor Trophy, they will come back to Madison with a national championship.
Given the neutral ice and the fact that the Badgers have not quite played at the level they were against Denver in their most recent series, the Pioneers are our pick to follow up their WCHA regular season title with a playoff one as well.
