When Candace won our contest last week, why did I immediately have thoughts of the Colts’ comeback from 28 points down to defeat the Chiefs in the first round of the NFL playoffs? Last week, Candace went 17-5-5 to move to 172-59-26 on the year, while I went 15-7-5 to move to 179-52-26 on the year.
Will she make up ground this weekend, or will I rebuild the lead?
Friday, Jan. 17
RIT at Syracuse
Candace: Oh boy. I really want to pick RIT, but I think home ice pushes the Orange over the top. Syracuse 2-1
Arlan: The Tigers got their first win over the Orange last week; can they make it two straight? Syracuse 3-2
St. Lawrence at Brown
Candace: St. Lawrence just suffered a season sweep by Clarkson for the first time ever; the Saints will want to make up for that. St. Lawrence 3-1
Arlan: After six losses and playing seven of the last eight on the road, the Saints are traveling again. St. Lawrence 2-0
Dartmouth at Cornell
Candace: Dartmouth always troubles Cornell, and will do so again, but fall short. Cornell 4-2
Arlan: Dartmouth’s offense seems revived after the break and the Big Red’s defense was a tad leaky last week, but Cornell is No. 3 in the country for a reason. Cornell 5-3
Clarkson at Yale
Candace: Yale beating Harvard means the Golden Knights will be on their guard. Clarkson 3-1
Arlan: Can Yale surprise another ranked team this weekend? Probably not, but I don’t expect the Bulldogs to lose by seven this time. Clarkson 3-1
Boston University at Providence
Candace: Providence is getting better, but I’ll probably pick BU against anyone in Hockey East except BC until proven otherwise. Boston University 3-1
Arlan: The Friars have won five of their last nine, so why do they still seem so cold to me? Boston University 4-3
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 17-18
Union home-and-home with Rensselaer
Candace: Union has surprised me on more than one occasion this year. I’ll give them a win at home. Rensselaer 3-1, Union 2-1
Arlan: In a tie for seventh, the Engineers are only three points up on Union, so these are key points. The Dutchwomen have done better in the first game of the weekend, but they are winless on the road in the ECAC. Rensselaer 3-1, 1-0
Vermont at Boston College
Candace: BC struggled against Northeastern last week, but probably remembers that Vermont cost them big time last year. Boston College 4-1, 4-2
Arlan: The Eagles came through a stretch of four straight versus ranked teams at 2-1-1, but then looked uninspiring against Northeastern. Boston College 4-2, 6-1
Wisconsin at Bemidji State
Candace: I’ll probably take Wisconsin over anyone except Minnesota. Wisconsin 3-1, 4-2
Arlan: I agree with whatever Candace just said. Wisconsin 2-1, 4-0
Minnesota State home-and-home with Minnesota
Candace: Ohio State threw a monkey wrench at Minnesota last week, so the Gophers will want to take that out on anyone they can. Minnesota 4-1, 4-1
Arlan: Forecast high for Friday’s outdoor game is 10 above, but it should miss the snow on either side and the worst of the wind. Minnesota 4-1, 2-1
St. Cloud State at North Dakota
Candace: St. Cloud is getting better, but North Dakota really needs these games. North Dakota 3-1, 4-1
Arlan: The Huskies came close in the teams’ first meeting, but I get the sense that UND is pulling away. North Dakota 3-1, 5-1
Robert Morris at Quinnipiac
Candace: Quinnipiac will probably get at least a point out of this somewhere, but I’ll go out on a limb and pick a Colonials sweep. Robert Morris 3-2, 3-1
Arlan: The series of the week and an important one for PairWise implications. Quinnipiac 2-1, Robert Morris 2-1
Saturday, Jan. 18
Dartmouth at Colgate
Candace: Dartmouth gets another one in the W column. Dartmouth 4-1
Arlan: The Big Green show greater signs of improvement. Dartmouth 3-1
Harvard at Cornell
Candace: I might have been tempted to pick Harvard if this game had happened before Yale beat the Crimson. Cornell 3-1
Arlan: The league’s best offense and best defense overall collide, so which style game will we see? Cornell 2-1
St. Lawrence at Yale
Candace: This game seems like a huge trap, but St. Lawrence beat Yale earlier in the year, so… St. Lawrence 2-1
Arlan: Here’s where having a strong travel partner pays dividends for the Saints. St. Lawrence 3-2
Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 18-19
New Hampshire home-and-home with Connecticut
Candace: Connecticut got a surprise win against Vermont on the road last weekend, but before that hadn’t won since November. UNH has off-ice issues that could be a distraction. I was going to pick a UNH sweep, until I remembered UNH has bedeviled me most of the year. Connecticut 2-1, New Hampshire 4-2
Arlan: Each team can see a long losing streak in its rear-view mirror. My gut says tie, tie, but I lack the conviction to make that my final answer. Connecticut 2-1, New Hampshire 3-2
Ohio State at Minnesota-Duluth
Candace: OSU is getting better, but I have trouble picking against the Bulldogs on home ice. Minnesota-Duluth 4-2, 3-2
Arlan: Both teams have to be optimistic about 2014 thus far, but it’s likely only one will still feel that way on Sunday night. I’m going with home cooking, although the road team has won the last eight in these teams’ meetings. Minnesota-Duluth 4-3, 2-1
Sunday, Jan. 19
Northeastern at Boston University
Candace: Northeastern will make this a battle, but fall short. Boston University 3-2
Arlan: Against unranked teams, the Terriers keep finding ways to win. Boston University 4-2
Providence at Maine
Candace: Something tells me the Friars are back to a better form. Providence 3-2
Arlan: The Black Bears seem overdue for their first league win. Maine 4-3
