College Hockey Predictions: Conference Championship & NCAA Bids
We are entering conference championship weekend, and there are still five spots in the NCAA tournament up for grabs. The winner of Hockey East and the CCHA will get a bid to the tournament. Dartmouth and Cornell already have their tickets punched, but Clarkson and Princeton are looking to win the ECAC and earn their spot in the dance, too. It's going to be an exciting weekend of hockey, so let's get into some of the best picks this weekend.
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Hockey East
No. 18 Boston College Eagles vs. No. 15 UConn Huskies
The Eagles limped into the tournament but flipped a switch last Friday with a 5-0 win over Maine to advance to the semifinals. Now, they draw a UConn team that they swept in their only meeting of the season. While UConn has an edge in goaltending with Tyler Muszelik posting a .928 save percentage (ninth), Louka Cloutier has been steady at a .911 mark. The Eagles are far younger and depend heavily on James Hagens and Dean Letourneau, who are two of the nation's 15 players with 20-plus goals. Still, the Huskies were able to shut them down in the second meeting of the season (a 2-1 overtime loss), and they have the edge in experience and in the crease. I'm taking the Huskies in a tight one.
UConn ML (+108 FanDuel)
Under 5.5 Goals (-120 FanDuel)
No. 13 UMass Minutemen vs. Merrimack Warriors
Merrimack is on somewhat of a Cinderella run right now after beating No. 7 Providence on the road last week to advance to the semifinals. They have an 11-5-2 record since the calendar flipped to 2026, and goaltender Max Lundgren has an impressive .913 save percentage in conference action. They sit 14th with 3.3 goals per game, highlighted by a deep corps with five players scoring at least 12 goals this year.
UMass has leaned heavily on its goaltending, as Michael Hrabal has a .936 save percentage (third in the nation) this season and a .958 mark in 2026. Meanwhile, UMass has scored just 2.9 goals per game (21st). Jack Musa leads the charge with 16 goals and 20 assists through 33 games, and they have middling depth at forward with only one other player tucking more than eight goals. Their blue line does an excellent job defensively and moving the puck in transition.
It's risky to put too much emphasis on goaltending, but Hrabal looks like the best goalie in the nation and can steal any game. Lundgren is quite impressive, too, but he simply doesn't have the same track record. I can't bet against Hrabal here.
UMass ML (-230 DraftKings)
Under 5.5 Goals (-105 DraftKings)
ECAC Tournament
No. 9 Cornell Big Red vs. Princeton Tigers
Princeton looked like a force last weekend with a sweep of a very capable Union team. They're a physical team with an unrelenting forecheck, and despite having no draft picks, they have four players with 10-plus goals, including Kai Daniells, who came through with a hat trick last Saturday. Meanwhile, Cornell got caught playing with their food against Harvard, forcing them to earn their semifinal bid in three games.
These two teams split their season series with Princeton winning most recently in a 4-2 decision on Feb. 21. I have some concerns that Princeton's simply not deep enough to go toe-to-toe with Cornell's stout blue line. Big Red goaltender Alexis Cournoyer has been quite good this year, too. But the Tigers play a style that constantly keeps opponents on their toes, and they have the intangible edge of playing in a must-win game, while Cornell has their tournament bid locked up. This line seems way off for what should be closer to a pick 'em.
Princeton ML (+270 BetMGM)
Over 5.5 Goals (+110 DraftKings)
No. 8 Dartmouth Big Green vs. Clarkson Knights
Clarkson stunned college hockey last week by sweeping No. 11 Quinnipiac on the road. Goaltender Shane Soderwall was a big part of those upsets, allowing just three goals on 56 shots during the weekend. The Knights have a deep corps but no true stars, and they have no players with more than 12 goals this year. Meanwhile, Dartmouth has been fantastic all year, as Hayden Stavroff leads the nation with 28 goals while Emmett Croteau has been steady in net with a .918 save percentage. Overall, the Big Green ranks sixth in the nation with 3.7 goals per game. They're rightfully strong favorites in this matchup.
Dartmouth ML (-210 DraftKings)
CCHA Tournament
No. 14 St. Thomas Tommies vs. No. 17 Minnesota State Mavericks
Both teams need a win to get into the tournament, as St. Thomas aims to earn a bid in their first year of eligibility while the Mavericks look to win their second straight CCHA title. Mavericks goaltender Alex Tracy's stats have taken a step back this season, but still rank 10th in the nation with a .926 save percentage. He had some all-time performances last postseason, and he's red-hot right now with just eight goals against over the last seven games. The Mavericks have played steady defense in front of him, ranking eighth with a 55.2 Corsi For percentage, which measures high-danger opportunities. However, this was mostly out of necessity, as this group doesn't have much offensive firepower, ranking 38th with 2.8 goals per game. Tracy is certainly capable of stealing this game, but the Tommies are the better team overall, with five players scoring at least 14 goals and a capable backstop in Carsen Musser – a Mammoth draft pick.
St. Thomas ML (-105 BetMGM)
Big Ten
No. 1 Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Michigan is locked into a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament and has looked fantastic through two games in the Big Ten tournament. They technically have nothing to play for, but I doubt they're going to take their foot off the gas with a chance to send their rivals back to the classroom. There's really no value here betting Michigan (-325), so I'm going to fade this game altogether.
NCHC Championship
No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs vs. No. 5 Denver Pioneers
The Bulldogs pounded No. 2 North Dakota 5-1 in the semifinals, but the lopsided nature looks fluky when you look beyond the surface. The Bulldogs scored five goals on 22 shots, and while their defense did a good job of avoiding high-danger looks, goaltender Adam Gajan was excellent with 33 saves on 34 shots. Gajan was a bit of a question mark heading into the tournament with an .896 save percentage in conference action, but he has an astounding .941 save percentage in the NCHC tournament.
The Bulldogs will have their hands full in the NCHC Championship against Denver, who have won 11 straight games while allowing more than two goals just once in that span. Freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks has been a revelation with a .958 save percentage and an 8-0-1 record in conference action. Denver has put up 3.5 goals per game (10th) this year, too, and they have seven players with 10-plus goals, including Hobey Baker finalist Eric Pohlkamp. The experience is on Denver's side here, and they have a history of getting hot at the right time.
Denver ML (-195 DraftKings)
Under 5.5 Goals (-115 DraftKings)
