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.
(1) Wisconsin at (2) Ohio State
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Big shout out to the schedulers who gave us this massive matchup on the final full weekend of the first half of the season. When the two meet again, they'll be short a bunch of players who are at the Olympics, so this is basically the biggest series of the season.
You'll remember that Wisconsin edged OSU in overtime in the national championship game last March (seriously, if you've never watched, you really, really want to go do that). Ohio State has been waiting for this day pretty much every moment since and while I believe it can't truly be revenge when the win isn't of the same magnitude, they'd happily skate into the winter break with the best record and atop all the polls.
Each team has one loss - both of them to Minnesota. Wisconsin has had some bumpy outings of late, including a tie with St. Cloud. They've looked a little unfocused at times. The sloppy play is uncharacteristic of the Badgers and they've mostly been able to mitigate it, but simply cannot play like that this weekend. Ohio State will exploit every mistake, lazy pass and turnover they make.
UW spent the Thanksgiving weekend beating up on Mercyhurst and Stonehill in Nashville, earning 5-1 and 17-2 wins. OSU was in Washington DC, where they beat Clarkson 8-0 and Colgate 5-0.
These are going to be quick, physical games from whistle to whistle. The Badgers struggled when they were getting pressured on the forecheck and that's Ohio State's specialty. They have to be smarter and quicker with their decisions. The Buckeyes will be forced into being more defensive than they've had to be most of this season - for them, the best defense has been great offense and long periods of puck possession. They'll need to find their balance between the two and be aware of not getting caught in transition.
Both teams have to play smart and not get too caught up in the physicality away from the puck. They have to be willing to skate away and not get drawn in so this doesn't turn into a special teams battle.
(9) Quinnipiac at (8) Cornell
Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern
After strong starts, both of these teams have struggled in recent weeks. The Bobcats stopped a four game game skid of a tie and three losses with a win over Sacred Heart last weekend. They had looked to be in the drivers seat of the ECAC early, but now sit fifth and are 4.5 points behind Cornell.
The Big Red do lead the ECAC, but are just a half point clear of Clarkson. They started the season 7-0, but are 3-3-1 since then. They look a little lost and unsure how to get back on track, but don't have the luxury of taking time to figure things out. While they've been very good on special teams, they struggle to put the puck away at even strength and they can't let that happen here.
Quinnipiac is going to score. Sure, the Big Red's defense can likely slow down Kahlen Lamarche, but between their own struggles and the way the Bobcats have been able to light the lamp, I think it's likely QU gets a couple of goals in the back of the net. That can't cause Cornell to panic or push them out of their game.
The Bobcats can't give Cornell time on special teams. They have to be smart with the puck, they have to keep the Big Red on their toes and they have to use their weapons to push the tempo and create a little controlled chaos. Basically, they have to take advantage of the fact that Cornell seems unsure of themselves and unable to make adjustments.
That being said, this is a matchup of two very good defenses and whichever team protects the puck, is able to establish in the zone and finds lanes is likely to come out on top. Quinnipiac's ability to score seems to give them the edge on paper, at least.
(6) Northeastern vs. Boston College
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 1:30 PM Eastern (home and home)
This will be a big and emotional game on Saturday as Northeastern plays their last-ever game in Matthews Arena. Despite it being December, they're hosting Senior Night.
Beyond that, these are the two teams atop Hockey East. NU has a five point lead over BC and the Eagles want to keep that lead in check and the top spot in reach.
Boston College freshman Ava Thomas is having a massive rookie year, leading her team with 11 goals and 12 assists. Her 23 points are second-best among all rookies (behind OSU's Hilda Svensson) and tied for 12th among all players. The Huskies' Lily Shannon is tied for 8th in the country in scoring and her 13 goals and 14 assists lead her team. Despite their stellar seasons, opponent haven't been able to do much to slow them down. Whichever team can not only get the puck on those players' sticks, but also finds a way to get some secondary scoring is going to have the advantage here.
Northeastern has to keep their emptions in check and not let the magnitude of the moment get to them. Boston College has to play calm, smart hockey. They don't want to get into a shootout with Northeastern, nor do they want to get into a foot race up and down the ice. BC isn't always the best at settling in and playing their own game. If they can resist getting pulled into whatever Northeatsern wants to do to set the tone, I like their chances this weekend.
(Photo: Ohio State Women's Hockey/X)
