The homestretch before the holiday break is upon us, and we’ve seen a team or two go on a tear, and a few teams that have staggered to this point, including Framingham State, which earned its first win since February with its win over Worcester State on December 1. Here’s the ECAC Northeast and MASCAC picks for this week; I finished 4-1-1 (.750) last week, and I’m 18-10-5 (.621) on the season, entering the final set of games before the holiday break.
ECAC Northeast
Salve Regina at Geneseo, 7 p.m. Friday
The Seahawks travel to Western New York for a nonconference game after losing their last two games by a combined score of 9-0. In those two games, Salve Regina was outshot 82-56 and took 28 penalties for 88 minutes — and gave up five power-play goals in those two games. Geneseo, which is fourth in the nine-team SUNYAC, has lost three of its last four games. Pick: Geneseo 6-3
Stonehill at Suffolk, 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Suffolk is winless in ECAC Northeast play, has lost seven straight, and was outshot by more than a two-to-one margin Saturday in a 5-1 loss to Curry. Suffolk is the league’s most penalized team, with 229 penalty minutes in nine games. Stonehill, Suffolk’s nonconference opponent, is 1-3 against ECAC Northeast teams (prior to Thursday’s game against Western New England), with its only win coming November 12, a 2-0 win over Nichols. Pick: Stonehill 2-1
Johnson and Wales at Fredonia, 7 p.m. Saturday
The Wildcats have emerged as one of the ECAC Northeast’s high-octane offenses, as they average 5.62 goals a game and boast three of the conference’s top-five scorers, including Jeremiah Ketts (eight goals, 12 assists), who is one of seven players who leads the nation in scoring. Ketts and the Wildcats will face off against another 20-point scorer — Fredonia’s Bryan Ross (six goals, 14 assists). Pick: Johnson and Wales 5-2
MASCAC
Worcester State at Salem State, 2 p.m. Saturday
Worcester State enters its final game before the holiday break by coming off an upset, as Tim D’Orazio scored the game-winning goal in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win at home against Plymouth State. Salem State has the MASCAC’s top penalty kill (32 of 36, 88.9 percent), and Mark Macdonald scored two goals and an assist for Salem State in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Westfield State. Pick: Salem State 4-3
Massachusetts-Dartmouth at Framingham State, 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Framingham State broke through in the win column December 1 with a 5-3 win over Worcester State, in which Daniel Miressi scored a goal and three assists. Tuesday, Miressi was limited to one assist in a 5-5 tie with Stonehill. The Rams face the Corsairs in the final game of a three-game week. UMass-Dartmouth entered the week with the MASCAC’s top offense (33 goals in eight games) and the league’s top power play (10 for 37, 27 percent). Pick: UMass-Dartmouth 4-1
Fitchburg State at Plymouth State, 6 p.m. Saturday
Fitchburg State faces one of the top defenses — and one of the league’s top goaltenders — when it faces the Panthers, who have allowed an average of two goals a game so far this season. Fitchburg’s Trevor Lawler entered the week by picking up at least a point in his last three games. Pick: Plymouth State 5-2
