https:\/\/social.uscho.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nHockey East<\/h4>\n Friday<\/strong>New Hampshire at MerrimackHere\u2019s a classic four-point game in the battle for the last couple playoff berths. The Wildcats won this matchup at home a few weeks ago, 2-1 in overtime. In Merrimack\u2019s barn, that result may well be flipped. The key will be special teams, where Merrimack has struggled and UNH has at least been middle-of-the-pack. Merrimack wins.Friday-Saturday<\/strong>Northeastern vs. MassachusettsHere\u2019s the marquee matchup of the weekend, and one that will go a long way to deciding the regular season Hockey East champion. UMass holds a slim one-point lead, but also holds a game in hand. If anyone sweeps, it\u2019s got to be UMass, fueled by a league-best power play (38.1 percent!!!) and penalty kill. But I think the Huskies squeak out a Saturday win at home for a split.Vermont at UMass LowellVermont could bury its playoff chances this weekend and next (against Merrimack), and it\u2019s hard to see the Catamounts avoiding that. Despite a four-game holiday-centered win streak against nonconference foes, they are dead last in Hockey East, while Lowell hasn\u2019t lost since the first of the year. With the Cats averaging only 1.30 goals per game and only 5.1 percent on the power play, the outcome looks obvious. Lowell sweeps.Saturday<\/strong>Providence at Boston CollegeThe Friars suffered a double dip last weekend against BC and BU while the Eagles followed their win over Providence with a disappointing loss to UNH. Although the Friars have been strong on the road (7-3-2), I\u2019m going with home ice as the deciding factor. BC wins.Quinnipiac at Boston UniversityThe Terriers have gone 4-0-1 in their last five, but that still has gotten them only to .500. That isn\u2019t good enough to knock off a Quinnipiac team sitting atop the ECAC. Quinnipiac wins.Monday, Jan. 21<\/strong>New Hampshire at MaineHere\u2019s another pivotal, four-point game in the battle for the final couple playoff berths. UNH, in seventh, leads Maine by a point in the standings, but has played one extra game. Home ice (where Maine is 5-5-0) should prove decisive since UNH has only one win on the road this year. Maine wins.Merrimack at Boston UniversityMerrimack has won three straight while BU has gone 4-0-1. The Warriors shut out the Terriers 4-0 back in October, but that was in their barn. I expect a different result at Agganis. BU wins.— David H. Hendrickson<\/em><\/p>\nNCHC<\/h4>\n Friday-Saturday<\/strong>Denver vs. Colorado CollegeThe Gold Pan is on the line again in this renewal of a long-standing rivalry. CC lost its best player in Nick Halloran, but rivalry games usually mean you can toss out any prior records. The last time these two teams played, Alex Leclerc made 40 saves to give the Tigers their first win over the Pioneers since 2014. However, Denver coach David Carle seems to have the Pioneers, who are on a seven-game win streak, extra focused. Denver 4-2, 3-2.Minnesota Duluth at MiamiAfter a strong start, Miami has been struggling, winning only one of its last nine games. The RedHawks are much better at home, which might help, but the Bulldogs are one of the best teams in the country. Duluth hasn’t swept a weekend since Nov. 9-10 against Colorado College, but the Bulldogs have been playing some of the best teams in the country during this stretch. I like UMD to take two games. Minnesota Duluth 3-2, 3-2.Western Michigan at St. Cloud StateThis series might be the highlight of the weekend in any conference. The Broncos have been red-hot, going 10-1-1 over their last 12 games, and even found a way to sweep Miami last weekend without Wade Allison in the lineup. Despite that, if Allison can’t play, it’s advantage St. Cloud State. The Huskies split last weekend with Minnesota Duluth, and prior to that had a disappointing loss to Union, so the 2-2 start to the second half may show the Huskies falling off the pace a bit. This series is going to be a split, though picking the correct nights for each team’s win is a bear. Western Michigan 3-2, St. Cloud State 4-2.North Dakota at OmahaNorth Dakota got a very much needed sweep at home last weekend against Colorado College, winning both games in overtime. Omaha got swept on the road at Denver, losing two one-goal games, including one in overtime. The Fighting Hawks have been perhaps the most inconsistent team in the conference, looking like champions in one game and also-rans the next. Omaha meanwhile, has just struggled to gain any traction after a horrific start. I think this is a split, especially since Evan Weninger showed he can be super-tough to beat in goal. Omaha 3-2, North Dakota 2-1.— Candace Horgan<\/em><\/p>\nWCHA<\/h4>\n Friday-Saturday<\/strong>Michigan at Bemidji StateThe Huskies went from first place to fourth in just two weeks, so they need a weekend sweep to keep pace with Minnesota State, Northern Michigan and Bowling Green in the WCHA standings. BUT! Bemidji State is hosting MTU Friday night on Lake Bemidji, so you know the Beavers are going to be fired up for such a special occasion. Give me BSU to take Game 1 but the Huskies to win Game 2 going away.Lake Superior State at Minnesota StateThe Lakers haven’t lost a game since Dec. 7, pulling out a win or tie in eight-straight games. Well, this is where their losing streak begins. They visit Mankato, which is a top-10 team poised to make an NCAA championship run this season. I like the Mavs to sweep the series.Alaska Anchorage at Alabama HuntsvilleUnfortunately, the Seawolves continue to struggle, while Huntsville impressed us by picking up an extra WCHA point with its shootout prowess against LSSU last weekend. Give me the Chargers to sweep the weekend.Bowling Green at AlaskaRaise your hand if you saw a rebuilding team with a first-year coach knocking of Bemidji State coming. I didn’t see that coming, and what Alaska did in overtime was impressive. But Bowling Green is coming off a crushing shutout loss to Michigan Tech, so they’ll be hungry to keep pace in the WCHA standings. I like the Falcons to win both games out west.— Brandon Folsom<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Each week, USCHO.com columnists will pick the winners of the upcoming games in their respective conferences (photo: Omar Phillips).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":90451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[934],"tags":[812],"coauthors":[901],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Picking the men\u2019s Division I games: Jan. 17-22 - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n