Arlan is pulling away from me big time, and it’s only November. I doubt I’ll catch him, but stranger things have happened. Last week, I went 15-4-3 (.750), to move to 62-22-8 (.717) on the year. Arlan went 17-2-3 (.840) to move to 67-17-8 (.771) on the year. Perhaps this week, I can make up … Read more
Halloween followed by plenty of tricks The only game played on Halloween featured suddenly dependable Robert Morris, and the Colonials handed out the first of their back-to-back shutouts of host Penn State and have now won five straight. The high jinks didn’t begin until November had arrived. It wasn’t a case of ranked teams losing … Read more
Arlan continues to lead our picks race. We both went 16-4 (.800) last week, so I am now 47-18-5 (.707) on the year, and Arlan is 50-15-5 (.750). Let’s see if maybe this week, I can gain some ground. Friday Nov. 1 Vermont at Connecticut Candace: Connecticut has actually been playing some good hockey this … Read more
Familiar look atop league standings Just the tip of the iceberg has been revealed in the conference schedules, but the teams jumping ahead in the standings are no strangers to leading. ECAC Hockey action got underway for two thirds of the circuit’s 12 teams with Cornell and Harvard, squads that have combined to take home … Read more
Well, thanks to Colgate getting a win in overtime and Boston University’s continued inconsistency, I am now three games back of Arlan in our season picks race. Luckily, I am on top in the NCHC race! And, of course, there’s always time to make it up this year (as I did last season). Last week, … Read more
Shocking or explainable? Five of the top eight teams in the most recent USCHO poll suffered defeats in the last week, four of them at home. How do we react to such developments? Should we decide that those losing teams are not as strong as we thought and lower their stock, or conclude that hockey … Read more
After Arlan correctly got our one different pick right last week, he has taken a two-game lead on me in our season picks race. Yowsa. Last week, I went 11-3-3 (.735) to bring myself to 20-8-4 (.687) on the year, while Arlan went 12-2-3 (.794) to move to 22-6-4 (.750) on the year. We’re picking … Read more
Goaltending matters This is hardly a revolutionary concept, but the game provides constant reminders of the fact that goaltender is the most vital position. Consider Providence. On Saturday while hosting Mercyhurst, the Friars played all three of their goaltenders in a 5-0 loss. Starting goalie Sarah Bryant yielded three goals on eight shots and was … Read more
Well, after one week, I am already in the hole to Arlan in the our annual picks race. Last year, I had to make a strong second half comeback to win; hopefully, with some picks this week, I can catch up. Last week, I went 9-5-1 (.633), while Arlan went 10-4-1 (.700). We’ve got some … Read more
And we’re back … What is to be learned from the games and exhibitions over the first couple of weeks? As is often the case early, results can be unpredictable. Consider the CHA, where the only team with a winning record is Penn State, a second-year program that took its lumps last season. The Nittany … Read more
Well, the beer race is on! The last two seasons, Arlan and I have had a friendly wager on our weekly picks race, with the winner getting a six pack of brew at the end. In our first two years, I’ve managed to just eke out a win over Arlan; last year, I had to … Read more
Well, I went 3-1 in the quarterfinal round (.750), to bring my postseason record to 27-11 (.711). There are only three games left. Let’s see how I do. Friday, March 22 Boston College vs. Minnesota I’ve wanted to see this game all year. It should be a speedy one too. Boston College is deeper than … Read more
Four survive to compete on the final weekend A quarterfinal of the NCAA tournament may be the most pressure-packed game of the season. Win and a team is on to the Frozen Four, and by most measures, a season is judged as a success no matter where a team may have fallen short during the … Read more
Well, I did pretty well again in my second week of postseason picks, going 7-3 (.700). I can’t count the Sunday games, because I didn’t get around to posting picks in the new match-ups since I was at Denver-Alaska-Anchorage for an 11 a.m. game. Overall on the postseason, I am 24-10 (.705). Here comes the … Read more
Conference tourneys provide final pieces in NCAA picture The four conference tournaments are in the books, and that means our season has been reduced to the seven games of the NCAA tournament, and that bracket has been announced. First, we’ll consider the conference action, where in a complete reversal of last season, every regular-season champion … Read more
Well, I did pretty well in my first weekend of postseason prognosticating. I got most of the series right, correctly picking 11 series out of 15. In the games, I went 17-7 (.708). I’m picking everything again, so let’s see how I do. Friday, March 8 Robert Morris at Mercyhurst How many times can the … Read more
Sixteen survive to play another day The brackets are set for the semis and finals of the four conferences, but before looking at them, some valiant efforts by losing teams, although ultimately unsuccessful, deserve a mention. Eight tournament games went to overtime, including the first two games of St. Lawrence at Quinnipiac, the only series … Read more
Hey Arlan, thanks for playing! However, for the second consecutive year, I held off Arlan in the last month of the season to claim our season picks race and win a six pack of microbrew! Yahoo!!! Last weekend, I went 15-1-5 (.833), while Arlan went 13-3-5 (.738). I finished the regular season 234-71-32 (.741), while … Read more
One season ends as another begins We’ve reached the end of the regular season — almost. Due to weather-related postponements, Lindenwood has a pair of games to make up at Syracuse, while Yale plays one at Harvard this week. The former has playoff seeding implications in the CHA; the latter matters because Harvard is still … Read more
Well, a couple of ties, a couple of splits, and I held off Arlan once again on a week when we had the most number of different picks all year. Arlan and I both went 20-3-3 (.826). Entering the final weekend of the regular season, I hold a one-game lead in the race for the … Read more