(8) Quinnipiac vs. Princeton (home and home)

Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Paid streams available on ESPN+.

The last time the two teams met in the ECAC quarterfinal in February 2020, it took 12 periods over three games for Princeton to emerge the winner.

Princeton has the last unblemished record in the country at 4-0-0. Quinnipiac is unbeaten at 10-0-2, the best start in program history. Something has to give this weekend.

The Bobcats have more games under their belts, but the two teams have similar stats, averaging more than three goals scored per game and each allowing 1.25 goals per game. Quinnipiac is a great mix of exciting young talent and smart, steady returners. Both groups are combining to be one of the most prolific scoring teams in the country – something the Bobcats are historically not well-known for. They've managed to push themselves to be more of a threat to score while not giving up the defensive ground that is usually their claim to fame.

It's still early in the Tigers' season and it's hard to tell just yet what their identity is going to be. They seem to be handling Sarah Fillier's absence well so far and it has given them the space for newcomers to step up and showcase the team's scoring depth. Eight different players have been responsible for their 13 goals in four games so far.

As travel partners, these two have each played the same four teams over the past two weekends. Both teams swept those games, with Princeton outscoring opponents 13-5 while Quinnipiac managed 11 goals for versus five against.

Providence vs. (7) Boston College (home and home)

Friday at 2:00 PM and Saturday at 8:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Free stream via CollegeSportsLive.

Boston College are coming off a 5-2 loss to Harvard on Tuesday, but they did not play games the weekend before. Providence suffered a loss and a tie to Northeastern this weekend.

The Friars will be without starting goaltender Sandra Arbstreiter, who is playing with Team Germany in Füssen this weekend in an Olympic qualification tournament.

BC brings in a more prolific scoring offense, but they have not been as strong in their own zone as we're used to. Providence has been struggling to score multiple goals in consecutive games and have relied on their stellar goalie to keep things in reach. Backup Mirelle Kingsley has allowed just one goal on 17 shots faced over 60 minutes in three games played. The sophomore is tall and covers a lot of space in front of the net, but hasn't had a lot of experience in Hockey East. Expect Boston College to be looking for quick, odd-player rushes and passes through the middle to try and get Kingsley moving between the pipes.

Final Olympic Qualification Tournaments

Watch: Free streams through Olympic Channel. Find Group C here. Group D here. Group E here.

Going slightly off track here to suggest you spend some time watching the international games being played this weekend. The above links will take you to the various IIHF qualification groups, but Canada and Finland are also playing and the PWHPA has a showcase in Nova Scotia.

There are a number of collegians playing for the teams still looking to earn one of the final three spots at in the Beijing Olympics in February. There are three groups playing and the winner of each one will earn a spot. This is the first year 10 women's teams will play in the Olympic tournament.

Also worth a look:

  • (5) Colgate at RPI – Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern
  • St. Lawrence at Mercyhurst – Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 2:00 PM Eastern
  • Dartmouth at Yale – Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern

Stick Taps and Snark

↑ Tournament expansion – There's still a whole lot of work to be done, but more student-athletes getting to compete at the championship is a good thing.

↓ Any further work on equity – National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Committee agreed to expanding NCAA tournament to 11 teams, but passed off the work on logistics and didn't address any of the other issues brought up in the equity report.

↑ Bemidji State goalie Hannah Hogenson – The sophomore had set a career high in saves two weeks ago and then bested herself last Saturday against top-ranked Wisconsin, putting up 56 saves and earning her first career shutout in a truly outstanding performance.

↓ Wisconsin – The Badgers earned the first blemish on their record with a tie against Bemidji State. That leaves Princeton as the only team without a loss or tie.

↑ Yale Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes – They are the only two teams who have not allowed a power play goal. Yale are 20-for-20 on the penalty kill and OSU are 31-for-31.

↑ Quinnipiac – The Bobcats are ranked first in the nation in faceoff wins so far this season, winning 63%. Lexie Adzija leads the country with 173 faceoff wins –  69% of the faceoff she's taken.

(Photo: Quinnipiac Women's Hockey/Twitter)