A couple of years ago, my good friend and former colleague Theresa Geist (née Spisak), when writing her weekly WCHA column, was so flummoxed by the continuing upsets in the conference that she got the clever idea of proving that a coin flip couuld beat her thought out predictions. Every week, she would give her best pick, as well as the coin flip’s pick. As I recall, the coin flip either tied her predictions or beat them over the course of the year. After another rough weekend that saw a slew of upsets, I’m beginning to wonder if the coin flip might beat mee this year.
Last week, both Arlan and I went 8-9-2. I incorrectly guessed that RIT would beat Princeton, and Arlan got the splits wrong on Clarkson-Mercyhurst. That moves me to 20-24-3 (.457), while Arlan is 23-21-3 (.521). This coming weekend is one of the biggest of the year, and we are picking most of the games. Hopefully, some sense of normalcy will return.
Thursday-Friday, October 25-26
Minnesota-Duluth at Boston College
Candace: Both squads have been inconsistent so far. This is one series that is completely up in the air. Minnesota-Duluth 3-2, Boston College 4-2
Arlan: The Bulldogs have never lost a Thursday game (2-0). Minnesota-Duluth 3-2, Boston College 3-1
RIT at Penn State
Candace: Even though RIT lost to Princeton last week and let me down, they played the Colonials tough. I think the Tigers should have enough for a sweep. RIT 4-3, 4-2
Arlan: RIT has thus far beaten the teams it should beat, while PSU has been more volatile. RIT 5-4, 3-1
Friday, October 26
Dartmouth at Princeton
Candace: Princeton looked good against the reigning CHA champs last week when they crushed Robert Morris. Not sure they have enough to beat the Big Green. Dartmouth 4-2
Arlan: Princeton has advantage of being at home and a week of games played. Dartmouth has advantage of being a better team. Dartmouth 4-2
Harvard at Quinnipiac
Candace: If this had been last week, I definitely would have picked the Bobcats. I’m still thinking that they can win this, especially since they have more games. Quinnipiac 2-1
Arlan: Using election-year lingo, early projections show this one is too close to call. Harvard 2-1
Rensselaer at St. Lawrence
Candace: St. Lawrence has to get untracked at some point. This should be the opportunity. St. Lawrence 3-1
Arlan: One-goal losses at BU and Northeastern had me feeling better about RPI. After another one versus Union, I fear the Engineers may just be good at losing. St. Lawrence 4-1
Maine at Boston University
Candace: Maine is off to a rough start, but they did get Brittany Ott back. That won’t be enough; expect her to see more than 40 shots. Boston University 5-1
Arlan: Maine took two of three last season, all played within a week. Boston University 5-2
Robert Morris at Northeastern
Candace: Robert Morris may take a month or two to get into the form that saw the team win the CHA tournament last year. Northeastern 3-1
Arlan: After suspect results last week, Colonials will have to earn “Picks” love. Northeastern 4-2
Friday-Saturday, October 26-27
Bemidji State at Ohio State
Candace: Ohio State got crushed last week by Minnesota, while Bemidji took three points from Wisconsin on the road. This might end up being a split, but I’ll pick the home squad in both. Ohio State 4-2, 3-2
Arlan: I think the voters in USCHO poll gave up on the Buckeyes too soon. Ohio State 4-1, 2-1
Minnesota State at Mercyhurst
Candace: Minnesota State has looked very strong out of the gate. This will probably be a split. Minnesota State 4-2, Mercyhurst 4-2
Arlan: Chances are good that the Mavericks get at least a tie in game two. Mercyhurst 3-0, 3-2
Friday-Sunday, October 26 and 28
New Hampshire at Wisconsin
Candace: Aside from the loss to Vermont, New Hampshire has looked pretty good this season, while Wisconsin has loked monumentally awful. This might end up being a split, but I’ll give the Badgers the benefit of the doubt to avoid getting the split dates wrong. Wisconsin 3-2, 3-2
Arlan: New Hampshire, accustomed to Olympic ice, has the bad timing of finally visiting the Badgers just when they’ve made the switch to an NHL-sized rink. Wisconsin 2-1, 4-2
Saturday, October 27
Rensselaer at Clarkson
Candace: Like Arlan, this is one of the few games of which I am absolutely positive. Clarkson 5-1
Arlan: I feel more certain of this result than any other this week; that means I obviously have it wrong. Clarkson 4-0
Harvard at Princeton
Candace: The last time these two faced each other, it went to overtime in the ECAC tournament. Princeton did beat Harvard at home last year, but I don’t see it happening this go-round. Harvard 2-1
Arlan: The plus or minus in Harvard/Princeton games is off the charts. Harvard 3-1
Dartmouth at Quinnipiac
Candace: I wish I could see this in person. It’s hard to know what Dartmouth is capable of, but I think they come out on top to start the year 2-0. Dartmouth 2-1
Arlan: The Big Green march through October undefeated. Because that’s only two games, as a bonus pick I’ll note that Cornell will defeat Yale. Dartmouth 3-2
Maine at Northeastern
Candace: Brittany Ott is back in net, but it won’t be enough for Maine. Northeastern 3-2
Arlan: Both teams with very short turnaround after playing a different opponent the night before. Northeastern 5-2
Saturday-Sunday, October 27-28
Minnesota at North Dakota
Candace: This could be the weekend that Minnesota finally loses, but I’ll stay with the Golden tide till proven wrong. Minnesota 5-2, 4-2
Arlan: I’m told I should add points to my Minnesota picks; that’s good advice. Minnesota 4-2, 2-1.
St. Cloud at Providence
Candace: St. Cloud has shown some signs of life so far this year. I think split, but I’ll probably get the days wrong. St. Cloud 3-2, Providence 3-1
Arlan: SCSU has 16 players from Minnesota while Providence has 11, so these teams are likely more familiar with each other than one might think. St. Cloud State 2-1, 1-0
Wednesday, October 31
Boston College at Boston University
Candace: I keep picking BC against the Terriers, and they keep losing. Now that I pick the Terriers, watch the Eagles come out on top. Boston University 4-2
Arlan: Three of the BC’s first seven games are against BU. The Eagles have to figure out how to win some of them. Boston University 6-4
