Although I didn’t get the Harvard-Clarkson pick right, I was happy to get the Minnesota-Bemidji State split right. On the weekend, I went 9-2-2 (.769), improving to 35-13-8 (.696) on the season, while Arlan went 8-3-2 (.692), improving to 33-15-8 (.660). There’s one huge series this weekend, the battle of Minnesota, as well as the battle of New Hampshire between Dartmouth and UNH. Let’s see how we can do this week.
Friday-Saturday, November 4-5
North Dakota at St. Cloud State
Candace: North Dakota hasn’t quite made the leap I thought they would this season, as shown by only getting one point last weekend in Duluth, though there is still time. However, though St. Cloud is improving, they aren’t there yet. North Dakota 5-2, 4-1
Arlan: The Sioux will find the big ice in St. Cloud more to their liking than the sheet in Madison. North Dakota 4-2, 6-0
Minnesota-Duluth at Minnesota
Candace: This series is a toss up for me. Theoretically, home ice should help the Gophers, as will the goaltending of Noora Räty. However, the Bulldogs looked impressive in dominating North Dakota last Friday, and I think the Wisconsin series helped the young team’s development. I think it’s probably a split, but who knows which game either wins. Minnesota 2-1, Minnesota-Duluth 3-2
Arlan: Rankings mean little when these sister schools meet. Minnesota 4-2, UMD 2-1
Wisconsin at Ohio State
Candace: In our debut feature discussion this week, I questioned whether anybody can stop Wisconsin. Someone will probably beat them, but it won’t be Ohio State. Wisconsin 4-1, 4-1
Arlan: Natalie Spooner’s Hockey Canada absences seem to come at the worst times for the Buckeyes. Wisconsin 3-2, 6-1
Bemidji State at Minnesota State
Candace: This is the type of series the Beavers need to sweep to establish themselves as an upper-echelon team. Which, of course, means they’ll probably split, but I’ll go with Bemidji and the goaltending of Zuzana Tomcikova in two close games. Bemidji State 2-1, 2-1
Arlan: Crucial league points for the Beavers in Mankato. Bemidji State 1-0, 3-1
Northeastern vs. Connecticut
Candace: An interesting Hockey East home-and-home, and really the first big test for Northeastern. I could see Connecticut getting a win, but for now, I’ll go with Kendall Coyne and Northeastern. Northeastern 3-1, 4-1
Arlan: UConn has won only once in 10 outings, so I’ll go with the Huntington breed of Husky. Northeastern 4-1, 2-1
Friday, November 4
Yale at Quinnipiac
Candace: I think this is the game where the Bobcats may finally get a little confidence. Quinnipiac 4-1
Arlan: How does one say “long year” in Yale-ish? Quinnipiac 5-1
Saturday-Sunday, November 5-6
Maine at Providence
Candace: Maine played a great game to upset Boston College last Sunday, but they’ve historically then fallen flat in their next series. Providence 2-1, 3-1
Arlan: Is Tuesday an indication that PC has found something, or just that Yale is still looking? Providence 3-2, Maine 4-3
Saturday November 5
Boston College at Boston University
Candace: The Eagles have been mercurial, and the Terriers just beat them at Chestnut Hill Wednesday. Which means BC bounces back. Boston College 3-2
Arlan: BC has the better record, but BU has played the tougher schedule. BU 4-2
Sunday, November 6
New Hampshire at Dartmouth
Candace: The Big Green has already lost to one Hockey East squad, but I don’t think the Wildcats are quite strong enough to duplicate it. Dartmouth 3-1
Arlan: It will be interesting to see which direction UNH goes coming off of a bye. Dartmouth 2-1
