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.
(4) Minnesota Duluth at (1) Wisconsin
Saturday at 11:00 AM and Sunday at 1:00 PM Central
It's Wisconsin's homecoming weekend with a Saturday night football game and also a pre-Olympic camp week, so this first top-10 matchup of the season is a pair of brunch games in Madison. Waiting until Saturday should mean that all the presumed Olympians make it to Madison for the series, but I imagine there will be some game-time decisions based on how rested or not the players are. This is likely the first look fans will get at what kind of effect these camps and the Olympics themselves will actually have. Both teams' goalies will have been at training with their respective rosters, so this may be a situation where we see which of their backups sees time in the crease.
But it's all hypotheticals so let's just assume this will be a top-5 matchup between two very good teams. What we learned in the opening weekends is that UMD doesn't appear like they'll have difficulty scoring. But they were definitely less solid on defense than they would want to be and are capable of. What I'll be watching for in this game is how they keep pace with the Badgers, both in transition, but also with puck movement once they are settled in the zone. The Bulldogs were a little too stationary at times against Mercyhurst and a team like Wisconsin will absolutely exploit that.
The Badgers have been basically as expected. They returned a ton of players from their National Championship-winning squad, added a few very talented rookies and seem like they've picked up basically where they left off. I think their biggest speed bump this season will be the loss of players to the Olympics and how the rest of the team adjusts. That's why the possibility of some of those players having reduced time in this series is interesting - it could give us a peek at what the expectations can be for a team that would be missing it's entire top line, forwards and defense, as well as starting goalie.
This is a matchup of two highly-skilled and capable offenses, two highly-skilled goalies and two stout defenses. But saying all that, I don't think we're going to see two low-scoring ties this weekend. Something will give here and I can't wait to watch and see how it plays out.
(14) Boston University at (8) Colgate
Friday and Saturday at 6:00 PM Eastern
These are two teams looking to right the ship after a rough start to the season. It had felt like Colgate's questions going into this season would be on offense, but it turns out that the graduation of goalie Hannah Murphy might be the biggest thing they have to overcome. The good news is they scored seven goals in the series against the Buckeyes. They bad news is they gave up 14, losing 5-3 and 9-4. Farah Walker played five of six periods this past weekend. If that was a sign the Raiders plan for her to be the starter, she could really use a weekend to bounce back to regain some confidence and just get some solid scoreless minutes under her belt.
The Terriers had a similarly tough opening series, losing 5-0 and 5-2 to Minnesota. BU also have to replace a starting goalie, but they split their weekend games, getting a start each from Mari Pietersen and Michelle Pasciechnyk. What they need to find is offense. They struggled to build much of anything against the Gophers, who dominated possession. The Terriers will be looking to reset a bit and start again. The Raiders will likely be pushing hard on offense, so BU has to not allow themselves to be hemmed into the defensive zone again, playing a reactive game. It would be a big step for BU if they can not only keep this game low-scoring, but also dictuate play a bit. Their goalies and defense need the rest, but their offense needs the confidence and rhythm of winning the puck, moving in transition and setting up in the zone.
(3) Minnesota vs. (10) St. Cloud State (home and home)
Friday at 5:30 PM and Saturday at 1:00 PM Central
This is a big series for the Huskies, who are looking to solidify their spot in the polls and NPI and be a major player in a postseason discussion. Other outcomes have sure made it seem like the door is open for a fifth team from the WCHA to make the NCAA Tournament, but the Huskies still have to be there in a position to take it.
Last season they split their four-game series with the Gophers. Both series were home and home and each team won a game on the road, so it doesn't seem to matter which rink they're at. There wasn't a lot of consistency in scorelines thorughout those games, but with the potent Minnesota offense this season, it would appear that for St. Cloud to have a chance, they have to find a way to slow down Abbey Murphy and Bella Fanale.
One of the things the Gophers have done well to start the season is move the puck. They're playing fast-paced hockey with quick passes that have had opposing defenses look like they're standing still. SCSU is usually more compact and disciplined on defense and should be prepared for this, but this is the part of the matchup that I think will be key to whether or not St. Cloud can earn any points this weekend. They have to interrupt Minnesota's flow, lift sticks, win pucks and generally disrupt what they're trying to do.
(Photo: Wisconsin Women's Hockey/X)
