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Gophers and Badgers both have tough weekends

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Minnesota and Wisconsin were the only two Big Ten teams in action this weekend. The Gophers played in their home tournament, the Mariucci Classic, and tied Colgate before downing RPI. The Badgers split a home series with former WCHA foe Alaska-Anchorage.

Here are three things that I saw in the four games.

1. Gophers look rusty on Friday

I have had to remind myself multiple times that the Gophers tied Colgate on Friday night and that the only purpose of the shootout was to determine who advanced to the championship game of the tournament. Maybe it was because the Gophers loss in the shootout meant there wouldn’t be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup or maybe it was because the Gophers played like a team that had built up some rust in their nearly month of rest, but Friday night definitely felt like a Colgate victory, not a 2-2 tie.

Acting head coach Mike Guentzel felt the same way.

“It’s a hollow feeling in the dressing room,”  Guentzel said after Friday’s game. “Really, the bottom line for me tonight is if you turn pucks over like we did on the blue line and the neutral zone, it’s going to cost you a hockey game. We tied, but it feels like a loss, and the turnovers are something that we’re going to have to address.”

Colgate went on to blank No. 2 Ferris State 3-0 on Saturday, so that makes the tie look a little better for Minnesota. I’ve covered the Gophers for the past couple seasons and, like any other team, they’re prone to a few duds. I think the Gophers (and Ferris State) just ran into a youthful and hungry team and that, combined with some holiday rust, led to Colgate winning the Mariucci Classic. It shouldn’t have any long-term effects for Minnesota, which was made evident after Saturday’s game. 

2. Minnesota bounces back on Saturday

Things didn’t look much better for Minnesota heading into the final seconds of the first period in its game with RPI on Saturday. The Gophers trailed 1-0 with under one minute left in the period, but tallied the game-tying goal before the horn and scored twice in the first two minutes of the second period.

Connor Reilly tipped in a goal in the first and Travis Boyd and Kyle Rau notched the goals early in the second.

“We came out not the exact way that we wanted to,” Boyd said. “Getting that goal to get some momentum heading into the second was huge.”

Rau had two goals and an assist in the 6-2 victory, he tallied his 100th career point this weekend.

3. Badgers battle back for split with Seawolves, lose Kerdiles 

In Friday’s picks post I said something along the lines of “Wisconsin doesn’t lose at home and Alaska-Anchorage doesn’t win on the road.” I thought this series had all the makings of a Wisconsin sweep. I was wrong.

The Seawolves scored first in both games and won Friday’s contest  3-2 before Wisconsin came back with a 4-3 win on Saturday.

After getting him back from the World Juniors tournament on Saturday, Wisconsin instantly lost Nic Kerdiles to injury during Saturday’s game.

“They have to do some x-rays and that,” Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said of Kerdiles’ injury. “It’s not day-to-day I know that for sure, you’re probably looking at a couple of weeks.”

Women’s D-I wrap: Jan. 5

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Return to the rink
After everyone took some time off for the Christmas break, competition resumed over the last six days. Of the 34 teams in D-I conferences, 25 have returned to action.

No team was busier than Minnesota State over the last week. The Mavericks played four times in six days, and their defense was stout throughout, allowing only three goals and no more than one in any contest. That led to three straight wins, 3-0 and 3-1 over Lindenwood and squeaking by Bemidji State, 2-1. Melissa Klippenstein and Tracy McCann enjoyed two-goal games against the Lions, and McCann and Kari Lundberg came up with goals to topple the Beavers. But on Sunday, BSU earned a 1-0 win at Mankato as Brittni Mowat made 33 stops and Kristine Grenier scored the game’s only tally on a third-period power play.

Colonials looking legitimate
For the third straight season, Paul Colontino guided No. 10 Robert Morris into Christmas with three losses or less. The problem in the two previous campaigns was that the Colonials stumbled out of the break, going a cumulative 4-12-1 from the time action resumed until January ended to dash their national hopes.

January looks much more promising this year, as RMU got it started by sweeping visiting St. Lawrence, 4-2 and 3-0. Freshman Jessica Dodds notched both victories between the pipes, staying unbeaten as a collegian as she upped her personal mark to 15-0-1 and earned her fourth shutout.

For the weekend, the line of Rebecca Vint (2-1-3) between Thea Imbrogno (1-2-3) and Brittany Howard (0-3-3) sparked the offense. Kristen Richards and defenseman Anneline Lauziere each had a goal and a helper in the opener.

The victories extended the unbeaten streak for Robert Morris to 11 games and moved it up to a solid sixth in the PairWise Rankings. The Colonials now get a week off to prepare for what look to be the two biggest series in their season. Both occur on the road, where they are unbeaten at 6-0-1, although the trips to face No. 9 Quinnipiac in the final nonconference test and a CHA showdown at Mercyhurst figure to present the toughest road challenges to date.

The weather outside is frightful …
The anticipated outdoor meeting of Northeastern and No. 5 Harvard on Thursday as part of Frozen Fenway was vetoed by Mother Nature, so the pair faced off inside on Saturday at Bright-Landry Hockey Center. The Crimson took care of business on their home ice, but the 3-2 win didn’t come easily.

Both tallies by the Huskies were quickly matched by Harvard. NU struck first on a well-executed power play in the opening frame with Heather Mottau providing the finish. Mary Parker’s answer came 57 seconds later. The Crimson went up for the first time in the second period when Gina McDonald pounced on a turnover while short-handed, skated in alone, and slipped a backhand around Chloe Desjardins’ pad. Hayley Scamurra’s backhand shot fooled Emerance Maschmeyer to forge a tie with five minutes remaining. Sydney Daniels touched in the game-winner 3:15 later. Brittany Esposito nearly provided an immediate response for the Huskies, but her shot kissed the crossbar and stayed out.

Dutchwomen squeeze out series win
In a battle of two New York squads, host Union came out on top of RIT by the slimmest of margins. Celeste Brown scored the series’ first goal for the Tigers midway through the third period, but Stefanie Thomson tied Friday’s game at 1-1 five minutes later on a rush where the Dutchwomen never seemed to have control of the puck heading up the ice but got it into the net anyway. Kathryn Tomaselli walked out front and scored 3:51 into overtime to gain Union a 2-1 win.

The Dutchwomen looked positioned to sweep on Saturday, holding a 1-0 lead on the strength of a first-period goal from Jessica Kaminsky. However, Marissa Magueri drew RIT even at 10:12 of the third period. Although each team had power-play opportunities to net a winner — Union on a five-on-three and RIT in overtime — the game ended tied, 1-1. Union had to settle for the tie despite 48 saves from Maddy Dahl in her first start of the season.

New year, new result
So far, Ohio State likes 2014 much better than most of the 2013 portion of the schedule. The Buckeyes throttled Penn State, 8-0 and 4-0. Lisa Steffes was perfect on the 37 shots she faced, and she received a lot of support. In the opener, Claudia Kepler scored twice and Kari Schmitt, Taylor Kuehl, and Danielle Gagne had identical production with a goal and two helpers. Kuehl and Ally Tarr matched those three point efforts on Saturday, while Gagne had a hand in all four goals.

Orange take two
Syracuse snuck out of Vermont with a pair of one-goal decisions, 4-3 and 3-2. Akane Hosoyamada’s second goal of the game on a power play with eight seconds left won Saturday’s game in spite of a three-point game by the Catamounts Amanda Pelkey. After Vermont battled back from a two-goal deficit with third-period goals by Sarah Kelly and Pelkey on Sunday, Larissa Martyniuk tallied a couple minutes later to thwart the rally.

How the rest of the top 10 fared
Half of the ranked teams were idle, but No. 2 Wisconsin provided little drama in sweeping St. Cloud State by scores of 3-1 and 4-0. Julia Gilbert’s third-period goal did tie the opener at 1-1 early in the third period, but Rachel Jones got the lead back for the Badgers four minutes later. On Saturday, Sarah Nurse gave UW the only goal it needed before the game was two minutes old. Ann-Renée Desbiens contributed 50 saves on the weekend with Alex Rigsby still out with a knee injury. Brittany Ammerman and Katy Josephs scored in both games.

No. 3 Cornell had very similar results on the road. With Lauren Slebodnick returning to the net after an injury suffered on Nov. 30, the Big Red toppled Brown, 3-1. Goals by Jillian Saulnier and Janice Yang offset over the first two stanzas. Hanna Bunton and Emily Field helped Cornell pull away in the third. Versus Yale on Saturday, Alyssa Gagliardi provided an early lead and goals late in the middle period by Hayleigh Cudmore and Jessica Campbell put the 3-0 win out of reach. Paula Voorheis stopped all 16 shots from the Bulldogs to collect her first collegiate shutout.

