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.
(10) Minnesota Duluth vs. (8) Yale
Thursday at 6:00 PM Eastern
It feels so improbable to me that in all their separate storied histories, these two programs have never faced each other. It's a Bulldog battle for the right to have Ohio State at home.
Minnesota Duluth's issue much of year has been offense. They average just 2.51 goals per game. They didn't score more than two goals a game in their WCHA quarterfinal series. They have just three players with double-digit goals. Meanwhile Yale scored 18 goals in four games of the ECAC tournament. They average more than a goal per game more than UMD.
These teams feature two of the best goalies in the country in Ève Gascon and Samson Frey. Frey has had a breakout freshman season and has helped propel Yale to this point. It might not be incredibly fair to the rest of her team, but it also doesn't feel like an exaggeration to say that UMD isn't in the NCAA tournament without Gascon.
This is a rink UMD is used to and this is their sixth straight season advancing this far. They've got a comfort that Yale won't have in this situation. But they will also have the locker room over in the adjacent building that requires a pretty long walk to get on the ice.
Carina DiAntonio and Jordan Ray have been the offensive drivers for Yale. Molly Boyle was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year and ECAC Hockey Defender of the Year. She'll be important in keeping UMD off the board, but she'a also an important part of the offense as well.
Yale has to not get frustrated if UMD is able to shut down the middle of the ice. Minnesota Duluth has to make smarter choices on offense and look to possess the puck to slow down Yale.
(9) Princeton vs. (6) Connecticut
Thursday at 7:00 PM Eastern
Where the first game features teams who've never played, this matchup has teams who played earlier this season. Connecticut took a pair of wins over Princeton in mid-October. They were the first games of Princeton's season, as the Ivies start later than everyone else.
It was a rough beginning of the year for the Tigers, who lost three of their first four games. It took them a little of the season to find their footing, but they went on to win a share of the ECAC regular season title - their first-ever.
Issy Wunder and Mackenzie Alexander have been the offensive stars for Princeton, but they've gotten key goals from player up and down the lineup. But while they've been consistently good on offense, they do give up more than two goals a game. The defense has been shaky at times and they can't just leave Uma Corneia out to dry trying to handle Connecticut.
For the Huskies, Tia Chan is a top-three finalist for Goalie of the Year. Having split time in previous seasons, she's stepped into a much bigger starting role this season and taken well to it. On offense, this is a well-balanced and distributed attack. Kyla Josifovic leads the team with 38 point, but there are eight players with 20 or more points.
The teams will have tape on each other, but Princeton in particular is a very different team than when these two met in October. To win, UConn has to keep the game slightly slowed down and not get caught in transition. Princeton will look for quick breakouts and short-handed opportunities. They can play really fast and the Huskies have to anticiapte that.
Franklin Pierce vs. (7) Quinnipiac
Thursday at 7:00 PM Central
Things have not gone well for NEWHA teams since the conference earned an auto bid to the NCAA Tournament. In a vacuum, I think Franklin Pierce is the best of the teams that have advanced this far and against a different opponent, I would have been tempted to call for an upset. I think they have the right combination of scoring talent and stand-on-her-head goalkeeping from Jill Hertl to give teams a fit. They're 7th in the country in team defense and 15th overall in team offense, something we don't normally see from a NEWHA team. They've shown themselves to be resilient and I really could see them pushing teams from the other conferences, particularly if they kept things close and could force overtime.
Unfortunately for them, they've run into a Quinnipiac team with the country's leading goal-scorer in Kahlen Lamarche, a top-three finalist for Goalie of the Year in Felicia Frank and is third in the country in team defense. They had some bobbles this season, but really built to the end of the year and defeated Yale convincingly in the ECAC tournament title game.
If they hit on all cylinders and play their best, Quinnipiac has a good shot to be a surprise Frozen Four team. But first they have to stay disciplined and not get caught looking ahead. That being said, I'll be interested to see if they push pace in this game knowing that Wisconsin will try to do the same to whomever they face on Saturday. Quinnipiac can win this game without turning it into a track meet. It wouldn't be the worst idea for them to conserve some energy.
It has been the Kahlen Lamarche show most of the season for QU, including when she scored seven goals in three game in the ECAC quarterfinal series. But, importantly, she didn't score in the semifinals or finals. Though she's been a standout, the Bobcats don't need her to power the offense and can still score goals and get big wins without her lighting the lamp. I think that was an important lesson for them to learn at this part of the season. They have a lot of confidence and know they can shut the door even if their opponents are able to contain Lamarche.
(Photo:UConn Athletics)
