Just about to hit the home stretch now in the MASCAC conference, which only means that each game becomes that more important. What can you say about the Westfield State Owls? Heading into this year, projections, including my own, had the Owls no better than middle of the pack, to even one of the bottom … Read more
It’s time for another week of picks as we head into crunch time of the regular season. I had a lot of success last week, going 6-2, which pushes my overall record to 55-47. A lot is still on the line in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, including the conference championship. Five teams have five … Read more
Neumann has had an up-and-down season, but certainly has the talent to make a run in ECAC West, climb the rankings, and get in position for a postseason charge. All that said, this weekend wasn’t much of a launching pad. The Knights didn’t get much accomplished in a weekend set vs. Manhattanville. Neumann lost, 5-2, … Read more
So, I backed up last week’s 5-1-0 record with a 4-1-1 (.750) push that certainly shows some level of consistency and ability to see some end-of-year trending among the teams making a push at the right time of the year. The overall season numbers are 44-15-7 (.720), which is better than respectable when predicting games … Read more
Must games. Everybody in the SUNYAC has got ’em, for this weekend and the final two of the regular season. The next two days could see the winnowing of the post-season pack, with a team or two in the nine-team league falling away from the top (playoff bound) sextet. What we’re likely to see is … Read more
Well, it wasn’t perfection, but it was pretty close, as a 5-1-0 (.833) record last weekend leaves me with a 39-13-6 (.724) overall record. Maybe, just maybe, I am finding the consistency needed to be a champion prognosticator at the right time of the season to do so. Then again, I am only as good … Read more
Finally, a slight improvement to my weekly picks! Last weekend, I went 5-3-0, bringing my season total to 45-34-4 (.542). Now I’m hoping I can stay above .500 for the remaining weeks of the season. This weekend, we have Lawrence and Marian facing off in a home-and-home series. Concordia and Milwaukee School of Engineering will … Read more
Is there a changing of the guard in the NCHA? Last Friday, the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds blanked defending D-III national champion St. Norbert, 3-0, at home. It was the first time in almost a year that the Green Knights have been shutout, and only the second time the Blugolds have done it — ever. With … Read more
Perhaps the experience I have gained making picks week to week this season has made me a little wiser. This past week, I finished 5-3, and even correctly predicted a tie and an exact final score. My record now stands at 49-45. I said that St. John’s and Hamline would skate to a tie in … Read more
The record is now 39-8-4 (.804) after a 3-1 showing last time out. It’s now getting down to the final few weeks of the regular season, and some schools are within striking distance of better spots in the standings. Friday, Feb. 1 No. 15 Neumann (12-5-2 overall, 4-5-0 ECAC West) at No. 13 Manhattanville (11-7-1, … Read more
You’ll hear a lot of opinion — and coach-speak — over the next few weeks about how the ECAC Northeast Conference race will shake down. It’ll come down to who is the healthiest. It’ll come down to who is the hottest. There’s some truth to all of it, of course. However, in the case of … Read more
Pretty much how I saw it would go down last week. Teams that were supposed to win, well, won. Plymouth State is trying its hardest right now to separate itself from the rest of the pack and claim sole possession of first place. The Panthers swept last week; however, both games were decided by one … Read more
The weekend had great match-ups with some conferences seeing a new team holding the top spot in the standings. It will be an exciting month of February as teams start getting in position to make a playoff run! NCHA Wisconsin-Eau Claire and St. Norbert met for the third time this season, with the Blugolds prevailing … Read more
Three series in the conference ended with a sweep last weekend, and I predicted nearly all splits. The sole sweep I did predict ended with the other team getting the wins. Typical. I went 3-5-0 (.375) last weekend, bringing my season total to 40-31-4 (533). Like any good player, I’m going to put that weekend … Read more
How do you like your hockey action? Piping hot? If so, you should probably head to a SUNYAC rink, where on almost all fronts, heated contests with playoff implications will be staged. Who doesn’t love it when the top two teams in the conference hook up? Or when a pair of desperately playoff-hungry squads collide? … Read more
Suffolk coach Chris Glionna entered this season with some optimism. After a year to forget last season, he knew the Rams had some spunk, some spirit, and, more importantly, some motivation to right the wrongs. As the ECAC Northeast heads for its homestretch, Suffolk is well on its way to doing just that. A 5-5 … Read more
Another week of making predictions has arrived, and I own a 44-42 record heading into this week. Not impressive. I went just 3-5 a week ago, but I’m hoping for a big-time turnaround this week. The big match-up of the weekend is the one between St. Olaf and St. Thomas. The Oles and Tommies will … Read more
I am hoping that this past week’s success with the picks is not just a one-week phenomenon. I rallied back with last week’s 5-1-0 (.833) record that clearly shows I can get it right sometimes. The overall season numbers look very strong at 40-14-6 (.717), but I will need to avoid anymore bad weeks if … Read more
In a league as competitive as the NCHA, upsets aren’t too rare, even against St. Norbert, the defending Division III national champs and, as of last week, the top-ranked team in the country. For the first time in almost four years, the Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils knocked off the Green Knights on their home ice. The … Read more
Rolling! The pursuit of perfection may not be so elusive after all, as a 6-0-0 (.1000) record last weekend leaves me with a 34-12-6 (.712) overall record. Finally have crossed the threshold for the 70 percent success rate, but I am not taking anything for granted coming down the home stretch of the season. Have … Read more