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.
(1) Wisconsin at (3) Minnesota
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Central
Another iteration of the Border Battle is on tap as the Badgers head to Minneapolis. The Gophers are coming off a 4-3 loss and 1-1 tie with Ohio State where the Buckeyes also took the extra point in the shoot out. UM has been a little inconsistent thus far, with two series where they dominated on one night and eked out a win on the second. They showed resiliency in coming from behind against OSU and taking the close wins the first two weekends, but they simply have to play cleaner and smarter if they're going to remain in the top five. Their roster is too good to be as chaotic on defense as they've been and to have to play catchup on offense. It hasn't much felt like they're playing their game or dictating pace of play. Some of that is down to the youth of their team, but the success of their season is going to hinge on them not getting caught up in their opponents plan.
Wisconsin changed up their approach last weekend and skated away with 5-1 and 7-3 wins over Minnesota Duluth in their first real test of the season. Interestingly, these two coaches often talk about how there are no surprises between them anymore. The secret is out, so you can bet that the Gophers have watched tape and are going to try and prepare for rush opportunities and stretch passes, but with Minnesota's not particularly organized or sharp defense, this could be rough. The wrinkle of not knowing whether the Badgers will focus on the quick rushes or the passing and possession game that Wisconsin have long been known for makes for a more complex preparation this week.
That being said, the Badgers had their own problems with turnovers last weekend, including a number of passes directly on their opponents' sticks. They showed good poise in not panicking and often quickly recovering, but there's probably no opposing player more dangerous at turning a mistake like that into a goal than Abbey Murphy.
Expect a couple of fast paced games and a lot of goals. And Saturday afternoon's game is on Big Ten Network.
Maine at Boston University
Friday and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
It really feels like Hockey East is wide open right now and the team that ultimately takes the title is going to be the one that can consistently get results. Dropping games to teams further down the standings has been a pitfall for plenty of teams in this conference in recent years.
The Terriers split a weekend series with Northeastern last weekend, with each team taking a 4-0 win. BU has scoring power, but it has been coming in fits and starts so far. They have built some momentum and confidence even if they haven't always walked away with a win. They have to play smart, protect the puck and not get in penalty trouble.
After three straight losses to open the season, Maine earned their first win last weekend, splitting their series with Providence. The Black Bears were blanked in their opening series with Quinnipiac, so it was great to see them light the lamp five times against the Friars. It bodes well that Maine was able to come back after losing 3-2 to earn their own 3-2 win. They'll be looking to put those first few games behind them and build off the win. Julia Bachetti has started all four of the Black Bears' games in net and she needs to get a little more help from the defense to keep the puck away from her crease, but she also needs to shake off these early games and be confident. This team has to be able to build out of the back.
(6) Cornell at Mercyhurst
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 1:00 PM Eastern
Mercyhurst opened the season with six games against ranked teams and came out of it with a 1-5 record, which is rough. However, three of their losses were by a single goal. The Lakers are right on the verge and will have learned a lot about themselves and what it takes to be competitive at a national level thanks to that gauntlet. Cornell cannot take that for granted.
The Big Red are hitting the ice for the first time this season as the Ivies are finally able to start winter sports. It's never easy for them to have to go up against a team with a full month of experience under their belts and that feels particularly poignant here against this Mercyhurst team who's gone through it. Cornell cannot afford a slow start, particularly if they want to force themselves into the top five. They return much of last year's roster, though will be looking for someone to step into the role left behind by Patty Kaz winner Izzy Daniel. I expect solid defending and Annelies Bergmann is one of the best in net, but if the Big Red are going to end up atop the ECAC and the country, they'll need more offense. They've brought in some of the biggest names from the US and Canadian U18 teams over the past two seasons and could really use a breakout season from more than one of those youngsters.
(Photo: Maine Women's Hockey/Twitter)