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.
(3) Minnesota at (4) Minnesota Duluth
Friday at 6 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Central
The Gophers will be without defenders Gracie Graham and Chloe Primerano in Friday's game as the two are suspended one game each for their part in the after-game altercation that occurred againt Ohio State last Sunday.
Minnesota has a large advantage in the all-time series against UMD and has also dominated recently, with a 9-0-1 record over the past ten meetings. The Bulldogs will be looking to take advantage of the shortened Gopher roster early and often on Friday. Duluth pulled out their second game against Mankato last weekend, but it took until the final seven minutes before they could light the lamp. They have to be much more proactive and prolific against Minnesota if they're going to get a win.
The Gophers have to not just account for the missing defenders on defense, but also their presence at the top of the zone on offense. Minnesota is going to be fast and try to move the puck to find lanes and angles. The Bulldogs showed against Wisconsin that they're very good at clogging up the middle and interrupting the flow. If they use what they learned against the Badgers and are able to take advantage of chances while sniping goals, they should be in a very good spot against Minnesota.
(11) St. Cloud State at (2) Ohio State
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
The Buckeye own a 1-8-1 advantage over St. Cloud State over their last 10 meetings, but St. Cloud did take a shootout win from the Buckeyes last season.
The key here is that Ohio State will be down to, I believe, eight forwards on Friday. They skated just 10 forwards against Minnesota last weekend and two of their players, Kassidy Carmichael and Jordyn Petrie, received one-game suspensions because of the after-game altercation that occurred. That alone will be a challenege for the Buckeyes, but what has stoodout from St. Cloud State in the early weeks of the season has been their propensity for fast breaks and odd-player rushes. They've been really able to catch their opponents off balance and use their speed. While Ohio State will be less likely to be caught unaware, with their short bench, SCSU should be able to really push the pace, take advantage and possibly outskate the Buckeyes.
That being said, St. Cloud ultimately lost their game in overtime because of a mental lapse as they didn't account for the player exiting the penalty box in overtime. The Huskies will need to be super sharp and aware not just to keep Ohio State from gaining an advantage, but also to be able to see their own opportunities as those windows will be narrow and close quickly.
(7) Quinnipiac at (13) Yale
Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern
Yale had a pair of wins over Robert Morris their first weekend and looked good, but they're opening ECAC play against the undefeated Bobcats who are absolutely rolling and are going to be difficult to stop. Kahlen Lamarche scored seven goals last weekend and seems like she's well on her way to a Patty Kazmaier nomination.
It does feel like Lamarche can score at will and wasn't slowed down even as it has become clear how much she can hurt an opponent, but obviously at some point a defense will find a way to keep her in check, so Quinnipiac will be looking to get the whole offense involved and playing at a level that means that opposing defenses can't load up against Lamarche. If they're all a threat, defenders can't afford to leave them unmarked.
(Photo: Minnesota Duluth women's hockey/X)
