It all comes down to this. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I have done with picks so far: Last week Drew: 3-1 (.750) Paula: 4-0 (1.000) This season Drew: 100-54-14 (.637) Paula: 103-51-14 (.658) The championship game No. 3 Notre Dame (24-9-2), the top overall seed in the Big Ten tournament, hosts No. 5 Ohio … Read more
Big Ten fans were treated to two fantastic semifinal games Saturday night. Congratulations to winners Notre Dame and Ohio State, who will play for the B1G championship this Saturday, March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day — in the Compton Family Ice Arena. 1. Two televised 3-2 thrillers provided a perfect showcase for college hockey. Maybe … Read more
Drew Claussen and I didn’t do so badly last weekend. There were six games played, but we both predicted seven games would be played. Last week Drew: 5-2-0 (.714) Paula: 5-2-0 (.714) This season Drew: 97-53-14 (.634) Paula: 99-51-14 (.646) The semifinals The top seeds survived last weekend’s best-of-three series, with each team sweeping its … Read more
It’s playoff hockey time! I’m excited for the new format this year, from the best-of-three series to the campus sites to the single-elimination games that begin next week. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I did with picks during the regular season. Last week Drew: 6-2-0 (.750) Paula: 5-3-1 (.625) This season Drew: 92-51-14 (.631) Paula: … Read more
The final weekend of regular-season Big Ten hockey is here! My writing partner Drew Claussen’s pick record and mine has nearly converged as the season has progressed, and I’m happy to say that we’re both on track to finish the season above .500. Last week Drew: 3-2-1 (.583) Paula: 3-2-1 (.583) This season Drew: 86-49-14 … Read more
The Big Ten regular season is nearing the finish line. Six of seven teams were in action this weekend, with Wisconsin having the weekend off. Here’s how things played out: Michigan swept its home-and-home series with Notre Dame Michigan State and Penn State split their series at East Lansing Minnesota downed Ohio State on Friday … Read more
It’s the penultimate weekend of regular-season play — you know I’ve been waiting all season to use that word — and this is how Drew Claussen and I have come through it so far. Last week Drew: 2-3-1 (.416) Paula: 2-3-1 (.416) This season Drew: 83-46-13 (.630) Paula: 86-43-13 (.651) This week Everyone but Wisconsin … Read more
The top two teams in the conference meet and two series feature long-time rivals. This should be a very good weekend of B1G hockey. First, though, Drew Claussen and I have picks records to share. Last week Drew: 4-1-1 (.750) Paula: 2-3-1 (.416) This season Drew: 81-43-12 (.640) Paula: 84-40-12 (.662) This Week Notre Dame … Read more
Greetings from a frigid Southern Minnesota, a state that everyone now knows is cold in February thanks to all the Super Bowl coverage. Six of the seven Big Ten teams were in action against each other this weekend with Minnesota taking the weekend off. Here’s how things turned out: Ohio State and Michigan State split … Read more
Happy Groundhog Day! Six more weeks of winter, four more weeks of regular-season hockey, and another day of looking at the progress that Drew Claussen and I have made with this year’s picks. Last week Drew: 4-1-1 (.750) Paula: 3-2-1 (.583) This season Drew: 77-42-11 (.635) Paula: 82-37-11 (.673) This week Six teams play single-site, … Read more
It’s a rare weekend of all-conference, Friday-Saturday, single-site play — and four of the six games are televised! As we approach the end of January, let’s see how Drew Claussen and I have been picking things. Last week Drew: 5-1-0 (.833) Paula: 5-1-0 (.833) This season Drew: 73-41-10 (.629) Paula: 79-35-10 (.677) Doesn’t Drew look … Read more
Greetings from the land of lost playoff football games, where we got a lot of rain last night that is going to freeze and be covered by six to 12 inches of snow today. When it rains, it pours. A predictable, and yet still disheartening, Vikings’ loss aside, six of the Big Ten’s seven teams … Read more
It’s Super Saturday in New York! I’m super excited! I wish I could say the same about how I did with last week’s picks. Before we get to this week’s picks, here’s how Drew Claussen and I are doing so far. Last week Drew: 3-3-0 (.500) Paula: 3-3-0 (.500) This season Drew: 68-40-10 (.619) Paula: … Read more
To say that the results from B1G hockey this weekend were surprising would be a bit of an understatement — unless you’re Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan. 1. Two B1G splits. The Spartans went to Madison and came away with three points after beating Wisconsin 2-0 Friday night before losing 5-2 Saturday. After a … Read more
It’s full-on winter (again) in Big Ten territory, and it’s a full weekend of B1G play minus Notre Dame. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I are doing with picks so far: Last week Drew: 5-2-1 (.688) Paula: 6-1-1 (.813) This season Drew: 65-37-10 (.625) Paula: 71-31-10 (.679) Not bad. I hope I don’t jinx us. … Read more
With 2018 in full swing, there are three B1G series on tap this weekend and a highly anticipated tilt between St. Cloud and Minnesota. First, how Drew Claussen and I are heading into the new year. Last week Drew: 7-1-0 (.875) Paula: 5-3-0 (.625) This season Drew: 60-35-9 (.620) Paula: 65-30-9 (.668) This week Everyone … Read more
Happy New Year, everyone! Beginning with the first full weekend of 2018, it will be nearly all Big Ten play from January through the B1G tournament. Before we get there, though, there are a couple of nonconference games and the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament. First, a look at how Drew Claussen and I did with … Read more
As this Big Ten season progresses, the hockey only becomes more and more interesting. There’s a single team apparently running away with the conference title at the top of the standings, five teams separated by a single point each in what we can call the middle, and the team at the bottom of the standings … Read more
This is the last weekend of games that count before a break and the midseason tournaments. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I are shaping up so far. Last week Drew: 4-1-1 (.750) Paula: 2-3-1 (.417) This season Drew: 47-32-9 (.585) Paula: 53-26-9 (.653) Ugh! My first sub-.500 week this season. I was bitten by that … Read more
It’s hard to believe it’s December already. How are Drew Claussen and I doing? Here’s a look. Last week Drew: 4-3-1 (.563) Paula: 4-3-1 (.563) This season Drew: 43-31-8 (.573) Paula: 51-23-8 (.671) Seems about right. This week There are three Big Ten series this weekend and Michigan plays the U.S. Under-18 Team in exhibition … Read more