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.
(6) Connecticut at (3) Penn State
Saturday at 2:00 PM Eastern
It's not surprising as we've got the top eight best teams remaining in this tournament, but there is little separating these squads. Penn State's big advantage is on offense - they average more than a goal per game more than UConn. Both have stellar goalies and strong team defense.
The Nittany Lions get to play at home and have this game circled on the calendar long before they knew any of the details. They're hosting the Frozen Four and the goal has always been to play in it. They're one game away from achieving that. When they hosted the Frozen Four years ago, they didn't finish the season ranked. It's been a stellar climb for PSU in a short stretch and this is the payoff they've always been working towards. That has to feel so good but it comes with so much pressure. And despite where they sit now, Penn State has not yet won an NCAA Tournament game - they lost in the opening round each of the last three seasons.
Obviously Penn State has Tessa Janecke and she needs no introduction. Recently named a top-three finalist for the Patty Kaz, she's the heart of this team. But what has helped propel them so high this year is a deeper line chart. Janecke leads the team with 45 points, but they have seven players with 30+ points. Grace Outwater leads the team with 24 goals and there are just two players (who've played a total of 12 games combined) on the roster that haven't tallied a point. Even goalie Katie DeSa has an assist. The average more than a goal per game more than UConn on offense.
UConn is in just its second-ever NCAA Tournament. They lost in the opening round to UMD 1-o in OT two years ago. The Huskies had just one loss in their last ten games - an OT defeat by Northeastern. They won the Hockey East title over the other Huskies in overtime and had a 4-1 win over Yale in the opening round.
Kyla Josifovic has been the standout forward. She has recorded a point in nine straight games and scored twice in the regional semifinal. She became the first Husky since 2007-08 to tally 40 points in a season. Last year's Hockey East Rookie of the Year Claire Murdoch is second on the team in scoring. Goalie Tia Chan is a top-three finalist for Goalie of the Year.
The Huskies have to limit Penn State's time on the puck if they want to win. The Nittany Lions would happily move around the zone and dictate the game. Expect Connecticut to try and keep the Nittany Lions to the perimeter, but they have to be solid on defense without giving up too much on offense. Penn State can and will score from anywhere, including along the top of the zone, so they have to block shots and not screen out their own goalie.
The pressure is all on Penn State. If UConn can play like they've got nothing to lose and not get dragged into chasing PSU, I think that freedom will play to their advantage here.
The two teams have met nine times with the Huskies owning a 5-1-3 advantage overall and a 3-0-1 recrod against Penn State at Pegula. Both teams are playing for the chance to advance to their first-ever Frozen Four
(7) Quinnipiac at (2) Wisconsin
Saturday at 1:00 PM Central
The Badgers did not play well in the WCHA tournament championship game. The concerning part is that Ohio State didn't do anything crazy in that game that UW shouldn't have expected or been prepared for. But they were completely shut down and didn't adjust. They've had a week to watch video and talk about it and they have the comfort of playing at home, where they've been incredibly successful, particularly during the NCAA tournament. But they have to play like the team they're capable of being, not the one that happens to show up sometimes.
I expect the competitive spirit of these players, particularly the very talented senior class, is going to show up and we'll see Wisconsin at its best, but at this point that's not a given and it's the thing that will most likely decide this game.
Another key point will be goaltending. The two in this game among the top four in the country in save percentage and goals against. It doesn't get much better. Ava McNaughton had some bobbles upon returning from Milan. She was the brightest spot for the Badgers in the abovementioned WCHA championship game and they'll need her to be that strong again. Quinnipiac's Felicia Frank is a top-three finalist for Goalie of the Year. But she averaged 25 shots against per game. The Badgers average 45 shots per game. I'm not sure Frank has faced a team or an offense quite like UW in her college career (though she did at U18s). She'll need help from her defense, she'll need to be sharp and she'll need to keep that up for the full 60 minutes (or more).
The pace of play to this game should tell us a lot about how it will play out. Generally the Bobcats are a quick team, but Wisconsin is absolutely going to try and run them up and down the ice. The Badgers want to be in transition and moving the other way immediately. I can see QU trying to slow things down both in a bid to take some control and to give their players a rest. Time and space will be at a premium for both teams, so the one that can calm the nerves and settle into the game the quickest is going to have an advantage.
Quinnipiac will need offense from the rest of their lineup. They've come up big in games a few times this season and are certainly capable, but most of their offense has gone through Kahlen Lamarche, who leads the country with 42 goals. I'd imagine we'll see KK Harvey on her head to head, but that should leave opportunities for the rest of the Bobcats.
Wisconsin has to finish. They have so many offebsive threats, but they have struggled with thinking too much and trying to do too much on each play or sort of thoughtlessly flinging the puck towards net without much forethought. Those loose pucks will go the other way quickly against the Bobcats. They need thier Olympians to be on, but I think if you see scoring from Maggie Scannell or Laney Potter or Adéla Šapovalivová, that's a better sign that things are going right for UW.