Dartmouth provided plenty of resistance against No. 8 Boston University, but Sarah Lefort’s goal allowed the Terriers to post a 3-2 win. BU rookie Maddie Elia scored and added an assist.

Wake me when it’s November

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The Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks, who had an excellent month in November in which they went 6-2 while sweeping Denver and Miami and splitting with Denver and North Dakota, haven’t won since that month. The Mavericks closed the first half by losing and tying/winning a shootout at Colorado College. They opened the second half this weekend by getting swept by New Hampshire.

New Hampshire won 6-3 and 5-2 decisions. Nebraska-Omaha continues to struggle defensively; so far this season, they have only won one game in which scored two goals or less, a 2-1 win over Northern Michigan back in October. The Mavericks have given up four or more goals eight times so far this year, and only twice this season has UNO been able to hold an opponent to a single goal or less. Nebraska-Omaha is currently ranked 50th defensively of 59 teams; on average, they give up 3.39 goals per game after the New Hampshire series.

That trouble clamping down on opponents hurt them on Saturday against New Hampshire. After taking a 2-1 lead early in the third period on a four-on-three power-play goal, the Mavericks gave up four unanswered goals in the last seven minutes of the game, two of which were on power plays and one of which was an empty-netter.

The Mavericks were without two cogs to their team against New Hampshire: defenseman Jaycob Megna and coach Dean Blais, who were serving three-game suspensions for a rules infraction last year. The two have one game left on the suspension, the first game of a home series against Minnesota-Duluth next weekend.

Brown blitz
Only two other teams in the NCHC had official games this weekend, as Brown traveled to Colorado to take on Denver and Colorado College on consecutive nights. The Bears came away with three points in the two games, as well as an unofficial shootout win.

On Friday at Denver, Brown rallied three times from a one-goal deficit to earn a 3-3 tie. Denver was lucky to get a point at all, as Garnet Hathaway’s chance from in close in OT rang right off the post.

Denver had difficulty with its penalty kill, giving up two power-play goals. Pioneers coach Jim Montgomery singled out the defensive effort of his team, saying, “Our play with the puck was a little bit above average, but our play without the puck was abysmal. Our D-zone and backcheck coverage was the worst that I’ve seen it in a long time, probably since the middle of October.”

Though neither team got extra points, Brown coach Brendan Whittet had agreed to a shootout in the event of a tie. Brown’s Matt Lorito scored on the first chance of the shootout with a sweep stick drag maneuver past the outstretched leg of Sam Brittain. Denver’s best chance to score came when Joey LaLeggia rang one off the post. Lorito’s goal was the only one of the shootout.

On Saturday in Colorado Springs, Lorito again played a big role, as did his linemates, Mark Naclerio and Nick Lappin. Lorito picked up an assist, and Naclerio and Lappin each scored and had an assist on the other’s goal as Brown scored twice in the second to take a 3-1 lead, then got another early in the third to ice the game. CC’s Alexander Krushelnyski scored an extra-attacker goal with 18:24 left in the third to make the score more respectable.

Unofficial action
North Dakota, St. Cloud, and Minnesota-Duluth all had success in exhibition series this weekend. North Dakota traveled to British Columbia to play in the Great Northwest Showcase. North Dakota lost, 3-2, in overtime on Friday against British Columbia, then beat Simon Fraser, 4-3, on Saturday. Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud both blitzed the U.S. Under-18 squad; UMD won 7-0 on Friday and St. Cloud won 8-0 on Saturday.

League action resumes
This weekend, NCHC league play resumes for all eight teams. Denver hosts St. Cloud, North Dakota hosts Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha hosts Minnesota-Duluth, and Western Michigan hosts Miami. Currently, St. Cloud sits atop the standings with 19 points, holding a slim lead over Nebraska-Omaha, which has 17 points. North Dakota and Denver have 15 and 14 points respectively, Colorado College has 10 points, and the other three have nine points each. However, each league win is worth three points, so the standings could look drastically different come next Monday.

Three Things: Atlantic Hockey – January 5, 2014

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Three things  from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend:

Streaks, good and bad

Several streaks came to an end this weekend:

  • Bentley’s nine game unbeaten streak ended on Saturday in a 5-3 loss to Niagara. The teams had tied 2-2 the night before.
  • Niagara had not won on the road (0-10-3) so far this season coming into that game on Saturday with Bentley, and was winless in its last seven games overall, so the Purple Eagles were glad to see those steaks broken. Niagara also scored multiple power-play goals for the first time this season.
  • Rochester Institute of Technology saw its six game unbeaten streak also fall, as the Tigers were swept at Connecticut 2-1 and 6-2.
  • American International had gone nine games without a win (0-8-1) until Friday, when the Yellow Jackets rallied for a 4-3 victory over Air Force.

 

Powerful

Another streak that fell this weekend concerned RIT’s power play, which had scored in five consecutive games and came into this past weekend’s series with Connecticut ranked fourth in Division I at 25.7%.

But the Huskies were perfect on the penalty kill, stopping all six attempts en route to a home sweep. UConn has now killed 24 straight man-down situations.

“Special teams win games,” said UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh on Friday (Video here). “Games where we’ve won the special teams game, I think we’re undefeated.”

On the flip side, Niagara came into its series at Bentley with the second-worst power play in the nation at 6.8%. But two power play goals by the Purple Eagles were the difference in their win over the Falcons on Saturday.

“Special teams are a big part of college hockey and we were struggling during the first semester,” said Niagara coach Dave Burkholder.  “Our power play has gotten better on a daily basis during practice and the guys were rewarded tonight.  A lot of it was just outworking Bentley’s guys, winning face offs and winning loose pucks.  It was things like that which made the difference in the game.”

 

Fantastic Finish

Add a fantastic finish by American International to its list of wild and wacky games this season. The Yellow Jackets stunned Air Force with a late rally on Friday.

The Falcons led 3-1 with under a minute and a half to play when David Norris made things interesting with a goal at 18:33, bringing AIC to within one.

The Yellow Jackets pulled their goalie with 1:06 left, and Air Force took a penalty with 36 seconds remaining, giving AIC a six-on-four situation. Defenseman Jake Williams then tied the game,  converting off a scramble with 15 seconds to play.

Alexander MacMillan completed the comeback, scoring the game-winner 59 seconds into overtime. MacMillen assisted on the other two AIC goals in the rally. The junior leads his team in scoring with 17 points so far.

Raiders revel; Tigers in the Great Northwest; and a Northeast no-decision

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Colgate claims Mariucci Classic

It’s old news by now, but it’s nonetheless the weekend’s top headline:

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The Raiders tied top-ranked Minnesota – on the Gophers’ home ice – and downed the hosts in the shootout on Friday; the Hamilton upstarts then dispatched of No. 2 Ferris State, 3-0, to take the title on Saturday. The Raiders are now 2-1 this season against former No. 1 FSU and are shaping up as a team to watch out for: The team has already beaten Union once, swept the North Country on the road, and are 5-2-3 away from Starr Rink.

Princeton on the Pacific

Most of us don’t look twice at exhibition contests, but Princeton did something a little different this year. Much as Quinnipiac and Dartmouth traveled to Europe last summer for some preseason action, the Tigers (along with the University of North Dakota) left American soil last week in order to take part in the Great Northwest Showcase in Burnaby, British Columbia. The Tigers took down Simon Fraser 8-1 on Friday, but fell 1-0 to the champion University of British Columbia on Saturday. (North Dakota lost to UBC 3-2, and beat SFU 4-3.)

Exhibition events like this used to be commonplace among all sports at all levels – even major-league baseball teams used to play mid-season exhibition tournaments – but for any number of reasons, they are obviously rare today. Despite the logistical challenges and physical risks, this was an experience that many Princeton and North Dakota players (especially the combined seven from the BC province) will cherish for a long time.

Hockey East-ECAC Hockey decide little

Hockey East (.637) and the Big 10 (.604) have overtaken the ECAC (.560) in interconference winning percentage, but the EC’ got a modicum of respect back last weekend, going 2-1-3 against regional foes from the the breakaway league. Quinnipiac (2-1 winners over Maine) and Harvard (downing Boston University, 7-4) registered ECAC Hockey’s two victories; meanwhile, UMass-Lowell hosted, tied, and beat Clarkson while both Dartmouth and Yale tied Vermont in Burlington.

