Come back each week for a preview of interesting NCAA games coming up and some thoughts on what happened in the previous week's action.
(13) Northeastern at (12) Penn State
Thursday at 6:00 PM and Friday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Watch: Paid stream on BTN+
Both teams come into this opening weekend looking to prove that they're better than the current national rankings say they are.
Northeastern had finished first in Hockey East for five consecutive seasons before Connecticut took the crown from them last season. The other Huskies also ended NU's six-year run at the conference tournament championship (and thus NCAA Tournament berth). That being said, second was a heck of a finish for a team that graduated half a dozen program-defining players over the past few seasons. These Huskies continue to be a program in transition as they bring in ever more talented young classes, score big with international recruiting and work to establish themselves as a perpetual contender. They are thin on NCAA experience at goaltender, but that's generally not a position they have had to worry about and I think we have to assume that will continue to be the case.
Penn State won their conference three of the past few seasons and have taken the tournament championship the past two seasons. They've also been eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in overtime each of the past two seasons. The Nittany Lions have been on the precipice, but have been unable to find that last little bit that can make them a top-10 team and one that can win at the national level. They are lead by junior Tessa Janecke, but have been hit hard by portal departures the past few seasons, leaving her without a supporting cast that can help her play at her very best. Newcomers Abby Stonehouse and Anna Hall bring international experience and could be immediately impactful.
(3) Minnesota at (9) Connecticut
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Watch: Paid stream on ESPN+
To some extent, the Gophers have been overlooked in favor of conference-mates Ohio State and Wisconsin, but Minnesota really lost just one defender from last year's team and bring in an absolutely stacked new class that features the most touted young goal-scoring defender in women's hockey in a long time, Chloe Primerano. Abbey Murphey tied for the lead in the country with 33 goals and can single-handedly carry this team - she did at times last season. She shouldn't need to do quite so much this season, which gives her the freedom to be creative - something that should scare everyone she plays. Grad transfer Natálie Mlýnková (Vermont) is also a big of a magician when she has the puck on her stick and it will be fun to see her play with this team and against this league.
Connecticut won their first-ever Hockey East title and earned their first bid to the NCAA Tournament last season, losing to UMD in OT. Their goalie tandem of Megan Warrener and Tia Chan were outstanding all season and both return to continue to backstop a team that needs to be a bit more prolific on offense if they're not only going to win the conference, but makes waves in the national tournament this season. The Huskies were, at least what we could see, very calm and balanced last season and had a sort of "slow and steady wins the race" vibe. They can't try to stay off anyone's radar this season and they're putting themselves right in the thick of it with this early tough test. The Gophers are going to push them and test the goalies, but if UConn can give the physicality back to Minnesota and find the lanes to the net on offense, they can make some waves in this opening series, gain a lot of confidence and set themselves up to keep growing and be prepared for the postseason.
(10) Quinnipiac at Maine
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Watch: Paid stream on ESPN+
Quinnipiac, Clarkson and Colgate seemed to have a bit of a revolving door between them this offseason as players used the portal to move among them. Quinnipiac had six players depart and brough in the same number. They also have eight first-year players. It's a lot of roster turnover and they'll have to find a way to work together as a team early on if they're going to be successful in the very tough ECAC.
The Bobcats are another team that are looking to find that little big extra this season - coach Cassandra Turner talked in the ECAC preseason media phone call about how her team was likely one goal away from making the NCAA Tournament. That's how thin the final NPI/Pairwise margins were and the Bobcats were on the outside looking in.
Maine also saw a lot of departures and they have just one fifth-year player this season, with 16 underclass player making up the bulk of the roster. They're young, but the large sophomore class is likely still carrying the sting of a 2-1 OT loss to Merrimack in their first Hockey East Tournament game. They'll need to be aggressive and stubborn against an always stout Quinnipiac defense. If they can wait for their openings and capitalize when the opportunities arise, this could be a fascinating series. The Black Bears could use a few defining wins and a chance to create their identity.
Also worth a look:
- Holy Cross at RPI – Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:30 PM Eastern
- (4) Colgate at Mercyhurst – Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
- Syracuse at (7) Minnesota Duluth – Saturday at 7:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM Central
