I didn’t do quite as well last week, so here’s my shot at redemption. There are several crucial NCHA games on tap this weekend, starting with the Wisconsin-Eau Claire vs. St. Norbert showdown in De Pere, Wis. Can the Blugolds keep their undefeated streak going against the third-best team in the NCAA Division III? Friday-Saturday, … Read more
If it hadn’t have been for Massachusetts-Boston, I wouldn’t have picked one winner last week, as I went 1-2-2 (.400), to move to 4-4-2 on the year (.500). Let’s see if I can improve. Here are my picks for the upcoming weekend and Tuesday bonus games heading into the Thanksgiving holidays: Friday, November 16, 2012 … Read more
Well, after one week, I am 1-2 (.333) for the year. Not the most auspicious start. Let’s see if I can do any better this week. Friday, Nov. 16 Fredonia at Cortland Both teams are goal-scoring challenged, but the Red Dragons are one tally better at home. Cortland 3-2 Potsdam at Brockport High flying Bears … Read more
Finally we have all D-III leagues playing, with the NESCAC opening up the season this weekend. There are great match-ups and rivalries from the first drop of the puck on Friday night, and some interesting nonconference match-ups heading into vacation week that will be good indicators for the presence of any gaps between teams. This … Read more
My selections went 6-1-1 (.812) last week, which leaves me at 9-2-2 (.833) so far for the season. Then again, it’s a long season. Friday, Nov. 16-17 Hobart at Nazareth The Statesmen (4-0-2 overall, 1-0-1 ECAC West) are probably still a little too strong for the nascent Golden Flyers (2-5, 0-3), who have lost four … Read more
Look out for the Owls from Westfield State. Picked to finish near the bottom in the MASCAC, Bob Miele’s club is off to one of its best starts in program history with a 4-0-0 record. The Owls notched a huge 3-2 overtime victory this week over the defending MASCAC champs, Plymouth State, and look to … Read more
There are three conference series this go-round, with Milwaukee School of Engineering and Concordia getting the weekend off. Lawrence and Marian will get the play started Thursday evening with a home-and-home series. Adrian is venturing west to visit Lake Forest, while Northland is looking to get its first win at Finlandia. Last weekend, I went … Read more
For those who are fans of the hero types who vanquish the bad guys with an assortment of skill, perseverance and some cool gadgets, this past weekend saw the releases of the latest installments of two such characters who just know how to get things done and restore “world order:” The latest James Bond (“Skyfall”) … Read more
Today starts my SUNYAC picks for the season, which means I am batting 1.000 so far at 0-0-0. We’ll see how I do after the weekend. Friday, November 9 Buffalo State at Plattsburgh The Bengals play sound defense, but Plattsburgh is a goal better (plus maybe an empty netter). Plattsburgh 4- 2 Fredonia at Potsdam Never … Read more
Last week was my first attempt at picking Northern Collegiate Hockey Association games and I fared well, going 5-1 (.833). My only blemish was picking St. Norbert to nip Gustavus Adolphus. However, this week, I’ll have a greater challenge selecting winners, with all conference teams returning to NCHA play.Nonetheless, there should be a few entertaining … Read more
Round two of making picks has arrived for me, and I guess I can’t complain too much about how the first week went for me. I went 4-4 in the eight weekend games I picked, and the jury is still out on how my pick for the Thursday night game between St. Thomas and St. … Read more
I started the season pretty strong, going 3-1-1 (.700). There are some big games on the slate this weekend, so let’s see if I can keep it up. Nov. 9-10 Nazareth at Manhattanville Nazareth has held its own so far this inaugural season, while Manhattanville played Hobart tough last weekend. Nazareth should add its third … Read more
Well I am pleasantly surprised with my successful picks last weekend. Although my predicted scores were far from stellar, I managed to correctly pick two splits and one weekend sweep. Thus far, my picks record is 6-2 (.750), not a bad way to open a season.Here’s hoping last week wasn’t just beginner’s luck; here goes … Read more
A tip of the cap to all of the MASCAC teams last week. Being a former collegiate hockey player myself, I know exactly what these student-athletes went through as they prepared for opening night. It is always a magical feeling to kick off the season. Taking a look at last week’s schedule, I felt pretty … Read more
One weekend of games under our belt and already the levels of competitiveness and separation among the teams are very small. Figuring out line combinations and line-ups are still a work in progress for most teams along with the all-important levels of effort and focus. “We are still getting our heads around playing a full … Read more
Well, if this is the way the season is going to go, we are in for a lot of exciting hockey and some unpredictable finishes based on the opening weekend. No question the intensity is already high for all of the teams, so get ready for lots of action and some wild finishes! Upset Alert … Read more
Historic Win Oswego earned the 800th win in program history in convincing fashion on Saturday, rolling to a 10-1 win over Geneseo in a SUNYAC game. The Lakers improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference as 10 players scored. Oswego has been playing hockey for 47 years at the NCAA level and owns … Read more
Every Friday, I’ll be picking some games for the ECAC West squads, and will track my results over the season. Here are my first week’s selections. Manhattanville at Hobart Manhattanville kicks off its 2012-13 campaign at Hobart (2-0-0), which has already posted two wins in its first two games. The visiting Valiants need to find … Read more
The season gets underway Friday night, and there are already some key games early in the schedule to focus on. Everyone wants to get off to a good start and earn those all-important points in the standings that always seem to matter at the end of February when playoff seeding is finally determined. Here are … Read more
I must tell you up front that I am relatively new to the world of Division III hockey. So with this being my first time making picks on D-III hockey games, I will warn you that I could end up looking like a fool once the games are played. Still, I’ve never backed down from … Read more