Elsewhere, Brown took a win and tie in Colorado with a draw at Denver and a win against lowly Colorado College. As much as we laud Colgate for its achievement in the Twin Cities, we must also acknowledge Rensselaer’s twin 6-2 losses to the same Gophers and Bulldogs in that tournament.

There are still 16 more non-conference games on the ECAC’s regular-season docket, including two intra-conference bouts (Yale-Harvard at Madison Square Garden next weeekend, and Union-RPI in the Mayor’s Cup on January 25th).

Rankings roundup: How ranked teams fared, Dec. 30-Jan. 5

USCHO Staff Report
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Joe Wilson and Colgate got the better of Travis White (left), CJ Motte and No. 2 Ferris State on Saturday (photo: Jim Rosvold).

Here’s how the 20 teams in the Dec. 30, 2013, USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll fared in games from Dec. 30, 2013, to Jan. 5, 2014:

No. 1 Minnesota tied Colgate 2-2 on Friday, beat Rensselaer 6-2 on Saturday. Record: 13-2-3. Next: at Penn State, Jan. 12-13.

No. 2 Ferris State beat Rensselaer 6-2 on Friday, lost to Colgate 3-0 on Saturday. Record: 15-3-3. Next: vs. Michigan Tech, Jan. 10-11.

No. 3 St. Cloud State beat the U.S. Under-18 Team 8-0 on Saturday (exhibition). Record: 11-2-3. Next: at Denver, Jan. 10-11.

No. 4 Providence tied Merrimack 1-1 on Saturday. Record: 13-3-4. Next: vs. Northeastern, Jan. 7; at Boston College, Jan. 10.

No. 5 Union did not play. Record: 12-3-3. Next: at Quinnipiac, Jan. 10; at Princeton, Jan. 11.

No. 6 Boston College beat No. 14 Notre Dame 4-3 on Saturday. Record: 13-4-2. Next: vs. Providence, Jan. 10; at Brown, Jan. 11.

No. 7 Michigan did not play. Record: 10-4-2. Next: at Wisconsin, Jan. 10-11.

No. 8 Quinnipiac beat Maine 2-1 on Friday. Record: 15-3-4. Next: at Harvard, Jan. 7; vs. Union, Jan. 10; vs. Rensselaer, Jan. 11.

No. 9 Massachusetts-Lowell tied No. 11 Clarkson 1-1 on Friday, beat No. 11 Clarkson 4-3 on Saturday. Record: 14-5-1. Next: at Northeastern, Jan. 11.

No. 10 Yale tied at Vermont 3-3 on Saturday. Record: 7-3-4. Next: vs. Harvard, Jan. 11.

No. 11 Clarkson tied at No. 9 Massachusetts-Lowell 1-1 on Friday, lost at No. 9 Massachusetts-Lowell 4-3 on Saturday. Record: 12-6-2. Next: vs. Merrimack, Jan. 10-11.

No. 12 Miami did not play. Record: 9-7-2. Next: at Western Michigan, Jan. 10-11.

No. 13 Wisconsin lost to Alaska-Anchorage 3-2 on Friday, beat Alaska-Anchorage 4-3 on Saturday. Record: 11-6-1. Next: vs. Michigan, Jan. 10-11.

No. 14 Notre Dame lost to No. 6 Boston College 4-3 on Saturday. Record: 10-8-1. Next: vs. Alabama-Huntsville, Jan. 10-11.

No. 15 Cornell beat the Russian Red Stars 6-0 on Friday (exhibition). Record: 8-4-3. Next: vs. Massachusetts, Jan. 10.

No. 16 Denver tied Brown 3-3 on Friday. Record: 10-6-4. Next: vs. St. Cloud State, Jan. 10-11.

No. 17 Northeastern beat Massachusetts 4-3 on Saturday. Record: 11-6-3. Next: at Providence, Jan. 7; vs. Massachusetts-Lowell, Jan. 11.

No. 18 Lake Superior State beat Michigan Tech 4-3 on Friday, lost to Michigan Tech 3-2 on Saturday. Record: 11-8-1. Next: vs. Bemidji State, Jan. 10-11.

No. 19 Nebraska-Omaha lost at New Hampshire 6-3 on Friday, lost at New Hampshire 5-2 on Saturday. Record: 8-9-1. Next: vs. Minnesota-Duluth, Jan. 10-11.

No. 20 Vermont tied Dartmouth 1-1 on Friday, tied No. 10 Yale 3-3 on Saturday. Record: 10-6-3. Next: at St. Lawrence, Jan. 7; at Colgate, Jan. 11.

Gallery: Mariucci Classic championship game – Colgate vs. Ferris State

By Jim Rosvold and Ryan Coleman
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Here is a gallery from Saturday’s Mariucci Classic championship game at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. Colgate defeated No. 2 Ferris State 3-0.
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Ferris State’s Motte, Union’s Lichtenwald get national honors for December

USCHO Staff Report
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Ferris State goaltender CJ Motte and Union forward Eli Lichtenwald have been named the national player and rookie of the month, respectively, for December.

Both awards come from the Hockey Commissioners Association, which selects winners from nominees made by each conference.

Motte was 3-0-1 with a 1.47 GAA and a .952 save percentage in December, helping the Bulldogs rise to No. 2 in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.

For the season, Motte is 14-0-3.

Lichtenwald had four goals and seven points in six games in December for the Dutchmen.

He had two goals and an assist in a 6-4 win over Quinnipiac on Dec. 7, helping Union to sole possession of first place in ECAC Hockey.

Gallery: Frozen Fenway practices

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The four teams, Merrimack, Providence, BC and Notre Dame, taking part in the first doubleheader of Hockey East Frozen Fenway practiced in the bitter cold on Friday, January 3, 2014.

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ECAC Hockey picks: Jan. 3-8

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Overall: 35-28-4

The end of this weekend could see a third ECAC team take home a tournament title after the league was shutout in last year’s holiday tournaments. Colgate and Rensselaer are each taking part in the Mariucci Classic, and will look to join Cornell and Quinnipiac with tournament wins.  All games are 7 p.m., unless noted.

Friday, Jan. 3

Ferris State vs. Rensselaer (Mariucci Classic), 5:07 p.m.

The Engineers return from an 18-day layoff to face the hottest team in the country in Ferris State. The Bulldogs enter the opener of the Mariucci Classic on a 15-game unbeaten streak, although their only two losses of the season have come to ECAC teams (St. Lawrence and Colgate).  RPI head coach and former Ferris State goalie Seth Appert and the Engineers opened last season with a win and a tie versus Ferris State in Troy, but the Bulldogs are on some kind of run right now. Ferris State wins

Maine at Quinnipiac

If anyone knows how to take down the Bobcats, its Maine head coach Red Gendron, who was an assistant at Yale last season when the Bulldogs blanked Quinnipiac in the national title game.  This is the third straight ECAC team that Maine will face after beating Princeton and losing to Cornell in a shootout in the Florida College Classic.  The Bobcats were utterly dominant in Monday’s win over Sacred Heart, and are 7-1-2 at home, while the Black Bears have yet to win at non-neutral site on the road. This game will be televised on New England Sports Network. Quinnipiac wins

Dartmouth at Vermont, 7:05 p.m.

The Big Green showed some signs of a defensive turnaround prior to the holiday break, but any progress on the backend evaporated after Dartmouth blew a late 8-4 lead against Northeastern Monday, settling for an 8-8 tie. Vermont doesn’t standout in one particular area, but the Catamounts have been very solid this season and beat Clarkson last weekend. Vermont wins

Clarkson at Massachusetts-Lowell

This is the second of three straight meetings between these teams, with the River Hawks taking game one by a 3-1 score. That setback marked the first time the Golden Knights have had back-to-back losses this season.  If Clarkson is to avoid three straight losses, they’ll have to do so against UMass-Lowell team they haven’t beaten since 1999. UMass-Lowell wins

Colgate at Minnesota, (Mariucci Classic), 8:07 p.m.

Talk about easing back into things. The Raiders start the second half against No. 1 Minnesota, the host of the Mariucci Classic and a team that is 6-0 all-time against Colgate. The Raiders should be in contention for home ice in the ECAC playoffs, but it’s hard to pick against Minnesota here. Minnesota wins

 Brown at Denver, 9:37 p.m.

It’s been just under a month since the Bears last played, but Brown went into the break following a two-game sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth. This is the first game between Denver and Brown since the 1994-95 season. The Pioneers ended the first half with a sweep at RPI, a team that plays a somewhat similar physical style to the Bears.  This game will be televised on DIRECTV Channel 683. Denver wins

Saturday, Jan. 4

Clarkson at Massachusetts-Lowell, 4 p.m.

