NCAA Women's Hockey: What to Watch, Week 9

The ECAC is full of ranked matchups this week and they're all available on the very affordable and accessible ESPN+, so it'll be easier than usual to watch some of the most notable games this weekend.

(10) Princeton at (5) Colgate

Friday at 3:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Paid stream on ESPN+.

When Colgate is good, they are very, very good. They lead the country, averaging just more than five goals a game. But they were held scoreless in a recent loss to Yale and that game is going to give teams more of an idea on how to contain this deep, agile and creative Raiders' team.

Dara Grieg continues to be a huge transfer pickup for Colgate and she makes for a very scary line alongside Danielle Serdachny and Kalty Kaltounkova. Each of those players bring pretty different styles and gifts to the table, but somehow it works and has been very prolific for Colgate. They're also getting great production from the third line and two extra skaters, plus the defense. It makes them very hard to slow down or contain.

Princeton is heading into a very tough part of their schedule after splitting their weekend with Quinnipiac, who were their toughest test so far this season. It was good to see the Tigers edge out the Bobcats for a 1-0 win on Saturday. They capitalized on a power play midway through the game and held off the Bobcats for the rest of it. It was a good, gritty win and I think they'll be calling on that experience against Colgate and over their net few games.

Sophomore Annie Kuehl is centering the Tigers' second line is second on the team in points. Sarah Paul has transitioned well as a rookie on the top line. She and Maggie Connors have been fun to watch and will only continue to impress alongside Sharon Frankel.

(9) Yale at (7) Clarkson

Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Paid stream on ESPN+.

The Bulldogs responded to losses to Princeton and Quinnipiac three weeks ago by reeling off four straight wins, including defeats of Harvard and Dartmouth last weekend. The Golden Knights have won six straight after a tie and a loss to Bemidji State in mid-October.

This is such an intriguing matchup. Yale is a top four team in both team offense and team defense. They're scoring 4.75 goals per game and allowing just 1.12 goals against. They also lead the country in both power play and penalty kill. It's tempting to chalk that up to it being just eight games into their season, but they have played Princeton, Quinnipiac, Colgate, Cornell, and Harvard – not an easy schedule by any means. They scored one goal in their two losses and are still averaging nearly five per game. Goalie Gianna Meloni is 5-0 and has given up just two goals. On offense, Claire Dalton is tied for the team lead with five goals and leads the team with 18 total points – she's averaging 2.25 points per game. There just doesn't seem to be a lot that's not going well for this team.

Clarkson is a different team than they have been over the past few years and I think it took them a little bit of time to get used to that this season. Now that they seem to have settled in and gotten more comfortable in who they are, things have been more consistent. All four of Clarkson's goalies have seen time in net this year, though the bulk of the minutes have been played by Michelle Pasiechnyk, whose GAA is just 1.33.

The Golden Knights are a little less dynamic and not quite as deep on offense as they have been in recent memory. Just four of their skaters are in double-digit points and about half the roster hasn't gotten on the scoreboard yet this year. Caitrin Lonergan is finally getting the chance to show off after losing time to injury. She leads the team with eight goals and thirteen assists. She's one of the more impressive forwards Yale will have seen at this point in the season.

If the Bulldogs can shut down the Clarkson top line, I think they have a good shot at earning another win over a ranked opponent.

(6) Quinnipiac at (5) Colgate

Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern

Watch: Paid stream on ESPN+.

The Bobcats are off to an 11-1-2 start to the season, having gotten their first loss against Princeton last weekend. Quinnipiac is a young team with a ton of potential that I expect will only continue to get better as the season goes on. Junior Sadie Peart is having a breakout season – with six goals, she's already beaten her total from last season and her ten assists are just two shy of her career high.

I expected some of the younger players to be breakout stars for Quinnipiac and that's been a slower process than I might have predicted, but the great news for the Bobcats is they have been super successful even without them contributing that much. They are scoring a lot and showcasing a deep and efficient offense to go along with the defense they've long been known for.

The fun in this game will be seeing how Quinnipiac's defense handles the relentless offense from Colgate. They'll have to fight against a more natural inclination to hand back and push back on the other end of the ice. It'll be good for them to best tested that way. I'm interested to watch how these teams match up in transition play.

Also worth a look:

New Hampshire at (4) Northeastern – Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern
(7) Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State – Friday at 3:00 PM and Saturday at 2:00 PM Central
Boston College at Boston University – Sunday at 3:00 PM Eastern

Stick Taps and Snark

↑ Holy Cross – The Crusaders beat Boston University 2-0 for their first-ever victory over the Terriers. It was netminder Madison Beck's first career shutout as well.

↓ Harvard, Boston College – Both teams dropped out of the polls after weekend splits.

↑ Yale – The Bulldogs are ranked for the first time in program history.

↓ NCAA voting protocols – CHA Commissioner Bob DeGregorio would like the NCAA to "federate" more of its processes so that only the schools that sponsor a sport may vote on legislation for that sport. At the moment, all 391 member NCAA institutions get to vote for every sport – except, of course, football. Schools without football do not get a vote concerning football.

↑ Harvard coach Katey Stone – With the Crimson's 5-3 win over Brown on Saturday, Stone became the fourth women's head coach and the first female head coach to reach 500 career wins.

(Photo: Yale Women's Hockey/Twitter)