Weekend picks: Nov. 4

I had one of my worst weeks ever, including picking every single ECAC game wrong on Friday. The horror. Last week I went 13-13-4 (.500), while Nicole went 15-11-4 (.566). I still have the season lead, going 78-31-15 (.689), while Nicole is 72-37-15 (.641).

Friday, Nov. 3

No. 7 St. Lawrence at Brown
Candace: The Bears don’t have enough offense to win a shootout, or enough defense to hang in a close game. St. Lawrence 4-1
Nicole: The Saints should win this. St. Lawrence 5-2

Princeton at No. 5 Colgate
Candace: This will be a big test of both teams. I’ll go home ice. Colgate 3-1
Nicole: Colgate wins at home. Colgate 4-2

Quinnipiac at No. 8 Cornell
Candace: Quinnipiac has looked alternately solid and awful. Cornell doesn’t have enough of a track record either way. Cornell 3-2
Nicole: Cornell at home wins. Cornell 3-2

No. 3 Clarkson at Yale
Candace: Yale disappointed last week, and Clarkson is the best team in the conference. Clarkson 4-1
Nicole: The Golden Knights win. Clarkson 5-1

No. 9 Providence at No. 2 Boston College
Candace: This could be close, but I just think BC has too much firepower. Boston College 4-2
Nicole: This should be a tight game. BC takes it. Boston College 4-3

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 3-4

No. 10 Robert Morris at Lindenwood
Candace: Lindenwood keeps surprising teams, and Robert Morris has looked inconsistent, but not enough for me to pick against them. Robert Morris 3-2, 3-2
Nicole: Robert Morris should sweep this series. Robert Morris 3-1, 4-2

Mercyhurst at Penn State
Candace: I’m not completely sold on the Nittany Lions just yet. Mercyhurst 3-2, 3-2
Nicole: These two should split. Mercyhurst 3-2, Penn State 2-1

Vermont at New Hampshire
Candace: I could probably flip a dozen coins and pick this series better. New Hampshire has looked strong though. New Hampshire 3-2, 2-1
Nicole: New Hampshire has been one of the early season surprises and they’re at home, so I’ll pick them to sweep. New Hampshire 3-1, 3-2.

No. 6 Minnesota at Minnesota State
Candace: Perhaps the Mavericks will keep one game close. Minnesota 3-2, 4-1
Nicole: Gophers should sweep. Minnesota 5-2, 4-1

St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth
Candace: Can Duluth finally win back-to-back? Minnesota Duluth 3-2, 3-2
Nicole: Duluth should take both of these at home. Minnesota Duluth 4-2, 3-1

RIT at Boston University
Candace: The Terriers may have turned a corner last weekend. Boston University 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: Boston University should be able to get back on track with a sweep at home. Boston University 3-0, 2-1

Merrimack at Union
Candace: Union got some good wins last weekend, and is at home, but I like Merrimack to sweep. Merrimack 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: I think Union got some confidence last weekend. I’ll pick a split. Merrimack 3-1, Union 3-2

Rensselaer at Connecticut
Candace: I think Connecticut might be one of the better Hockey East teams. Just a hunch though. Connecticut 3-2, 3-2
Nicole: Not sure on this one. I’ll pick UConn in game one, RPI in game two. Connecticut 2-1, Rensselaer 1-0

Saturday, Nov. 5

No. 3 Clarkson at Brown
Candace: Brown will get a win at some point, but not here. Clarkson 5-1
Nicole: Clarkson wins easily. Clarkson 4-0

Quinnipiac at No. 5 Colgate
Candace: If the Bobcats can turn this into a defensive grind, they’ll have a chance, but I like the Raiders. Colgate 3-1
Nicole: Colgate takes it. Colgate 3-1

Princeton at No. 8 Cornell
Candace: I don’t have a good handle on either team yet, so home ice is the pick. Cornell 3-2
Nicole: I’ll take Cornell. Cornell 4-2

No. 7 St.Lawrence at Yale
Candace: I expected more out of Yale last week, and they fell flat. St. Lawrence 3-1
Nicole: St. Lawrence wins. St Lawrence 4-1

No. 2 Boston College at Syracuse
Candace: Boston College has too much offense for the Orange. Boston College 4-1
Nicole: BC should take this. Boston College 3-0.

Saturday/Sunday

No. 4 Ohio State at No. 1 Wisconsin
Candace: The marquee series of the weekend. Who’d have thunk it at the start of the season? The Badgers could be primed for a letdown after sweeping Minnesota last weekend, but I just think they will get two wins out of it. Wisconsin 3-2, 3-2
Nicole: This is going to be a great series. I pick the Badgers to win game one and the teams to tie in game two, with the Badgers winning the shootout. Wisconsin 3-2, Tie 1-1

Maine at Dartmouth
Candace: Again, a series that is really hard to pick. Maine 3-2, 2-1
Nicole: These two should split. Dartmouth 2-1, Maine 2-1

Monday, Nov. 7

Bemidji State at Minnesota Duluth
Candace: I’m going with home ice. Minnesota Duluth 3-2
Nicole: I’ll take Bemidji State. Bemidji State 3-2

Tuesday, Nov. 8

Northeastern at Maine
Candace: I have a hard time picking this one. Northeastern has been inconsistent, but I haven’t seen enough out of Maine to bet against the Huskies. Northeastern 3-2
Nicole: Northeastern wins. Northeastern 3-1