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. Check out Friday's How to Watch for links to all the weekend's games.
(3) Minnesota Duluth at (7) Colgate
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
UMD stunned everyone the first weekend, sweeping Ohio State at home but has had to sit idly an extra week since their series with Syracuse was postponed last weekend. They built up a ton of confidence from those wins and have to hope their growth wasn't stagnated by the Orange's travel hiccup.
Crucial for the Bulldogs is that their young players made an immediate impact. Freshman Caitlin Kraemer and sophomore Ida Karlsson lead the team in scoring and sophomore Ève Gascon picked up where she left off in net.
Colgate played a tight series with Mercyhurst last weekend, earning a one-goal win on Friday and losing in overtime on Saturday. Most importantly, they gave up six goals. Last season they allowed just 1.3 goals per game. Hannah Murphy played about 20 games in each of the last three seasons and now looks to be the full-time starter and there may be some transition, but she also isn't out there alone. The defense has to be more organized and the offense has to do a better job holding on to the puck. The Raiders were dominant the past few seasons and their lineup had some turnover, so they need some new players to step up and be leaders. Elyssa Beiderman has been an impactful underclassmen and looks more than capable of taking on more responsibility.
This is a big non-conference meeting for both of these teams and the complicated math that will determine the NCAA field come March.
(10) Quinnipiac at (13) Northeastern
Friday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
The Bobcats had a successful opening weekend with a pair of shutouts over Maine where nine different players scored, led by Maya Labad with three goals. I've been talking about Labad since she was a U18 and it looks like this could really be a breakout year for her. She was sixth on the team in scoring last season and all but one of the players that finished ahead of her are no longer on the team. She's a dynamic playmaker that I think will flourish under the spotlight she now has. This series is a chance to prove she can be just as effective against a ranked opponent.
Northeastern split their series with Penn State last weekend and the first game was a chippy, whistle-filled mess of a game that made it hard to get a good read on either team. I thought Paige Taborski handled herself well, stepping in to a high profile starting role that was previously held by two players just named to the most recent US national team for the upcoming Rivalry Series. She had very little ice time before taking over this season, but despite what felt like dozens of penalty kills, she did not let in a power play goal.
I expect tough defense from both of these teams. The winner is going to be the team that gets themselves set up in the zone and finds lanes to the front of the net.
(15) Mercyhurst at (11) St. Cloud State
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 1:00 PM Central
Mercyhurst moved into the rankings thanks to the abovementioned series split with Colgate. The Lakers have an experienced team that made a statement last weekend. Not only do I think they are going to give Penn State a run for their money in the AHA play, but grabbing more points this weekend would help them make a very good case come NCAA Tournament time. Mercyhurst is forcing themselves into the national conversation and I love it.
St. Cloud State was a force to be reckoned with last season, particularly in the first half. They were a bubble tournament team for much of the year, hanging around this game No. 11 ranking, but ran into an absolutely brutal stretch in February where they faced Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth in consecutive weekends and were understandably beat down and discouraged. They handled themselves well, with four one-goal losses and a tie, but in the end it's still a single point from an eight-game stretch that just tanked their spirit and their season.
Considering it's the third week of the season, this could be a super important series for both these teams come season's end.
Also worth a look:
- (4) Ohio State at (8) St. Lawrence – Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
- Vermont at (5) Clarkson – Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
- (12) Penn State at (9) Connecticut – Friday and Saturday at 3:00 PM Central
(Photo: Quinnipiac Women's Hockey/Twitter)
