Frozen Four picks: Brian

Norwich (25-1-3) vs. Adrian (20-6-2) Norwich and Adrian couldn’t have picked a better spot to have their first-ever meeting. The two teams are playing for a spot in the national title game. The Cadets are in the Frozen Four for the 12th time in program history and seeking their first national title since 2010. They … Read more

Frozen Four picks: Tim

The Frozen Four matchups are set with East meeting West in each of two semifinals on Friday. My quarterfinal picks saw my upset pick miss and the defending champions bounced by a strong Adrian team effort. I finished at 2-2-0 (.500), which brings the season total to 93-45-9 (.663). My Western counterpart, Brian, matched the … Read more

East wrap: March 20

Freshman Goalie Kevin Aldridge of Endicott (Tim Brule)

The Memorial Auditorium in Utica was every D-III team’s ultimate destination for the end of March, and only now do we know the Frozen Four participants following Saturday night’s thrilling quarterfinals. There will be a new national champion, as there is only one repeat team, St. Norbert, among the four participants who will begin next … Read more

Brian’s NCAA quarters picks: March 16

Saturday, March 18 Norwich (24-1-3) vs. Hamilton (20-4-4) Norwich defeated Salem State last weekend, stretching its unbeaten streak to 22 games. The Cadets are seeking their first NCAA championship since 2010 and are up against a Hamilton team that is playing in the tournament for the first time. The Continentals are in the midst of … Read more

Tim’s NCAA quarters picks: March 16

The field is now set for the quarterfinal round, which means there will be two representatives from each region in the Frozen Four, but as always the question is who? My first-round picks did not give enough credit to the two newcomers that posted big road wins, so I finished at 2-2-0 (.500) which brings … Read more

Weekend wrap: March 12

All of the first round action was in the East on Saturday night, as four first-round games pitted all eight Eastern teams against each other with the hope of advancing to next Saturday’s quarterfinals. No surprise that two veteran teams played solid games to win at home but two newcomers in Hamilton and Endicott pulled … Read more

First-round picks (via Brian): March 10

Saturday, March 11 Salem State (15-9-3) at Norwich (23-1-3) The No. 1 team in the nation begins its quest for a national title with a home game. The Cadets are in the NCAA tournament for the 17th time and aiming for their fourth championship in program history. Salem State is in the tourney for the … Read more

East picks: March 10

The field is set for the national tournament with eight teams from the East and four teams from the West. The four Western teams will wait a week before their quarterfinal matchups, while all eight Eastern teams will play first-round games to determine the quarterfinal participants. My championship week picks were of championship caliber, as … Read more

East wrap: March 5

The expectations for championship weekend were great and the games delivered on the promise of great competition and high-energy hockey. One game went to overtime, while three games were decided in the final two minutes and one in the final 10 seconds. The auto-bid winners will soon know about their NCAA tournament schedule, while others … Read more

West wrap: March 5

Augsburg claimed its second consecutive MIAC tournament championship Saturday night, rallying for a 3-2 win over St. Thomas on the road. The Auggies, the MIAC runner-up in the regular season, trailed 2-1 in the third period before fighting back to claim the title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Corbin Chapman scored … Read more

West picks: March 3

Three champions will be crowned in the West region this weekend. Below are my picks for the MIAC, NCHA, and WIAC title games. The winners of the MIAC and NCHA will clinch automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. The WIAC champ isn’t guaranteed a spot, but it’s hard to imagine Wisconsin-Stevens Point will be left … Read more

East picks: March 3

I guess I should finally just admit that any result at this point of the season is hardly worth a mention as an upset. This time, my semifinal picks were totally playoff-worthy as I finished at 4-0-0 (.1000) on Tuesday, which brings the season total to 83-40-9 (.663). It is down to the final games … Read more

East picks: Feb. 28

Ouch – I didn’t pick the right favorites, nor any upsets. The picks last week were not playoff-worthy, as I finished at 6-6-0 (.500) which brings the season total to 79-40-9 (.652). It is down to the final games for me to shine. Here are the picks for Tuesday and Wednesday semifinals in the CCC … Read more

East wrap: Feb. 26

Kevin Salvucci of Norwich (Mark Coller/Norwich Athletics)

The biggest weekend for D-II/III playoff hockey did not disappoint, with great action across all of the conferences. While many favorites advanced, there were several upsets that ousted defending champions or serious contenders for conference titles. All of that, and yes, there was a champion crowned on Saturday as well, and it took some bonus … Read more

West recap: Feb. 26

Championship weekend is set in the west region. St. Thomas and Augsburg will square off in the MIAC final, while Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Wisconsin-Eau Claire will battle for the WIAC crown. Augsburg is back in the championship game of the conference tournament for a second consecutive season, but getting to the final was anything but … Read more

East picks: Feb. 23

Wednesday’s playoff games saw home teams go 3-1-0, setting up a full slate of games for Saturday, including one championship game in the NE-10. The picks this week including the two make-up games picked previously. I finished at 5-1-0 (.833), which brings the season total to 78-35-9 (.676). Not much time left and after Saturday, … Read more

West picks: Feb. 23

It’s playoff time in NCAA Division III hockey. Here is a look at the matchups this coming weekend. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25 Wisconsin-Superior at Wisconsin-Stevens Point The Pointers are determined to repeat as conference tourney champions and should have no problem taking the next step toward that goal. With 107 goals, their offense is the best … Read more

East picks: Feb. 22

Wednesday, Feb. 22 Brockport at No. 10 Geneseo The Knights were on the wrong side of the tiebreaker that gave a bye to Plattsburgh and forces a first-round game at home against Brockport. Both regular season games went to Geneseo by 6-2 and 5-2 scores. This one will be closer, but the outcome is the … Read more

West wrap: Feb. 19

St. Thomas is the champion of the MIAC after blanking St. Olaf, 6-0, Saturday in the final game of the regular season. The Tommies went into the day tied with Augsburg atop the standings, but the Auggies lost 4-2 to Saint John’s Saturday. The Tommies clinch their fifth title in the last six year, finishing … Read more

East wrap: Feb. 19

The final weekend for most conferences provided yet again more excitement and drama as SUNYAC and NESCAC finalized their playoff positions, while the ECAC West, CCC, and MASCAC will play some early-week hockey to make up games postponed by winter weather and other causes. The games this past week created the final scenarios for teams … Read more