Come back each week for a breakdown of the most interesting upcoming games, how to watch or listen to them, and some thoughts on the movers and shakers from the previous week.
(7) Cornell at Mercyhurst
Saturday at 6:00 PM Eastern; Sunday at 1:00 PM Eastern
Watch: The game will be available through a paid stream via StretchInternet. A CHA Day Pass is $10.99.
With the Four Nations tournament happening up in Saskatchewan, we've got a limited schedule this week, but we've also got a really interesting set of non-conference games.
Cornell suffered their first loss last weekend and will be looking to get back on track. Mercyhurst is sitting atop the CHA and seems to have control in the conference. They'll be looking for more success than at the conference level. Games against ranked opponents like Cornell give the Lakers an idea of where they stand and gives them a list of things to work on heading towards February and March.
The Big Red are without defenders Marlène Bourbonnais and Micah Zandee-Hart, as well as leading scorer Kristin O'Neill, who are all playing for Canada at Four Nations. That certainly played in to their loss to Brown, but if Cornell is going to be a top team this season, they have to have the depth to withstand the loss of players, be it to national teams or to injury. The Big Red need their younger players to step up and carry the team.
Maine at Providence
Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern
Watch: A paid stream is available through CBS Sports.
It seems clear that Northeastern and Boston College will take the top two spots in Hockey East standings when the season ends, but how the rest of conference shakes out is very much up in the air. This is an interesting match up between two teams that will likely be battling for home ice in the WHEA tournament. Every point will matter for the teams sitting in spots three through six.
Maine is a team with a ton of potential and one of the most exciting players in the country in Tereza Vanišová. The team has a great roster made up of players from all over Europe and are creating a new model for how schools can compete using players from non-traditional locations.
Both Maine and Providence have been schools capable of garnering big wins in recent years. Providence already has a win over Boston College this season, proving once again they are a team other have to keep an eye on.
Maureen Murphy was on the Hockey East All-Rookie team last season and has not let up as a sophomore. She already has half as many points through eight games as she did in 36 games last season.
Every point will matter in the Hockey East and a the moment these two would meet up in the post-season, so it will be interesting to see how they compare right now.
Also worth a look:
- Brown at Union – Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
- New Hampshire vs (6) Northeastern – Friday at 5:00 PM Eastern; Saturday at 2:00 PM Eastern
- (4) Ohio State at Bemidji State – Friday and Saturday at 3:00 PM Central
Stick Taps and Snark
↑Brown - The Bears had their first win over a ranked team in more than a dozen years on Friday when they came from behind to beat (9) Colgate 4-3. They followed that up with a 4-3 win over (6) Cornell for an impressive weekend sweep. Brown won just two games last season but are 5-2-1 to start this year.
↓Winless teams – Yale, Bemidji State, and Holy Cross are the only three teams who've not yet tallied a win.
↑St. Lawrence coach Chris Wells – Saturday's 3-0 over Union was his 200th career win for the Saints.
↓Wisconsin's Emily Clark and Minnesota's Sarah Potomak – Both players were removed from Hockey Canada's Four Nations roster due to injury. It's particularly upsetting for Clark, who is from tournament host city Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
↑Merrimack – Not only is Merrimack's 6-1-2 overall record its best start in program history; the same could be said of its 3-1-1 record in Hockey East play, with the lone loss to #6 Boston College. Goalie Sam Ridgewell leads the country among full-time starters with a 1.09 goals against average and a .961 save percentage
↑Brown junior Sena Hanson – The Bears' forward had four goals and an assist and tallied the game-winner in each of Brown's upset victories this weekend.
(Photo: Brown/Twitter)