A loss to the River Hawks would make it four in a row for the Golden Knights, who lost three games during the entire first half. I don’t think that will happen, though. Clarkson wins

Rensselaer vs. Colgate (Mariucci Classic), 5:07 p.m.  

If my predictions from Friday hold, these two New York teams will be meeting in the Midwest in the Mariucci Classic consolation game. I think the Engineers are playing a more complete game right now, which gives them the edge. Rensselaer wins

Boston University at Harvard, 7:30 p.m.

It was almost a year ago that a slumping Crimson team beat the Terriers 6-5 in overtime after trailing in the third period. If Harvard is to beat the Terriers again, I think it will come on the strength of a strong goaltending performance from either Raphael Girard or Steve Michalek.  Harvard wins

Yale at Vermont, 7:05 p.m.

This is the first of five straight games away from Ingalls Rink for the Bulldogs. The return of forwards Anthony Day and Jesse Root from injury is a big lift for Yale, and the Bulldogs should have enough offense and goaltending from Alex Lyon to take down the Catamounts. Yale wins

Brown at Colorado College, 9:07 p.m.

The Bears will face an unfamiliar opponent for the second night in a row, as this is Brown’s first time seeing the Tigers since 1976-77. Colorado College is having a miserable season, so this should be a win for the Bears. Brown wins

Tuesday, Jan. 7

Quinnipiac at Harvard

Like I said above, the Crimson have the goaltending to steal a win. But the Bobcats simply possess the puck too much, resulting in lopsided shot totals most games. Quinnipiac wins

Vermont at St. Lawrence

The Saints ended the first half with a 5-1 loss to the Catamounts on Dec. 14. Once again, St. Lawrence has no problem scoring, but will need to keep its opponents off the board if they want a shot at winning. Vermont wins

Wednesday, Jan. 8

Dartmouth at Boston University

Neither of these teams is exactly lighting it up right now, so I’ll take the home team in this matchup. Boston University wins

Women’s D-III picks: Jan. 3-5

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Friday, Jan. 3, Saturday, Jan. 4

Wisconsin-Stevens Point at St. Norbert (home-and-home)
The Pointers concluded 2013 with a five-game win streak, their last loss coming at the hands of Wisconsin-Superior last Nov. 23. The Green Knights, paced by scoring leader Ali Parker, registered a pair of wins against upper echelon opponents Lake Forest and Adrian in the early portion of the schedule. St. Norbert heads into the weekend with a 4-2-0 record away from Resch Olympic Pavilion. St. Norbert over Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wisconsin-Stevens Point over St. Norbert

Saturday, Jan. 4

Manhattanville at Bowdoin
Both teams hope to make the best of a second chance afforded them by a change in the calendar. The two preseason top 10 favorites have bounced along on bumpy ice since the outset of the campaign. The Valiants and Polar Bears are a combined 8-7-1 overall heading into weekend action. Bowdoin’s power play unit has a huge advantage in this one, coming in rankedthird in the nation. In contrast, you’ll have to scroll down the list to find the Valiants, who check in at 43rd with a power play percentage of 7.84 (4-of-51). Bowdoin over Manhattanville

Sunday, Jan. 5

Norwich at Plattsburgh
Norwich faltered on all six power-play opportunities in the initial meeting of the season between the two clubs in the season-opening East/West Hockey Classic held at the Kreitzberg Arena, in which Plattsburgh prevailed 6-0. The Cadets will have to break through against a Cardinals penalty killing crew that has been perfect in all 37 short-handed situations if they intend to gain a positive outcome. The matchup with the Cardinals is the first of eight consecutive road contests for the Cadets. The Cardinals remain unbeaten on home ice. Plattsburgh over Norwich

St. Michael’s Ice Hockey Classic, Friday, Jan.3, Saturday, Jan. 4
The opening tilt matching Nichols College and Plymouth State shakes out to be the most competitive in the ninth annual tournament. In addition to taking a 3-0 victory over the Panthers earlier in the season, the Bison have overcome a former top-10 squad, taking a 4-3 road win against Manhattanville last month. Sacred Heart. currently in the midst of a seven-game winless streak, will open the tournament against host St. Michaels.

Plymouth State University (2-7) vs. Nichols College (2-6): Nichols over Plymouth State
Saint Michael’s College (0-9) vs. Sacred Heart University (1-7-3): Sacred Heart over St. Michael’s
Plymouth State vs. Sacred Heart: Plymouth State over Sacred Heart
Saint Michael’s vs. Nichols: Nichols over St. Michael’s

Pickin’ the Big Ten: Jan. 3-4, 2014

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Well … Drew and I were both wrong about the GLI.

Last week
Drew: 4-3-1 (.563)
Paula: 4-3-1 (.563)

Season
Drew: 53-23-7 (.681)
Paula: 55-22-7 (.696)

This week

It’s a light schedule this week before full-on Big Ten play begins Jan. 10. Only the two league teams formerly with the WCHA play this weekend; both play Friday and Saturday nights at 7:00 p.m. local time.

Mariucci Classic

Drew: No disrespect to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but if the Engineers are the team that takes the ice to play the Gophers on Saturday night a lot of people will be displeased, myself included. (I’m making the trek to Mariucci this weekend and really want a one-two match-up). Minnesota, Colgate, Ferris State and RPI are the four teams in this year’s Mariucci Classic field. Ferris State will face RPI on Friday before the Gophers take on Colgate. The winners and losers will play on Saturday evening. Colgate definitely isn’t a team Minnesota should sleep on; the Raiders shut out Ferris State 1-0 earlier this season. After winning its own tournament eight times in a row from 1999-2006, Minnesota has struggled at the classic recently. The Gophers have won two of six Mariucci Classics since 2006. Last year they beat Air Force 4-0 and trounced Boston College 8-1.

Paula: Well, anyone who knows me knows where my heart is in this tournament. The Bulldogs were my midseason CCHA sweethearts for more than a decade. With no offense to Wisconsin fans intended, I fondly remember back-to-back Ferris State Badger Classic titles. Like Drew, I’m rooting for a Ferris State-Minnesota title game because I think it’ll be a high-caliber match.

The Gophers ended the first half of the season with a tie and win on the road against Michigan State Dec. 6-7. Colgate’s last Division I weekend of play was Dec. 14-15, two home losses against Massachusetts, but the Raiders tuned up against the Russian Red Stars New Year’s Eve, a 3-2 exhibition win. RPI ended the first half with two overtime games against Denver Dec. 13-14, a 2-1 loss and 1-1 tie, but the Engineers beat the U.S. Developmental Team in exhibition, 2-1, Dec. 15.

In an interesting note, Ferris State’s last 10 games of the first half of the season were against former CCHA foes, a stretch during which they went 7-0-3, ending with a 2-2 tie on the road against Michigan Dec. 11 and a 2-0 road win over Michigan State.

Yes, I miss the CCHA. Sue me.

Drew’s picks: Minnesota over Colgate 5-2, Minnesota over Ferris State 3-2.
Paula’s picks: I’m going sentimental. I’ll gladly eat the pick if it means calling for the Bulldogs in another midseason tournament. Minnesota 3-2 over Colgate, Ferris State 3-2 over Minnesota.

Alaska-Anchorage at Wisconsin

Drew: The biggest factor in this series isn’t a player or coach; it’s a building. Wisconsin is on a roll and hasn’t lost at Kohl Center this season. Alaska-Anchorage, the former doormat of the old WCHA, is improved this year and is near the middle of the conference, but the Seawolves are 0-5-1 on the road this year. The Seawolves have always played everyone tough and I expect that to happen again this weekend, but I’m not picking against Bucky.

Paula: Drew said most of it. The Badgers are riding a six-game win streak into the second half of the season, having finished up the first half with a pair of wins over Colorado College — and Wisconsin played last weekend, a two-game set against Alabama-Huntsville. The Seawolves last played Dec. 13-14, a home split against Lake Superior State. This is the first time these teams have met as nonconference opponents since 1990. The Badgers are 18-1-1 in their last 20 games against the Seawolves.

Drew’s picks: Wisconsin 3-2, 6-2.
Paula’s picks: Wisconsin 4-2, 4-1.

Jan. 3-4 WCHA picks: Tech, LSSU meet again in the Sault

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All 10 WCHA teams are back in action now after the holidays, though not every school is in league play yet.

Michigan Tech is coming off a shootout win and overtime loss in the Great Lakes Invitational at Comerica Park in Detroit, Bowling Green split at the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh and Alabama-Huntsville was swept at Wisconsin last weekend.

