Wearing the rally caps/The Red Line
By Brandon Veale - DMG Sports EditorFact Box
WCHA Picks
3-6-3 is a great-looking double play but looks significantly uglier when it's your first week of picks in the WCHA. All 10 teams in the league are in conference play, including Michigan Tech's WCHA opener. I'll just take a mulligan on last week's festivities and hope the Huskies' first conference series coincides with a bounce-back week in my picks.
Michigan Tech at Colorado College - I said CC was the biggest unknown in the league. They had to have converted a few doubters at Wisconsin, where the Tigers earned three points. Three of CC's four goals last weekend were scored by seniors. Could be a tough weekend, with Tech at a disadvantage with altitude, Olympic ice and experience. WCHA isn't exactly easing the Huskies into it, are they? - CC wins 4-2, 2-1.
Denver at Minnesota - Looks like maybe we were both wrong. DU, the pick of the WCHA media, split at Ohio St. last weekend, while Minnesota (my pick) got just a tie at North Dakota. Should be a barn-burner at Mariucci, so we'll go with the split.- DU 5-4 Friday, UMn 5-2 Saturday.
Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State - In a matchup of the two teams that came through best for me last week, UMD comes off a sweep to visit St. Cloud, which took three points against Union. Another tough call, so we'll split them up here. - UMD 3-1 Friday, SCSU 6-4 Saturday.
North Dakota at Alaska Anchorage - North Dakota is the special guest in the first WCHA Late Show of the season. If ND can play like they did against the Gophers, this UAA team should be no problem. - UND sweep, 6-3, 4-3.
Wisconsin at Minnesota State - Two teams in big need of a rebound after combining for just one point last week. Despite the big school/small school disparity, the Mavs are actually 9-4-3 against Bucky in Mankato. Let's call a split. - UW 5-2 Friday, MSU 4-3 Saturday.
Last week: 3-6-3
For the season: 3-6-3
Several times last week, I was on the phone to the home office in Gwinn, trying to convince my folks to come to town.
"The colors are great!"
"You owe me a visit!"
I pitched thimbleberry jam, deep-fried ice cream, even the twisted joy of going through the Yooper Loop backwards. But the most compelling argument I made was "Bradley's got to see the rally."
Bradley is my 11-year-old little brother. He loves cars, and I keep telling Mom that if we don't get him into a go-kart now, he'll never be able to support our retirements with his Formula 1 winnings.
Alas, the only NASCAR races he'll be winning in the near future will be on the PlayStation, but I was certain that the Lake Superior Performance Rally was going to be right up his alley.
We bundled up, made our rally-watching plans and headed up to Delaware Mine to see the stage with hundreds of other excited spectators. Bradley was playing it cool, but when the first car on-stage, Travis Pastrana, roared into earshot, then whipped through the delta corner, I turned around and sure enough, my stoic sidekick had cracked a smile.
Being 11 and having never been cut off on the highway, Bradley enjoys the more physical side of racing.
Knowing this, I looked at him, kidding, and said, "And the best part is, the rest of these guys aren't as good!" There were thrills and spills in the delta Saturday. Of course, the second-place car of Antoine L'Estage was missing most of its front bumper after an incident late Friday night. Heath Nunnemacher's eventual fourth-place finish was briefly interrupted by a stall on both the first and third stages. More than a few drivers used all the corner and parts of the ditch before going on their way.
I'm certain that Bradley wasn't the only young person that enjoyed him or herself out there last weekend, and that's one of the reasons I'm still hopeful for the LSPR's future even though it won't be on Rally America's national schedule in 2010.
Michigan Tech is known as Rally U in racing circles for its connections to the sport, and the student population was well-represented both on the side of the road and even in the driver's seat.
It is an event that is uniquely Keweenaw: Drive as fast as you dare from point A to point B, with the understanding that the road will not be straight, flat or smooth, the weather will be completely unpredictable and the scenery will be fantastic.
The Pastranas definitely give the event some pizzazz, but it's the Matt Huukis and the Mason Moyles that make it the most fun. Of course, it might take some time and effort to convince the public of that, but I hope it will come.
As long as there are cars, two people will probably want to race them, and this is a special way we do it around here, without expensive tickets or multi-million dollar sponsors. I'm confident that the LSPR folks will continue to put on a good show for years to come so that more young folks like Bradley will get a chance to enjoy it.
Brandon Veale can be reached at bveale@mininggazette.com.
