I have come close to blowing an eight-game lead I had on Nicole in mid-January. Last week, I went 16-9-2, while Nicole went 19-6-2. On the year, I am 291-109-51 while Nicole is 289-111-51. Hopefully, I can hold her off and not have an epic choke.

Friday, Feb. 9

Brown at No. 4 Colgate
Candace: I don’t see the Raiders losing to Brown. Colgate 4-0
Nicole: Colgate should come away with a win here. Colgate 3-0

Yale at No. 6 Cornell
Candace: Cornell always seems to be on the verge of being upset, but I like the Big Red at home. Cornell 3-2
Nicole: Yale played close games with Clarkson and St. Lawrence last weekend, so Cornell shouldn’t take them lightly. Cornell 2-1

Rensselaer at Dartmouth
Candace: I’m thinking the Engineers will squeak this one out. Rensselaer 2-1
Nicole: I’ll pick Dartmouth at home here. Dartmouth 2-0

Union at Harvard
Candace: Harvard at home after a tough one in the Beanpot. Harvard 3-1
Nicole: Union beat Harvard earlier in the year, but I don’t think they get a repeat. Harvard 3-1

No. 1 Clarkson at Princeton
Candace: I like Clarkson to roll here. Clarkson 4-1
Nicole: This should be a win for the top-ranked Golden Knights. Clarkson 4-2

No. 8 St. Lawrence at Quinnipiac
Candace: St. Lawrence seems to beat teams below them in the standings, so … St. Lawrence 3-2
Nicole: I’ll take St. Lawrence to win. St. Lawrence 3-2

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 9-10

Penn State at Mercyhurst
Candace: Mercyhurst will keep pace in the CHA race. Mercyhurst 3-2, 3-1
Nicole: The Lakers are a better team now and I think they sweep this at home. Mercyhurst 3-1, 2-0

Lindenwood at No. 9 Robert Morris
Candace: Robert Morris sets up an epic series with Mercyhurst the following week. Robert Morris 3-1, 3-2
Nicole: I’ll also take RMU to sweep at home, but wouldn’t be surprised if Lindenwood takes one. Robert Morris 3-2, 4-2

RIT at Syracuse
Candace: RIT is lot what it was when it first joined D-I. Syracuse 3-1, 3-1
Nicole: Syracuse sweeps. Syracuse 2-0, 3-1

Connecticut at Vermont
Candace: This is likely a split, but picking the right night is hard. Vermont 3-2, Connecticut 3-2
Nicole: A split. Vermont wins game one, Connecticut wins game two. Vermont 3-1, Connecticut 2-1

No. 5 Ohio State at Minnesota State
Candace: The Buckeyes won’t have a letdown here. Ohio State 3-1, 3-2
Nicole: This should be all Buckeyes. Ohio State 4-2, 2-0

St. Cloud State at Bemidji State
Candace: Bemidji has been struggling in the second half, and St. Cloud has shown signs of life, but I’m going with home ice. Bemidji State 2-1, 2-1
Nicole: This one is likely to be a split. I’ll take St. Cloud in game one and Bemidji in game two. St. Cloud State 3-2, Bemidji State 1-0

No. 2 Wisconsin at Minnesota Duluth
Candace: The Badgers could drop one of these, but I’m going with them nonetheless. Wisconsin 3-2, 3-2
Nicole: Wisconsin needs these wins and they need something to build on after last week’s results. UMD will push them, but I’ll take the Badgers. Wisconsin 3-1, 4-2

Saturday, Feb. 10

Yale at No. 4 Colgate
Candace: Colgate keeps pace in with Clarkson in the ECAC. Colgate 3-1
Nicole: I’m so tempted to pick a Yale upset this weekend, but I think Colgate is too strong. Colgate 5-3

Brown at No. 6 Cornell
Candace: Cornell will win at home. Cornell 3-1
Nicole: Cornell takes this one. Cornell 4-1

Union at Dartmouth
Candace: I like the Big Green at home. Dartmouth 3-2
Nicole: Union wins this one. Union 3-2

Rensselaer at Harvard
Candace: I like Harvard at home. Harvard 3-1
Nicole: Harvard wins this. Harvard 3-0

No. 8 St. Lawrence at Princeton
Candace: Even on the road, the Saints will prevail in this tough game. St. Lawrence 3-2
Nicole: This one could be close, but I’ll take the Saints. St. Lawrence 3-2

