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.
(8) Colgate at (1) Ohio State
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
The Buckeyes suffered their first loss of the season last weekend at Minnesota. They rebounded and scored a comeback win on Saturday and will be looking to build on that. They were a little stunned by the Gophers in the first game and suffered from some sloppy play with turnovers and penalties. Though they split the series, they let a big lead slip. It was a good learning experience for OSU and now they need to show they can put those lessons to good use.
Other than the Ivy League teams that started last weekend, Colgate is the sole remaining undefeated team. They've had a tough slate of ranked non-conference opponents thus far, but this will be their toughest test. Their sweep of St. Cloud State showed they can handle pace and transition, but Ohio State will turn the difficulty up several notches. The Raiders have to step up their own speed of play, be prepared for pressure and physical play and do their best to try to earn a split in time of possession.
I'm not sure they've put together all the pieces yet and that's not easy to do against OSU's forecheck, but they've shown a knack for scoring, their freshman have seemed to get up to speed quickly and overall, I think they're ahead of the curve on where I expected them to be at this point. Linda Vocetková has been an important piece early on - she was a later recruit from that international class but I think she will prove to be something of a steal for Colgate. Watch her playmaking and how she reads the play.
Ohio State has been particularly good on the power play this year. That's unsurprising as it distills all that they do well - possession, movement, opportunities for great shots - while they can get their top two lines on the ice together and have extra ice to maneuver in.
One lingering question for the Buckeyes is in net - they've used all three of their goalies at different points so far, including switching Genny Klein for Taylor Cressin for the final frame on Saturday.
(6) Penn State at St. Lawrence
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
We knew it would be a time of transition for Penn State this season and that has rung true so far. The Nittany Lions have played some closer games than I thought they would and have a loss to RIT, but it's also clear that they aren't starting from scratch wihtout last year's graduating class. It is only October, but the close games they've played so far make me feel like the AHA Tournament is going to be pretty wide open, meaning Penn State should be approaching this season with the thought that they need to earn an NCAA bid via their NPI and ranking and not feel secure that they will earn the conference's autobid.
That means PSU has to be pulling in points and protecting their position, particularly against non-conference opponents. The relative strength of their conference schedule doesn't provide a lot of opportunities for quality win bonuses so it really feels like each of these non-conference games carries extra weight.
St. Lawrence is 2-6 to start the year, but I think importantly, both their wins came in the second game of a series where they were able to salvage points and earn a weekend split. They're coming off an overtime win over New Hampshire this week and want to build on that confidence and momentum before starting ECAC play the following week.
(12) Cornell at Boston College
Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern
Cornell took the ice for the first time this season last weekend when the Ivy League schools finally started their winter sports. They took a pair of wins from Vermont, but relied heavily not just on the power play, but on defenders during hte power play, to score their goals. If the Big Red are going to be a contending team this year, they have to have some game changers emerge from their newest class. They have shown in recent years that they can ride great defense and goaltending far on the national stage, but when they face more high-flying offensive teams, they have to be able to put more pucks in the net. That's something they have to learn now and work on as the season progresses. Their strong goaltending and defense are superb, but they need to be able to pair that with forwards who can build momentum from those areas and create offense quickly and reliably from big defensive stands.
Boston College has looked sharp so far, with their lone loss coming in overtime to Providence two weekends ago. Their offense is powered by Ava Thomas who won Hockey East Rookie of the Year last season, but they have seven players averaging more than a point per game through their first four games. It's good to see more scoring depth from the Eagles. Their offense has looked more layered and potent so far.
I think BC is at their best when they are moving quickly through the neutral zone and not overcomplicating anything. I love their speed and how they can control the rhythm of a game when they're really locked in with each other.
(Photo: ColgateWIH/Instagram)
