Eight Elite Predictions (2/6-2/12)

2/4/13

By: Luke Devoe

For those of you new to CTHSHockey Blog, every week I select eight intriguing matchups and predict the winner as well as providing a reasoning.  This week there are some very interesting match ups across the divisions.  There were certainly surprises this week and while there isn't one game that I have to see, there are plenty I'd more than be willing to check out.  Here are my week nine selections.  

Season: 40-20-4, Last Week: 8-1-2

2/6 Bolton-Coventry-Rockville @ St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA 5:30 @ Norwich Ice Rink
St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA could be the best team with a losing record around.  If strength of schedule was a factor, the Saints may have already punched a ticket to the post season.  They have a murderer's row schedule that includes East Catholic, NW Catholic (twice), Milford (twice), North Branford, Branford, Hand, BCR (twice), Newington-Berlin, Simsbury, Fairfield, East Haven.  There are D1 teams that don't play a schedule that tough.  That said, they sit at (6-8-0) and need two more wins to clinch.  BCR comes calling on Wednesday and boasts a (10-1-1) overall mark.  While they don't claim the schedule the Saints do they do possess one of the best goalies in the area in Cam Earle who's already knocked out five shutouts on the year and is riding a two game shutout streak into action.  I'm sticking with the hot hand and picking BCR.  BCR 3, St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA 1

2/6 Iona Prep (NY) @ Notre Dame-West Haven 6:00 @ Northford Ice Pavilion
The Green Knights get their first of two out of state foes when Iona Prep (NY) (8-11-3) meets up with the at the NIP.  NDWH has been red hot since their wake up loss to ND Fairfield running off four straight and scoring 26 goals over those four games.  Iona Prep comes in 0-2 vs Connecticut competition losing to Xavier 4-1 and Greenwich 5-1.  This one looks like it should be all NDWH, just going to be odd seeing them on "home" ice at the NIP.  NDWH 5, Iona Prep 0

2/6 St. Joseph @ Darien 6:00 @ Darien Ice Rink
Darien has only lost one game all year.  They come in with an imposing (12-1-1) overall mark.  However, St. Joseph has equally posted impressive wins this year and come in winners of four straight and haven't allowed a goal in three games.  The Cadets and Wave both get scoring from up and down the lineup and this game should be very even.  Call me a skeptic, but I simply like the way St. Joe's has been playing of late.  It's one thing to win big, but they've played a much better defensive brand lately.  In a small upset, I'm picking the Cadets.  St. Joseph 4, Darien 3

2/6 Farmington-Windsor-Avon @ East Catholic 8:00 @ Champions Skating Center
FWA comes in with their biggest win of the year under their belt, beating NW Catholic 6-3.  They are as unpredictable as they come and lost to East Catholic 3-2 earlier in the season.  They've also lost by matching 7-0 scores within their last four games to South Windsor and ND Fairfield.  Who knows which team will show up on Wednesday.  East Catholic is coming off a loss of their own, only their second of the year in a 3-0 shutout to St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA.  This was probably a game they should've won and I think they'll be eager to get some redemption on Wednesday.  I'm going with EC, big.  East Catholic 5, Farmington-Windsor-Avon 1

2/9 Northwest Catholic @ Glastonbury 10:30 @ Trinity College
A nice 10:30 Saturday morning start welcomes to very evenly matched squads.  Glastonbury was high up in the rankings earlier this year, was looking similar to the team they were last year but have been a little erratic of late.  The Tomahawks are young but very unpredictable. NW Catholic is coming in after dropping their third game of the year badly to Farmington-Windsor-Avon.  The once very enticing Indians have lost 3 of 4 and will have their hands full with all-state talent Avery Clair.  With Pat Melansen, Demitri Yao and Jeff Greenwood, the Indians have plenty of star power to match.  But I like the D1 squad in this one, Glastonbury 4, NW Catholic 2

2/9 Notre Dame- Fairfield @ Fairfield Prep 1:00 @ Wonderland of Ice
Prep beat up NDF earlier in the year 7-2.  NDF is a completely different team than the team they faced back then but Prep is not.  Prep has been utterly dominant this year and has humbled some impressive foes.  I think NDF's six game win streak and season revival has been great and they are certainly the darling's of CTHSHockey right now, but Prep is too talented, too loaded and too dangerous for ND to hang with.  ND will put up a fight however.  Prep 5, NDF 3

2/9 Amity @ Branford 4:45 @ Northford Ice Pavilion
Amity has been towards the top of the D2 ranks all season with quality wins over North Haven, Milford, ND Fairfield, Glastonbury and West Haven.  Branford is just starting to get it going just like they do every season and shocked the state with a 7-1 drubbing of North Branford last week.  They followed that up with a win over East Haven.  I think the hot streak continues for Branford.  Branford 3, Amity 2

2/12 North Branford @ Guilford 7:30 @ East Haven Ice Rink
North Branford would love to get it going again after a bad loss to Branford and a tough 1-1 tie with Newington-Berlin.  Guilford, after a less than stellar start to their season has finally started to get it going with only 1 loss in their last 7.  They have North Haven earlier in the week so that will definitely be a challenge before this one.  If Guilford could ever win both of those, they'd be in prime shape going forward, I just think North Branford wins this one.  North Branford 4, Guilford 2

- CTHSHockey will be in the building!