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.
(2) Ohio State at (7) Colgate
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
These two teams split a series to start the 23-24 season, with each team taking a 3-2 win. But the rosters of both teams look very different two years later. Ohio State has a young roster with a ton of international talent. Colgate's group has more veterans, but they graduated Patty Kaz top-10 finalist and PWHL no. 1 overall pick Kalty Kaltounková and will now likely be centering their offense around Elyssa Biederman, who is physically the complete opposite of Kaltounková , which necessarily means that their approach will look different this season.
The Buckeyes come into the season with a major chip on their shoulder and need for a redemption arc after losing the national championship game to rival Wisconsin, giving up the tying goal in the final 20 seconds and losing in overtime. A team that likes to curate an underdog mentality to drive them even when they're on top of the polls, this season they won't need to dig deep for motivation.
The OSU rookie class is a who's who of the biggest names under 20 years old in the world. They have U18 and senior national team experience and bring a maturity and flow to their game that you won't necessarily see from younger North American players. I am really excited to watch them grow and reach even more of their potential over the next four years in the NCAA.
Colgate has to do some resetting with a new goalie and likely a less physical offensive game than they've had over recent seasons. They played one exhibition game so far, a 1-0 loss to St. Lawrence. They played both Brooke Davis and Farah Walker in net that game, so I'd imagine the starting job is still up for contention or they're going with a tandem.
Concerningly for the Raiders is that they put 48 shots on goal in that exhibition, but could not light the lamp. The game was three weeks ago and I'd imagine a focus on shots with purpose ws part of practices in the ensuing weeks, but it's definitely something I'll be keeping an eye on this weekend.
(12) Connecticut at (9) Clarkson
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 2:00 PM Eastern
Clarkson dropped an unexpected game against Merrimack last weekend and looks to bounce back and prove that was a blip, not the standard. UConn split a close series with St. Cloud State, with each team taking a 2-1 win.
The Golden Knights graduated some of the biggest name in their program after last season and I think are still trying to find their equilibrium and identity without Haley Winn leading the way. They tend to be a defense-first program, but they also had a very offensive blue line that impacted the game on both ends of the ice. The good news is they scored nine goals last weekend. The bad news is they gave up eight. They did give each of their goalies a game, with newcomer Aneta Šenková taking the loss on Sunday. I'd imagine Holly Gruber will have the net this weekend.
Connecticut is going to have to really put pressure on offensively and be really focused on getting the puck on net. They're not likely to be a high-scoring team this year, but I also don't think the three goals they found last weekend will be enough to get them points this weekend. They have the offensive talent, but tend to not be aggressive in the offensive zone. I think that has to change for them to be competitive in this series.
(8) Quinnipiac vs. Providence (home and home)
Friday at 2:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
This series feels like it will be a good measuring stick for both of these teams and help them set goals and expectations for the rest of the season. Providence is looking to be in the mix for the Hockey East title and fight for the top that most everyone has assumed belongs to UConn and BU. Quinnipiac has been a team that's on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament in recent seasons. They want to prove that they should be part of more national conversations and that they belong in the conversation of top teams in the ECAC.
Quinnipiac took a pair of one-goal wins over Maine last weekend. Felicia Frank seems had five of the six periods last weekend in net. Providence has just had a 6-1 win over Sacred Heart in an exhibition so far and will officially take the ice for the first time this weekend.
(Photo: Ohio State Women's Hockey/X)
