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.
(12) Clarkson at (9) Connecticut
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Clarkson had a great opening weekend, scoring 14 goals in two games against RIT. They saw contributions up and down the lineup and it looked to be a great series to give them momentum and confidence to start the year. After spending her freshman year injured Layla Matthews made a huge splash, scoring twice in the first game and adding two assists in the second.
Connecticut lost a pair of games at St. Cloud State. The losses dropped them in the polls and left a lot of questions. They'll need to dig deep and respond against a tough Golden Knights squad.
Both teams will be looking to tighten up their defense. Despite being in the drivers' seat in their games, the three goals Clarkson gave up in the first game, particularly the two to end the game, are not something they want opponents to be able to repeat. UConn scored early in each of their games, but let things get away from them in the middle frame.
The Huskies want to get back on track and find some momentum and flow to their game. St. Cloud did a good job keeping them on their back foot. It was good to see both Tiller sisters get involved in the first two games - Connecticut could really use the depth that having more top tier scoring threats join Claire Murdoch. I think what's most at stake for them in this series is confidence. The mental load of coming out of these first two weeks 0-4 would be a lot.
(13) St. Cloud State at (15) Minnesota State
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Central
This is an unexpectedly really interesting matchup to open WCHA play. With St. Cloud's sweep of then #7 UConn, they pushed themselves into the polls and the national picture. Picked to finish sixth in the WCHA, they're suddenly facing a series with big implications.
Both these teams will be hoping to push for a spot in the top half of the WCHA - that most likely means fighting with Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth in the standings. Every conference point has become particularly crucial for both of these squads not to mention how they face off head to head.
Mankato made massive strides last season, including a series sweep of Minnesota, beating UMD in the WCHA quarterfinals and advancing to their first WCHA Final Faceoff weekend. They return much of that squad and just a week ago I'd have said things looked primed for them to take another step forward and prove they belong in the national conversation. They had a pair of wins over RPI last weekend, but dropped a spot in the polls, making room for SCSU to come in above them.
For St. Cloud's part, they return all of their best scorers and goalie Emilia Kyrkkö and might have been too easily overlooked in the face of Mankato's triumphs and being stuck behind the top two teams in the country.
There's likely a lot on the line here and the outcomes of these games seem like they'll have February and March implications. Both teams have something to prove and the fans will be the winners because it will be some really great hockey.
Providence at (6) Quinnipiac
Friday and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Providence is a team that could very well push UConn and Northeastern at the top of Hockey East. They have a lot of great pieces and I think they have a very high ceiling - only time will tell if they are capable of reaching it. It was a tumultous late offseason when their coach decided to leave for another job outside college hockey. They're now playing under an interim head coach in Nicole Norton and associate head coach Katie Burt who work incredibly well together and who have a lot to prove with this opportunity. I'm looking forward to seeing what they decided to do in net. Do they go with the freshman Bianca Birrittieri? Or could we see a tandem? And how will Birrittieri transition to the college game? She could be program-defining for Providence, but that's a lot of expectation to put on a player who hasn't yet stepped on the ice.
Quinnipiac skated to a pair of wins over Maine, 4-1 and 2-1, and maybe most importantly the only goal scored by last years national goal-scoring leader Kahlen Lamarche - and it was an empty-netter. There was a lot to like for the Bobcats in their first series, but now they'll be looking to make their success repeatable. I'll be watching Alex Law, who spent time at Boston University and on the injured list in her career, but stood out against Maine. If they can add another goal-scorer who also has great play-making ability, it will do a lot to bolster their quest for an appearance in the Frozen Four.
(Photo: UConn women's hockey/X)
