With Media Day tomorrow here is the annual thread:

first the NCHC predictions and comments: (prediction from first to worst)

1)UMD

Bringing in some top notch forwards with Isaac Howard to go along side Dominic James and Blake Biondi plus they add to their defense with Miami transfer Derek Daschke. -- I just have a feeling that this could be a very good year for UMD

2) UND

Lots of talent up front with Riese Gaber and other forwards bringing in MSU transfer Drew DeRidder backstops a very good defensive unit

3) DU

They may slip a little but there still is loads of talent on the roster: carter Mazur is back and their freshman class looks really good on paper

4) St cloud

Goaltending may be an issue here: I'm not sold on Dominic Basse

5) CC

second-year coach Kris Mayotte has this team on the rise. Bryan Yoon comes back on the blue line and there is a lot to like about this team.

6) Western

Lots of turnover on the roster so they have some work to do this year.

7) UNO

I feel that the window of opportunity closed last year and the Mavericks are entering the mike kemp 2.0 era.

Not much talent not much scoring (especially 5 on 5) and this could be a long year. Don't be fooled with some wins against another weak non-conference schedule.

8) Miami: Ludvig Persson is back but needs help. like the mavericks scoring is an issue with them. either they score in bunches or they don't score at all.

Elsewhere:

In Hockey east I think BU will be much better with pandolfo I'm picking them first.  Also UMass and Northeastern should be in the mix

ECAC:  I think it's a two horse race between Quinnipiac and Harvard

Big10:  Have to favor Minnesota here -- boatload of talent

WCHA:  Mankato with Hastings group of 30 year olds are head and shoulders above the rest.

Atlantic:  Probably have to pic AIC again:  they have turned into a solid program. -- Watch out for Canisius.  

Week one is in the books and the mavs reclaim the silver sow award!

A good sign that UNO put up 7 goals on the national runner up.  Jury is still out on this team though.  Can Omaha carry that momentum into the regular season?

a little concerned about the sustained lack of offensive zone time.  

Pivonka (the notre dame transfer) had a nice start in a mav uniform. 

defense looks extremely solid.  thought lemay had a very good game 

elsewhere:  It's only one game but it looks like western michigan has some work to do.  

BU (my hockey east pick) put up a ton of goals.  A nice sign that a coaching change did that team wonders.

Quinn wrote:

too many defensive breakdowns at key times.  That can't happen when the defense is supposed to be the strong suit this year. 

100 percent. Not letting the goaltenders off the hook (we can talk about that, too), but all four goals last night were the fault of defensemen.

Mav positives:  first win of the season and battled back saturday to get a tie.

negatives:  probably don't want to be down 4 goals and have to claw back. that won't fly with better opposition.

I didn't see either game so I can't comment on specifics but lets hope for better results next weekend. -- I still think this is going to be a very long season for the maverick faithful. 

elsewhere:  Not a great night for the top teams in the NCHC:

The top-3 teams in the NCHC’s preseason poll went a combined 0-5-1 this weekend against non-conference foes.  Denver gets swept by umass UMD gets boatraced by mankato friday and Quinnipiac (a very very good team) gets a tie and a win at UND.

the tony Granato watch continues at wisconsin as they drop both games this weekend.

BU isn't quite back yet as Michigan waxes them 9-2 on friday.  It will take time to turn that program around even though the talent is there.

and shout out to lindenwood for winning their first D1 game.

Felt like an old school CCHA tilt this weekend.  some positives for the mavs:  Looks like the Randl-Miller-Pivonka line is a legitimate number one line.  need to spread some goals throughout the rest of the lineup.

Alaska did a good job of getting sticks in passing lanes and clogged up the neutral zone fairly effectively.  I will take the win on sunday.  The margin of error for this mavs team is razor thin and any mistake will be hard to overcome with our lack of scoring.

Felt bad for sullivan on sunday.  guy played his rear end off only to get pushished by a very bad call.  I personally hate the contact to the head rule.  it's uneccessary in my view. (I can talk for 20 minutes about this and other topics of why society is soft and weak but I digress.  -- that hit was clean (got him with the shoulder)

terrible terrible call - and I'm not one to point out officiating blunders but they missed it in real time and missed it on the replay.

elsewhere:  Some teams surprised and others were a complete dissapointment:

lets start with UMD:  team has now gone 200 plus minutes without an even strentgh goal and not a good look being swept by wisconsin of all teams.  UMD is a young team and I expected much more out of them.  so far they get a failing grade.

CC gets swept by asu.  a work in progress in the springs for the tigers.

SCSU passed their first eye test with a very impressive sweep of mankato.  I wasn't expecting that.  I thought St. cloud would be not great this year but could they be legitimate?  well traveled Grant Cruikshank with the overtime winner.

Denver gets back to the winning column with a big sweep against providence.  
Miami may be slowly turning things around as they sweep canisius.

and the UND Minnesota rivalry is alive and well.  That series had stick tossing and two over time games.  somewhere dave hakstol and his middle finger are smiling.

Keep an eye on Uconn in hockey east.  they could very well sneak into the top 4 by the end of the year.