(5) Northeastern at (4) Minnesota
Saturday at 2:00 PM Central
Northeastern is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance while Minnesota is seeking its 17th appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four. Both teams earned at-large bids to the tournament via their NPI rankings for the season. Northeastern lost to Connecticut in overtime in the Hockey East title game while the Gophers lost to Ohio State in the WCHA tournament semifinals. This will be the ninth-ever meeting between these teams. They last met in 2007, before most of these players ever even put on skates.
Northeastern won the Hockey East regular season title and had just one loss in their final fourteen games before falling to UConn. They're led on offense by senior Lily Shannon and freshman Stryker Zablocki, who each have 43 points. Zablocki was named Hockey East Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. In net, Lisa Jönsson has only improved in her sophomore season. She's ranked among the top ten in goals against average and save percentage and lowed both those numbers during the playoffs.
Minnesota has stumbled over the past few weeks, losing five of their final eight games and settling for a tie in a sixth. They closed out the regular season with a pair of overtime losses to Minnesota Duluth, needed three games to get past St. Cloud State in the WCHA playoffs and played one of their worst games in a long while losing to OSU in the WCHA tournament semifinals. Captain and Patty Kazmaier top-three finalist Abbey Murphy struggled in that last game in particular.
The Gophers didn't have to travel and had a few extra days to recover, but they've got a lot to overcome and a lot to prove on Saturday. There is a ton of talent on the roster, but it hasn't all really come together much this season and they certainly lost any cohesion they might have had when several players left for the Olympics. They didn't come back together well and now they're in a tough matchup without a lot of leeway to figure it out.
It's going to be a physical game where Minnesota will try to win pucks along the wall, use speed to circle the zone and hold possession and get Jönsson in the butterfly and moving in her crease. They struggled to find the correct side of the physical line last weekend and special teams could play a big factor. Northeastern is second in the country on the penalty kill, but only so-so on the power play. Minnesota has the eighth best power play, but is in the bottom half of teams on the penalty kill.
Northeastern is at their best when they're moving the quickly, hitting tape to tape passes and controlling the puck. They'll probably need to step that up even more in this game and not get rattled by pressure from the defense. I like Northeastern's speed in transition against the Gophers and think they need to make sure to have trailing skaters to clean up rebounds and loose pucks. I want them to be aggressive but not get baited or drawn in too far that they're caught flat when Murphy steals a puck and heads the other way.
(8) Yale vs. (1) Ohio State
Saturday at 6:00 PM Eastern
Saturday marks the fourth meeting between these two teams and the second consecutive meeting in the NCAA Tournament. The teams last met in the 2022 Frozen Four, with Ohio State earning a 2-1 win in the semifinals. All three games between the two programs have been one-goal wins by the Buckeyes.
In defeating Wisconsin in the WCHA tournament championship, Ohio State took over the top-seed, a spot they haven't held since March 2024. They're in their seventh-straight NCAA Tournament and are looking for their sixth straight Frozen Four berth and third NCAA Championship.
The Buckeyes are led by WCHA Rookie of the Year Hilda Svensson's 50 points. Joy Dunne is second on the team with 47 points and leads with 26 goals. They have four players with 40 or more points. Goalie Hailey MacLeod set a new program record for wins by a goalie with 24 and counting this season.
The Buckeys are fast and physical. They have an oppressive forecheck, are strong on their sticks and generally make it really difficult to generate offense and move the puck into the offensive zone. They are going to push pace and force Yale to think fast and move faster. Their rink plays small and does not allow for a lot of room around the edges and against the boards. Yale has to play composed, win faceoffs and not make mistakes in the face of the Buckeyes' pressure.
Yale has an outstanding tandem with Jordan Ray and Carina DiAntonio on their top line. I called out freshman Molly Boyle on Thursday and she scored the lone goal to earn the win for Yale over UMD in the regional semifinal. The Ivy League Rookie of the Year and ECAC Hockey Defender of the Year adds layers to the offensive threat and with the way OSU can pressure teams, getting solid shots off from the blue line will be necessary.
Samson Frey is a freshman goalie who has been lights out since taking over the net in January, but the Bulldog defense has to give her help on Saturday. As with Quinnipiac against Wisconsin, the volume of shots OSU puts up is much higher than the average number Yale and Frey usually face. The Buckeyes will really try to own the ice in front of the net, force turnovers or rebounds and take advantage. The Elis cannot let players like Joy Dunne set up shop in front of Frey.
OSU is going to come out flying and try to establish themselves early. I think Yale has to weather that and then begin to push back, particularly if they can even out puck possession and keep the Buckeyes from setting up shop in the zone. It's going to be a choppy game with poke checks and broken up passes. The team that can thrive and come out of scrums and away from the boards with loose pucks will have the advantage.
(Photo: QU_WIH/X )
