Well, I have a lot of ground to make up on Arlan after the first half. I’m going to try to chip away at his lead gradually. In our last weekend of picks, we both went 6-1 (.857). On the year, I am 138-50-20 (.711), while Arlan is 145-43-20 (.745).
Thursday-Friday, Jan. 2-3
Connecticut at Princeton
Candace: I’d like to pick a split here, but I’m not sure which night Connecticut might win. Princeton 3-1, 3-2
Arlan: The Tigers have done well against teams they are expected to beat. Princeton 3-2, 4-3
Friday, Jan. 3
Cornell at Brown
Candace: I’m more sure of this pick than any other. Cornell 4-1
Arlan: The Bears will likely keep the score respectable, but I don’t think they have enough firepower to seriously threaten. Cornell 3-0
Colgate at Yale
Candace: Yale is in contention for the playoffs. Yale 3-2
Arlan: The Raiders haven’t played in over a month and haven’t won in nearly two months. Yale 3-1
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 3-4
Wisconsin at St. Cloud State
Candace: I’m pretty close to my always pick Wisconsin mantra of a few seasons ago. Wisconsin 4-1, 4-2
Arlan: Jeff Giesen called the Huskies’ series in Madison his team’s worst of the season. Wisconsin 3-1, 4-0
Penn State at Ohio State
Candace: Ohio State has to break out of its funk at some point, right? Ohio State 3-2, 2-1
Arlan: The Buckeyes have only one win on home ice and are scoring less than twice a game, so upsets are definitely possible. Ohio State 2-1, 4-3
RIT at Union
Candace: I’ll go against Arlan here and hope Rochester comes out strong this half. RIT 4-3, 3-2
Arlan: The Dutchwomen have been very prone to split. Union 3-2, RIT 2-1
Saturday, Jan. 4
Northeastern vs. Harvard
Candace: Got moved to indoors on Saturday because of the snow. I’ve underestimated the Crimson to my peril this year. Harvard 3-1
Arlan: No Green Monster or Pesky’s Pole will come into play, but it is Fenway, so you never know. Harvard 3-1
Cornell at Yale
Candace: I’m almost as certain of this pick as the Brown game on Friday. Cornell 4-2
Arlan: The Bulldogs may be able to score against the Big Red, but stopping their offense will be tougher. Cornell 5-3
Dartmouth at Boston University
Candace: The few times I’ve picked Dartmouth, Arlan has gained ground on me. Not happening against the Terriers. Boston University 4-2
Arlan: The Big Green had scored only two goals through 15 periods and a couple of OTs before a three-goal third period carried them over Providence. Boston University 4-1
Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 4-5
Bemidji State at Minnesota State
Candace: Bemidji swept the Mavericks in the first half on home ice. Can Minnesota State return the favor? Hmmm. Bemidji State 2-1, 3-2
Arlan: Will Brittni Mowat be healthy enough to return to the BSU net? Will the Beavers be rusty? Are the Mavericks tired after playing a midweek series? Just three more questions for which I lack answers. Minnesota State 3-1, 2-1
Rensselaer at Providence
Candace: It’s almost hard to remember that before a seven-game losing streak, Providence was at .500 and had beaten Mercyhurst and Syracuse. Providence 2-1, Rensselaer 3-2
Arlan: The Friars scoring defense ranks near the bottom and the Engineers have trouble scoring. Something has to give. Rensselaer 4-3, 3-2
St. Lawrence at Robert Morris
Candace: Robert Morris really needs to start out strong after a great first half so it doesn’t lose momentum. These games should be close, and OT wouldn’t surprise me. Robert Morris 4-2, 3-2
Arlan: The Saints have six one-goal losses, so despite the difference in records, there is little separation between these two. Robert Morris 2-1, 2-1
Syracuse at Vermont
Candace: Vermont’s last four games have gone to OT; they won two and tied two in that stretch. It wouldn’t surprise me if both of these go to OT. Verrmont 2-1, Syracuse 2-1
Arlan: After a slow start, the Catamounts have only one loss in their last nine games. Vermont 3-2, Syracuse 2-1
Tuesday, Jan. 7
Princeton at Quinnipiac
Candace: This should be a great contest to watch. The Bobcats have a one-point lead on the Tigers in the ECAC standings. I’ll go with home ice. Quinnipiac 3-2
Arlan: After a winless streak where they scored twice in three games, the Bobcats had 18 goals in winning four straight. Quinnipiac 3-2
Harvard at Connecticut
Candace: Unlike Arlan, I don’t think Harvard will play poorly. Harvard 4-1
Arlan: This looks like a game where the Crimson may play poorly but win anyway. Harvard 2-1
Wednesday, Jan. 8
Boston College at Boston University
Candace: The Eagles haven’t done well in this rivalry of late, but they really need to win these games against the Terriers for PairWise positioning. Boston College 2-1
Arlan: Normally an intense rivalry, but the Eagles and Terriers haven’t played in so long that they may have forgotten that the other exists. I have no idea, so I’ll force Candace to depart from her usual preference if she wants to gain a game. Boston College 2-1
