In the last week of pod play, I edged back into a tie on the season with Matthew, as I went 4-1-2 and Matthew went 3-2-2. On the year, we are both 17-10-5. Two series were postponed this weekend due to COVID-19, but CC scheduled a series with North Dakota to make up for it. Let’s get to the picks.
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 8-9
Western Michigan at Miami
Candace: Ludvig Persson has been on fire of late. This is Miami’s first season at home. Western will be hoping to gain some traction after getting swept last weekend at home. The Broncos have struggled a lot so far this season, and I think Miami might pull this out. Miami 4-2, 3-1
Matthew: I thought that Western had recovered reasonably well near the end of the NCHC pod after losing the Broncos’ No. 1 goalie in their first game, but their getting swept at home last weekend against Miami has me a little concerned for WMU. Does Miami repeat that trick at home? Maybe not, but I’ll go out on a limb and say yes. Miami 3-2, 3-1
St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth
Candace: It was a split last weekend, and it’s likely a split again this weekend. The question is, who wins which night? Maybe I’m going out on a limb, but I’ll reverse Matthew’s picks. Hopefully, it doesn’t backfire on me. Minnesota Duluth 3-2, St. Cloud State 3-2
Matthew: These teams played two pretty enjoyable games last weekend at St. Cloud and finished with a split. Hard to go against predicting that again. St. Cloud State 3-1, Minnesota Duluth 3-1
Sunday-Monday, Jan. 10-11
North Dakota at Colorado College
Candace: CC might have a letdown after splitting with Denver last weekend. Plus, I think North Dakota is very strong. I’m going for a Fighting Hawks sweep. North Dakota 3-1, 3-2
Matthew: It’s a shame that we won’t see Gold Pan games this weekend as planned with CC and Denver, but I’m sure the Tigers will be just as ready for UND. The Hawks might have some rust to shake off, too, but I think they’ll get something out of this series. Colorado College 3-2, North Dakota 4-1
