A 3-1-0 (.750) weekend was only spoiled by my inability to pick the travel partner game between Skidmore and Castleton. The overall season numbers are really good at 59-20-9 (.722). All will be for nothing if I don’t close the deal this week on the picks that really mean everything to teams looking for hardware … Read more
Fighting for the Harris Cup trophy this weekend are three veterans and one rookie team. Top-seed Adrian will looking to take back the trophy this weekend after losing it, for the first time in three seasons, last year in a devastating overtime loss to Milwaukee School of Engineering. Marian, the second seed coming into this … Read more
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… When one hears that lyric from the ever-popular 1963 song by Andy Williams, the holiday time is immediately thought of. However, for college hockey fanatics, its can only mean one thing: PLAYOFFS! For all of the NCAA D-III conferences, the postseason as begun, with most leagues ready … Read more
It is the most wonderful time of the year, playoff hockey time! Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinals start this weekend with two exciting match-ups. Lawrence will be hosting Northland in a tight defensive battle, while Lake Forest is traveling to its rival, the Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders. The winners this weekend will face either … Read more
I’ve been predicting NCHA games since the beginning of November, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: picking winners in this conference is difficult. With two top-five teams and two others on the cusp of reaching the USCHO.com Top 15, it’s hard to argue against the NCHA being the most competitive league in … Read more
So, my final regular season picks finished at 4-2-0 (.667). Admittedly I would have never predicted the outcome of the 10-5 Trinity win over Bowdoin in Monday’s make-up game, so I am hoping to really get it right for the playoffs. My overall record finished at 48-19-8 (.693), so I missed the 70 percent target … Read more
Well, the time has finally arrived in not only the MASCAC, but also all of the men’s NCAA D-III conferences. It’s time for playoff hockey. The MASCAC postseason tournament kicks off this Saturday with six of its seven teams ready to battle (Framingham State did not qualify) for the chance the hoist the MASCAC championship … Read more
A 3-1-2 (.583) weekend wrapped up the regular season and showcased some of the challenges in picking games right with so much riding on the outcome. The overall season numbers finish at a very respectable 56-19-9 (.720). A pretty solid performance for the regular season is nice, but let’s see if there is any correlation … Read more
Playoff prognostications can be positively perilous. After all, who would have thought last summer that the Los Angeles Kings would win the Stanley Cup as a lowly No. 8 seed. Yet that turn of events did happen, with the subsequent message being that if high seeds are going to take lesser ones lightly, they do … Read more
I went 4-0-1 last week, and was 49-13-5 (.828) for the regular season. Preliminary Round Picks No. 6 Nazareth at No. 3 Neumann Neumann has been playing well since early January and will be at home, where the Knights are 9-1-2 this season. Nazareth has shown some growing pains the last few weeks, and is … Read more
Last weekend in NCAA Division III teams were either wrapping up the regular season or beginning the postseason. Here’s a look at some of the highlights: Semifinals set in NCHA After an exciting first round of the Peters Cup tournament, the semifinals of the NCHA playoffs are set for Saturday, Feb. 23. Sixth-seeded Wisconsin-River Falls … Read more
We’re heading into the final weekend of the SUNYAC regular season, which for three disappointed squads will be their last action, period. There are few givens as the rinks open their doors in four SUNYAC centers on Friday night. One is that Geneseo will finish in third place and will host an as-yet-to-be-determined sixth seed … Read more
The final weekend of the regular season is upon us, and I stand with an overall pick record of 53-40-3 (.552). Last week, I went 5-2-1 (.625) in my picks, not bad considering the disastrous picks I was making in the beginning of 2013. This weekend, every team is playing, with each team competing against … Read more
Well, it’s finally here, the start of the NCAA Division III men’s hockey playoffs. In the NCHA, the Peter’s Cup playoffs begin on Friday with several intriguing match-ups. The team to beat is Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the third-ranked team in D-III. However, after wrapping up their first NCHA title last week, the Blugolds received a first-round … Read more
It’s the final weekend of the 2012-13 regular season, and the ECAC West standings are still far from being set in stone. Last week, I went 5-1 (didn’t pick Neumann to top Hobart), and am 45-13-4 (.758) for the season. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 15-16 Utica (19-4 overall, 10-3 ECAC West) at Manhattanville (13-8-2, 6-5-2) With a … Read more
It may have been used a lot over the past week, but Nemo found New England and really altered the playing schedule. That is no excuse for my picks, which finished at 3-1-1 (.700), but trying to keep things normal and consistent is one thing coaches are determined to do at this point of the … Read more
A 4-2-0 (.667) weekend despite the chaos the blizzard left behind means I may almost be as focused as the teams that had to adapt to the changing schedule and challenging travel conditions. The overall season numbers are now 53-18-7 (.724). I really want to stay above the 70 percent threshold, so I need to … Read more
Suffolk coach Chris Glionna and his Rams can’t be happy with the kind of hockey they were playing heading into this week. Prior to Thursday’s date at Western New England, the Rams had been stuck in the throes of a six-game winless streak at the wrong time of the season. Hope springs eternal, however. The … Read more
Well, the final week of the regular season has arrived for teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and a lot is still on the line, including deciding which team is going to win the regular season championship. All we know for sure at the moment is that St. Olaf is headed to the postseason. … Read more
With just a little over a week and a half to go, the MASCAC race for first place is about to get more exciting. It looks like right now, the Plymouth State Panthers and Westfield State Owls will battle it out for first and second place. With some help, either the Owls or Panthers could … Read more