I picked up another game on Nicole in our picks race last week, going 22-6-3 while she went 21-7-3. On the year, I am 135-49-19 while Nicole is 119-65-19. We’ve got some huge series this weekend, so let’s get to it.
Friday, Nov. 18
Clarkson at Brown
Candace: Brown should try to keep it to losing only by three goals. Clarkson 4-1
Nicole: Clarkson’s scoring prowess is too much for Brown. Clarkson 5-1
Colgate at Princeton
Candace: Colgate doesn’t blow teams out, but it also tends not to lose to teams it shouldn’t. Colgate 3-2
Nicole: I’m so behind in this competition that I think I’m going to start getting a little more reckless because I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m picking Princeton to upset here. The Tigers are at home and they need to find a spark. Colgate will lose eventually this season, so this is as good a place to pick as any. Princeton 3-2
Cornell at Quinnipiac
Candace: Cornell is showing signs of improvement, but the Bobcats have such a smothering defense. Quinnipiac 2-1
Nicole: Going with the home team I know more about. I think Cornell could mess with a lot of team’s records this season, but I’m not sure yet. Quinnipiac 3-1
St. Lawrence at Yale
Candace: St. Lawrence will lose eventually as well, but not here. St. Lawrence 3-1
Nicole: The Bulldogs are another ECAC team from the middle of the pack that I think are going to cause some chaos at the top of the table, but I think St. Lawrence’s firepower wins this one. St. Lawrence 4-2
Maine at Connecticut
Candace: Maine is a team that I just can’t get a handle on. The Black Bears have beaten Boston College and Boston University, but lose to everyone else. They are also not great on the road, so … Connecticut 3-1
Nicole: The Huskies at home should win this one. Connecticut 3-1
Northeastern at Vermont
Candace: Vermont didn’t do so well last weekend, while Northeastern has turned it around. Northeastern 3-1
Nicole: I expect Northeastern to win this with no problem. Northeastern 4-1
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 18-19
RIT at Lindenwood
Candace: A series between two teams that are struggling mightily. The Lions are home for the first time in over a month. Maybe they’ll get a win as a result. Lindenwood 2-1, RIT 2-1
Nicole: I expect Lindenwood to get their elusive first win this weekend as well as their first sweep. Lindenwood 3-1, 3-2
Boston University vs. Merrimack (home-and-home)
Candace: Boston University was surprised by Maine last weekend, and doesn’t have the best defense, but I’ll go with the Terriers. Boston University 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: I’m going to pick a split here, with the home team winning in each case. The teams are closer than the standings imply, in my opinion. Merrimack 2-1, BU 3-1
St. Cloud State at Bemidji State
Candace: I could easily see this being a split, but I like the home team to pull out a sweep. Bemidji State 2-1, 3-2
Nicole: We chatted about this in this week’s Wednesday Women column and I think I’ve been convinced to pick a split. St. Cloud State 3-2, Bemidji State 2-1
Ohio State at Minnesota State
Candace: Will Minnesota State get that first elusive conference win? Possibly, but there’s no percentage in picking it. Ohio State 2-1, 3-1
Nicole: It all depends on which OSU team shows up — the one that tied Wisconsin or the one that lost 4-1 to St. Cloud. I have a hard time picking against Kassidy Sauve against Mankato’s offense, so I’ll pick Ohio State to sweep. Ohio State 3-0, 4-1
Wisconsin at Minnesota-Duluth
Candace: It’s funny; people talk about Wisconsin not playing as well this season, yet they are where they should be. Wisconsin 3-1, 3-2
Nicole: Despite all the misgivings I keep hearing from people about the Badgers, they’re the best team in the country. Wisconsin 4-3, 4-2
Minnesota at North Dakota
Candace: While North Dakota might sneak one out, I’m going with the Gophers. Minnesota 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: North Dakota has had Minnesota’s number in recent years. I think their diverse scoring threats give Sidney Peters a hard time. Minnesota 3-1, North Dakota 4-2
Mercyhurst at Rensselaer
Candace: This has split written all over it. Neither team has established any consistency. Rensselaer 2-1, Mercyhurst 2-1
Nicole: These two seem pretty evenly matched. Split series. Rensselaer 2-0, Mercyhurst 2-1
Saturday, Nov. 19
St. Lawrence at Brown
Candace: Brown doesn’t have the firepower to hang with the Saints. St. Lawrence 4-1
Nicole: The Saints overpower Brown. St. Lawrence 5-1
Cornell at Princeton
Candace: I’ll go opposite Nicole here and guess Princeton comes back. Princeton 2-1
Nicole: Since I picked Cornell to lose and Princeton to win earlier, I’ll switch it around. Cornell 2-1
Colgate at Quinnipiac
Candace: This is one game I wish I could be at in person. It’s that close, and so hard to pick. I’ll go with home ice. Quinnipiac 2-1
Nicole: I think the Raiders bounce back. Colgate 3-2
Clarkson at Yale
Candace: Yale is just a tad behind Clarkson’s level. Clarkson 3-1
Nicole: Clarkson continues to win. Clarkson 3-1
Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 19-20
New Hampshire vs. Providence (home-and-home)
Candace: The Wildcats showed me something by beating Harvard, but Providence did the same by beating Vermont. Let’s go home ice. New Hampshire 2-1, Providence 2-1
Nicole: Each team wins at home. New Hampshire 2-1, Providence 3-1
Sunday, Nov. 20
Boston College at Northeastern
Candace: This is another game I wish I could be at. Both teams have shown strength in recent weeks. I’ll go with the Eagles. Boston College 3-2
Nicole: This is as much of a toss-up as I can imagine with so many variables, but I’ve loved the Huskies’ resiliency thus far and they’re at home, so I’ll pick the Huskies. Northeastern 4-3
Connecticut at Vermont
Candace: I think I overestimated Vermont this season. Connecticut 2-1
Nicole: UConn was doing well out of conference, so I’ll look to them to gain back some momentum with a win. Connecticut 2-0
Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 21-22
St. Lawrence at Penn State
Candace: The Nittany Lions are a threat in the CHA, but out of conference against a top team. St. Lawrence 4-1, 4-2
Nicole: Penn State has shown loads of improvement, but I’m not picking against the Saints until they give me a reason to. St. Lawrence 4-2, 5-3
Tuesday, Nov. 22
Boston University at Harvard
Candace: This will probably go to overtime. I have a hard time picking this one. Boston University 3-2
Nicole: Picking Harvard to gear up for this rivalry. Harvard 3-2
Tuesday-Wednesday, Nov. 22-23
Colgate at Mercyhurst
Candace: Colgate will bounce back from the loss to Quinnipiac. Colgate 3-1, 3-0
Nicole: I’m really hoping to see more signs of life from the Lakers, but I don’t think they have enough to topple the Raiders. Colgate 3-0, 3-1
