December 3, 2020

NCAA Women's Hockey: What to Watch, Week 3

3 min read • by Nicole Haase

(5) Colgate at (7) Clarkson

Thursday and Saturday at 5:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Paid stream available on ESPN+.

A rare Thursday night treat! These two played split a series played last weekend.

Freshman Kelty Kaltounkova was stellar in her debut with the Raiders and will be a player to keep an eye on as the season progresses. The team was impressive in their win, doubling up Clarkson in shots.

With just four ECAC teams taking the ice this season and the state of New York limiting what travel is possible, I think these two are going to get very used to playing each other - even more so than usual. It will be interesting to see how that familiarity changes how they play against each other as the season progresses.

Clarkson has some of the most intriguing individual players in the country, but with so many injuries last season and the unusual start to this season, we haven't had a chance to see how they can come together as a team.

Colgate will be looking to prove last weekend wasn't a fluke and they are a team to watch out for this season. They have a lot of depth and scoring talent down their roster and have added freshman that are immediately having an impact. I think these two teams match up really well and while I'm certain no one would pick to keep playing each other over and over, it's what they need to do if they want to get on the ice and we get to enjoy watching it.

(8) Boston University at New Hampshire

Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 5:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Free stream via CBS.

This will be the first time Boston University takes the ice this season. New Hampshire lost their opening series to Boston College and had their games against Holy Cross cancelled last weekend.

BU coach Brian Durocher said the extra few weeks his team had before a game really just gave them more time to practice and prepare. He said the team really didn't finalize lines until recently and that they've been able to use their extra time to solidify their special teams.

New Hampshire also had extra practice time after starting their season and were able to asses how things went during their first two games. I'd expect a team that comes out faster and more organized after being able to shake off the long offseason. That will be an advantage they have over BU and it would be big for them to come out and take the lead early on.

EDIT: These games were postponed due to positive Covid tests at Wisconsin.

(1) Wisconsin at (3) Minnesota

Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 4:00 PM Central

Watch: Paid stream available through BTN+.

Also worth a look:

Connecticut vs. (10) Boston College (home and home) – Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 2:00 PM Eastern
Syracuse at Penn State – Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM Eastern

Stick Taps and Snark

↑ St. Cloud State freshman Sanni Ahola – The rookie goalie set the Huskies' program record for most saves in a debut with her 37-save shutout against Minnesota State in SCSU's 1-0 season-opening win on Nov. 27. The freshman goaltender became the first Huskies netminder to record a shutout in her debut since 2004 and is just the second St. Cloud State netminder to achieve the feat. ↑

↑ Rookies – Minnesota's Anne Chekowski and Abbey Murphy, Minnesota State's Sydney Langseth and Jamie Nelson, Ohio State's Jenna Buglioni, Colgate's Kelty Kaltounkova, Penn State's Carrie Byrnes, Wisconsin's Maddi Wheeler, and RIT's Carrissa Hlywa all scored their first career goal last weekend.

↓ Stream quality – All the credit to Hockey East, who are providing free streams all season long. ECAC and WCHA games come with a (sometimes) hefty fee. And while many fans are willing to pay to watch games, the level of some of the feeds leave a lot to be desired. Stationary cameras, lack of replays or play by play and hard to see from angles make spending the money to support teams especially painful.

↑Wisconsin senior Sophie Shirley – Shirley became the 27th Badger to reach the 100 point threshold on Saturday and followed that up with her 5oth goal on Sunday, the 18th Badger to reach that mark.

Photo credit: Colgate Women's Hockey Twitter

Filed under: NCAA; boston university; minnesota; wisconsin; colgate; clarkson; new hampshire

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