Friday-Saturday, Jan. 27-28

Potsdam at No. 9 Oswego (home-and-home)
It’s not an easy end to the season for Potsdam, which plays five of its final eight against ranked teams. They’re currently just three points back of Oswego for third place in the ECAC West, but Oswego has a potent trio of players up front that make them difficult to defend. I expect Oswego to sweep, but could see Potsdam stealing one at home. Oswego 3-1, 4-2

Concordia (Minn.) at Gustavus Adolphus
Concordia is tied with Augsburg atop the MIAC and Gustavus Adolphus and Hamline are just two points back, making this an important series for both teams. Gustavus goalie Amanda DiNella has been stellar and one of the reasons they’re allowing just 1.65 goals per game. Concordia has three senior forwards who are leading their offense. These two are so close that I don’t see anything other than a split. Gustavus Adolphus 3-1, Concordia 4-2

No. 8 Amherst at Williams (home-and-home)
These two are tied for second in the NESCAC, two points behind Connecticut College and one point ahead of Middlebury. The series will be crucial for conference tournament seeding. Williams has been playing much better at home and will need to use that to their advantage to hold off Amherst. They’ll need to work to stay out of the penalty box. Their power play is one of the worst in the country while Amherst’s penalty kill is one of the best. Amherst goalie Bailey Plaman has a 0.99 goals-against average, so it’s not an easy task for Williams. Amherst should sweep this weekend. Amherst 4-2, 3-1

Saturday, Jan. 28

Connecticut College at St. Anselm
The top teams in the NESCAC and NEHC face off. St. Anselm is averaging more than four goals a game in offense overall and more than five goals a game in the NEHC. Goals have been much harder to come by for Connecticut College, but their stingy defense has helped lift them to the top of the NESCAC. It’ll be a good test for Connecticut College to see how they stack up. I have to pick St. Anselm at home, but think Connecticut College gives them a lot to handle. St. Anselm 4-3

Tuesday, Jan. 31

No. 5 Norwich at No. 7 Middlebury
The only meeting of ranked teams this weeks will be an interesting one and I think we could see Middlebury pull off the upset. They narrowly lost to the Plattsburgh and tied Elmira. They’ve proven they are capable of playing at that level. They also have just one loss in their last nine games. Norwich will count on goalie Laurie King, who’s ranked second in the country with a .950 save percentage and a 0.92 goals-against. She’s also tied for the most shutouts this season, with six. Middlebury has been splitting time in goal and both players have found success. They’re one of the stingiest team defenses and one place they might find a weakness is on special teams. Norwich hasn’t been great on the penalty kill and Middlebury needs to find every opportunity they can. I’ll call this one for Norwich based on King’s play, but think this could be a very even, close and interesting matchup. Norwich 4-3

A preponderance of ties meant that Nicole and I both went 21-5-8 last week. On the year, I am 269-94-48, while Nicole is 239-124-48. The Beanpot is among the highlight of our picks this week, so let’s see how we do.

Friday, Jan. 27

No. 8 Cornell at Dartmouth
Candace:  Cornell should be playing with a ton of confidence, and Dartmouth doesn’t have the weapons to overcome that. Cornell 3-1
Nicole: The Big Red are coming on late and have just a handful of games in which to really make their postseason case. They have to win. Cornell 4-1

Colgate at Harvard
Candace: Harvard goes back into the doldrums again, and I like what I saw of Colgate last weekend. Colgate 2-1
Nicole: These two tied last time out and I haven’t picked a tie at all this season, so why not. Tie 2-2

No. 3 Clarkson at Rensselaer
Candace: Clarkson needs the win to stay ahead of St. Lawrence. Clarkson 3-1
Nicole: Clarkson has too much depth for RPI. The Golden Knights win. Clarkson 5-2

No. 5 St. Lawrence at Union
Candace: Home ice won’t be enough to slow the potent St. Lawrence offense. St. Lawrence 4-1
Nicole: Union has improved, but I don’t think they have the experience yet to handle the Saints. St. Lawrence 4-1

