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 How to Watch for links to all the weekend's games.
(6) Minnesota Duluth vs. (1) Wisconsin
Friday at 1:00 PM Central
Wisconsin has been the team to beat all season. They only have one loss - to Ohio State - but one of the teams that gave them a hard time was UMD. The Badgers needed overtime to beat them in early February and eked out a 2-1 win in the second game. Both games, Wisconsin had to come from behind. The two goals in each game were also lows for the Badgers, who average 5.56 goals per game.
Wisconsin is a powerhouse on offense. Five of the top seven scorers in the country are Badgers. Four of them are Patty Kazmaier Top-Ten Finalists. Their top line of Casey O'Brien, Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards work together so smoothly and seamlessly, seeming to know where each other is at all times. They are quick and deadly in transition and that line has combined for 209 points together so far. UMD has 276 points as a team this season.
The problem for UMD - and all of Wisconsin's opponents, is that they are four full, competitive lines deep and all four of those lines can and do score goals. Fourth-liner Maggie Scannell has 12 goals. The Badgers love to possess the puck, are quick, will leave you in the dust on transition, set up shop in your zone and come at you in waves. Yes, they've put up big numbers against teams at the bottom half of the standings, but they also just scored 14 in two games against #3 Minnesota.
Duluth knows they can slow Wisconsin down, limiting them in transition, clogging up the middle and keeping them from getting in a rhythm. But if they're going to pull off the win, the Bulldogs have to score more goals. They averaged just 1.5 goals scored per game against the Badgers in their four meetings this season and that's simply unlikely to be enough. Minnesota Duluth has played fantastically against UW, but they have to dig a little deeper and figure out how to make sure that stout defense doesn't leave them with no time or opportunity to go on offense. And they have to make sure that thinking offensively doesn't have them giving up opportunities to the Badgers on the other end.
This is a matchup of two of the top three goalies in the country per the HCA Goalie of the Year voting. Eve Gascon was named WCHA Goalie of the Year last night at the conference awards banquet. Ava McNaughton leads the country in goals against average and is second in save percentage. Goals could be at a premium all around and the team that is patient, doesn't get flustered or frustrated and capitalizes is going to come out ahead.
(9) Clarkson vs. (3) Cornell
Friday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Cornell won both meetings between these two teams in the regular season. The regular season and Ivy League champs are on a 13 game undefeated streak dating back to mid-January. Goalie Annelies Bergmann is the third finalist for the Goalie of the Year and has another outstanding season. She's fourth in the country with a 1.37 goals against average and overall the Big Red are third in the country, allowing just 1.45 goals per game.
Clarkson is coming off a really rough conference tournament quarterfinal matchup with Quinnipiac that was hard fought and the series went all three games. The Golden Knights had to bounce back quickly this week. If they're going to pull off an upset here, they have to be strong and consistent, something they've not always managed this season. They could score five goals, they could struggle to score one or two. Much of their offense comes from their blueliners, but I think they're going to need players further down the line sheet make a bigger impact for them to get the win. When they're clicking, they're a dangerous team and they looked to be that team in the third game of their series last weekend. Now they just need to carry that momentum into this game.
Cornell has just four losses this season. They've been steady and consistent and got the job done. Overall, they're not going to overwhelm opponents with offense, but they are going to play measured and balanced with the puck and be really strong on defense. ECAC Rookie of the Year Lindzi Avar leads the team in goals, but their offense has been very balanced, with no one player really controlling things. They get contributions from each line, don't seem to get flustered and showed against Union that they have moves, urgency and determination when the game is on the line.
(3) Minnesota vs. (2) Ohio State
Friday at 4:30 PM Central
I honestly have no idea what's going to happen in this game, but it's sure to be entertaining. OSU took a win and tie plus shootout win way back in October. When the teams met again at the end of January, Minnesota had one of their most complete games to get the win in the first game and had control of the second early on until Ohio State took over and used a massive third period to cruise to a 7-3 win. Those games were chippy and featured a ton of penalties, so expect special team to play a big role here.
The teams get under each other's skin and players on both sides have to be smart and not get ruffled or drawn in to skirmishes. The officials also lost control of the game a bit the last time around, so how they call this game will unfortunately also have an impact on its outcome.
The Gophers have been a little inconsistent, but they best sign for them as the season wound down is how much their second and third lines stepped up. Overall the team is really reliant on the magic Abbey Murphy can produce and when opponents have been able to quiet her, have struggled to score. That's not been the case over the last month, when Murphy was shut down a bit by defenses, but Minnesota was still scoring. They're going to need their full depth to make it to the top of this tournament, so those lines have to keep showing up and getting on the scoresheet.
Ohio State have not lost since the defeat by the Gophers on January 31. They've won seven in a row and are averaging just less than five goals a game in those victories. Sophomore Jocelyn Amos has had a breakout season, Joy Dunne continues to be a star and Jordyn Petrie has been one of the best rookies in the country. Though there was a lot of talk about who graduated from this team last season, they still return a ton of upperclassmen who have a massive amount of experience in the postseason. They're the returning champs and second in the country and anyone who forgets or overlooks that is going to be in trouble.
(7) St. Lawrence v. (5) Colgate
Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern
These two split their regular season series, with Colgate's win coming in overtime. But the Raiders are four-time ECAC Tournament defending champions. They would set a new record if they earn their fifth consecutive this weekend.
Colgate is led by Patty Kazmaier Award Top-Ten Finalist Kalty Kaltounková, whose 26 goals are fourth most in the country. She's a force all over the ice, using her size to win pucks along the boards and speed in transition. Elyssa Biederman's 32 assists are fifth most in the nation and she's been a great foil for Kaltounková. They read each other and the game well and Biederman showed with a hat trick last weekend against Princeton how much of a scoring threat she is in her own right.
The Raiders have been spectacular in conference tournament play the last few seasons, massively outscoring opponents and generally being super comfortable at the top. Colgate is coming into this game cool, calm and collected. They've been here before, they've come out successful and they very familiar with themselves and with what it will take to earn another title. I don't think they're cocky, but I do think they're very sure in themselves and what they can do. It's going to take a lot for a team to shake them out of that.
St. Lawrence earned their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2017 last season and took an overtime win from Penn State. They are only averaging 2.6 goals per game and Abby Hustler is the main driver of the team's offense. If the Saints are going to get a win here, it's going to be because players from the second and third line step up.
I really like SLU goalie Emma-Sofie Nordström and think she's going to be a good point of calm for them in this game. The appearance in the NCAA Tournament last year gave this team some much needed experience and they return so many players from that team. They have to remain calm, not let Colgate tilt the ice and start coming at them in waves and keep the puck possession battle as even as possible.
(Photo: Twitter/Cornell Women's Hockey)
