I padded my lead on Nicole in a good week, going 26-5-2 (.818) while Nicole went 20-11-2 (.636). On the year, I am 295-99-50 (.720), while Nicole is 259-135-50 (.636).

Friday, Feb. 3

Rensselaer at Colgate
Candace: Colgate seems to be back on track, and the Raiders are at home. Colgate 3-1
Nicole: I think RPI gives them a tough game, but Colgate escapes. Colgate 2-1

Union at No. 7 Cornell
Candace: Union will make this difficult, but I like the Big Red to get the win they need. Cornell 3-1
Nicole: Even with their low-scoring offense, this should be a win for Cornell. Cornell 3-0

No. 3 Clarkson at Dartmouth
Candace: Dartmouth just doesn’t have the depth to hang with the Golden Knights. Clarkson 4-1
Nicole: I don’t think Dartmouth slows down the Golden Knights. Clarkson 4-1

No. 5 St. Lawrence at Harvard
Candace: Harvard’s woeful year will continue. St. Lawrence 3-1
Nicole: It’s been a rough year in Cambridge and I don’t think it gets any better here. St. Lawrence 3-0

Yale at No. 9 Princeton
Candace: Yale is a tough out, but I see the Tigers getting the key win. Princeton 3-2
Nicole: The Tigers need every win and that should carry them here. Princeton 3-1

Brown at No. 10 Quinnipiac
Candace: This is another where Brown just doesn’t have the depth. Quinnipiac 2-1
Nicole: Bobcats win this. Quinnipiac 3-0

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 3-4

Maine at Merrimack
Candace: Maine is on the road, which means they generally lose. Well, the Black Bears always lose on the road but it has to change at some point. Merrimack 3-1, Maine 2-1
Nicole: Maine finds a way to win against teams above them and this could be a fun series to watch. I’ll call a split. Merrimack at home in game one, Maine wins game two. Merrimack 3-1, Maine 2-0

New Hampshire at Vermont
Candace: Vermont seemingly wasn’t as good as I thought. I think this is a split. Vermont 3-2, New Hampshire 3-2
Nicole: New Hampshire has a better record, but I like the Catamounts at home here in a close one. Vermont 3-2, 3-1

No. 1 Wisconsin at Bemidji State
Candace: I’m not betting against the Badgers the rest of the year. Wisconsin 4-1, 4-1
Nicole: I don’t see the Beavers slowing Wisconsin. Badgers sweep. Wisconsin 4-0, 5-1

No. 4 Minnesota at Minnesota State
Candace: The Gophers get a key sweep, and they need it. Minnesota 4-1, 4-0
Nicole: Even with their struggles, the Gophers should sweep this series with no problem. Minnesota 4-0, 4-1

St. Cloud State at Ohio State
Candace: This could easily be a split, but I’ll pick the Buckeyes and Kassidy Suave. Ohio State 2-1, 2-1
Nicole: These two split earlier in the season and I expect the same thing again this time around. I’ll pick Ohio State in game one, St. Cloud State in game two. Ohio State 3-0, St. Cloud State 4-2

North Dakota at No. 2 Minnesota Duluth
Candace: I think the Bulldogs are a different team since sweeping Minnesota. They’ll take two close games. Minnesota Duluth 3-2, 3-2
Nicole: NoDak earned a tie and a shootout win the last time these two met, so I feel like it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see them steal a win here. Calling a split with UMD winning game one and UND winning game two. Minnesota Duluth 3-1, North Dakota 4-3

Saturday, Feb. 4

Union at Colgate
Candace: Colgate beats teams it should. They should beat Union. Colgate 2-0
Nicole: The Raiders have gotten back on track lately and I expect that to continue here. Colgate 3-0

Rensselaer at No. 7 Cornell
Candace: Another where the Engineers will make it close but fall short. Cornell 3-2
Nicole: I like the Big Red to take this one. Cornell 3-1

No. 5 St. Lawrence at Dartmouth
Candace: Unless it’s Clarkson, I’m not picking against St. Lawrence. St. Lawrence 3-1
Nicole: The Saints continue their winning ways. St. Lawrence 4-0

No. 3 Clarkson at Harvard
Candace: By the end of this weekend, the Crimson will be begging for the season to end. Clarskon 4-1
Nicole: The Golden Knights have too much firepower for Harvard. Clarkson 5-1

Brown at No. 9 Princeton
Candace: Princeton should firm up home ice after this weekend. Princeton 3-1
Nicole: The Tigers shouldn’t have much difficulty with Brown here. Princeton 4-1

Yale at No. 10 Quinnipiac
Candace: Yale is just the type of team to trouble Quinnipiac. An upset is possible, but I’ll stick with the home team. Quinnipiac 2-1
Nicole: I’m tempted to pick an upset here, but I’ll stay with the Bobcats at home. Quinnipiac 2-0

