By the time you read this, you’ll probably be working on Thanksgiving leftovers, or you might be catching up on the sleep you lost after staying up for the Black Friday deals. However, the majority of the ECAC Northeast and MASCAC teams will be preparing for weekend games and tournaments, so I’ll make my picks from six games on this week’s slate. I went 4-1 (.750) last week – Johnson and Wales tied 2-2 with Wentworth and Salem State tied 3-3 with Massachusetts-Dartmouth – and I’m 11-7 (.588) on the season.
ECAC Northeast
Salve Regina vs. Bowdoin 1 p.m. Saturday, Bowdoin/Colby Faceoff, Waterville, Me.
Less than a month into the season, Salve Regina (2-3, 1-2) has already matched its conference and overall win total from last season. The Seahawks will travel north to Maine this weekend to face a pair of NESCAC opponents, including Bowdoin, which had seven different players score goals in Tuesday’s 10-2 win over the University of New England. Pick: Bowdoin 4-2
Becker at Castleton, 6 p.m. Saturday, Rutland (Vt.) Invitational
Becker has a challenge on its hands when it faces Castleton, the No. 3 team in this week’s USCHO.com Division III top 15 poll. Castleton enters the Rutland Invitational on a seven-game winning streak, and sophomore forward Nick Lazorko has eight goals, one of four tied for the national lead in the scoring category. Pick: Castleton 5-2
Wentworth at Trinity, 4:30 p.m. Sunday
Wentworth will have a little extra ice to work with this weekend in Hartford, as the Koeppel Community Sports Center sheet is 200 feet by 90 feet, five feet wider than a regulation rink. Freshman forward Mike Domsodi leads the Leopards with five goals and four assists in six games, but also leads the team in penalty minutes — five penalties for 21 minutes. Former Trinity standout Matt Greason is in his first season of coaching at his alma mater. Pick: Trinity 2-1
MASCAC
Massachusetts-Dartmouth at Connecticut College, 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Phil Bronner leads the Corsairs with five goals in his first five games, but Bronner’s team is aiming for consistency as it enters its fourth nonconference game this season. The Corsairs must also improve on special teams – Mass.-Dartmouth is last in the MASCAC (19 for 28, 67.9 percent) in penalty killing. Pick: Mass.-Dartmouth 4-3
Amherst vs. Salem State, 2 p.m. Saturday, Cape Cod Lighthouse College Hockey Invitational, Hyannis, Mass.
When the Lord Jeffs face the Vikings, it will bring together some Division III history. Amherst coach Jack Arena and Salem State coach Bill O’Neill have combined for more than 800 wins and nearly 30 years of coaching experience. Pick: Salem State 5-4
Fitchburg State at Framingham State, 7:20 p.m. Tuesday
Framingham State hasn’t won a game since Feb. 12 — a 1-0 win over Worcester State — and the Rams are 0-4 this season. The Rams will host the Falcons, who have been outshot 202-180 by their opponents in their first six games of the season. Fitchburg goalie Bobby Leiser leads the MASCAC with a .920 saves percentage. Pick: Fitchburg State 3-1
