Game picks by USCHO writers
Happy New Year and best wishes for a great 2024! The semester break is over as many teams resume New Year’s tournament play or non-conference action to finish out calendar year 2023 but officially kick-off the second half of the campaign. The first half delivered fantastic hockey and many surprises that fans everywhere can only … Read more
For many teams this weekend represents the end of the first half of the season. There are a very few games next week and therefore, the last opportunities for creating positive momentum heading into the semester break and holiday season. It has been a very exciting and dynamic start to the 2023-24 season and this … Read more
It is hard to believe but December begins this weekend and that means there are now limited opportunities for teams to get their mojo going before the impending semester break. Finishing the first half strong is on every coach’s to-do list and that should mean even more great hockey this weekend. Last week I finished … Read more
Happy Thanksgiving! The Thanksgiving Holiday weekend means just about an abundance of everything food, parades, football and of course, college pucks! In the annual tradition of overindulging, please note the abundance of picks below covering all the non-conference and holiday tournament action I could cram into in a 20-pick slate. Last week my picks slipped … Read more
Well, it is now officially the 2023-24 hockey season when we have all conferences on the ice playing real games. Yes, our brethren from NESCAC join the festivities this week and it will be ultra-competitive right out of the gate with league play on tap for the ten teams. Lots of other terrific matchups among … Read more
Here’s a new semi-weekly column of my weekend game picks for certain games. I had to take a play from Tim Costello‘s playbook once again, bringing it to the Women’s D-III side of things! Overall record 0-0 Friday: Oswego at Morrisville I think this game will be closer than some expect. Oswego enters with a … Read more
While it is way too early to panic, there are some teams that are looking at this weekend with a critical eye on playing their brand of hockey; and doing so well enough to pick up a win or two to get some positive momentum going as the first half crosses the mid-point for most … Read more
It’s only week two of the season and there are already intriguing matchups lining up across early conference play. Nothing should get teams more motivated than winning and getting points over key conference opponents. It is still very early in the season, and no one is going to win a conference championship in early November … Read more
It’s almost over. The end of scrimmages and meaningless exhibition games that don’t count on any record or in any standings. This Friday starts the 2023-24 season – a season before the change in the D-III landscape changes dramatically with new conferences and most importantly, just a single at-large bid available for the national tournament. … Read more
After a crazy 15 goal affair between Adrian and UNE and a chess match decided late in the third period between Hobart and Endicott, we are down to the final two teams that will battle for the national title on Sunday evening. For many, including this writer, we have the two best teams in the … Read more
More overtimes, more close games, and one more big upset were the hallmarks of the semifinal round. So, now there are just four teams remaining and it is Endicott as the No. 3 seed playing host next weekend in their very first NCAA Frozen Four appearance. That seems pretty special for the Gulls who will … Read more
Last week saw some incredibly competitive and close hockey in each of the first-round games which included two overtime games and one very extended four overtime thriller. The top seeded teams awaited the outcome from last week’s action and are now preparing for quarterfinal action with the hope of garnering a spot in this year’s … Read more
It is time to go dancing at the national tournament and while the season saw its fair share of crazy results on a week in and week out basis, the 2022-23 NCAA tournament field is not surprising other than the NESCAC entrant from Bowdoin. Then again, that should not be too much of a surprise … Read more
Three games. Three titles. Three berths to the NCAA Division III hockey tournament on the line. It all comes down to an exciting Saturday night of hockey in the west region. The NCHA final features a pair of top 10 teams in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, with No. 3 Adrian and No. … Read more
It all has come down to this weekend and the opportunity the conference finalists have to win a league championship and advance to the NCAA tournament. For St. Anselm and St. Michael’s it is all about winning the only title they can play for as D-II teams, but the D-III teams all know the … Read more
Well, if the early week’s action was not enough for all you D-III hockey fans out there in the east, then buckle up because the action this weekend is going to further reduce the number of teams competing for conference titles across the regions. While NESCAC, and now MASCAC, play their quarterfinal round, all other … Read more
Mother Nature did her best to play spoiler in the postseason, but fear not, hockey will be played in the wake of a winter storm. MIAC tourney play kicks off this weekend while the second weekend of tournament action in the NCHA and WIAC will take place. One thing worth noting about the NCHA playoffs, … Read more
This week is all about the conference tournaments as we enter the official win-or-go-home portion of the 2022-23 season. I will be doing this week’s extensive picks in two parts starting with the quarterfinal rounds taking place Tuesday through Thursday and re-calibrating for the weekend’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds across the conferences. Last week’s volume-based … Read more
It’s playoff time in the NCHA and WIAC this weekend. And meanwhile in the MIAC, the final weekend of the regular-season is here and a champion will be crowned. Here’s at look at the big games ahead as hockey in the west region of NCAA Division III heats up to another level. NCHA Lake Forest … Read more
It is officially playoff season as the NEHC quarterfinals take place on Saturday while elsewhere the battles for first place and home-ice seeding continue in the final week of the regular season across the CCC, NE-10, SUNYAC and NESCAC conferences. Last week’s super-sized picks rebounded nicely at 10-2-1 (.808) which now brings my season total … Read more