I did OK last week, going 19-7-3 (.706), while Nicole fared worse, going 13-13-3 (.500). I now have a huge lead on her in our season picks contest, as I am 226-78-37 (.717), while Nicole is 198-106-37 (.634).
Friday, Jan. 13
Yale at No. 3 Clarkson
Candace: I don’t see Yale beating the Golden Knights. Clarkson 4-1
Nicole: Clarkson overpowers the Elis. Clarkson 5-2
No. 9 Quinnipiac at No. 8 Colgate
Candace: Colgate didn’t look too good last week in St. Cloud. If the Raiders can shut down Quinnipiac offensively, they may win, but I like Quinnipiac here. Quinnipiac 2-1
Nicole: Both teams have stumbled lately, so I’m going with the experience and firepower of the Bobcats. Quinnipiac 3-1
Princeton at Cornell
Candace: Home ice won’t be enough for the Big Red. Princeton 4-2
Nicole: I love what we’ve been seeing from Princeton of late. They win. Princeton 3-2
Union at Dartmouth
Candace: Dartmouth will ride the momentum of beating New Hampshire and being at home. Dartmouth 2-1
Nicole: I’d really like to see Union get their conference win and this is their best shot at it. Keeping the faith for a win. Union 2-1
Rensselaer at Harvard
Candace: The first meeting between the two. Maybe home ice will snap Harvard out of its funk. Harvard 2-1
Nicole: We’ve done nothing but talk about how we’re surprised by Harvard’s record this year and they showed some flashes of brilliance of late. I’ll pick them to win at home here. Harvard 2-1
Brown at No. 5 St. Lawrence
Candace: St. Lawrence gets back on track. St. Lawrence 3-1
Nicole: This should be an easy win for the Saints. St. Lawrence 3-1
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 13-14
RIT at Mercyhurst
Candace: The Lakers should be skating with confidence, while RIT has struggled all year. Mercyhurst 3-1, 3-1
Nicole: Mercyhurst got a huge boost last weekend which should help their confidence. They should sweep easily. Mercyhurst 3-1, 2-0
Lindenwood at No. 7 Robert Morris
Candace: An important series for the Colonials, who can’t afford to get complacent. I think they win. Robert Morris 4-2, 4-1
Nicole: Robert Morris doesn’t have a conference loss yet and I don’t think that’ll start here. They sweep. Robert Morris 3-1, 4-1
Penn State at Syracuse
Candace: Penn State hasn’t won since early November. Syracuse didn’t look great against Cornell, but the Orange are at home. Syracuse 3-1, 3-1
Nicole: I really expected more from Penn State last weekend at Ohio State. I’m tempted to pick a split here, but I think I’ll give Syracuse the edge. Syracuse 2-1, 3-1
Merrimack at No. 6 Boston College (home-and-home)
Candace: While Merrimack has potential, it won’t be enough against the Eagles. Boston College 4-1, 4-1
Nicole: I think BC is pretty much in the driver’s seat in Hockey East. They take both. Boston College 4-2, 4-1
Northeastern at Maine
Candace: Maine has beaten the other two of the Boston triumvirate, so there’s no reason the Black Bears won’t do the same, but I’ll go with the percentages. Northeastern 2-1, 3-2
Nicole: Between the upsets Maine’s already pulled and the games Northeastern has let slip away, I think I have to pick a split here. Northeastern wins game one, Maine wins game two. Northeastern 3-1, Maine 2-1
North Dakota at Minnesota State
Candace: The Mavericks have been playing well of late, and will likely get a split at home, but I’m taking a chance on North Dakota to sweep. North Dakota 2-1, 2-1
Nicole: Minnesota State has nothing but confidence and nothing to lose and they’re at home and North Dakota has some frankly head-scratching losses, so I’m picking a split. Minnesota State 3-1, North Dakota 3-1
Bemidji State at Ohio State
Candace: This is such a coin-flip series I don’t know how to pick it. They split last time out. This is also Bemidji’s first series of the second half. Ohio State 3-2, Bemidji State 2-1
Nicole: The Buckeyes keep showing growth and Kassidy Sauve keeps being amazing in net, so I’ll pick OSU to sweep. Ohio State 4-2, 3-1
No. 2 Minnesota at No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth
Candace: The Bulldogs could have gotten a split the last time these two played, but I pick the Gophers over everyone but Wisconsin right now. Minnesota 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: I’m rather confused by Duluth of late, but they have to know that they can’t avoid many more missteps on the way to the playoffs. This is a big rivalry and a split this weekend would go a long way to erasing the recent losses from memory. Minnesota 4-3, Minnesota-Duluth 2-1
St. Cloud State at No. 1 Wisconsin
Candace: The Badgers frankly look better than everybody in the country. Wisconsin 4-1, 5-1
Nicole: Despite a huge weekend last weekend for the Huskies, I don’t see them toppling the Badgers in Madison. Wisconsin 4-1, 4-0
Saturday, Jan. 14
Brown at No. 3 Clarkson
Candace: The Golden Knights should keep rolling here. Clarkson 4-1
Nicole: I expect the Golden Knights to keep plugging along. They win. Clarkson 3-0
Princeton at No. 8 Colgate
Candace: The Tigers don’t give Colgate a chance to gain back their confidence. I’ll pick the visitors. Princeton 3-2
Nicole: If they want to stay in the national conversation and my earlier prediction of a loss to Quinnipiac holds up, this becomes almost a must-win for the Raiders. I think that urgency gets through to them and they win. Colgate 3-2
No. 9 Quinnipiac at Cornell
Candace: This could be a upset, but Quinnipiac has a stifling defense, so I’ll pick them. Quinnipiac 3-2
Nicole: The Bobcats need to continue to rebound and a sweep of the weekend is pretty necessary for them. They win. Quinnipiac 4-2
RPI at Dartmouth
Candace: A hard one to pick, but I liked what I saw of the Engineers last weekend. Rensselaer 2-1
Nicole: I’ll go with the visitors. Rensselaer 2-1
Union at Harvard
Candace: Harvard will finally get a win. Harvard 2-1
Nicole: Should be a two-win weekend for the Crimson. Harvard 3-1
Yale at No. 5 St. Lawrence
Candace: A weekend sweep is just what the Saints need, and they get it. St. Lawrence 3-1
Nicole: The Saints should be able to hold off Yale. St. Lawrence 4-1
Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 14-15
Vermont at No. 10 Boston University
Candace: I still can’t believe the Terriers lost to Connecticut. Maybe it was a BC hangover. The Catamounts have looked strong though. Boston University 3-2, Vermont 3-2
Nicole: It would be naive to overlook the Catamounts here. I’ll call for the split. Vermont 3-1, Boston University 4-2
Providence at Connecticut (home-and-home_
Candace: The logical thing is to pick the home team to win each. Connecticut 2-1, Providence 2-1
Nicole: This should actually be one of the most closely contested series this weekend. I’ll pick each team at home. Connecticut 2-1, Providence 2-0
Tuesday, Jan. 17
No. 8 Colgate at Cornell
Candace: This could end up being a three-loss weekend for the Raiders, but I think they come through. Colgate 2-1
Nicole: Three games in five days for the Raiders and a lot of pressure to deliver. I’m so tempted to pick Cornell here, but I’ll give Colgate the edge. Colgate 3-2
Dartmouth at Harvard
Candace: Harvard gets a needed win, but it will be tough. Harvard 2-1
Nicole: In the end, they’re still a team full of elite players with an elite coach. They have to start winning, right? Harvard 3-0
