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.
(12) Penn State vs (11) Cornell
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Central
These face off in one of the two opening games of the Icebreaker Tournament hosted by Ohio State. Cornell is heading into their second weekend of play as an Ivy and they had a rough outing last weekend, tying Mercyhurst 0-0 and losing 2-1. That lack of offense is simply not going to cut it and has to have been a focus for the Big Red this week. They graduated Patty Kazmaier winner Izzy Daniel, but have plenty of goal-scoring prowess on their roster, even if they are young.
Things don't get any easier for them, facing a Penn State team who have already played eight games - four of which were against ranked opponents. They cruised through their past four games despite meeting tough defenses and goaltenders. Tessa Janecke is still the player you can't afford to lose track of, but Katelyn Roberts is also off to a really strong start. The junior took a big step forward last season and sees to be continuing her growth. She's smart and difficult to separate from the puck.
Cornell has to shake off their opening series. They unloaded 85 shots in those two games and scored once. Some of that can be attributed to bad luck, but they also just have to be smarter with shot selection, better on hunting rebounds and loose pucks and not just wildly flinging the puck at net. They're facing a physical team that's fast in transition and has a very good goalie. The Big Red will be tested up and down the ice and I think we'll learn a lot about the defending Ivy League champions based on how they come out for this game.
(13) Princeton at Yale
Friday and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Whenever I hope a game or series will help me better understand the greater national landscape, it usually ends up a tie. Keep that in mind when I say that I hope to learn more about where things stand in the ECAC when these two faceoff. Where Cornell struggled with their opening weekend, Princeton and Yale had no issues getting right up to speed. The Tigers outscored Robert Morris 18-2 last weekend with 7-1 and 11-1 wins while the Bulldogs scored nine on Saint Anselm on Tuesday to win 9-0. There seemed to be no rust for either team or any difficulty keeping up with a team who has been on the ice for a month already. For comparison, Princeton never scored more than six goals in a game last season and only put 10 goals on RMU.
So where's the disconnect? The likelihood is the outcomes will be outliers for all these teams, but after all that offensive output, I'm interested in watching Princeton and Yale play each other and see how their defenses respond.
Mackenzie Alexander made a heck of a debut for the Tigers, tallying two goals and four assists on the weekend. The Canadian played on their last two U18 teams and had two goals and four assists in the 2024 tournament. On a team with a lot of standout players, she still made a mark and it looks like she'll be a massive addition to a Princeton team that is in need of a top-tier forward with a nose for the net.
The Bulldogs also lost a huge offensive and team leader in Elle Hartje, but it looks like Anya Trummer and Vita Poniatovskaia are ready to take another step up. Trummer already has more points than in any of her previous seasons in just one game. Where Hartje excelled was distributing the puck - Jordan Ray and Anna Bargman were as prolific as she was at scoring goals, but Hartje had double the number of assists of anyone but Ray. That top line flowed and they'll be looking to find that kind of chemistry again. But what they really need is to find consistency in their depth.
Vermont at New Hampshire
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:30 PM Eastern
Both of these teams have had a rocky start to the season and are 0-2 in Hockey East. They'll both be looking to nab some points and momentum to build on.
Vermont is coming off a weekend where they defeated St. Lawrence 1-0 and then lost to the Saints 5-0. They've been getting really solid goaltending from transfer Jane Gervais and need to find a way to replicate the solid game they put together last Friday. The Catamounts are capable of slowing down the game and making it frustrating for an opponent, but their goal has to be doing it consistently and for 60 minutes. The transfer portal has not been kind to UVM over the past two seasons, so they have a lot of players with less experience that they need to step into bigger roles. That may happen as the season progresses, but for now there's a lot of opportunity on this team if anyone is willing and able to step up and grab it.
Where Vermont just got their first win of any kind, UNH is 3-2-1 - their only losses are to defending conference champions Connecticut. But the Wildcats are living on thin margins, scoring 1.8 goals per game while allowing 1.5. They simply have to find a way to put more pucks in the back of the net. Eleven goals in six games won't be the kind of output that will carry them through the season. In particular, New Hampshire has to be able to convert more on the power play. They're 1-for-11 so far this season with the extra attacker. When offense is tough to come by, you have to make the best of your advantages. On the other side of the puck, they're playing great, tough defense. They haven't given up a power play goal yet and they're keeping the puck away from their goal. They're putting pressure on shooters, getting in front of shots and giving themselves a chance.
Icebreaker Final
Saturday at 4:00 PM Eastern
This game will feature the winner of Penn State vs. Cornell and the winner of Stonehill vs. Ohio State. With apologies to Stonehill, Ohio State is the #2 team in the country and hosting, so it feels like a given that they'll advance and no matter who wins the other game, it'll be one of the few ranked matchups of the week, making it a must-watch.
(Photo: Shelly Szwast/Princeton Athletics)
