Someone finally took a lead in our picks race. After last week, I’m up two games on Arlan thanks to Dartmouth and Clarkson. Last week, I went 21-5-1 (.796) while Arlan went 19-7-1 (.722). On the year, I am 64-14-11 (.780), while Arlan is 62-16-11 (.758).
Let’s see if I can hold the lead for more than a week.
Friday, Oct. 31
Clarkson at Brown
Candace: Clarkson has found its offense. Clarkson 6-1
Arlan: Clarkson has won by more than a goal only once in the last five encounters with the Bears. Clarkson 5-0
Quinnipiac at Colgate
Candace: If the Bobcats look ahead to Saturday, this could get interesting. Quinnipiac 4-1
Arlan: Potential trap game for the Bobcats. Quinnipiac 3-1
Princeton at Cornell
Candace: Cornell can’t afford to look ahead either, but given how badly the Big Red lost to Boston College, I don’t think they will. Cornell 3-1
Arlan: Neither team dazzled in its opening weekend. Cornell 4-2
Union at Dartmouth
Candace: Dartmouth looks to get off to a good start. Dartmouth 3-1
Arlan: Union finally defeated Dartmouth last year, but is still looking for its first win in Hanover. Dartmouth 4-0
Rensselaer at Harvard
Candace: The Engineers have troubled the Crimson in recent years, but I don’t see it happening this year. Harvard 3-1
Arlan: Last year’s Crimson only lost once in their first 15 games; that loss was to Rensselaer. Harvard 4-1
St. Lawrence at Yale
Candace: St. Lawrence fell back to Earth last week. I’ll pick home ice. Yale 4-2
Arlan: I think these teams are just about dead even, so I’ll take home ice. Yale 2-1
Friday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1
St. Cloud at Ohio State
Candace: I think both of these will be close, but I have to believe Ohio State will win. Ohio State 2-1, 3-1
Arlan: Both teams are coming off byes, so who had the better week of preparation? Ohio State 2-0, 3-2
Bemidji State at Minnesota
Candace: Never betting against Minnesota this season. Minnesota 4-2, 4-1
Arlan: The last couple of years the Beavers have been blown out the first game in Minneapolis and then played a tight game, and that was when all the Gophers were available. Minnesota 4-1, 2-1
Wisconsin at North Dakota
Candace: Neither team has looked exceptional over the last few weeks. A tie seems likely, but I can’t pick ties, so I’m going with the Badgers. Wisconsin 3-2, 4-2
Arlan: North Dakota holds a 4-3-1 edge in the last eight meetings, but Wisconsin dominated prior to that. I think UND gets a tie. Wisconsin 3-1, 1-0
Robert Morris at Mercyhurst
Candace: Picking a Lakers sweep is harder after the Colonials got three points last week against Northeastern and have Rebecca Vint back in the line-up. Robert Morris 3-2, Mercyhurst 2-1
Arlan: Paul Colontino is 7-6-1 versus his former boss, and Mike Sisti is still looking for his first sweep in the meetings. Mercyhurst 4-2, Robert Morris 2-1
Penn State at Syracuse
Candace: Until Monday night, Penn State had gotten at least a tie in every game it scored in. Syracuse hasn’t won since the first game of the year, but they’ll pick up points this weekend. Two ties wouldn’t surprise me. Syracuse 3-2, 2-1
Arlan: Syracuse has taken all eight games in this young rivalry, including two OT wins. Syracuse 4-1, Penn State 2-0
Providence vs. Boston College (home-and-home)
Candace: BC needs to avoid a letdown after last weekend, and I think the Eagles will. Boston College 5-1, 6-2
Arlan: This has the makings for a good game of Russian roulette — how many Eagles can depart for Four Nations before Providence wins? Boston College 7-0, 2-1
Maine at Connecticut
Candace: Can the Bears gain any momentum from upsetting Boston University last week? Possibly, but the Huskies have been consistently inconsistent, and I’ll still pick them. Connecticut 2-1
Arlan: Looks like a tie, so I’ll take home ice. Connecticut 2-1
Saturday, Nov. 1
St. Lawrence at Brown
Candace: I have to think the Saints haven’t fallen that far yet. St. Lawrence 4-2
Arlan: Over the last seven years, the Bears have averaged five wins per season; not a lot of percentage in picking them in most contests. St. Lawrence 3-1
Princeton at Colgate
Candace: Colgate is off to a decent start, but I think the Tigers prevail. Princeton 3-2
Arlan: Does anybody know if Lauren Wildfang is ever going to play? Princeton 2-1
Quinnipiac at Cornell
Candace: Cornell will be without Jillian Saulnier, and while the Bobcats won’t have Shiann Darkangelo, I think the Bobcats are better positioned. Quinnipiac 3-2
Arlan: Cornell has struggled mightily versus Quinnipiac the last couple of years, and based on how it looked versus BC, it will struggle versus a lot of teams this year. So, yeah, I’ll pick the Big Red. Cornell 3-2
Rensselaer at Dartmouth
Candace: The Big Green also helped me last week, so I’ll go with them again this week. Dartmouth 4-2
Arlan: Dartmouth lost six of its first seven last year. The one win was over Rensselaer. Dartmouth 4-1
Union at Harvard
Candace: Regardless of overall results, this isn’t the game I gain on Arlan. Harvard 4-1
Arlan: If Candace gains on me in this game, then I’ll know it’s not my year and I’ll concede. Harvard 5-0
Clarkson at Yale
Candace: I gained a game on Arlan last week by picking the Golden Knights, who have looked very good of late. Even if Erin Ambrose is Four Nations bound before this game, I think Clarkson can win. Clarkson 4-2
Arlan: Have to pick some upsets when behind in the contest (so I can fall farther behind). Yale 3-2
Maine at Northeastern
Candace: Northeastern has struggled so far this year, but I think they’ll come out on top. Northeastern 2-1
Arlan: I’ll take the under in this game. Northeastern 1-0
Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 1-2
Minnesota State at Minnesota-Duluth
Candace: Can the Bulldogs build some consistency? Something tells me yes. Minnesota-Duluth 4-2, 3-2
Arlan: There has been bad blood in the past, but there’s been so much turnover on both rosters that I doubt it remains. Minnesota-Duluth 5-0, 3-1
Sunday, Nov. 2
New Hampshire at Boston University
Candace: I have a hard team seeing the Terriers losing, even sans Poulin. Boston University 3-1
Arlan: It’s likely that Four Nations absences will impact results in some games; the question is, which games? Boston University 2-1
Connecticut at Vermont
Candace: Vermont has been inconsistent so far this year, and the Catamounts won’t have Amanda Pelkey for this game, but I think they’ll still win. Vermont 2-1
Arlan: I used to feel like this after taking an exam if I hadn’t studied. Or gone to class. Or gotten anything correct. Vermont 3-2