Here’s Shane and my picks for this week. A thanks to Shane for being generous tallying our record from last weekend, giving us credit for Tech’s shootout win and for the Huskies’ loss, though we thought it would come against Michigan, not Western Michigan.

 

Friday-Saturday 

Michigan Tech at Lake Superior

Shane: This is the weekend’s best matchup as the two teams close out the first half of conference play (each has played 12 league games) tied for fifth place. The Huskies are better than their record with a tough schedule, even though they’re technically on a six-game winless streak. The Lakers went into break with one win in their last four. The teams split earlier this season; they’ll do it again. Lakers 3-1, Huskies 2-1

Matt: Great matchup. Horrible weekend to schedule it on. I’ve railed on this before with the first meeting between these two teams scheduled during the opening weekend of deer hunting. Rain may have chased hunters from their deer blinds to MacInnes Student Ice Arena in November — I literally drove to and from Houghton in a thunderstorm for Game 2 — but not even a series with Tech is getting LSSU students to return early from holiday break. Lakers 4-2, Huskies 2-1

 

Bowling Green at Alabama Huntsville

Shane: The Chargers’ lone win of the season came against the Falcons less than a month ago. Can they pull off another? If Bowling Green wants to stay in the race for home ice, it can’t afford another slip. Falcons 5-2, 2-1

Matt: Bowling Green could have really fallen apart after that home loss to Huntsville, but rallied to take three points from Tech in Houghton — the Falcons scored two late goals with an extra attack to get a tie in Game 2 — and then split in Pittsburgh. I like BGSU to keep building. Falcons 3-1, 4-1

 

Northern Michigan at Bemidji State

Shane: Both of these teams enter the weekend on six-game winless streaks. Something’s got to give, right? Well, with all of the overtime games the Beavers have played this season (8), maybe not. When the Wildcats played in Mankato, Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings said his team might have caught them at a good time. While CJ Ludwig isn’t returning, Northern Michigan is getting other bodies back. I’m not going to predict ties here but: Beavers 3-2, Wildcats 3-2

Matt: When Shane says he’s “not going to predict ties here,” he means, “I’m predicting ties, but if I’m wrong, it kill my record.” I concur with that. Beavers 3-1, Wildcats 2-1

 

Minnesota State at Alaska

Shane: The Mavericks begin their long, strange trip to Alaska where they will play both teams there, starting this weekend with the Nanooks. Minnesota State won seven in a row going into the break. Alaska snapped a five-game losing streak and closed out the first half 2-1-0. I think MSU keeps it rolling though. Mavericks 3-2, 4-2

Matt: If Alaska wants to make the WCHA playoffs, it needs to defend its home ice and can’t get swept. At the same time, MSU needs every win it can get to keep pace with Ferris State. Mavericks 4-1, Nanooks 4-3

 

Mariucci Classic

Ferris State vs. RPI on Friday; FSU vs. Minnesota/Colgate winner on Saturday

Shane: The hope here, of course, is that the Bulldogs and host Gophers win in the first round to set up a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup on Saturday. That’s also the call, but I’m afraid Ferris’ unbeaten streak ends on Minnesota’s home ice. Bulldogs 3-2, Gophers 4-2

Matt: Ferris should have no problem with RPI on Friday and I want to pick Ferris State to upset the Gophers on Saturday, but Mariucci Arena isn’t as familiar to the Bulldogs as  the last place they faced a top-5 team — Michigan at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor. Bulldogs 4-1, Gophers 3-2

 

Alaska Anchorage at Wisconsin

Shane: The Seawolves’ turnaround this season has been impressive, but they’ve done almost all of their damage at home. The next step is winning on the road. But the Badgers are 9-0-1 in Madison (where they’ve also played 10 of their 16 games) and likely will stay unbeaten. Badgers 5-1, 3-2

Matt: The Badgers have owned the WCHA so far this year, going 5-0-1 so far against Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State and Alabama-Huntsville. UAA is the league’s last hope to beat Bucky, and I don’t like the Seawolves chances. Badgers 4-1, 3-1

Last week: Shane 5-0-1; Matt 5-0-1. Overall records: Shane: 79-32-17; Matt: 72-39-17

Atlantic Hockey Picks Jan. 3-5

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Last Week:
Dan: 10-4
Chris: 10-4

On the season:
Dan: 89-38-12 (.683)
Chris: 89-38-12 (.683)

This Week’s Picks

Friday, Jan 3 and Saturday, Jan 4:
Air Force at American International
Dan: AIC lost nine in a row to go into their break, while Air Force hasn’t lost since November 29th.  They’re 2-0-3 over their little stretch, and even without Jason Torf or Ben Carey, they should be fine for this weekend.  Still, this comes with an uneasy feeling for their future.  Air Force sweeps.
Chris: The Yellow Jackets have been idle since Dec. 14 and the Falcons are coming off a championship weekend at Dartmouth, where they defeated two ranked teams to win the Ledyard Bank Classic. Despite the reported loss of goaltender Jason Torf to injury, I’m going with the hot hand. Air Force sweeps. 

Mercyhurst at Army
Dan: This is a doppelganger to the Air Force-AIC series.  A league titan comes east to play a team struggled with the first half of the season.  Army did go 2-2 into the break, including a shutout of Canisius, but Mercyhurst is too strong in comparison to the rest of the league.  Mercyhurst sweeps.
Chris: Army is another team that took the Holidays off, while Mercyhurst concluded its non-conference schedule at 2-8-1 after getting swept at Ohio State. But the Lakers still rule the roost the Altlantic Hockey (tied with Bentley but ahead in winning percentage), and I have to go with them here. Mercyhurst sweeps. 

Niagara at Bentley
Dan: Bentley is one win away from tying their longest winning streak at five.  Brett Gensler is one goal away from tying the Division I goals record after breaking the Division I points record earlier in the year.  Meanwhile, Niagara is winless in their last six, allowing over three goals per game.  Bentley sweeps.
Chris: If there are any doubters left about Bentley, they’ll have to come around if the Falcons sweep here. Which I think they will. Bentley sweeps. 

Canisius at Holy Cross
Dan: Holy Cross had an emotional weekend last weekend but lost both games.  Still, they played remarkable hockey against both Boston College and Air Force.  Canisius has lost their last three, but two of those were to UMass-Lowell and Vermont, both of whom are ranked.  Canisius wins on Friday.  Holy Cross wins on Saturday.
Chris: Both teams were 0-2 last week and looking to rebound. I’m going with the Crusaders, who hung in there with Bentley and Yale. Holy Cross sweeps.

Rochester Institute of Technology at Connecticut
Dan: UConn has been wildly inconsistent, getting beat badly by Sacred Heart in the league game first round of their own holiday tournament in Hartford but holding a sweep over Niagara and a consolation game win over UMass-Amherst.  RIT, meanwhile, hasn’t lost since November 22nd, and owns the fifth longest unbeaten streak in the nation (tied with Wisconsin).  And I’m a big fan that destiny is setting in for an RIT-Bentley collision course next week.  RIT sweeps.
Chris: This is a big series for both teams, which come in tied for third with identical conference records (5-3-1). RIT is 3-4-1 at UConn since joining the AHA, including splits in their last three visits to the Freitas Ice Forum. Taking into account that the Huskies have been hot and cold in league play so far makes another split the safe pick. UConn wins Friday; RIT wins Saturday.

Saturday, Jan. 4 and Sunday, Han. 5
Robert Morris at Sacred Heart
Dan: Robert Morris lost a couple of one-goal games in the Three Rivers Classic, meaning they’ve now lost 10 of their 12 L’s by one or two goals.  Sacred Heart beat UConn but lost to Quinnipiac in a game where they were outshot 54-12.  SHU didn’t get a shot on goal in the second period and were outshot, 35-3, over the second and third combined en route to a 5-0 loss.  They won’t have that this weekend, but I’m still taking the Colonials.  Robert Morris sweeps.
Chris:Both goalies (RMU’s Shafer and SHU’s Vazanno) got quite a workout last weekend making 91 and 78 saves respectively in holiday tournament play. Is it too early to say these are must-win games for the Colonials, who have just one win in their last nine games? I’m going with a split here. Sacred Heart wins Saturday; Robert Morris wins Sunday

Starting off 2014 with predictions

By USCHO Division III Men's Columnists
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All that is left of the fruitcake is crumbs and memories, Santa is back home resting and the trees and decorations are being put away.
Resolutions have been made and in most cases, already broken.
That said, the men’s Division III conferences get back to work this weekend and our crack staff has returned with its picks for this weekend’s games and contests that go down next week.