Friday-Saturday, Jan. 27-28

Brown at Yale No. (home-and-home)
Candace: Brown surprised me by beating Dartmouth, but I think Yale is stronger. Yale 3-1, 3-2
Nicole: I don’t see any way to pick this but to pick the home team each time. Yale 3-0, Brown 1-0

Mercyhurst at Penn State
Candace: Mercyhurst could move into third if they can sweep this weekend series. Penn State finally got a win last weekend, but I’ll go with Mercyhurst to sweep. Mercyhurst 2-1, 3-1
Nicole: These two seem to be pretty evenly matched, so I think a split is probably what we’ll get. I’ll pick  at home on Friday and Mercyhurst on Saturday. Penn State 3-1 , Mercyhurst 2-0

Lindenwood at RIT
Candace: I have no confidence picking this series. Split. Lindenwood 3-2, RIT 2-1
Nicole: These two are also pretty similar, so another split seems likely. Lindenwood 2-1, RIT 3-2

No. 7 Robert Morris at Syracuse
Candace: This should be an outstanding series. Syracuse could move ahead of Robert Morris in the CHA with a sweep, but I see a split. Syracuse 3-2, Robert Morris 3-2
Nicole: A crucial series for both squads, but I’m going to give the Colonials the vote of confidence to pull out a sweep here. Robert Morris 3-1, 3-2

Vermont at Connecticut
Candace: Vermont played BC really tough last week, and has generally done well in the conference. I’ll pick them to sweep. Vermont 2-1, 3-2
Nicole: I think Connecticut can take one of these, especially at home. I’ll pick them on Friday and Vermont on Saturday. Connecticut 3-2, Vermont 4-2

Northeastern at New Hampshire
Candace: New Hampshire is very up and down, and has the talent that it could get a win, especially with the Beanpot looming, but I’ll pick the sweep. Northeastern 3-2, 3-2
Nicole: New Hampshire stole one from Northeastern in overtime down in Boston earlier this season and I think they have a chance to do so again at home. Calling a split, with the Huskies winning on Friday and New Hampshire winning on Saturday. Northeastern 3-1, New Hampshire 4-2

No. 4 Minnesota at St. Cloud State
Candace: Even if Janine Alder can keep the score close, St. Cloud doesn’t have the offense needed to score the win. Minnesota 4-1, 4-1
Nicole: The games between these two earlier in the season were closer than I thought they’d be and I think the Huskies have improved and Minnesota has more holes. Still, it’s hard to pick against Minnesota here. I’ll pick them to sweep, but will be watching to see what SCSU can do. Minnesota 4-2, 4-3

Ohio State at No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth
Candace: Duluth has had staying power, and might be a threat to Wisconsin in the postseason. Minnesota-Duluth 3-1, 4-2
Nicole: If anyone can stymie that top Duluth line, it’ll be Kassidy Sauve. The last time they met, UMD won 6-0 and 3-2. I have to pick the Bulldogs to sweep, but am pulling for Ohio State to find their offense and give them a run. Minnesota-Duluth 4-2, 3-1

Minnesota State at No. 1 Wisconsin
Candace: Always pick the Badgers at this point. Wisconsin 4-1, 5-1
Nicole: I don’t have high hopes for the Mavericks after seeing what the Badgers did to St. Cloud. Wisconsin 6-0, 4-0

Friday-Sunday, Jan. 27 and Jan. 29

North Dakota at Bemidji State No. (home-and-home)
Candace: Bemidji could use the points, and might if North Dakota has a letdown after the hard series against Wisconsin last weekend, but I’ll pick the sweep. North Dakota 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: This should be a sweep for North Dakota, but I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if the Beavers eked one out. Still, I’ll pick the Fighting Hawks. North Dakota 3-0, 2-1

Saturday, Jan. 28

Colgate at Dartmouth
Candace: Colgate gets points to keep a home-ice hope alive. Colgate 3-1
Nicole: The Raiders should rebound with a win here. Colgate 3-1

No. 8 Cornell at Harvard
Candace: Cornell solidifies its hold on home ice for the first round of the playoffs. Cornell 3-1
Nicole: I don’t expect the Big Red to slow down. Cornell 4-1

No. 5 St. Lawrence at Rensselaer
Candace: St. Lawrence will keep the pressure on Clarkson here. St. Lawrence 3-1
Nicole: The Saints have the offense to give RPI fits. They’ll win. St. Lawrence 3-0

