Game picks by USCHO writers
There’s one game involving an NCHC team this Sunday in the Icebreaker tournament. Sunday, Oct. 12 Minnesota-Duluth vs Notre Dame Candace: Minnesota-Duluth gave top-ranked Minnesota all it could handle in the first game of the tournament. Maybe playing their home state rival previously will lift the Bulldogs. Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 Matthew: I really didn’t see Rensselear beating … Read more
Both Drew Claussen and I began the season on a high note, each choosing Ferris State for the win over Michigan last week, so we’re each 1-0-0. This week There are two nonconference series and two tournaments. Four Big Ten teams are playing this weekend. IceBreaker Tournament Notre Dame hosts the 18th annual IceBreaker Tournament … Read more
Last season: Dan: 155-90-23 (.621) Chris: 162-83-23 (.647) This Week’s Picks: Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11 Mercyhurst at Air Force Dan: Now THIS is how you start out a season, with two of the strongest teams in the league going head to head over two straight nights. With the limited amount of on-ice … Read more
Another year beckons and hope springs eternal. Let’s get right to the games. Dave’s record-to-date: 0-0-0 Jim’s record-to-date: 0-0-0 Here are this week’s picks: Friday, Oct. 10 Boston University at Massachusetts Dave’s pick: In one game, the Terriers equal their total number of road wins from all of last year. BU 4, UMass 1 Jim’s pick: A lot … Read more
The first full week of games is finally here! And seeing as how this is my first official blog post on USCHO I’m a bit nervous that Shane is going to humiliate me in this year’s pick ’em standings. I’m bad at predicting things, which is why I don’t gamble. Luckily for me, we’re not … Read more
OK NCHC fans, we’re ready for the kickoff of season two, and that means your USCHO columnists, myself and Matthew Semisch, will once again engage in our season-long picks race. On the line is a friendly wager for a six-pack of craft brew. I won last year, beating Matthew by five games. The rules: you … Read more
First week of D-I play for ECAC Hockey… time to take some random shots in the dark, and see what we hit! Friday, October 10 Clarkson at Niagara 7:00 Niagara, like Clarkson, is picked around the middle of the pack in its respective league (Atlantic Hockey). It’s a young team with a couple legitimate goalies, … Read more
First things first: Welcome aboard Bemidji’s Jack Hittinger to our WCHA coverage this year, and we bid adieu to Matt Wellens, who did a great job last year and will be missed. I cannot confirm that Matt got out because he lost to me in the picks. We’ll see if Jack can overtake me. But … Read more
Hey! There’s hockey this weekend! Once again, Drew Claussen and I will be covering the Big Ten for USCHO.com. Once again, I’m sure that my partner-in-writing will shame me in the picks category. As a reminder, here’s how each of us did during the 2013-14 regular season: Drew: 85-43-14 (.679) Paula: 86-41-16 (.657) This week … Read more
Three things from Championship weekend in Atlantic Hockey: Marathon Friday’s semifinals saw a total of 168 minutes of hockey with both games needing overtime to settle things. The “early” semifinal between defending champion Canisius and regular season champ Mercyhurst went into double overtime before Golden Griffin defenseman Stephen Farrell’s shot from the point found the … Read more
Well, Matthew and I went 0-2 in our first round picks. Let’s see if we can do better for the consolation and championship games. North Dakota vs. Western Michigan Candace: Western Michigan coach Andy Murray made a big deal about playing for a 20-win season and sending his seniors out with a big during the … Read more
Surprisingly, I had a half-decent record in the crazy quarterfinal round of games, thanks in large part to picking the entire New Hampshire-Northeastern series correctly. And with a .670 winning percentage entering the final weekend of games, I can now officially claim domination over Dave. I had him beat when he went on injured reserve … Read more
The WCHA Final Five is upon us with an entirely different look compared to year’s past. In essence, it’s become almost a cross between the CCHA’s old Super 6/championship weekend at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and the Final Five we all came to love and cherish at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, … Read more
Well, neither Matthew nor I had much luck picking the games last weekend, what with all the upsets and all. We went 4-5 (.444) on the weekend, and I only correctly picked one series (North Dakota), while Matthew picked Western Michigan to win its series, so he was correct on two, but neither of us … Read more
Last Week: Dan: 4-5 Chris: 4-5 On the season: Dan: 154-88-23 (.625) Chris: 160-82-23 (.647) This Week’s Picks Friday, March 21 No. 7 Canisius vs No. 1 Mercyhurst Dan: Having seen Canisius last week, I can unequivocally state they’re not a team of destiny. The term “team of destiny” implies they’re not good enough to … Read more
And we do come down to it. Drew Claussen, that upstart, edged ahead of me admirably in the final weekend of regular-season play. Last week Drew: 4-2-0 (.667) Paula: 2-4-0 (.333) That wrong-way split in East Lansing hurts my heart. Season Drew: 85-43-14 (.679) Paula: 86-41-16 (.657) This week This inaugural Big Ten Tournament will … Read more
Last Week: Dan: 6-5 (Talk about your late season slides. -Dan) Chris: 9-2 On the season: Dan: 150-83-23 (.631) Chris: 156-77-23 (.654) This Week’s Picks Friday, March 14 – Sunday, March 16 (Best of three series): No. 8 Holy Cross at No. 1 Mercyhurst Dan: There are three things that are certain in life – … Read more
Time to pick the quarterfinals. I may have been perfect in the opening round, but it’s difficult to pick a best-of-three. So often, if a team wins game one, they sweep. But this year’s Hockey East field is about a tightly stacked as possible. Thus, sweeps will be difficult. That said, even if I pick … Read more
It’s the final weekend of regular-season play. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I have done with our picks so far. Last week Drew: 3-2-1 (.583) Paula: 4-1-1 (.750) Season Drew: 81-41-14 (.647) Paula: 84-37-16 (.672) This week All series this weekend are Friday-Saturday. Minnesota at Michigan Drew: Minnesota needs two points to put a bow … Read more
It’s playoff time, and there are some intriguing matchups to kick off the WCHA tournament. The fact that the first round pits former CCHA teams against leftover WCHA teams (following the league’s breakup) adds to the interest. But the tournament is bigger than bragging rights. A trip to the Final Five is on the line, … Read more