This is it — the penultimate weekend in Division III women’s hockey.

Where did the season go? More importantly, what lies ahead?

Candace and Matt pick this weekend’s top games and bite down their fingernails in the process.

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 12-13

Hamilton at No. 5 Amherst
Candace: This will be close, as it’s a good rivalry, but Amherst is one of the better teams out there. Amherst 4-1, 3-1
Matt: I’ve always liked Hamilton – a real up-and-coming team, and its 11-7-2 record proves that, despite being just 5-5-2 in the NESCAC. That said, Amherst is a bona fide national power and wins both here. Amherst 5-3, 4-1

Augsburg versus No. 9 St. Thomas home-and-home
Candace: Can St. Thomas get back on track? Maybe. But let’s go with the home teams. St. Thomas 2-1, Augsburg 2-1
Matt: Saturday’s game at Augsburg, the MIAC’s first-place team, is a celebration of two decades of Auggies hockey, the oldest women’s college hockey program in the Midwest (more on this next week). Augsburg has been a varsity program for 20 years and with all that said, gets a win at home Saturday. St. Thomas 2-0, Augsburg 3-1

Saturday, Feb. 13

University of New England at No. 8 Norwich
Candace: Norwich has looked good of late, and I think that continues. Norwich 4-2
Matt: UNE is 11-7-2 and will provide great competition for Norwich. As we learned in this week’s column, goaltending is a strength for Norwich with a pair of No. 1s. Whichever one of Celeste Robert or Laurie King starts gets the win over UNE in a  shutout. Norwich 3-0

Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 13-14

No. 1 Plattsburgh at Utica
Candace: I’m starting to wonder if Plattsburgh can duplicate Minnesota’s perfect season of two years ago. Plattsburgh 4-1, 4-0
Matt: No one is beating Plattsburgh this season. No one. Cardinals winwith Camille Leonard further padding her incredible numbers in net. Plattsburgh 3-0, 4-0

It’s hard to believe there are only two weeks left in the season before the playoffs begin. Instead of the CHA killing me last week, it was Hockey East. I went 22-8-3 (.712) to move to 331-96-49 (.746) on the year.

Let’s see if I can stay above .750 on the regular season.

Friday, Feb. 12

Cornell at Brown
Home ice could garner the Bears a win, considering how dreadful Cornell looked last week, but I’m going with the visitors. Cornell 3-2

Clarkson at Princeton
One of the big games that has huge consequences in the conference. Clarkson 3-2

St. Lawrence at Quinnipiac
The Bobcats get back to the winning column after last week’s loss. Quinnipiac 2-1

Harvard at Rensselaer
Harvard is a team that seems to struggle from period to period, but I like the Crimson in this one. Harvard 3-2

Dartmouth at Union
Dartmouth already got a win last week, and here they continue that trend. Dartmouth 2-1

Colgate at Yale
A potential trap game for the Raiders, but they come out on top. Colgate 3-2

Northeastern at Boston college
This should be closer than the Beanpot final, but same result. Boston College 4-2

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 12-13

Lindenwood at Penn State
This has split written all over it. Penn State 2-1, Lindenwood 2-1

Mercyhurst at RIT
The Lakers take one more step toward the regular season crown. Mercyhurst 3-2, 3-1

Robert Morris at Syracuse
The Colonials can’t afford any more losses, but neither can the Orange. Syracuse 2-1, Robert Morris 3-1

Maine at Connecticut
The superior goaltending of the Huskies should ensure a sweep. Connecticut 3-2, 2-1

Ohio State at Bemidji State
The Buckeyes are showing improvement, but the Beavers are a team that does everything a bit better. Bemidji State 2-1, 2-0

Minnesota at Minnesota-Duluth
Look for the new fearsome top line of the Gophers to get points in both games. Minnesota 4-1, 4-2

St. Cloud State at North Dakota
A hard one to pick, but I have to go with home ice in both games. North Dakota 3-2, 3-1

Saturday, Feb. 13

Colgate at Brown
The Raiders keep pace for home ice. Colgate 3-1

St. Lawrence at Princeton
The Tigers stay even with Colgate. Princeton 2-1

Clarkson at Quinnipiac
I think we see more cracks in the Bobcats’ armor. Clarkson 3-1

Dartmouth at Rensselaer
This game depends entirely on which version of each team shows up. Rensselaer 2-1

Harvard at Union
The Crimson keep their home ice hopes alive. Harvard 3-1

Cornell at Yale
A game that could go either way, so I’ll go with home ice. Yale 2-1

Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 13-14

New Hampshire versus Boston University (home-an-home)
The Terriers are so inconsistent, but should have enough for a sweep. Boston University 2-1, 3-1

Providence versus Merrimack (home-an-home)
The Warriors postseason hopes end here. Providence 2-1, 3-1

Minnesota State at Wisconsin
The Badgers capture the WCHA crown this weekend. Wisconsin 3-1, 4-1

Sunday, Feb. 14

Boston College at Vermont
The Eagles will clinch Hockey East by defeating the Catamounts, assuming I’m right about Friday’s game. Boston College 4-1