Last Week:
Dan: 7-3-2
Chris: 7-3-2
On the season:
Dan: 76-34-10 (.675)
Chris: 77-33-10 (.683)
This Week’s Picks
Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14 :
American International at Maine
Dan: AIC is in a bad spot, and they desperately need the holidays. Alfond is a bad place to play, and Maine is overachieving big this year. Maine sweeps.
Chris: The Yellow Jackets are in a tailspin right now that I don’t think Alfond Arena is going to be the place they pull out of it. Maine sweeps.
Saturday, Dec. 14:
Niagara vs. Rochester Institute of Technology
Dan: Outdoor game. Rabid fan base. Streaking hot RIT. Niagara coming off a sweep loss by UConn, which means they’ll be super hungry. This has the trappings to be an instant classic. RIT wins.
Chris: The Tigers have only beaten the Purple Eagles once since moving to Division I (1-10-6), but that was in a big game – the 2012 AHA semifinals. This is another big game, being played outdoors in a AAA baseball stadium as part of Rochester’s week long Frozen Frontier. RIT wins.
Robert Morris at Mercyhurst
Dan: I keep picking RMU, and they’ve lost so many one-goal and two-goal games that eventually I’m starting to feel like a jinx. I love the program, I like Derek Schooley, and I think there’s a heckuva lot more to them than meets the eye with their record. Too bad they draw Mercyhurst this week. All roads are leading to Erie right now. Mercyhurst wins.
Chris: This is a huge game for the Colonials, who slipped into the AHA basement last weekend. But the Lakers are really rolling right now. Mercyhurst wins.
Bentley at Boston University
Dan: The Falcons are the hottest team in the AHA right now. BU has nine NHL draft picks, but they’ve struggled in David Quinn’s new system. People on Comm Ave. haven’t turned on him yet, but I feel there’s an underlying worry among some of the fan base heading into this game. Branden Komm’s next win makes him the all-time program leader, and Alex Grieve and Brett Gensler are clicking and clicking hard. Looking at the factors, I’m calling myself crazy and going for it. Bentley wins.
Chris: I really, really want to pick Bentley in this game, and the Falcons may be the better team right now, but my gut says the Terriers win this one on home ice. Boston University wins.
