The record stands at 36-7-4 (.808) for the season after going 2-1 last week. The conference stretch run is now in full swing, and everybody in the ECAC West will be jockeying for tournament position with less than 10 games apiece to go. Jan. 25, 2013 Elmira at No. 3 Hobart The host Statesmen (14-2-2 … Read more
A couple of big upsets in the MASCAC last week, including a 4-3 victory for Worcester Sate over Plymouth State. Also, as mentioned before in my previous article, the hungrier Westfield State Owls cruised past Salem Sate, 6-1, to pick up two valuable points in the standings. It is all MASCAC games from here on … Read more
Most teams returned to conference play over the weekend, signaling a race to the playoff finish line. As always, there were some developments that were, shall we say, very interesting. SUNYAC No. 5 Oswego held onto the top spot after notching a solid 5-2 win at Cortland, while Geneseo eased ahead of No. 9 Plattsburgh … Read more
Life and death? Well, perhaps matters aren’t quite that critical. However, with five SUNYAC playoff hopefuls stacked within two points of each other, the coming weekend may put a big crimp in the postseason hopes of at least a couple of these conference rivals. There should be few, if any, dull moments to be seen … Read more
So I was a bit too confident in my conference picks last week, and the conference proved to have more parity than I had expected. I fell below .500, yet again, with a 3-2-2 (.428) pick record. That brings my season record to 37-26-4 (.552). Yuck. This week sees interesting division match-ups. The top dog … Read more
Wow! The pursuit of consistency is elusive, as last week’s 4-3-1 (.563) record clearly shows. The season still looks very strong at 35-13-6 (.704), but I will need to get back on track if I aim to keep my winning percentage over the 70 percent success rate. The bonus games killed me last week, so … Read more
Wow! The pursuit of consistency may not be so elusive after all, as a 6-2-0 (.750) record last weekend leaves me with a 28-12-6 (.674) overall record. Definitely moving in the right direction in terms of success rate, which is something I will have to continue to work on. There were definitely some key upsets … Read more
Last week, St. Norbert earned two crucial wins at Wisconsin-Superior to surpass Norwich as the top-ranked team in the NCAA D-III. Part of me wanted to pick the Yellowjackets to sneak past the Green Knights and get at least one win, but the rational part of me won out. Sometimes, you just have to go … Read more
January is flying by, and it’s time for another week of trying to look smart when it comes to making picks in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Four weekend series are on top in league play as teams continue to battle it out for the conference title and positioning for the postseason. Four teams all … Read more
I finished 5-1 last week, although I didn’t expect Cortland to upset Utica. So far, I’m 34-6-4 (.818) for the season, while ECAC West schools get back to conference action this week. Jan. 17 Elmira at Nazareth The Soaring Eagles (7-9 overall, 2-4 ECAC West) scored 17 goals in a two-step sweep of Morrisville last … Read more
It’s not often you see a first-place team stuck in a winless streak that covers more than a month. Welcome to life in the ECAC Northeast. Western New England (6-9 overall, 4-1 in the league) is indeed in one of those funks, and more than anything else, it’s because the Golden Bears have scheduled up … Read more
Ah, that is more like it! My first true sweep of the season happened last week when I went 3-0 on all my picks! The MASCAC is heating up now, with even more conference games scheduled to take place tonight and this weekend. With only a few more weeks to go, we will see which … Read more
Big-time upset Babson pulled one of the biggest upsets of the season on Saturday as it used three first-half goals and a strong goaltending effort by Zeke Testa to knock off top-ranked Norwich, 4-1, at Kreitzberg Arena. It marks the first time since 2007 that Babson has beaten Norwich. The Beavers were outshot, 26-5, in … Read more
Conference action is back this weekend! And I could not be happier for my pick percentage. Last week, I had an abysmal 1-2-0 (.333) record with nonconference picks. That brings my season record to 34-24-2 (.566). All eight teams are back in conference action this weekend. Lawrence will host Adrian in a weekend series. Concordia … Read more
The SUNYAC weekend slate features another full offering of nonconference games, a handful of which ( Plattsburgh’s tilts against Middlebury and Williams) could have some interesting implications in the national polls. The rest could produce some interesting hockey, which, after all, is why we flock to the rinks. (Last week’s picks: 1-2) Friday, Jan. 11 … Read more
The first picks for 2013 look very promising, as a 6-2-1 (.722) record opened the new calendar year to improve to a 22-10-6 (.658) overall record. The percentage is moving closer to the desired 70 percent success rate, but I am not there yet, so let’s see if I can be accurate two weeks in … Read more
After dominating nonconference opponents last week, NCHA teams return to conference action this weekend. The conference’s hottest team has been Wisconsin-Stevens Point, which has won six of its last seven games. Can the Pointers continue their momentum at St. Scholastica? Definitely. The Saints are 1-7 in the NCHA and 1-5 at home. The Pointers meanwhile, … Read more
Went 4-0 last week, and am 29-5-4 overall (.795) so far this season. Taking on six nonconference contests this weekend, as all ECAC West teams will be in action for the first time in 2013. Friday, Jan. 11 Utica at Cortland The No. 8 Pioneers (11-2-0 overall), winners of six straight, should continue on their … Read more
It’s time for the stretch run of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. This is the time of the year where teams begin to either build momentum for the playoffs or slip away and shift their attention toward next year. There is one nonconference game on the schedule though, as Wisconsin-Eau-Claire will battle St. Olaf on … Read more
It was a great week to open the year, as I notched a 7-1-1 (.833) record. The season still looks very strong at 31-10-5 (.728) but I will need to back up last week with another strong showing if I am to keep my winning percentage over the 70 percent threshold. There are just a … Read more