Championship week is upon us and while MASCAC and UCHC find a No.1 v. No.2 matchup for the title, all other conferences find lower seeds with a chance to claim a conference crown and D-III auto-bid to the national tournament. It really does not get better for scoreboard watching than this weekend! Relative to my picks I found some great consistency last week going 11-1-0 on the mid-week quarterfinal rounds via Twitter/X and 13-3-0 on the weekend in my column for a terrific slate of 24-4-0 (.857) overall. The outstanding effort upped my overall numbers to 153-66-14 (.687) which is heading quickly toward a stellar finish heading into the NCAA tournament. Picks for this weekend’s action, including the NESCAC semifinal round only, is on tap, leaving just a total of eight games to predict. So, here are the prognostications for the playoff winners in the East:
Saturday, March 2, 2024
CCC
Salve Regina v. Endicott
The No. 2 seed Gulls are the defending champions hosting the No. 4 seed Seahawks who have picked up their game in the playoffs with balanced scoring. Hard to pick against any RJ Tolan team in a big-game situation but I picked Salve as my dark horse way back at the end of the summer and need to stick with my conviction here. Cayden Bailey is the difference in a minor upset – Salve Regina, 4-3
MASCAC
Fitchburg State v. (11) Plymouth State
The last team to win a MASCAC title other than Plymouth State is Fitchburg State back in 2018. The Falcons would love to upset the heavily favored Panthers and will need to stay out of the penalty box and avoid PSU’s prolific power play. This one is a lot closer than many think it will be due to the outstanding work of Frederick Soderberg between the pipes. Panthers win another title but need to fend off the Falcons late – Plymouth State, 3-2
NE-10
Southern New Hampshire v. Assumption
The Greyhounds dominated the NE-10 in the regular season and needed a big comeback to take out St. Anselm in the semifinal round last weekend. A slow start against the Penmen could be fatal so look for Paragallo & Company to rev up the offense early and outlast SNHU for the only title in D-II hockey – Assumption, 5-3
NEHC
(9) Skidmore v. (1) Hobart
The Statesmen are unbeaten on home-ice and have swept the season series with Skidmore including a win to close out the regular season. Home team has great depth and a 200-foot game that will not give the Thoroughbreds much free ice. Tate Brandon keeps it close but empty-net goals pad the final score – Hobart, 5-1
NESCAC
Middlebury v. (4) Trinity
The Panthers were my big upset pick last week on the road at Bowdoin and now face one of the best teams in the country. The best part about having nothing to lose is playing loose and fast. Like the last matchup in Vermont, this one is tight and goes to overtime with the Bantams scoring the golden goal – Trinity, 3-2
Hamilton v. Tufts
The Jumbos sort of play their second home playoff game in as many weeks as the higher seed against a team that knocked them off in overtime just a couple of weeks ago. If you like the pace of play pushed this game is the one to watch on Saturday with an overtime goal needed to decide who plays on Sunday for the title– Tufts, 3-2
SUNYAC
Cortland v. (6) Plattsburgh
The Red Dragons have not played in a SUNYAC title game in eighteen seasons, nor have they beaten Plattsburgh this season setting up the challenging three-game sweep for the Cardinals if they want to repeat as conference champions and get an invite to the big dance. Lots to play for on both sides but the overtime magic works for the visitors in another title game stunner – Cortland, 3-2
UCHC
(12) Stevenson v. (2) Utica
The Pioneers and Mustangs played so long ago this season that those results really do not matter. Two incredibly good teams should provide a lot of great hockey with Utica’s power play being the difference in a win that needs an empty-net goal for comfort on the scoreboard – Utica, 5-3
There is every reason to leave it on the ice this weekend with the hope to capture a conference crown that was a goal in the pre-season all those many months ago. Time for everyone’s absolute best on the ice – “Drop the Puck!”
