This isn’t the lotto, though given our tough economic times, some might long for a chance to get a few extra bucks. But each week, we’ll look at five games in the ECAC Northeast and the MASCAC and take a stab at the outcome. In my first week, I did poorly, going 2-4 (.333). Let’s see if I can do better this week.
ECAC Northeast
Franklin Pierce at Wentworth, 5 p.m. Friday, Fitchburg Shootout
Wentworth couldn’t close out Salem State in the third period of a 5-4 loss, but faced a team that should be one of the top contenders in the MASCAC. I’ll go out on a limb and say that Wentworth wins the four-team tournament, which includes Fitchburg State and Southern New Hampshire. Pick: Wentworth 5-3
Curry at Salve Regina, 2 p.m. Saturday
Salve Regina won its first game since February when it defeated Franklin Pierce, 4-2, on Tuesday. Will the Seahawks take that momentum and energy into Saturday’s contest against Curry? The Colonels will have had six days between games, as their last game was Sunday, a 5-4 loss at No. 10 Neumann. Pick: Curry 4-1
MASCAC
Westfield State at Utica, 7 p.m Friday
The Owls hit the road for a nonconference game against Utica, which has almost a two-week advantage on Westfield State as far as the season goes. The No. 7 Pioneers opened their season October 22, and enter Friday’s game at 3-1. Westfield’s strongest performance in its 3-3 tie Tuesday at Nichols came in goal, as Eddie Davey made 49 saves. Pick: Utica 6-3
Framingham State at Geneseo, 7 p.m. Saturday
The Rams will play their season-opener with a tall task on their hands. Framingham State is the second MASCAC team that will face a ranked opponent this weekend; Geneseo is No. 14 in this week’s USCHO.com poll. Not making things any easier is the fact that the Rams have won seven games in the last four seasons (7-82-8 in four seasons). Pick: Geneseo 5-2
Massachusetts-Boston at Massachusetts-Dartmouth, 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Mass.-Dartmouth will have to be defensively-minded against Mass.-Boston, despite scoring seven goals in its season opener against Becker. Mass.-Boston put 37 shots on goal in a 2-1 loss to St. Anselm and 38 shots on goal in a 4-3 loss to New England College. Pick: Mass.-Dartmouth 2-1