Connecticut at No. 6 Boston College
Candace: Unless the Eagles are looking ahead to Tuesday, they should win. Boston College 3-1
Nicole: BC has been on a roll and had no problems with Connecticut earlier in the season. Boston College 4-1

Providence at Northeastern
Candace: Just like BC above, but Northeastern is more vulnerable. Still, I’ll pick home ice. Northeastern 3-2
Nicole: This is an intriguing one and I’m leaning toward Providence pulling an upset. Northeastern 3-2

Sunday, Feb. 5

Connecticut at Providence
Candace: Home ice is what this one is all about. Providence 3-2
Nicole: Providence is still in the hunt and they need these wins. At home, I don’t see them losing. Providence 3-1

Tuesday, Feb. 7

Beanpot

Boston University vs. Harvard
Candace: BU lost a heartbreaker to BC last week, but get the consolation win here. Boston University 3-1
Nicole: Should be a win for the Terriers. Boston University 4-1

Boston College at Northeastern
Candace: Northeastern is another team that can trouble the Eagles, but I think the Huskies fall short. Boston College 3-2
Nicole: I don’t see the Huskies slowing Boston College. Eagles win the Beanpot. Boston College 3-1

Friday, Feb. 3

No. 7 Oswego at No. 5 Elmira
Elmira has the edge in the polls and ECAC West standings, but Oswego is the one team that’s upset Plattsburgh this season, so we know they can handle themselves in a high-pressure situation. This is a two-game series and I think we’ll see a split with Elmira winning game one and Oswego taking game two. Elmira 3-1, Oswego 3-2

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 3-4

Augsburg vs. Hamline (home-and-home)
These two are tied atop the MIAC and play a home-and-home series. With just six games to go in the regular season, these two games are pretty crucial in crowning a top dog. I’m giving the advantage to Augsburg and their defense and I’ll pick them to sweep. Augsburg 3-1, 2-0

Endicott at Morrisville
Endicott has a four-point lead atop the CHC, though Morrisville has an extra game to play before the end of the season. Morrisville has a potent offense, scoring  nearly 4.5 goals per game and goalie Renee Schmaltz is the sixth-best goalie in the country. Endicott goalie Vendela Jonsson actually has a better save percentage, though her goals-against average is slightly higher. Both teams have a stingy defense, so it’ll be interesting to see which is the one that gives. I’m going to call for Morrisville to sweep, using their high-scoring offense to take the series. Morrisville 4-1, 5-3

St. Thomas at Concordia (Minn.)
Three points separate the top five teams in the MIAC and St. Thomas is alone at the bottom with 15 points. Special teams could be big in this series — Concordia converts at a 25 percent and St. Thomas’ penalty kill is just 73 percent. The two teams are fairly evenly matched in terms of goals scored and against and this should be a close series. I’ll call a split with Concordia winning game one  and St. Thomas edging out game two. Concordia (Minn.) 3-1, St. Thomas 2-1

Tuesday, Feb. 7

No. 9 Middlebury at No. 1 Plattsburgh
These two met earlier in the season in the Panther/Cardinal tournament with Plattsburgh edging Middlebury 2-1. I don’t think you can pick against Plattsburgh, so I have to give them the edge, but I expect Middlebury to push them. Plattsburgh 3-2

Well, I was quite prescient last weekend, at least on Friday, and further built on my lead on Matthew in our picks race. Last weekend, I went 6-2 (.750) while Matthew went 3-5 (.375). On the year, I am now 73-51-19 (.576) while Matthew is 58-66-19 (.472).

Three NCHC teams are off this weekend, so it’s a light picks weekend.

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 3-4

Omaha at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth
Candace: Duluth has looked stronger and stronger. The Bulldogs might be vulnerable to a letdown after winning the North Star College Cup last weekend, but it could also give them a boost of momentum. I’ll take the latter. Minnesota Duluth 3-2, 4-2
Matthew: Omaha needs to get something here, but I don’t know if it’ll happen. Minnesota Duluth 3-1, 3-2

St. Cloud State at No. 13 North Dakota
Candace: This could be a split, as St. Cloud State has looked good of late. The last time out, North Dakota emerged with two shutouts. Both teams really need the points. I’ll take North Dakota to sweep, but I have no confidence in this pick. North Dakota 3-2, 3-2
Matthew: UND won’t do to St. Cloud in Grand Forks what the Fighting Hawks did to SCSU on the Huskies’ home ice. I could see a UND sweep here but I’ll take a split. St. Cloud State 3-1, North Dakota 3-1

Arizona State at No. 9 Western Michigan
Candace: Arizona State is coming off an impressive win over No. 17 Quinnipiac, but their last game against an NCHC team was a 6-1 loss to Denver. Western should sweep at home. Western Michigan 4-1, 4-1
Matthew: Western has been very good at home this season, and the Sun Devils aren’t anything special. If the Broncos stay focused, they should sweep here. Western Michigan 3-1, 4-1