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 Thursday's How to Watch for links to all the weekend's games.
It's the final week of the regular season for Hockey East, NEWHA and WCHA and the first week of the postseason for AHA and ECAC.
(6) Minnesota Duluth at (3) Minnesota
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 2:00 PM Central
Let's start with conference implications. Minnesota is two points behind Ohio State for second place and Minnesota Duluth is three points behind Minnesota. The final seeding for the conference tournament is very much up in the air.
Beyond that, both of these teams are fighting for positioning and seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Both are slated to receive at large bids thanks to where they fall in the Pairwise, but as we've seen over the past few weeks, those positions are precarious. Minnesota dropped from third to fourth last week after splitting with St. Cloud State and went from being in position to host the winner of a first round game to playing in the 4/5 matchup. Colgate sits just behind them, though the Raiders are idle this week because of a bye in the first round of the ECAC Tournament.
All of that is to say that these are very important games where both teams have a bunch to gain and a bunch to lose. In both the WCHA and NCAA Tournament, they're in a position to make their lives much easier in terms of likely opponent if they come through with a weekend sweep. Add in that this is a rivalry and the Gophers swept the Bulldogs at home earlier this season and I expect emptions will be high.
Minnesota stopped a four-game skid with a win last week Saturday. UMD had a rough January, losing six in a row, but have righted the ship a bit with four wins in a row since. The Gophers have been beat up the past couple of weeks and have number of players nursing injuries. The Bulldogs are coming off a comparatively easier part of their schedule where games were less physical and they built up some confidence. Both teams have, at times, struggled with scoring. For Minnesota, they need players not named Abbey Murphy to step up. Murphy has been a bit banged up, though I imagine if she can skate, she'll be on the ice. But if they could either limit her time to give her a bit of rest or at least minimize the contact she takes along the boards or in front of the net, it would do her some good. UMD definitely needed the confidence boost of the 20 goals they scored over the past four games.
(12) Boston University vs. Connecticut (home and home)
Friday at 3:00 PM and Saturday at 7:00 PM Eastern
After UConn was swept last weekend, Boston University is in the driver's seat for the Hockey East regular season title. The Terriers need just a single point out of these two games to secure the championship. It has been a remarkable season for BU, who were expected to finish near the bottom of Hockey East, but continued to defy odds and stay alive this season. The relative ease with which they enter the weekend compared to how things stood two weeks ago means they really owe Providence a really nice thank you gift.
It would not be easy to pull off, but there's definitely more than a chance that Connecticut could pull off a sweep this weekend. The Huskies have some of the best goaltending in the country and the experience of fighting this path last year. They have more scoring threats this season and are the defending champs. I don't think you can discount that UConn has been here before and BU's presence is a big surprise. The Terriers have to stay calm and deal with the pressure and the nerves and not get in their heads or frustrated when they inevitably deal with some difficulty scoring on Tia Chan.
While the title is so close Boston University can taste it, part of what has worked for them this year is that they didn't have a lot of pressure. They long ago outperformed expectations and I think they have to continue to play like they don't have anything to lose. They didn't listen to the doubters to start the year and they can't buy into their own hype now.
LIU at Saint Anselm
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 1:00 PM Eastern
Sacred Heart vs. Post (home and home)
Friday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 1:15 PM Eastern
LIU has a four point lead atop the NEWHA standings. But they eked out two 4-3 OT wins over Saint Anselm when the teams played in New York in early December. The Hawks will be looking for some revenge and quite frankly, this conference has had the most chaotic final few weeks with teams from the bottom half of the standings having a massive impact on who's in the lead. I love that everyone here is having to work for every point and they bottom teams are making the winner earn it.
Sacred Heart have their work cut out for them because one of those teams that's been causing problems is Post, whose win over LIU last weekend ensured that things are still up in their air this final regular season weekend. Beyond their current opponent, the Pioneers have just plain been struggling as this season winds down. They've lost three of their last four, including being swept by Franklin Pierce last weekend. SHU is lucky to even still have a shot at the title right now, but they also have to worry about holding on to second if the title is out of reach. Both Stonehill and Franklin Pierce are tied sitting just three points behind them. There are a lot of moving pieces here and a lot of implications to both games' outcomes.
(Photo: X/LIU Women's Hockey)
