Last week: 6-11-1
Overall: 48-52-20
Every ECAC team with the exception of Brown is back in action this weekend, which is also the final weekend of non-conference play for many of the league’s teams. Each game is at 7 p.m. unless noted. For those in the New England area, both of Quinnipiac’s games this weekend will be televised on the New England Sports Network.
Dartmouth at Quinnipiac
The ECAC’s top offense and defense (Quinnipiac) is pitted against the league’s second best offense and defense in Dartmouth. These teams are also the best at killing penalties in league play, with the Big Green holding a narrow edge over the Bobcats for the top spot. Quinnipiac hasn’t lost in nearly two months, so I’ve got no reason to pick against them despite an impressive showing by the Big Green to date. Quinnipiac wins
Harvard at Princeton
Neither team is on any sort of hot streak – the Crimson have been outscored 12-3 over an 0-2-1 span, while the Tigers are in the midst of a seven-game winless stretch. Princeton’s special teams have been fairly solid this year, while Harvard’s power play in dead last after being the top unit in the nation last season. Princeton wins
RIT at St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence certainly needed the break, as the Saints ended the first half with a four-game losing streak. St. Lawrence is still in search of the program’s 1,000 career win. RIT enters Friday on a 2-0-1 run, but both those victories came against winless Sacred Heart. St. Lawrence wins
Sacred Heart at Colgate
The Raiders could be a dark-horse contender for a top-four spot, but first they’ll close out their non-conference schedule with a pair against the Pioneers. Sacred Heart is last in the nation in both team defense and penalty killing, which is bad news against a Colgate power play that scored five of the Raiders’ 11 goals in a sweep at Massachusetts last month. Colgate wins
Massachusetts-Lowell at Clarkson
Lowell has won four straight and five of the last six meetings against the Golden Knights close the gap in their all-time series to 11-8 in the Knights’ advantage, although these teams have not met since 2004. Clarkson is only 2-5 at Cheel Arena, while the River Hawks have picked it up a bit since a sluggish start. Lowell wins
Yale at Boston College
Don’t expect a lot of neutral zone play in this one, as both teams like to move up and down the ice. The Eagles are minus top forward John Gaudreau, who is competing with the U.S. team in the world juniors, and defender Patch Alber, who is out for an extender period after an injury in practice last weekend. Yale gave up three power-play goals and a shorthanded goal in a loss to Holy Cross Sunday. Can’t do that against the Eagles. Boston College wins
Rennselaer at Boston University, 7:30 p.m.
RPI is on a nice 5-2-2 run, but they’ll have a tough test against the Terriers on the road. Goalie Jason Kasdorf left last Thursday’s game at St. Cloud State with an injury and was held out Friday. That will be something to keep an eye on, as the freshman had started six straight games, and played well in that stretch. Boston University wins
Union at Lake Superior, 7:35
The Dutchmen continue a seven-week stretch away from the Capital Region with their final non-conference roadtrip of the year. Union has been a second-half team the last few years, going 47-20-3 after Dec. 25 since the 2009-10 season. These teams have met only once, a 0-0 tie in the RPI Invitational Tournament in 2009. Expect another low-scoring game here. Union wins
Cornell at Denver, 9:37 ET
The Big Red are coming off a 6-4 loss to Maine in the Florida College Classic and head to Colorado for the second straight season after taking three points at Colorado College last January. This is the first meeting in 27 seasons between these teams. Tie
Saturday, January 5
Dartmouth at Princeton, 4 p.m.
The Big Green are only 1-2-2 on the road this season, but should have enough to end the weekend with a win. Dartmouth wins
Harvard at Quinnipiac
It’s the worst power-play in the nation (Harvard) versus the nation’s third-best penalty kill unit (Quinnipiac). I’ll take the Bobcats. Quinnipiac wins
Rennselaer at New Hampshire
A brutal road trip for RPI continues in Durham. The Engineers have started to put some goals together, but they’ll be facing a stingy Wildcat defense and goalie Casey DeSmith, who is tied for second in the country with four shutouts. New Hampshire wins
RIT at St. Lawrence
The Saints should complete the sweep here to head into conference play with a little momentum. St. Lawrence wins
Sacred Heart at Colgate
The Raiders are undefeated against Atlantic Hockey teams this season and are 7-0 all-time against the Pioneers. I don’t see any of those streaks coming to an end here. Colgate wins
Massachusetts-Lowell at Clarkson
I think the Golden Knights bounce back to get the weekend split. Clarkson wins
Union at Lake Superior
The Dutchmen haven’t won two in a row since sweeping Penn State Nov. 24-25. Road sweeps are always tough, but I think Union should head home with three points from the weekend. Tie
Cornell at Denver, 9:07 MT
Like Union, I think Cornell heads back east with three points. Cornell wins
Wednesday, January 9
Harvard at Boston University
This is Harvard’s third game in just under a week after playing only three times over the last month. Boston University wins
