Game picks by USCHO writers
It’s hard to believe that the college hockey season will be over in a matter of hours. The Frozen Four this year has been a fantastic event. Tampa has been an excellent host city — they really know what they’re doing here — and even though the Alabama-Huntsville presence hasn’t been very noticeable this week, … Read more
It’s a great day for hockey. It’s a little overcast and the palm trees are too still — just a little breeze — but it’s lovely. Yes, it’s a little freaky that college hockey’s grand finale is being played out this weekend in a subtropical climate, but the greater hockey community seems to have adjusted … Read more
There won’t be any analysis or explanation with these picks. I just figured that if I don’t post something, tens of hockey fans will have one fewer thing to complain about on a Friday. Why would I want to deprive anyone of that pleasure? First, my numbers. They aren’t good. Last week: 1-3 Season to … Read more
No. 9 Denver (24-12-4) vs. No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth (24-8-6) Tyler: UMD is going to reverse its fortune from last season’s early exit in the Final Five. Denver has let a lot of games go down to the wire lately against team’s they should put away and that’s not going to work today. UMD wins. Brian: … Read more
Late with the picks, so you know they’re gonna be good. Right? No. 1 Union vs. No. 4 Colgate Friday’s matinee – 4:30 start time – pits the Cleary Cup champs against the redemption-minded Raiders. The Dutchmen took both games from ‘Gate this year, though it is worth pointing out that those contests were within … Read more
Championship weekend is upon us, so I’m going to make this short and sweet: Any of these teams can certainly win this weekend, but I like Niagara to win the whole thing. No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology vs. No. 2 Niagara – The Tigers will have the home crowd advantage but I think Niagara … Read more
I maintained my one-game lead last week, which means Dave will need a minor miracle if he wants to win. Man, the driver’s seat feels nice. Jim last week: 7-4-0 Dave last week: 7-4-0 Jim’s record-to-date: 123-75-17 Dave’s record-to-date: 122-76-17 Hockey East Semifinals No. 7 Providence vs. No. 1 Boston College (Fri, 5 p.m., TD Garden) Jim’s … Read more
When I think about my second-round CCHA playoff picks, I hear Patsy Cline singing, “So Wrong,” over and over and over again. Obviously, you can’t take my picks to the bank. Last week: 5-6 Season to date: 131-88-25 (.588) If I’m above .500 after the first weekend in April, I’ll be happy. The bigger picture … Read more
St. Cloud State (17-16-5, 12-12-4 WCHA) vs. No. 9 Denver (23-12-4, 16-8-4 WCHA) Tyler: Mike Lee’s past against UND, which includes zero wins in six starts, is going to rattle him Thursday. He never had a shot against UND this year (out with injury in four games vs. UND) and he’s red hot since he … Read more
I have a feeling about a specific upset this weekend — but I thought Northern Michigan would sweep and Alaska would win a game last weekend. You know by now never to take my picks to the bank. Last week: 4-4 Season to date: 126-82-25 (.594) Because it’s the playoffs and I call individual games … Read more
The postseason begins this weekend with six series making up the WCHA’s first round of playoff competition. By Sunday, half of these teams will be out of the conference playoffs and while a couple of those may still be able to squeeze into the NCAA’s they’ll need to rely on the success and/or failure of … Read more
Final regular reason record: 66-65 Playoff record (series): 2-2 As the numbers show, I’ve been downright mediocre with my picks (including a 6-6 mark on the final weekend of the regular season). So take these for whatever they’re worth. All series are best-of-three and start at 7 p.m. The four remaining teams will move on to … Read more
Final Regular Reason Record: 155-63-30 (.685) This Week’s Picks: Atlantic Hockey Playoffs: Quarterfinals Best of Three Series Friday, March 2 – Sunday, March 4 No. 8 Connecticut at No. 1 Air Force – While I think the other three series are toss-ups, this one favors the 19th-ranked Falcons, who swept the Huskies during the regular … Read more
Dave has his rally cap on. Let’s see if he has enough to complete the comeback! Jim last week: 7-2-0 Dave last week: 8-1-0 Jim’s record-to-date: 116-71-17 Dave’s record-to-date: 115-72-17 This week, we’ll pick all three games as if they are played. If a game three isn’t played, that pick doesn’t count. (All series Friday, … Read more
No time for dawdling; it’s playoff hockey. Nate compiled some brief notes on the matchups in his weekly column, and I’ll try not to be redundant. Let’s cut to the chase. Dartmouth at St. Lawrence This series pits a hobbled underachiever against a Johnny-come-lately in what has got to be the toughest pick of the … Read more
After rebounding two weeks ago with a really strong performance, this past week was a bit disappointing. Of course, I’m talking about my picks. Last week: 7-4-1 Season to date: 122-78-25 (.598) Clearly, my math was way off last week. I’m still happy with anything over .500. This week We have three best-of-three, first-round, single-site … Read more
Just a few weeks left and I have leveraged a perfectly-picked split between UMass and UNH to take a two-game lead in the standings. I’m guessing Dave is about to pull the goalie in desperation, so I hope the lead is five by next weekend. Jim last week: 7-2-1 Dave last week: 5-4-1 Jim’s record-to-date: 109-69-17 … Read more
Last Week: 6-3-3 On the Season: 155-63-30 (.685) This Week’s Picks: Atlantic Hockey Playoffs: First Round Best of Three Series Friday, March 2 – Sunday, March 4 No. 9 Canisius at No. 8 Connecticut – The Huskies swept the Golden Griffins in Buffalo earlier in the season. Neither team has been playing well with just … Read more
No. 9 Denver (19-11-4, 14-8-4 WCHA) at Nebraska-Omaha (14-14-6, 11-10-5 WCHA) Tyler: Denver’s stars are getting hot at the right time as Jason Zucker, Luke Salazar and Nick Shore are all on five-game point streaks and Zucker has goals in all five of those games. Nebraska-Omaha’s defense has been questionable and wildly inconsistent with UNO utilizing multiple goalies all season. Ryan Massa seemed to … Read more
Winter has returned to Flint, Mich., and the snow is a definite improvement over the everlasting gray of these past several weeks. There are three CCHA games televised in my area Friday night: Ohio State at Miami and Michigan State at Notre Dame (CBS), and Ferris State at Western Michigan (Fox). Comcast is covering Saturday’s … Read more