Weekend Picks: Feb. 26

The postseason is here!

Even after the MIAC tournament play-in game Thursday night that saw Concordia (Minn.) eliminate St. Mary’s by a 3-1 score, there is still tons of hockey to play.

Also Thursday, Utica bounced Cortland 5-0 in the ECAC West tournament.

Candace and Matt continue to prognosticate and from here on out, the number of games each week gets smaller and smaller.

Colonial Hockey Tournament – Saturday
Candace: Stevenson should win this, but in this round, I like home ice. Becker 2-1, Morrisville 3-1
Matt: I still say this is all Stevenson, but in the quarterfinals, I like Canton beating Becker and Johnson and Wales upending Morrisville.

ECAC West Tournament – Saturday
Candace: Like Matt, I see Oswego advancing. Oswego 4-2
Matt: Just one game here as Oswego heads to Buffalo State. Should be a close game, but I see Oswego getting the duke here.

MIAC Tournament – Saturday
Candace: This is one of the few upsets I see happening. Augsburg 2-1
Matt: Augsburg at Bethel is intriguing. Both are underrated in my book and Augsburg is in the playoffs for the first time since 2005. That’s motivation enough right there. I’ll pick the Auggies in a mild upset.

NCHA Tournament – Friday-Sunday
Candace: Adrian and Lake Forest are two of the better teams in the country. I like both to advance. Lake Forest 3-1; Adrian 3-1
Matt: Two series here as St. Norbert is at Lake Forest and Adrian hosts St. Scholastica. The last weekend of the regular season was dramatic with Adrian sweeping LFC to take the regular-season crown and I like those two teams to again meet in the playoff championship series. Both Adrian and Lake Forest sweep this weekend.

NEHC Tournament – Saturday
Candace: Home ice takes it in all four. Norwich 4-1; Castleton 2-1; Mass.-Boston 3-2; University of New England 3-2
Matt: I like all the higher seeds winning here — Castleton over Plymouth State, Norwich over Southern Maine, Massachusetts-Boston over Manhattanville and University of New England over Salve Regina. Just don’t see any upsets happening here.

NEHC Women’s Open – Saturday
Candace: I see St. Anselm taking this one. St. Anselm 3-2
Matt: The championship final will be a doozy, but St. Anselm wins it with an overtime win against Franklin Pierce.

NESCAC Tournament – Saturday
Candace: I think it’s home ice in all of the games. Amherst 3-2; Connecticut College 2-1; Middlebury 4-1; Williams 3-2
Matt: The only upset I see here is Trinity beating Williams. Not sure why, just a hunch. Amherst beats Bowdoin, Connecticut College downs Hamilton and Middlebury takes care of Colby.

WIAC Tournament – Friday-Saturday
Candace: I see the two top 10 teams advancing. Wis.-River Falls 3-1, 3-2; Wis.-Stevens Point 3-1; 3-1
Matt: Hoping none of these are decided by a mini game, but Wisconsin-River Falls beats Wisconsin-Eau Claire in two straight and Wisconsin-Stevens Point eliminates Wisconsin-Superior.