ECAC East – Tim Costello

The last week’s picks of the first half finished at 3-0-0 (1.000), which brings this season total to an excellent 19-6-3 (.707). The New Year starts out with some nonconference and tournament action that will definitely challenge my accuracy in the second half.
Here are this week’s picks:
Friday, Jan. 3
Milwaukee School of Engineering @ Norwich
The Cadets host the Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament annually and look to get off to a good start by being not-so-gracious hosts to their visitors from the west. The likely matchup with Amherst on Saturday should be a great one, but the Cadets won’t get caught looking past MSOE. Norwich 5-2.
Nichols @ Skidmore
This non-conference matchup is so close that I should pick a tie, but will give the Thoroughbreds the win based on home-ice advantage and their ability to take advantage of it. The big sheet will challenge both teams to find their skating legs early in the second half following the holiday break. Skidmore 4-3.
Salve Regina @ Castleton
The Spartans host another nonconference foe to open the second half and should not take this ECAC Northeast opponent lightly. Special teams are the likely difference maker in this one with an empty-netter accounting for the final marker. Castleton 5-3.
St. Anselm @ Potsdam
It is a homecoming of sorts for coach Ed Seney at Potsdam in this nonconference game. The Hawks got it going to wrap up the first half and look to extend their current win streak against a quality SUNYAC opponent. Great goaltending and just enough offense are the difference-makers in this one. St. Anselm 4-3.
Neumann @ Southern Maine
Both teams are still looking for the consistency needed to compete at the top of their respective leagues. The Huskies had it going, but floundered a bit to end the first half, so look for a lot of jump against a tough team from the ECAC West to start play in the New Year. Southern Maine 4-3.
Nothing better to ring in the New Year than starting the second half with a win or two – drop the puck!

ECAC Northeast – Nathan Fournier

Friday, Jan. 3
Trinity at Becker
This isn’t a matchup Becker wants to start the second half of the year with Trinity’s strong start. The Bantams’ offense has carried them to a 6-2 record so far. They won’t panic if Becker gets on the board first as Trinity is a perfect 4-0-0 when scored on first. Becker will have a tough time scoring, in my opinion, and will fall 5-2.
Salve Regina at Castleton
The Seahawks will have had 26 days off since they lost 5-1 to Utica. With that bad taste in their mouth, I expect them to come out firing against Castleton. They also need a victory on the road and a nonconference victory. It shouldn’t be a cakewalk as Castleton carries a 6-4-1 record this season. They have offensive depth that could be a problem for Salve Regina, who will squeak out a 4-3 victory.
Nichols at Skidmore
The Thoroughbreds have played strong in nonconference play. They are very strong defensively, only allowing 2.55 goals per game and their penalty kill is shutting down the opponents power play 88.7 percent of the time. Nichols will rely on goaltender Alex Larson, who has been simply outstanding this season. I think Larson will be too much for Skidmore in a tight 3-2 victory.
Curry at Oswego
Curry will have its hands full with Oswego. I don’t believe Curry is at the same level and will have trouble containing the Lakers. Curry will have to get better offensively in the second half of the season. I have the Lakers winning this one 7-1.
The winner of this game will face the winner of Utica/Wisconsin-Stout game on Saturday, while the losers face off the same day.
Saturday, Jan. 4
Nichols at Castleton
This should be a very good and compelling contest. The Spartans have the offensive firepower to put pressure on Nichols’ goaltender Alex Larson. They also feel comfortable at home with a 4-2 record. Nichols can exploit their penalty killing, though, as the Spartans only kill off 71.4 percent of their opponents’ power plays. The Bison power play converts 20 percent of the time. Nichols will take this one 4-3.
Salve Regina at Skidmore
Another good contest. If Salve Regina wants to pick up the victory, it will have to get off to fast start as they are 3-0 when scoring first. They are also 6-1 when outshooting their opponent. Both teams will be facing the second game of a back-to-back. Expect both teams to be a little sluggish and I have Skidmore to come out with a 5-3 victory.
Western New England at Trinity
This should be a very good game between two teams that know how to put the puck in the net. Fourteen of Western New England’s 38 goals have come on the man-advantage, while Trinity has scored 12 times on their 30 total goals. I expect both teams to score at least three goals at least in a wide open game. I will take Trinity in a 7-4 game.
Suffolk at Massachusetts-Boston
A very tough challenge for Suffolk against UMass-Boston to open up the second half of the year. UMass-Boston will have to make sure they aren’t looking ahead to the Fenway Park game against Salem State on Tuesday, as Suffolk could surprise them. The Rams will need a big game from Tim Sprague and Charlie McGinnis. I will take UMass-Boston 6-1.
The winner will face the winner of the Southern New Hampshire-Tufts game, while the losers will face each other in the third-place game of the Codfish Bowl on Sunday.
Tuesday, Jan. 7
Framingham State at Western New England
The Golden Bears are going to be playing in their second game of six games in 10 days. It will be very important for them to rack up wins early in that stretch before they head out to New York to face Brockport and Utica on Jan. 9 and 10, respectively. For Framingham State, they look to continue their momentum from a strong first half of the season. In the end, I will take the Golden Bears as I like their depth in a 4-2 game.
Wednesday, Jan 8
Westfield State at Becker
Westfield State will be looking for their first nonconference win of the season when they travel to Becker. They have the offense to make that happen, but their defense will need to tighten up up as they are allowing 3.55 goals per game. Becker, with only one win on the season, is hoping 2014 will be more kind to them. I will take Westfield in a 5-1 game
Thursday, Jan. 9
Johnson and Wales at Massachusetts-Dartmouth
Johnson and Wales will look to their offensive totals against UMass-Dartmouth. They are at their best when they come out of the gate strong in the first period. UMass-Dartmouth only has two wins on the season when they were leading after one period. If the Corsairs can stop the line of Josh Obregon-Cody Sarmiento-Stefan Brucato, they could have a chance with an upset. I won’t bet on that happening and will take Johnson and Wales in a 7-2 victory.
Wentworth at Plymouth State
I believe the Leopards will have their hands full with Plymouth State. Not too many goal-scorers have emerged in the first half with only two players having four goals so far this season. It’s a game where Plymouth State can build off confidence with a strong defensive effort. I expect Ian McGilvrey and Zack Sarig to lead Plymouth State to a 6-3 victory.
Western New England at Brockport
The Golden Bears continue their road trip against the Golden Eagles. This is a very winnable game for Western New England. Brockport has allowed 52 goals this season in 12 games, so the Golden Bears will be licking their chops. Brockport hasn’t been able to keep games close this season, so expect Western New England to potentially jump on them early. I have Western New England winning this one 8-2.

ECAC West – Dan Hickling

Friday, Jan. 3
No. 9 Utica vs. Wisconsin-Stout @ Oswego – Utica 4, Stout 0
This is the opening tilt of Oswego’s Pathfinder Bank Classic. The question is not the result, but which Pioneer goaltender — senior Nick Therrien or freshman Marcus Zelzer — will get the win.
Neumann vs. Southern Maine @ Middlebury – Neumann 3, USM 0
Knights’ senior goalie Braely Torris spent two years in the nets for USM. Don’t think he wouldn’t love to slam the door on his old mates.

MASCAC – Nathan Fournier

Friday, Jan 3
Wentworth at Salem State
Salem State is coming off a loss to Babson and Wentworth lost to Colby on Thursday. This could be a trap game with a Wentworth squad struggling and Salem State looking at a big matchup with Massachusetts-Boston on Tuesday as part of the Frozen Fenway festivities. I think Wentworth will suprise Salem State and get on a winning track in a game that will feature some offense – Wentworth Leopards win 5-1.
Amherst at Plymouth State
A tough game for Plymouth State coming back from the break. Amherst is the 15th-ranked team in the country. Amherst is only averaging 2.88 goals per game so far this season and Plymouth State has had plenty of offensive shootouts this season. It will be interesting how special teams will play a part in this contest with Plymouth State’s power play at 27.1 percent and the Lord Jeffs’ penalty kill at 89.8 percent. I will take Amherst in a 4-3 game.
The winner will face the winner Norwich-Milwaukee School of Engineering game on Saturday and the two losers will face off also on Saturday.
Tuesday, Jan 7
Salem State at Massachusetts-Boston (at Fenway Park)
What a treat for these two teams to get an opportunity to play at one of the most historic ballparks in the country. The key to this game is to make sure players don’t get awestruck. The team that can keep their emotions in check will probably come out on top. UMass-Boston was clicking offensively in the first half and look to continue the same in the second half. The key for Salem State is to keep the game close as they are 4-1 in one-goal games. I have UMass-Boston in a 5-3 game.
Assumption at Fitchburg State
Fitchburg State eases into the second half of the season with an Assumption squad that has been struggling this season. They are scoring a little over two goals this season. The one positive for Assumption has been their penalty kill this season at 85.2 percent. I believe Fitchburg has too much offense for Assumption to contain and I will go with the Falcons in a 6-2 victory.