No. 1 Clarkson at Quinnipiac
Candace: I like the Golden Knights to stay in front in the ECAC. Clarkson 3-1
Nicole: I’m going to pick Quinnipiac here. They took their earlier meeting in overtime and they just seem to have Clarkson’s number. Quinnipiac 4-3

New Hampshire at No. 3 Boston College
Candace: Boston College could look ahead to the Beanpot and have a tough game, but should still win. Boston College 4-2
Nicole: This should be a win for the Eagles. Boston College 5-2

Northeastern at Merrimack
Candace: Merrimack is too inconsistent for me to pick them. Northeastern 3-2
Nicole: I’ll take the Huskies. Northeastern 4-2

Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 10-11

No. 9 Maine at Providence
Candace: Both teams have been struggling of late, so this is a hard one to pick. Providence hasn’t won a game since mid-January. Providence 3-2, Maine 3-2
Nicole: Definitely one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend. Maine is one point ahead of Providence in Hockey East Standings. They tied earlier in the season. I’ll pick a split. Providence 3-1, Maine 3-2

Tuesday, Feb. 13

Beanpot

Boston University vs. Boston College
Candace: It won’t be easy, and may even need overtime, but I like BC to take the Beanpot in Katie Burt’s last appearance in the storied tournament. Boston College 4-3
Nicole: I’m a sucker for an underdog story and BU has won just a single Beanpot title –- back in 1981, so I have to pick them to get the upset here. They squeak out a win. Boston University 4-3

Northeastern vs. Harvard
Candace: I like the Huskies in this one, but it will be close. Northeastern 3-2
Nicole: Northeastern wins this one. Northeastern 3-2

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 9-10

Hamilton at No. 9 Amherst
Hamilton goalie Sam Walther leads the county in both goals-against average (0.89) and save percentage (.966). Their team defense leads the country -– they’ve allowed just 19 goals in 20 games played for a 0.95 goals-against average. They’ve killed all but two penalties all season. Amherst features senior Alex Toupal, who is tallying 1.80 points per game, good for sixth in the nation. Hamilton closes out the season with four games against nationally ranked conference opponents ahead of them in the standings. Last year, they beat Amherst in both their late season meetings. The NESCAC is very close -– just five points separate fourth-place Amherst from first-place Middlebury. Hamilton has a one-point lead on Amherst heading into the weekend. I think we’ll see a split here. I’ll take Amherst in game one and Hamilton in game two. Amherst 3-2, Hamilton 2-1

Lake Forest at St. Norbert
Lake Forest is one of the most prolific offenses in the country, averaging 5.38 goals scored per game. They also have six short-handed goals. They’re a speedy, goal-scoring powerhouse, and St. Norbert will be looking to slow them down. St. Norbert is just four points back of Lake Forest for third in the conference, while Lake Forest is looking to move up themselves –- they’re just three points behind first-place Adrian and two points back from second-place St. Scholastica. Lake Forest is likely to sweep. Lake Forest 5-2, 4-2

Endicott at Morrisville
These two teams sit atop Colonial Hockey, with Endicott enjoying a two point lead. Both teams are on a multi-weekend unbeaten streak. It will likely be an interesting matchup of two European goalies who are having great seasons. Morrisville’s Karoline Årvik is a freshman from Norway who is currently 13th in the country with a 1.44 goals-against average, while Endicott’s Vendela Jonsson is junior from Sweden with a 1.43 goals-against average, good for 10th in the nation. Endicott has the offensive advantage, scoring nearly 3.5 goals per game, but both teams feature a stingy team defense to accompany their stellar goaltending. Morrisville also has one of the best penalty kills, so this series could come down to a lucky bounce or a single shot. I believe we’ll see a split here. I’ll take Morrisville in the first game and Endicott in the second. Morrisville 3-1, Endicott 5-3

Saturday, Feb. 10

Wisconsin-Eau Claire at No. 5 Wisconsin-River Falls
These two teams each have just two games left on the regular season schedule –- one this weekend and one next week -– and they are against each other. Wis-River Falls will host this weekend, while they’ll play in Eau Claire the weekend after. The Falcons had the better of the matchup earlier in the season, but last year they split the four games they played. It was Wis.-River Falls that took the WIAC Championship game in overtime. The Falcons average more than five goals a game, while the BluGolds are the significantly better team on defense, allowing just 1.57 goals per game. Wisconsin-Eau Claire goalie Erin Connolly is currently ranked 12th in the country with a 1.44 goals-against average and four shutouts. I’ll take Wis.-River Falls at home. Wis.-River Falls 4-3