Game picks by USCHO writers
The first full weekend of hockey in 2023 has arrived and two of the biggest matchups of the weekend feature nationally ranked opponents squaring off. St. Norbert plays Aurora in a pivotal NCHA series and Augsburg goes on the road to take on UW-Stevens Point. Check out the picks for those games and more below. … Read more
The action will certainly heat up with everyone back this week and conference play dominating the schedule to open January for many teams. Some intriguing pairings that could have tiebreaker implications down the road come seeding for conference tournaments along with a couple of fun tournaments hosted by Plattsburgh and Nichols. I closed out the … Read more
The final weekend of 2022 is here and there is hockey to be played. Two nationally ranked opponents are in action as No. 10 Aurora plays at home against Concordia (Minnesota) while No. 3 Adrian is out East playing in a tournament at Oswego State. A full slate of games returns once we get into … Read more
Happy New Year! The semester break for some teams is officially over after Christmas as teams resume New Year’s tournament play or non-conference games to finish out calendar year 2022 and roll into January 2023. If the first half was any indicator, anything can and will happen so nothing like some trophy winning opportunities to … Read more
It’s the final weekend of hockey before Christmas and there is one weekend battle in particular jumps out. That’s the one between Augsburg and St. Norbert. The two top five teams will face off in a two-game series this weekend. A rivalry game between UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point is also on tap. Both teams … Read more
It is the final weekend of the first half of the season and there are a lot of teams seeking victory to send their players into finals and home for the break feeling very good about where they are at this point of the season. I am seeking the same validation on my weekly picks … Read more
It’s not even Christmas yet, and here we are, with another weekend that brings the gift of more hockey. A lot of great matchups are in store for the weekend, including a showdown between Augsburg and St. Olaf in a huge MIAC series. That’s playoff worthy hockey in December. The WIAC should be interesting to … Read more
Last week, despite all the surprising and exciting outcomes over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I finished a solid 7-4-1 (.625) to move to 35-17-4 (.661) on the season which is solid if not spectacular week. The schedule has some great matchups including some head-to-head affairs between the few remaining unbeatens as well as marquee games … Read more
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. And now it’s time to serve up another edition of game picks. Not a ton of games on the slate this week because of the holiday, but there is still hockey to be played. Check out my latest game picks below and enjoy the weekend. Friday and Saturday Bethel … Read more
Happy Thanksgiving! The Thanksgiving Holiday weekend always brings great tournament action and some intriguing non-conference matchups to delight the D-III hockey fan in all of us. Hardware is on the line so look for teams to put it all on the line to claim tournament glory and bragging rights. Last week my picks were solid … Read more
It’s straight up conference play this coming weekend throughout the west region of NCAA Division III hockey. In the MIAC, one of the highlights is St. Scholastica’s series with Saint John’s. Both teams are unbeaten in WIAC play. UW-Stout is off to a hot start and faces two tough tests while Adrian hits the road … Read more
Finally, a few things to check the box on this season! NESCAC opening their season, check. Picking a Thursday slate of games correctly, check. Beating a 70% success rate on picks, check. It is after all, only week number four of the season but based on the regular upsets, weekend splits in series with no … Read more
It’s the middle of the November and the matchups are interesting to say the least. UW-Eau Claire and Augsburg face off in a key non-conference game that could have tourney implications down the road. And one of the biggest surprises of the season, UW-Stout, takes on Lake Forest as it looks to stay unbeaten. Check … Read more
Well, it is week three of the season and while some early power teams have emerged, last week’s results and my picks clearly showed that every game is up for grabs. I finished last week with a sub-par performance going 4-6-0 (.400) which puts the season total at 10-10-2 (.500). That rate is coin flip … Read more
November has arrived and the hockey season is just getting ramped up. Some teams are playing for the first time this week while others already have a couple of games under their belts. One of the more interesting matchups will be Saint John’s taking on UW-Eau Claire and Aurora facing off against Trine. Here are … Read more
The week two matchups bring a lot of conference intrigue along with teams looking to get on track after a tough set of opening games. Last week I opened the season with a 6-4-2 record (.583) which is above average but not stellar by any standard. This week sees some pivotal early season games in … Read more
Hello hockey fans. It’s time for another season. And you can’t ask for anything better than a couple of matchups on the opening weekend that are worthy of being played late in March. Reigning champ Adrian battles Utica, the last team to beat Adrian, and UW-Stevens Point squares off with St. Norbert in a huge … Read more
The end of the exhibition season is upon us and while the action was exciting it hasn’t counted just yet. Thankfully, the official puck drop to the new season is upon us this weekend and, WOW, what a slate of games with a few top-ranked teams playing each other. Tournament action is also on tap … Read more
By Brian Lester Championship weekend is here in the west region of NCAA Division III hockey, and among the matchups is a top five showdown between Adrian and St. Norbert. Those rivals will play for the NCHA tournament crown on Saturday night. Two other top 10 teams are in action as well. Augsburg, ranked fourth … Read more
Tournament play gets underway in the WIAC and NCHA while the MIAC will wrap up its regular season this weekend, though the regular-season championship has already been decided as Augsburg clinched it last weekend. The Auggies play Saint John’s in their final series, and that should be an interesting one as the Johnnies are still … Read more