Women’s D-I picks Nov. 9-11: No. 7 Cornell battles Mercyhurst

Jaycee Gebhard of Robert Morris (Justin Berl/RMU Athletics)
Jaycee Gebhard of Robert Morris is tied for seventh nationally in scoring with 15 points. (Justin Berl/RMU Athletics)

Thanks to incorrectly picking Harvard to beat Quinnipiac just so Nicole and I would have one game different, Nicole gained a game back on me. Last week, I went 21-9-2 (.687), while Nicole was 22-8-2 (.718). On the year, I am 80-27-10 (.726) while Nicole is 78-29-10 (.709)

Friday, Nov. 9

Brown at Rensselaer
Candace: Can the Bears keep up their momentum? Lovisa Selander won’t make it easy, but yes. Brown 2-1
Nicole: I’ll take Brown to win their third in a row. Brown 3-1

Yale at Union
Candace: I keep expecting more from Yale. Maybe this weekend they show it. Yale 2-1
Nicole: Union wins at home. Union 2-1

Boston University at Connecticut
Candace: The Terriers have been streaky, but I feel like there is more this team can give. Boston University 2-1
Nicole: Connecticut takes this one. Connecticut 2-0

Maine at Providence
Candace: The Friars are riding high after beating Boston College, and Maine is struggling. Providence 3-2
Nicole: Providence has better defense, Maine has better offense. This should be a close one, so I’ll take Providence at home. Providence 3-2

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 9-10

No. 6 Northeastern vs. New Hampshire (home-and-home)
Candace: Northeastern may actually win Hockey East this year with the way they are playing. Northeastern 4-1, 4-2
Nicole: I expect Northeastern to sweep this home-and-home series. Northeastern 3-0, 3-1

Holy Cross at Merrimack (home-and-home)
Candace: Holy Cross showed promise in keeping Northeastern to a 2-1 lead till midway through the third period, but it won’t be enough against Merrimack. Merrimack 4-1, 4-2
Nicole: Merrimack sweeps the home-and-home series. Merrimack 4-0, 3-1

No. 4 Ohio State at Bemidji State
Candace: As Arlan stated in Wednesday Women this week, Bemidji doesn’t have the same caliber of goaltending it used to. Ohio State 4-1, 4-1
Nicole: Bemidji has shown some fight, but they’re still one of just three winless teams left in the country, so I have to take Ohio State to sweep. Ohio State 3-0, 2-0

St. Cloud State at Lindenwood
Candace: Home ice may get Lindenwood a win, but I have been impressed by Julia Tylke of late. St. Cloud 2-1, 2-1
Nicole: Both teams struggle with defense and have some good scoring, so I think we see a split. St. Cloud 3-1, Lindenwood 4-2

RIT at Dartmouth
Candace: I’m thinking home ice and the win over Quinnipiac gives the Big Green a boost. Dartmouth 2-1, 2-1
Nicole: I’ll also take a split here. Dartmouth 2-1, RIT 2-0

No. 10 Colgate at Robert Morris
Candace: I still don’t have a handle on either team. Both are very talented. I’m going out on a limb and picking Colgate to sweep. Colgate 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: I expected more from both of these teams, so I’m pretty stumped on how to pick this one. Hedging my bets by saying it’s another split. Robert Morris 3-2, Colgate 3-1

Saturday, Nov. 10

Yale at Rensselaer
Candace: Another low-scoring game, but I like the Elis. Yale 2-1
Nicole: I’m picking Yale here; I think they’ve got more offense. Yale 3-1

Brown at Union
Candace: I like the Bears to show some maturity by not letting down after last weekend. Brown 3-1
Nicole: Dare I pick Brown to sweep again this weekend? They’ve got all the confidence and momentum and a better offense, so I say they win. Brown 3-1

Maine at Connecticut
Candace: The Black Bears took a step back last weekend, but I think this game will start them back. Maine 3-1
Nicole: This could be a close one, but I’ll take Maine to win and start getting back on track. Maine 2-0

Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 10-11

Princeton at Syracuse
Candace: I’m tempted to pick a split, but I like Princeton’s offense. Princeton 4-1, 3-1
Nicole: This should be a weekend sweep for the Tigers. Princeton 3-0, 3-1

No. 7 Cornell at Mercyhurst
Candace: Four Nations Cup absences could hurt the Big Red, but I think they sweep. Cornell 2-1, 3-2
Nicole: I’m loving this out-of-conference matchup. I think we’ll see a split. Mercyhurst 2-1 Cornell 2-1

Sunday, Nov. 11

Providence at Vermont
Candace: Vermont just hasn’t been able to get any traction yet. Providence 3-1
Nicole: This should be a win for the Friars. Providence 3-1