Friday, March 3
Massachusetts-Boston vs. Manhattanville
UMass Boston won both the regular season meetings, so we have to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they’ll do the same here. UMass Boston 3-2
University of New England at No. 4 Norwich
Norwich shut out UNE in their two meetings during the regular season and I see no reason why that wouldn’t continue. They’re just one of the strongest teams in the country, and few can match up. Norwich 3-0
Saturday, March 4
Stevenson at No. 10 Endicott
These two haven’t met up since November and they’ve both grown a lot since then. Endicott is hoping to earn the CHC’s first NCAA bid, and I think that’s enough to motivate them and carry them on into the next round. Endicott 3-1
Canton vs. Morrisville
Morrisville won both their early meetings, but Canton is on an eight-game unbeaten streak. This may come down to one bounce, but I’m going to choose Canton in the upset. Canton 4-3
No. 5 Elmira at No. 1 Plattsburgh
I think I said this a week or two ago, but I think it’s probably foolish to pick against Plattsburgh for any reason until they give you a reason to. The Cardinals are the team to beat at all times until proven otherwise. Plattsburgh 4-2
No. 7 Lake Forest at No. 2 Adrian
I’d love to pick the upset here, but Adrian currently has the same privilege Plattsburgh does. The Bulldogs are undefeated this season and I won’t be picking them to lose until they show that someone is capable of beating them. Adrian 5-2
Amherst vs. No. 8 Connecticut College
All these awesome matchups of teams who haven’t played each other since the season started are getting me so excited for this weekend. They’re all such a great way to see how much a team has grown and learned over the course of a season. I’m going to pick Amherst here because I think this particular tournament is fairly volatile. Amherst 3-2
Bowdoin at No. 6 Middlebury
This game is probably the closest to a toss-up we’ll see in Division III this weekend. They each won a 2-1 game earlier in the season, with Bowdoin doing it in overtime. I’ll pick the higher seed in Middlebury, but think this game is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Middlebury 4-2
Wisconsin-Eau Claire at No. 3 Wisconsin-River Falls
Wis.-Eau Claire actually beat Wis.-River Falls twice in the regular season, but I’m not sure they’ll be able to do it again here in the playoffs. The Falcons are a big name team with big name players who will step up when it’s down to the wire, and I expect that will help them win out here. Wis.-River Falls 5-3
