Hockey East picks – Nov. 2-4

Finally a bounce-back week for me but I still couldn’t gain any ground on the Old Man.

Here are this week’s picks:

Friday, Nov. 2

Boston College at Maine
Jim’s pick: Though I still am not convinced that Maine is a cellar-dwellar, I can’t pick the Black Bears until they begin to win (particularly not against the #1 team in the country.
BC 5, Maine 2
Dave’s pick: Not to be unkind, but Maine stands as much of a chance in this game as the Rams did in London last Sunday against the Patriots.
BC 4, Maine 0

Merrimack at Northeastern
Jim’s pick: Whichever team’s goaltender plays better will likely win this game. But I like the Huskies at home to start this series.
NU 3, MC 2
Dave’s pick: The Huskies have really impressed me so far, defeating Merrimack, splitting with BC, and getting outscored by UNH in a weekend series by only a single goal. At Matthews Arena, this isn’t even a one-goal game.
NU 4, MC2

New Hampshire at Massachusetts
Jim’s pick: Even on the road, these Wildcats seem to be too hot to bet against right now.
UNH 4, UMass 2
Dave’s pick: Agreed.  UNH is for real.
UNH 4, UMass 2

Providence at Vermont 
Jim’s pick: I loved the way Vermont played last weekend, particularly defensively. If they minimize defensive mistakes, I see them splitting this series. That said, I’m going with Providence out of the gate.
PC 4, UVM 2
Dave’s pick: I’ve been even more impressed with Providence’s play, including the tooth-and-nail series at Miami.
PC 4, UVM 2

Boston University at North Dakota 
Jim’s pick: This will be BU’s toughest test to date. And while I like some of the results for the Terriers thus far, I think I have to go with the “no longer the Sioux”
UND 5, BU 3
Dave’s pick: North Dakota has gotten off to a mediocre start, but with all its players back from suspension this will be a tough weekend for BU at the Ralph.
UND 4, BU 1

Saturday, Nov. 3

Northeastern at Merrimack 
Jim’s pick: Merrimack still is one of the best home team’s in the nation. That’s enough to sway me in this game.
MC 3, NU 1
Dave’s pick: I’ve been too impressed by the Huskies so far to pick against them here.
NU3 , MC2

Providence at Vermont
Jim’s pick: I think Vermont has the confidence right now to earn a split.
UVM 3, PC 2 (OT)
Dave’s pick: I don’t see it.  Vermont might have the confidence, but the Friars feature the better talent. If not for an overtime loss, they’d have taken two of four points at fourth-ranked Miami.
PC 3, UVM 2

Boston University at North Dakota
Jim’s pick: I have a difficult time picking a sweep here, but I also believe North Dakota is among this nation’s elite teams.
UND 4, BU 3
Dave’s pick: I’m also going with a sweep, perhaps overly influenced by covering BU’s lone loss this year.
UND 3, BU 2

Sunday, Nov. 4

New Hampshire at Maine
Jim’s pick: The border war game seems like an obvious pick for UNH. If Maine is going to pull the upset this weekend, I feel like this will be the game. But I’m still not picking the Black Bears.
UNH 3, Maine 2
Dave’s pick:  Maine has been outscored 16-3 in its last four games. I see no reason for a sudden turnaround.
UNH 4, Maine 1

Massachusetts at Boston College
Jim’s pick: BC keeps rolling against UMass.
BC 5, UMass 2 
Dave’s pick: My only miss last weekend was picking BC to sweep, then changing my mind. Don’t expect that to happen again anytime soon.
BC 4, UMass 1