Archive of USCHO’s blog content
Just about to hit the home stretch now in the MASCAC conference, which only means that each game becomes that more important. What can you say about the Westfield State Owls? Heading into this year, projections, including my own, had the Owls no better than middle of the pack, to even one of the bottom … Read more
It’s time for another week of picks as we head into crunch time of the regular season. I had a lot of success last week, going 6-2, which pushes my overall record to 55-47. A lot is still on the line in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, including the conference championship. Five teams have five … Read more
Neumann has had an up-and-down season, but certainly has the talent to make a run in ECAC West, climb the rankings, and get in position for a postseason charge. All that said, this weekend wasn’t much of a launching pad. The Knights didn’t get much accomplished in a weekend set vs. Manhattanville. Neumann lost, 5-2, … Read more
League races evolve After weeks of inequity in terms of the number of league games played and remaining across the four conferences, this weekend finally brought convergence. All teams now have six conference games remaining, with the exception of the top half of Hockey East; those four clubs are down to five games left on … Read more
Two’s company, three’s a crowd… five is a logjam. There is currently a quintet of competitors tied with 13 points in the standings: Clarkson, Colgate, Princeton, and Rensselaer each have eight games remaining to work out their differences; Brown has seven left before the postseason. It’s another “all things are possible” kind of year in … Read more
The play during the first weekend in February was an excellent preview for the race to the Mason Cup because in the CCHA, anything can happen. The three teams from my former home state of Ohio showed that each is in the hunt for something completely attainable. 1. Miami is in the hunt for that … Read more
As much attention as the final WCHA series between North Dakota and Minnesota received two weeks ago, North Dakota versus Wisconsin arguably had a lot more flavor in its last series before the teams leave for new conferences. UND and Wisconsin won’t play next season but the are slated to play four seasons after that. … Read more
These are the three things I think I learned this week. 1. Merrimack has got to be the most underrated team in the league. I’ll admit it. As impressed as I was with the Warriors when I featured them in the column two weeks ago, I thought their outrageously difficult schedule down the stretch would … Read more
Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend: Even Tighter Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley sums it up: [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/derekschooley/status/298066008265089024″] Schooley’s Colonials are tied for sixth place. Second place Meryhurst and tenth place Rochester Institute of Technology are separated by a mere five points with four weeks left in the regular season. First place Niagara … Read more
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Ingalls Rink has been no stranger to sellout crowds, as the Yale Bulldogs have been a feature on the national stage for most of the last four years. The iconic arena and the passionate locals hit the trifecta with Yale’s rise to prominence under Keith Allain, commencing in 2008-09 with a … Read more
Eighth-ranked Yale hosts No. 2 and PairWise-leading Quinnipiac tonight in the first Whitney War of the season. The game is commanding massive attention in the regional media, as there is a fair amount hanging in the balance. The Bulldogs (19 points, eight games remaining) are alone in second place behind the Bobcats (24 points, nine … Read more
Last Week: 5-4-2 On the Season: 104-49-22 (.656) This Week’s Picks: Friday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 2 Bentley at Niagara – This is the final weekend of East-West pod play in the AHA, which means Bentley is the last team to see the Purple Eagles this season. After this, Niagara plays its second … Read more
Last Friday night was … well, it was magical. For me. For my picks. Last week: 10-2-0 (.833) Season to date: 95-63-23 (.588) No chance of a picks week that good again. Ever. This week There are five CCHA series this weekend. Northern Michigan is idle. All series are Friday-Saturday and all times are local. … Read more
So, I backed up last week’s 5-1-0 record with a 4-1-1 (.750) push that certainly shows some level of consistency and ability to see some end-of-year trending among the teams making a push at the right time of the year. The overall season numbers are 44-15-7 (.720), which is better than respectable when predicting games … Read more
Must games. Everybody in the SUNYAC has got ’em, for this weekend and the final two of the regular season. The next two days could see the winnowing of the post-season pack, with a team or two in the nine-team league falling away from the top (playoff bound) sextet. What we’re likely to see is … Read more
Well, it wasn’t perfection, but it was pretty close, as a 5-1-0 (.833) record last weekend leaves me with a 39-13-6 (.724) overall record. Maybe, just maybe, I am finding the consistency needed to be a champion prognosticator at the right time of the season to do so. Then again, I am only as good … Read more
Finally, a slight improvement to my weekly picks! Last weekend, I went 5-3-0, bringing my season total to 45-34-4 (.542). Now I’m hoping I can stay above .500 for the remaining weeks of the season. This weekend, we have Lawrence and Marian facing off in a home-and-home series. Concordia and Milwaukee School of Engineering will … Read more
Is there a changing of the guard in the NCHA? Last Friday, the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds blanked defending D-III national champion St. Norbert, 3-0, at home. It was the first time in almost a year that the Green Knights have been shutout, and only the second time the Blugolds have done it — ever. With … Read more
Perhaps the experience I have gained making picks week to week this season has made me a little wiser. This past week, I finished 5-3, and even correctly predicted a tie and an exact final score. My record now stands at 49-45. I said that St. John’s and Hamline would skate to a tie in … Read more
The record is now 39-8-4 (.804) after a 3-1 showing last time out. It’s now getting down to the final few weeks of the regular season, and some schools are within striking distance of better spots in the standings. Friday, Feb. 1 No. 15 Neumann (12-5-2 overall, 4-5-0 ECAC West) at No. 13 Manhattanville (11-7-1, … Read more