NESCAC – Tim Costello

It will be quite a challenge to maintain the picks at the level of the first half that finished at 12-1-2 (.867). Interesting nonconference and tournament action to kick things off in 2014, so here are the picks for this weekend:
Friday, Jan. 3
Plymouth State vs. Amherst
Amherst, hopefully, has healed a few bodies over the holiday break that will add to their depth. Too strong in all three zones for the Panthers, who show they can compete with any top team in the country. Amherst 4-2.
Hobart vs. Williams
The Ephs should get the chance to play against the nation’s No. 1 team, but will need to play solid against a feisty Hobart team that is much better than their record indicates. Frozen Fenway date looming early next week, but the Ephs get the job done in typical close fashion. Williams 3-2.
St. Michael’s @ Middlebury
Hosting your own tournament does put a little pressure on the home team, but not as much as what they put on themselves to get the second half off to a good start. The Purple Knights are winless so far this season and the Panthers keep them that way on Friday. Middlebury 5-2.
Trinity @ Becker
The Bantams should be focused and healthy for this nonconference matchup. After stumbling in the first half against Stonehill, look for Trinity to come out strong early against Becker. Trinity 3-1.
Saturday, Jan. 4
New England College @ Wesleyan
The Cardinals have shown their offensive prowess in the first half and face a team that has won with a lot of different strengths. Expect this game to be physical and a power-play or shorthanded goal to be the difference in the game. Wesleyan 4-2.
No easy ones for anyone to start the second half, so you better be ready to play – drop the puck!

SUNYAC – Dan Hickling

Friday, Jan. 3
No. 2 Adrian @ Buffalo State – Buff State 3, Adrian 2
It’s tough to pick against the second-ranked team in the nation, especially one of the few unbeatens left in the land. But in this case, we will. Buff State has the makings of a very good team, provided all parts of its game is in synch. This could be the night for that.
Hamilton @ No. 1 Plattsburgh – Plattsburgh 5, Hamilton 1
The Cardinals are primed to pick up where they left off before the break when they were clicking on all cylinders. Hamilton, a middle-of-the-pack NESCAC squad, can give the nation’s top-ranked team a good game, but not good enough.

Hockey East picks – Jan. 3-8

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Dave and I only picked one game different – the Vermont/Clarkson game – and I got it correct, further opening up my lead.

Jim last week: 9-4-3
Jim to-date: 90-43-15
Dave last week: 8-5-3
Dave to-date: 85-48-15

Friday, January 3

Maine at Quinnipiac
Jim’s pick: Here are two teams both playing excellent hockey right now. I’m am going with Quinnipiac simply because of home ice. Maine hasn’t won on the road and the Bobcats are solid are home.
QU 3, Maine 2
Dave’s pick: Agreed. Maine played well on neutral ice in Florida last week, but still must prove itself on the road.
QU 4, Maine 2

Clarkson at Massachusetts-Lowell
Jim’s pick: It wasn’t an easy win for Lowell but last Sunday at the Catamount Cup was a win over the Golden Knights. I feel like the River Hawks should win again.
UML 3, CU 1
Dave’s pick: Even though the Knights are 6-2-0 on the road, I’m not believing they’re as good as their record. At home, the River Hawks should prevail.
UML 4, CU 2

Nebraska-Omaha at New Hampshire
Jim’s pick: This is one I’m struggling with as UNH hasn’t been consistent and UNO has played above expectations all season. Even at home, I think I’m going with the Mavericks.
UNO 4, UNH 3
Dave’s pick: UNH has been tough to predict all year and is still a game under .500 at home, but I can’t see the Mavericks emerging with a win here.
UNH 4, UNO 3

Dartmouth at Vermont
Jim’s pick: This is the end of a long homestand for Vermont in which the Cats have been near perfect.
UVM 4, DC 2
Dave’s pick: The Catamounts shouldn’t allow a 2-11-1 team to come into their barn and come out with a win.
UVM 5, DC 1

Saturday, January 4

Frozen Fenway (at Fenway Park, Boston)
Providence vs. Merrimack
Jim’s pick: These teams have had some great games against one another in recent years and this is on a big stage at Fenway. Doubtful that Jon Gillies will be back from World Juniors but still think Providence can prevail.
PC 3, MC 2
Dave’s pick: Without Gillies, the Friars are vulnerable, but Merrimack doesn’t have the firepower to take advantage.
PC 2, MC 1

Notre Dame vs. Boston College
Jim’s pick: Again, whether or not players will return from World Juniors in time for this game could be a major factor. Notre Dame really relies on Hinostroza, maybe more than BC its three players. So this prediction is a bit of a coin flip.
BC 4, Notre Dame 3
Dave’s pick: The Irish only had three wins and a tie in their last nine going into the break, so I’m seeing an easier win for the Eagles than Jim does.
BC 4, Notre Dame 2

Boston University at Harvard
Jim’s pick: In this potential Beanpot preview, I like the Terriers.
BU 5, Harvard 3
Dave’s pick: I’m picking the lesser of two evils here since I don’t like the way either team has played. But even though the Terriers are on the road, I think they’re the better team. Barely.
BU 4, Harvard 3 (OT)

Massachusetts at Northeastern
Jim’s pick: Despite UMass playing some decent games of late and Northeastern struggling, I’m going with the Huskies at home.
NU 4, UMass 2
Dave’s pick: It seems as though the Northeastern bandwagon got a flat as soon as I jumped on board, and I’m not feeling good about picking a team that gave up 13 goals last weekend. But I’m going with the Huskies’ firepower that scored eight times to forge a comeback tie with Dartmouth.
NU 4, UMass 3

Clarkson at Massachusetts-Lowell
Jim’s pick: It’s difficult to beat a team three times in a week, but I think Lowell is capable.
UML 4, CU 2
Dave’s pick: I’m not that big on the difficulty of beating a team three times in a week; I am big on the River Hawks being the superior team despite Clarkson’s 12-5-1 record.
UML 4, CU 2

Nebraska-Omaha at New Hampshire
Jim’s pick: Picking splits haven’t been a good thing for me this season, yet, I’m going to do it again.
UNH 3, UNO 1
Dave’s pick: I’m going with the Wildcats to sweep and kick off a strong second-half run.
UNH 3, UNO 2

Yale at Vermont
Jim’s pick: The defending national champs won’t allow Vermont to end its homestand on a positive note.
Yale 4, UVM 2
Dave’s pick: The Bulldogs haven’t been playing like national champs, so I’m going with the Catamounts in an upset.
UVM 3, Yale 2 (OT)

Tuesday, January 7

Northeastern at Providence
Jim’s pick: Gillies should definitely be back to Providence which makes the Friars my pick at home.
PC 3, NU 1
Dave’s pick: Agreed. The Friars once again become one of the top teams in the league, if not the nation. Gillies is that good.
PC 4, NU 2

Vermont at St. Lawrence
Jim’s pick: Even away from home, I’m picking the Cats in this one.
UVM 3, SLU 2
Dave’s pick: St. Lawrence lost four straight going into the break, including a 5-1 tilt at Vermont, so I’m going for the Catamounts without hesitation.
UVM 4, SLU 2

Wednesday, January 8

Dartmouth at Boston University
Jim’s pick: Dartmouth has seen a lot of Hockey East lately and this one won’t end much better.
BU 4, DU 2
Dave’s pick: Dartmouth proves to be what the doctor ordered for a Terriers team that ranked as one of the bigger first-half disappointments in Eastern hockey.
BU 4, DU 1

Air Force’s Torf, Carey to miss weekend series at AIC due to injury

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The Colorado Gazette is reporting that Air Force goaltender Jason Torf and center Ben Carey will not play in this weekend’s series at American International.

“It’s not good,” Serratore told the Gazette concerning Torf’s condition, reported to be a groin injury. “Hopefully it will not be season ending. He’s our best player.  He’s our backbone.”

 

NCHC picks: Jan. 3

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Matthew and I went 1-1 in picking the GLI, so on the season, I am 55-37-12 (.586) and Matthew is 54-38-12 (.576). It’s still a light weekend for NCHC squads, but let’s see how we do.

