Nov. 17—BEMIDJI — Central Collegiate Hockey Association coaches often note the league’s parity year to year.
During the 2021-22 season, Minnesota State and Michigan Tech were separated by two points at the top of the standings after 26 games, with the Mavericks claiming the MacNaughton Cup.
Bemidji State won it the following year by nine points, but went into the final weekend against MSU with a chance of finishing in second place. Bowling Green entered the second-to-last weekend in second place, but fell all the way to the No. 5 seed on the final weekend.
Even last season, when Minnesota State ran away with the MacNaughton Cup, third through eighth place were separated by nine points — the equivalent of three regulation wins.
This season, the parity is still there in the CCHA through roughly a third of the league’s slate, but it could be taking a different shape.
Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Michigan Tech and Minnesota State have yet to lose in regulation in six or more CCHA games. Bemidji State (7-5-2, 5-1-2 CCHA) and Bowling Green (4-3-3, 4-1-3 CCHA) each sit atop the standings at 17 points in eight games played.
Michigan Tech (8-3-1, 5-0-1 CCHA) has claimed 15 points in six games after a three-point split against the Beavers over the weekend. Minnesota State (6-2-4, 3-1-2 CCHA) took five points from Lake Superior State on the road and sits in a tie for fourth place with Augustana. Both MSU and Augie (6-4-1, 3-3-1 CCHA) each have 12 points, but the Vikings have played in one more game.
For the aforementioned five teams, life in league play has been good so far. In a given weekend, any of them can take sole possession of first place, or vice versa. The other CCHA teams, however, have their work cut out for them.
Ferris State, Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan sit in the bottom three spots in the standings. The Wildcats (0-12-0, 0-4-0 CCHA) haven’t won a game this season. The Lakers (3-8-1, 0-6-0 CCHA) had a pair of overtime losses in league play, and the Bulldogs (2-10-0, 1-5-0 CCHA) have a regulation win at home over Augustana — and on the road in nonconference play against No. 9 Western Michigan.
While each of those three teams has at least 20 games left in league play, urgency is sure to ramp up with the four teams at the top picking up at least one point in each league contest so far.
One CCHA school is nearing a fork in the road. St. Thomas sits in sixth place, but has played in just three league games. The Tommies (4-5-2, 1-1-1 CCHA) were picked to finish in first place by the league’s coaches, but now are staring at an uphill battle, even if they have the longest runway to get there.
While the current positioning could be rendered moot in less than a week, given the chaotic nature of the CCHA (and college hockey in general), the dividing line could also become a true gap between the league’s best and worst in 2025-26.
* Adam Flammang extended his point streak to eight games with a goal and an assist in Bemidji State’s 2-2 tie against Michigan Tech on Friday night. The point streak was snapped in a 2-1 overtime loss on Saturday.
* Flammang has a team-high 16 points in 12 games this season. It’s three points off his career-high in a single season (19), set in 2023-24.
* Bemidji State won the faceoff battle 67-57 in the two-game series. Oliver Peer went 27-13 on faceoffs in two games.
* Since starting CCHA play. Bemidji State has raised its penalty kill (80.4%, 33rd) and power-play (17.6%, 34th) percentages. Both are just below the national average.
* Bemidji State improved to 4-2-2 in one-goal games this season.
* Michigan Tech’s overtime win on Saturday snapped the Beavers’ seven-game unbeaten streak to begin CCHA play.
* Junior goaltender Raythan Robbins leads the CCHA in goals-against average at 1.94 (minimum six games played). Robbins also has the fifth-best save percentage (.921).
St. Cloud State 1, St. Thomas 3
Minnesota State 2, Lake Superior State 1 (F/OT)
Ferris State 5, Bowling Green 9
St. Thomas 4, Augustana 4 (AU wins SO)
Ferris State 2, Bowling Green 5
Minnesota State 4, Lake Superior State 2
* Bowling Green freshman Noah Morneau scored four times and had two assists in the Falcons’ sweep. He’s now tied with Quinn Emerson for the team lead in points (11). Emerson had four assists in the sweep. Morneau was named CCHA forward of the Week.
* Bowling Green freshman Dominik Rymon was named CCHA Rookie of the Week with two goals and three assists.
* Ferris State senior Josh Zary scored twice against BGSU. Zary is tied with Morneau, Peer and St. Thomas’ Alex Gaffney for the CCHA’s lead in goals with seven.
* Minnesota State junior Evan Murr was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week with two goals and three assists. Murr had a point in five of the Mavericks’ six goals in their five-point sweep.
* Minnesota State senior Alex Tracy was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week, stopping 65 of 67 in two games.
* Minnesota State senior Tristan Lemyre has a point in eight of his last 10 games after picking up a goal and an assist against LSSU. Lemyre leads the Mavericks in goals with six and is tied with Luigi Benincasa with 12 points in 12 games.
* Lake Superior State sophomore William Ahlrik had two assists against MSU and has a team-high 13 points in 12 games for the Lakers.
* Augustana and St. Thomas played a stand-alone game on Saturday night, due to the CCHA having an odd number of teams. Augustana, St. Thomas and Minnesota State will each play each other three times this season.
* Former Michigan Tech defenseman Nick Williams scored twice for the Tommies on Saturday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
* St. Thomas senior Lucas Wahlin recorded his 100th point against St. Cloud State in a 3-1 home win on Tuesday. Wahlin also had an assist on Saturday against Augustana.
* Augustana freshman Leo Bulgakov leads the Vikings in goals (five) and points (nine) in 10 games played. Bulgakov scored his fifth goal this season against UST.
1-Michigan State
2-Michigan
3-Denver
4-Minnesota Duluth
5-Wisconsin
6-Maine
7-Penn State
8-Quinnipiac
9-North Dakota
10-Western Michigan
11-UConn
12-Northeastern
13-Boston College
14-Dartmouth
15-Massachusetts
16-Providence
17-Boston
18-Minnesota State
19-Ohio State
20-Union
