• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Women's Hockey

NCAA Women’s Hockey: Week 5 Preview

By Gabriella Fundaro October 25th, 2012

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Current Rankings (Week 5):

  1. Minnesota
  2. Cornell
  3. North Dakota
  4. Boston University
  5. Boston College
  6. Minnesota-Duluth
  7. Wisconsin
  8. Harvard
  9. Clarkson
  10. Northeastern

Match-up of the Week: #1 Minnesota @ #3 North Dakota, Sat. 10/27 @ 3:05 PM E.T. & Sun. 10/28 @ 3:05 PM E.T.

The Gophers enter Grand Forks as undoubtedly the best team in the country right now. They are a perfect 8-0-0 on the year, with every win coming in blowout-style. Their smallest margin of victory so far? Four goals, in a 4-0 win over St. Cloud State. They have the upper-hand over almost anyone at any position; if their offense slows down for a period, their defense is there to break up the opponent’s flow as well. If the defense has a momentary lapse, goaltender Noora Räty is there to make the save.

This is a huge weekend for North Dakota; not only is it a rivalry game but it’s an opportunity for them to really turn things completely around. Minnesota has proved that they will be very tough to beat, but these games should be pumped full of emotion because of the rivalry and what’s at stake. UND isn’t scoring yet at the pace that they probably would like to, but their focus this weekend needs to be on much more than just scoring goals. The offense is important, but they need to make puck management and limiting mistakes a priority. Their defense really needs to break up the Gophers’ attack as much as possible; they need to make the Gopher forwards earn every inch of ice.

Overall this is a very exciting rivalry match-up between two talented hockey teams; it might prove to be the best match-up of the year so far and it’s definitely worth tuning into. The games will be broadcast on Midco Sports Net, at least in the Grand Forks area, with Saturday’s game being tape-delayed and played Sunday afternoon, to lead up to Sunday’s live game.

Top-10 Teams in Action

Brown @ #2 Cornell, Fri. 10/26 @ 7:00 PM E.T.; Yale @ #2 Cornell, Sat. 10/27 @ 4:00 PM E.T.: Cornell will look to build off their first ECAC win, 5-1 against St. Lawrence, and earn a weekend sweep against the Bears and the Bulldogs. Forward Emily Fulton has been the Big Red’s best player through three games so far; Brianne Jenner and Jillian Saulnier have been good, but look for both of them to start producing at a higher clip.

Maine @ #4 Boston University; Fri. 10/26 @ 7:00 PM E.T.; Robert Morris @ #4 Boston University, Sat. 10/27 @ 2:00 PM E.T.: The Terriers suffered their first loss of the year last weekend against highly-rated Cornell, but they still salvaged the series with a split. They’ll definitely be going into both of these games expecting a win, but they don’t want to overlook these teams. Two players to watch who don’t play for BU: freshman defenseman Brooklyn Langlois for Maine, and sophomore forward Rebecca Vint for Robert Morris.

#6 Minnesota-Duluth @ #5 Boston College, Thurs. 10/25 @ 7:00 PM E.T. & Fri. 10/26 @ 7:00 PM E.T.: I don’t think either of these teams is satisfied with their starts to the season, which will make for a very interesting series. Both of these rosters contain more talent and potential than their records reflect. The Bulldogs will want to start playing much more consistently, especially on a week-to-week basis. The Eagles will look for the same thing, and they’ll also want to get Alex Carpenter producing at a little higher level.

New Hampshire @ #7 Wisconsin, Fri. 10/26 @ 8:05 PM E.T. & Sun. 10/28 @ 3:05 PM E.T.: This is a huge series for the Badgers; they’ll definitely be playing with chips on their shoulders as they welcome New Hampshire. They’ve had a lot of trouble so far scoring goals, and they need to get things back on track offensively. Wisconsin will be looking for contributions from anyone who will step up. It’s really important for them to have a strong series by creating a lot of chances and not letting the Wildcats spend much time in the Badgers’ zone.

#8 Harvard @ Quinnipiac, Fri. 10/26 @ 7:00 PM E.T.; #8 Harvard @ Princeton, Sat. 10/27 @ 4:00 PM E.T.: Harvard’s first regular season action comes in the form of two intriguing contests. The latter is an Ivy League rivalry game against the Tigers. But the first comes against the Bobcats, who, up until they stumbled and lost 4-0 against Syracuse last week, looked like a legitimate dark-horse contender. Quinnipiac’s first line of Kelly Babstock, Erica Uden Johansson, and Nicole Kosta will be a great test for the Crimson’s defense.

Union @ #9 Clarkson, Fri. 10/26 @ 3:00 PM E.T.; Rensselaer @ #9 Clarkson, Sat. 10/27 @ 3:00 PM E.T.: The Golden Knights have started the season off well, and after splitting with Mercyhurst last weekend, their confidence should be pretty high right now. Things are clicking for them, and they’ll enter the weekend looking for two wins. They don’t want to overlook either Union or RPI, but especially RPI. The Engineers have played very tough against good competition this year, and they’ll be just as hungry for a win against Clarkson.

Robert Morris @ #10 Northeastern, Fri. 10/26 @ 7:00 PM E.T.; Maine @ Northeastern, Sat. 10/27 @ 3:00 PM E.T.: The Huskies had an off-week last night but they’ll need to get right back on pace against the Colonials and Black Bears. One thing Northeastern should focus on executing properly: entering the offensive zone. Look for  them to limit the defensive lapses they’ve been a bit prone to early on this year, and to start pressuring offensively like they’re capable of.

 

  • Tags
  • Alex Carpenter
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Brianne Jenner
  • Brooklyn Langlois
  • Clarkson University
  • Cornell University
  • Harvard
  • Jillian Saulnier
  • Kelly Babstock
  • Maine
  • Nicole Kosta
  • Noora Raty
  • North Dakota
  • Northeastern University
  • Quinnipiac University
  • Rebecca Vint
  • Robert Morris University
  • University of Minnesota-Duluth
  • Wisconsin
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 21st 5:55 PM
Edmonton Oilers

McDavid Has the Maple Leafs’ Number and Needs to Keep it That Way

Jan 21st 5:08 PM
Archives

NHLers by Country: On Top of Their Game and the World

Jan 21st 4:50 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Missing Klefbom and Neal on Power Play

Jan 21st 4:40 PM
Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Soucy & Sturm Look Comfortable Filling Roster Gaps

Jan 21st 4:30 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche With Career Milestones in Sight in 2020-21 Season

Jan 21st 3:45 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning & Pat Maroon Are a Really Good Fit…For Now

Jan 21st 3:35 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Depth Separates Them From the Rest

Jan 21st 3:15 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets’ Alexandre Texier, New Faces Shine to Begin Season

Jan 21st 2:45 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers News & Rumors: Neal, Yamamoto, Tippett, More

Jan 21st 2:15 PM
Column

Senators News & Rumours: Stützle, Norris, Galchenyuk and More

Editor’s Picks
NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

The 1979 NHL – WHA Merger

The 1979 NHL – WHA Merger

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information