NESCAC picks: Feb. 1

Well, it wasn’t perfection, but it was pretty close, as a 5-1-0 (.833) record last weekend leaves me with a 39-13-6 (.724) overall record. Maybe, just maybe, I am finding the consistency needed to be a champion prognosticator at the right time of the season to do so. Then again, I am only as good as the most recent week’s picks, so here comes the challenge of being good three weeks in a row.
Here are this week’s selections.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Amherst at Bowdoin
It could be the marquee game of the weekend. The first one went to the visitors, despite being outshot, by a 3-2 score. This one has the same outcome, but the Polar Bears don’t need the special teams goals like they scored in the first match-up. Bowdoin 3-2
Connecticut College at Tufts
The travel partners really need to battle, since these two games could likely determine who is in or out of the NESCAC tournament in just a couple of weeks. Desperation will make for some interesting hockey, and the home team is just a bit more desperate in this one. Tufts 4-2
Trinity at Williams
I don’t think I have picked a 1-0 score all season, but I am here because neither team gives up much in the defensive end of the ice. Besides, this may the most fun game you have ever watched that doesn’t have a lot of goal scoring associated with the outcome. Williams 1-0
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Trinity at Middlebury
This one has all the makings of a great revenge game after Middlebury outshot the Bantams badly on the road a few weeks ago, only to lose by a 2-1 score. The Panthers look to double up on their opponents and move back into home-ice contention.  Middlebury 4-2
Wesleyan at Williams
The Cardinals broke the bank last weekend with 11 goals against Hamilton, but don’t expect that against a Williams team that has been pretty difficult to score on for most of the season. The three is major output against the Ephs, but not enough for the two points. Williams 4-3
Hamilton at Bowdoin
The Polar Bears always seem to bring their “A” game on Saturday, and Hamilton isn’t going to like the bus ride home after seeing their high-flying opponents put on an offensive show. Bowdoin 5-2
The official countdown for the regular season has begun now that the calendar has turned to February. So few games left and so few points to be had — drop the puck!