Friday, Jan. 3

Brown at No. 16 Denver

Candace: Can Denver pick up where it left off? With Sam Brittain in net, Denver has a chance to win every game it plays. I’ll go with home ice. Denver 3-2
Matthew: I think Denver’s primed for a really good second half of the season, and that ought to start with this game at home to a Brown team that’s been really up-and-down so far this season. The Bears won their last two games after dropping four in a row before that, but Denver’s the better team here and the Pioneers have been so good at home so far this season that I can’t see Brown going into Magness and getting the upset. Denver 3-1

Friday-Saturday, Jan. 3-4

No. 19 Nebraska-Omaha at New Hampshire

Candace: For all the reasons that Matthew lists below, I am going out on a limb and picking a New Hampshire sweep. Both teams are hovering around .500, and have had stretches of good play and bad. Their only common opponent is Cornell, and both lost to the Big Red. New Hampshire 3-2, 2-1
Matthew: The odds are against UNO for this weekend. New Hampshire already has 10 losses this season, but rust won’t be a problem for the Wildcats considering they’ve played since Christmas while UNO hasn’t played a game in nearly a month. Add to that the fact the Mavericks have not been good in nonconference action thus far; UNO has suffered four losses against Bentley, Cornell and Northern Michigan, and only Cornell out of those three is better than UNH. Also, UNO coach Dean Blais (traveling but has to stop coaching duties an hour before game time) and defenseman Jaycob Megna (not traveling) are suspended. UNO winning in Durham this weekend would be a noteworthy feat and a springboard into the 2014 half of the Mavericks’ campaign. New Hampshire 3-2 Friday, 2-2 tie Saturday.

Saturday, Jan. 4

Candace: Brown is a .500 team, but has had some good results, including playing Providence tough in a one-goal loss and defeating Yale. CC meanwhile, wasn’t able to build any positives on its results against UNO when it played Wisconsin. Brown 3-2
Matthew: I’m hoping this pick doesn’t come back to haunt me, but I think Colorado College is a due for a win here. CC has lost each of its last three games – two of them in overtime – and for as poor as the Tigers have been this season, they’re at home Saturday against a Brown team to which we haven’t been able to apply the “road warriors” tag. League homer pick, don’t fail me now. Colorado College 3-2

Women’s D-I picks: Jan. 2

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Well, I have a lot of ground to make up on Arlan after the first half. I’m going to try to chip away at his lead gradually. In our last weekend of picks, we both went 6-1 (.857). On the year, I am 138-50-20 (.711), while Arlan is 145-43-20 (.745).

Thursday-Friday, Jan. 2-3

Connecticut at Princeton
Candace: I’d like to pick a split here, but I’m not sure which night Connecticut might win. Princeton 3-1, 3-2
Arlan: The Tigers have done well against teams they are expected to beat. Princeton 3-2, 4-3

Friday, Jan. 3

Cornell at Brown
Candace: I’m more sure of this pick than any other. Cornell 4-1
Arlan: The Bears will likely keep the score respectable, but I don’t think they have enough firepower to seriously threaten. Cornell 3-0

Colgate at Yale
Candace: Yale is in contention for the playoffs. Yale 3-2
Arlan: The Raiders haven’t played in over a month and haven’t won in nearly two months. Yale 3-1

Friday-Saturday, Jan. 3-4

Wisconsin at St. Cloud State
Candace: I’m pretty close to my always pick Wisconsin mantra of a few seasons ago. Wisconsin 4-1, 4-2
Arlan: Jeff Giesen called the Huskies’ series in Madison his team’s worst of the season. Wisconsin 3-1, 4-0

Penn State at Ohio State
Candace: Ohio State has to break out of its funk at some point, right? Ohio State 3-2, 2-1
Arlan: The Buckeyes have only one win on home ice and are scoring less than twice a game, so upsets are definitely possible. Ohio State 2-1, 4-3

RIT at Union
Candace: I’ll go against Arlan here and hope Rochester comes out strong this half. RIT 4-3, 3-2
Arlan: The Dutchwomen have been very prone to split. Union 3-2, RIT 2-1

Saturday, Jan. 4

Northeastern vs. Harvard
Candace: Got moved to indoors on Saturday because of the snow. I’ve underestimated the Crimson to my peril this year. Harvard 3-1
Arlan: No Green Monster or Pesky’s Pole will come into play, but it is Fenway, so you never know. Harvard 3-1

Cornell at Yale
Candace: I’m almost as certain of this pick as the Brown game on Friday. Cornell 4-2
Arlan: The Bulldogs may be able to score against the Big Red, but stopping their offense will be tougher. Cornell 5-3

Dartmouth at Boston University
Candace: The few times I’ve picked Dartmouth, Arlan has gained ground on me. Not happening against the Terriers. Boston University 4-2
Arlan: The Big Green had scored only two goals through 15 periods and a couple of OTs before a three-goal third period carried them over Providence. Boston University 4-1

Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 4-5

Bemidji State at Minnesota State
Candace: Bemidji swept the Mavericks in the first half on home ice. Can Minnesota State return the favor? Hmmm. Bemidji State 2-1, 3-2
Arlan: Will Brittni Mowat be healthy enough to return to the BSU net? Will the Beavers be rusty? Are the Mavericks tired after playing a midweek series? Just three more questions for which I lack answers. Minnesota State 3-1, 2-1

Rensselaer at Providence
Candace: It’s almost hard to remember that before a seven-game losing streak, Providence was at .500 and had beaten Mercyhurst and Syracuse. Providence 2-1, Rensselaer 3-2
Arlan: The Friars scoring defense ranks near the bottom and the Engineers have trouble scoring. Something has to give. Rensselaer 4-3, 3-2

St. Lawrence at Robert Morris
Candace: Robert Morris really needs to start out strong after a great first half so it doesn’t lose momentum. These games should be close, and OT wouldn’t surprise me. Robert Morris 4-2, 3-2
Arlan: The Saints have six one-goal losses, so despite the difference in records, there is little separation between these two. Robert Morris 2-1, 2-1

Syracuse at Vermont
Candace: Vermont’s last four games have gone to OT; they won two and tied two in that stretch. It wouldn’t surprise me if both of these go to OT. Verrmont 2-1, Syracuse 2-1
Arlan: After a slow start, the Catamounts have only one loss in their last nine games. Vermont 3-2, Syracuse 2-1

Tuesday, Jan. 7

Princeton at Quinnipiac
Candace: This should be a great contest to watch. The Bobcats have a one-point lead on the Tigers in the ECAC standings. I’ll go with home ice. Quinnipiac 3-2
Arlan: After a winless streak where they scored twice in three games, the Bobcats had 18 goals in winning four straight. Quinnipiac 3-2

Harvard at Connecticut
Candace: Unlike Arlan, I don’t think Harvard will play poorly. Harvard 4-1
Arlan: This looks like a game where the Crimson may play poorly but win anyway. Harvard 2-1

Wednesday, Jan. 8

Boston College at Boston University
Candace: The Eagles haven’t done well in this rivalry of late, but they really need to win these games against the Terriers for PairWise positioning. Boston College 2-1
Arlan: Normally an intense rivalry, but the Eagles and Terriers haven’t played in so long that they may have forgotten that the other exists. I have no idea, so I’ll force Candace to depart from her usual preference if she wants to gain a game. Boston College 2-1

Team USA falls to Russia, eliminated from World Junior Championship

USCHO Staff Report
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[scg_html_wjc2014] Stefan Matteau, Ryan Hartman and Nic Kerdiles (Wisconsin) scored first-period goals, but the U.S. National Junior Team couldn’t find the back of the net for the remaining 40 minutes against Russia and suffered a 5-3 defeat in the quarterfinal round of the World Junior Championship Thursday in Malmo, Sweden.

With the loss, the U.S. will not medal and is eliminated from the tournament.

The United States led 3-2 after the first period, but allowed two power-play goals in the second period and an empty-netter in the final minute of the third period.

“The game changed in that five-minute segment [in the second period],” said Team USA coach Don Lucia (Minnesota) in a news release. “We went from being on the power play, up 3-2, to the consecutive five-on-three Russian power plays where they made two great shots. That’s where the game changed.”

Russia responded with a pair of five-on-three power-play tallies in a 1:01 span midway through the second period to take a 4-3 edge into the final stanza.

United States goaltender Jon Gillies (Providence) finished with 20 saves and defenseman Connor Carrick was named the U.S. player of the game.

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