The action gets back to full force this weekend as most women’s D-III teams are back at it. Last week, Candace did better than Matt, correctly picking Holy Cross to win the Rutlant tournament and Middlebury to beat Lake Forest.
Numerous ranked teams are on the ice with a few marquee matchups and tournaments to look at this weekend. Let’s see how Candace and Matt do.
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 8-9
No. 8 Middlebury at No. 6 Amherst
Candace: Hard to see anything but a split in this series. Like Matt, I think home team wins first. Amherst 3-2, Middlebury 3-2
Matt: Definitely a key series this weekend for both squads, and quite possibly, the top matchup of the entire weekend. It would be easy to call a split here, but alas, that’s too easy. I see Amherst winning 4-2 to open the series and then Middlebury winning Saturday 2-1, perhaps in overtime.
St. Michael’s Tournament Burlington, Vt.
Candace: I like Sacred Heart to advance to face the host, with St. Michael’s winning the tournament. Sacred Heart 3-2, St. Michael’s 2-1; St. Michael’s 3-2, Hamilton 3-0
Matt: Sacred Heart downs Plymouth State 4-1 and then St. Michael’s beats Hamilton 2-0 to open the event. Call it a 3-1 win for Sacred Heart Saturday against the host school and a 3-2 win for PSU against Hamilton to close the tournament.
Adrian Tournament in Adrian, Mich.
Candace: Look for the home team to win the tournament again, beating St. Olaf, while Manhattanville takes third over Finlandia. Adrian 4-1, St. Olaf 3-1; Adrian 4-2, Manhattanville 2-1
Matt: This has a home team win written all over it. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs will beat Manhattanville 5-2 and St. Olaf 3-0. Finlandia is also at this event and may not score a goal in tough losses to both Manhattanville and St. Olaf.
Saturday, Jan. 9
No. 9 Norwich at No. 2 Elmira
Candace: Elmira will be pushed in this one, but I still like the Soaring Eagles to win. Elmira 2-1
Matt: If it wasn’t for Plattsburgh, Elmira would be at the top of women’s D-III. That’s not the case, obviously, but the Soaring Eagles take this one over Norwich. I’ll say the final is 5-3 with a late empty-netter to account for the two-goal cushion.
