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 confident — after scanning over rosters and team histories — about which programs would win over others. However, games are not won on paper, and no other team proved that more than Westfield Sate. A rebuilt, and stronger, Western New England University team was upset by the Owls, who scored four-unanswered goals to defeat the Golden Bears, 4-3. Another eye-opener was the 2-2, tie between last year’s no. 14 Wentworth Leopards and Fitchburg State.
In all, I went a subpar 2-3-1 last week to grab only five out of a possible 12-points. Maybe I’ll keep the number of games I pick this week to a smaller number.
But either way, let’s take a look at this week’s picks:
Thursday, November 8
Stonehill Skyhawks (2-2-0) at Plymouth State Panthers (0-0-0)
Plymouth State gets set to start its season after winning the 2011-12 MASCAC title in dramatic fashion over Salem State. The Panthers take on Stonehill, which dropped its last game, 6-1, against Nichols. Plymouth State will be ready for this one and the rest of the season, with its strong roster. Plymouth State 5-2
Saturday, November 10
Massachusetts-Dartmouth Corsairs (0-0-0) at Massachusetts-Boston Beacons (1-1-0)
The Corsairs head to the Clark Athletic Center to take on one of their Mass. neighbors in a nonconference game. Mass.-Boston is a program on the rise ever since coach Peter Belisle took over. The Corsairs, though, look to have the edge and take this one in a close battle. Mass.-Dartmouth, 4-3
Stonehill Skyhawks at Westfield Owls (1-0-0)
Westfield opens its home schedule as it welcomes in the Skyhawks. This will be an interesting one, as it appears that both teams will be evenly matched up. Westfield has the momentum going, and will move to 2-0-0. Westfield 4-2 (EN)
