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.
(5) Clarkson at (11) Quinnipiac
Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern
(7) St. Lawrence at Princeton
Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern
(5) Clarkson at Princeton
Saturday at 4:00 PM Eastern
(7) St. Lawrence at (11) Quinnipiac
Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
It was impossible to narrow down which of these games to talk about, so instead let's look at all where all four teams stand and what they'll be looking to get out of the weekend.
Clarkson is coming off a weekend sweep by Boston College that I'm not sure anyone saw coming. The Golden Knights head back out on the road looking to regain momentum, but beyond the losses, I think last weekend's games leave Clarkson with a lot of questions to answer. On paper, this team appeared poised to follow up last year's Frozen Four appearance with another strong season. Much of that roster returned for this season, but an easy early non-conference schedule maybe helped paper over some of the things they still need to work on. To be clear, last weekend's losses don't lie on any one player, particularly the goalies, but I do think one thing that's left Clarkson a little off-kilter was the departure of Michelle Pasiechnyk, who had another year of eligibility left. The best goalie in the country last season, she was a rock and not having her to build off of has changed the team's dynamic. Boston College was the most talented offensive team they've faced this season and I think the Golden Knights were shown some places to grow they maybe hadn't realized were there. They have to handle the rush better, be better at not losing players and tracking movement and they have to be so much cleaner with the puck. So much of what Boston College was able to do was off of turnovers.
What stood out about Quinnipiac's losses this weekend were the single goal they scored in each game. The Bobcats are averaging 3.83 goals per game in their wins and 1.5 goals per game in their losses and tie. They're peppering the net, but not converting that into goals. Maya Labad's eight goals are double anyone else on the team. The top line is performing well, but if the Bobcats are going to be a tournament team, they have to have more reliable depth. Their roster has experienced a lot of changes over each of the past few seasons and it feels like they're suffering from that lack of continuity. They're not yet a smoothly cohesive team. Both Clarkson and St. Lawrence will be pushing offensively, but the Bobcats can't ride out these two games via their defense. Labad feels like the only skater playing with swagger and for Quinnipiac to succeed, they need a few more players with the confidence to take the puck to the net, toe drag and deke. Right now it all feels a little timid and reliant on the top line. The other forwards have to push themselves a bit more.
The biggest things for St. Lawrence continues to be consistency. They've shown their capable of playing with the best, including two close losses against Ohio State, but they also seem to forget that about themselves. I love how scrappy this team can be - they're not afraid to block a puck and fight along the boards, but I also think they forget that they're capable of more. This is a talented team on both ends of the offense and they need to remember that they can build from the back, carry the puck with skill and pace and set up shop in the zone. Like Quinnipiac, I think their second and third lines need to be a bigger part of the team's offensive output. Being scrappy and gritty doesn't preclude being skilled and I feel like the Saints have spent so long being a team defined by those first two words that they forget that they're also skilled. They're the #7 team in the country and they need to start playing like they not only know that, but know they deserve it.
Princeton is at a disadvantage for only having just started their season. They played close games with Yale and Brown, but walked away winless last weekend after dominating a series with Robert Morris their opening weekend. They've been led by Sarah Fillier for so long that this season I think they have to figure out what their identity is. That starts with players like Issy Wunder and Sarah Paul - both of whom have started the season strong. There's space for some players to really step up into bigger roles and those two seem to be up for the challenge. Of the newcomers, Mackenzie Alexander played in the last two U18 World Championships with Canada and has had a strong start, seeming to make the transition pretty quickly and smoothly. Angelina DiGirolamo is smaller than sister Lucia, but I like how she uses her size as she moves around the defense.
(1) Wisconsin at St. Cloud State
Friday at 3:00 PM and Saturday at 1:00 PM Central
Wisconsin is one of two undefeated teams left (the other is Brown). They face their second big test of the season with two games at St. Cloud. Badger coach Mark Johnson often talks about the bigger ice at St. Cloud which always makes me interested to watch how both teams use it to their advantage. Wisconsin will try to use the extra width to dash up the boards and pull the defense away from the net front, opening up passing lanes. The Badgers have been sloppy at times with the puck, so they need to be careful with those passes and not give the Huskies an opening to take off the other way. Their defense tends to cheat forward and get involved in the offense because they know they can catch up if the puck heads the other way, but that becomes harder on the larger ice sheet. With the stellar goaltending SCSU has, Wisconsin has to be smart about shot choice and make the most of their opportunities, not just wildly spray the puck and hope.
St. Cloud followed a tie and shootout win over Ohio State with a tie and shootout loss to St. Thomas last weekend. The scoring has been spread out for the Huskies and they've been able to maintain their spot in the national conversation, so the focus has to be on maintaining where they are, not dropping points in their grasp and stealing them where they can. I like their attitude and that they seem to never feel that they are out of a game. After a mentally tough last season, they seem to be back better able to handle that part of their journey and also not willing to let that be their story year in and year out. With Wisconsin's ability to put pucks on net, SCSU has to work on not getting pulled away from their position or assignment, watching for a skater to crash after an initial rush and controlling rebounds. And they need to use their familiarity the ice sheet to pull the Badgers' defenders wider, use the back boards and be ready for turnovers. While Wisconsin has been very good, the mistakes have been there for opponents to exploit.
(Photo: Aline Flores/Brown Athletics)