No. 3 Clarkson at Union
Candace: Union may one day be able to hang with the top teams, but not yet. Clarkson 5-1
Nicole: Rough weekend for Union, hosting two top-5 teams. Clarkson should win this one. Clarkson 5-1

Boston University at Merrimack
Candace: The Terriers may be prone to an upset if they look ahead to Boston College, but I think they win. Boston University 3-1
Nicole: It’s been a series of close games for the Terriers, but they should find a way to win this one. Boston University 4-1

Saturday-Sunday

Providence at Maine
Candace: Maine is tough to play at home. I don’t usually do well when I pick them to win though. Providence 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: I like Maine at home here. Providence will give them plenty to handle, but the Black Bears find a way to beat good team. I’m not sure if the Black Bears can sweep, but I’ll pick a split. Maine wins on Saturday, Providence wins on Sunday. Maine 3-2, Providence 4-1

Tuesday, Jan.31

No. 9 Princeton at No. 10 Quinnipiac
Candace: I like what I’ve seen of Princeton more than Quinnipiac lately, so … Princeton 3-2
Nicole: These two and Cornell are tied for third in the ECAC. Quinnipiac just suffered a close loss and tie, and they lost to Princeton earlier this season. They need to keep pace and move up in the PairWise. A win here is fairly crucial. I’ll pick them at home and with a lot on the line. Quinnipiac 4-2

First Round Beanpot

No. 6 Boston College at Boston University
Candace: These teams are 1-1-1 so far this season. This could be a big tournament for both teams, but I’ll go with BC. Boston College 3-2
Nicole: There’s no predicting what can happen in the Beanpot. I’m giving the edge to BC because of Katie Burt. Boston College 3-1

Harvard at Northeastern
Candace: While an upset in this tournament is always possible, I like Northeastern to set up an all Hockey East final. Northeastern 3-1
Nicole: In our Wednesday Women column this week I picked this as a possible upset and I think I have to follow through on that. Harvard has shown some signs of late here and a win in the Beanpot could be the catalyst they need to springboard to a better season next year. Harvard 3-2

Western Michigan got me another game up on Matthew in our picks race, as I went 4-3-1 (.562) and Matthew went 3-4-1 (.437). On the year, I am 67-49-19 (.566), while Matthew is 55-61-19 (.477)

Friday, Jan. 27

North Star College Cup

St. Cloud State vs. No. 20 Bemidji State
Candace: St. Cloud is impossible to pick, but I’m going with them to get a league homer win. St. Cloud State 3-2
Matthew: SCSU has been so up-and-down that it’s difficult to get a read on them. I’ll take Bemidji but could just as easily be wrong on this one. Bemidji State 3-2

No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth vs No. 6 Minnesota
Candace: I see the Bulldogs getting the win here in a big in-state game. Minnesota-Duluth 4-2
Matthew: Duluth has won its last three games, but against lesser competition than the Gophers. I’ll take UMD in a close one here. Minnesota-Duluth 3-2

Friday-Saturday, Jan. 27-28

No. 12 North Dakota at Colorado College
Candace: I think North Dakota will get back on track in Colorado Springs after a rough weekend last weekend. North Dakota 3-1, 4-2
Matthew: CC has yet to win at home this season, and while UND isn’t the same team it was last year, I don’t know if the Tigers will get much out of this weekend. North Dakota 3-1, 3-2

No. 18 Omaha at No. 3 Denver
Candace: I think this is likely a split, but I’m going to give Matthew a chance to start catching up on me. Denver 3-2, 3-2
Matthew: A very difficult home stretch for Omaha includes two series against Denver. The Mavericks are better on the road this season than at home, so they’ll be very keen to get something here. Omaha 3-2, Denver 3-1

No. 10 Western Michigan at Miami
Candace: Miami had a tough weekend last weekend against Omaha, and I think that continues against a strong Western Michigan team. Western Michigan 3-2, 3-1
Matthew: I’m not sure that I see Western going 4-0 in the regular season against Miami, but I like the Broncos to pick up a split here. Miami 3-1, Western Michigan