The first weekend following the holiday break always seems like kind of a strange one. No one’s completely back into their routines yet—a lot of schools still aren’t in session yet—so there’s still a lingering vacation feel. Think of it as a transition week, one that sets us up for the six-week grind during which the league races really heat up.
But back to this weekend. Some teams jump right back into conference play, while others are engaged in non-conference action. Then there’s Boston College and Boston University, who venture outside for a game.
Ben Smith and Boston College have played Boston University plenty of times, but not in a venue like Fenway.
Boston College vs. Boston University (Friday at Fenway Park): Seeing these two teams play in Fenway is like seeing Springsteen perform during halftime of the Super Bowl—you get a sense of what the full show would be like, but the unique setting creates some limitations. Analyzing what could happen is futile, since no one can predict how either team will react in this highly charged environment.
There’s no question it’ll be a great scene, what with two bitter rivals clashing in front of more than 30,000 fans in one of the most hallowed sports venues in the world. As for the hockey itself,it’s not a stretch to say that the spate of outdoor games have hardly been memorable. When Michigan and Michigan State met in East Lansing in 2001, the play wasn’t sloppy, per se, but it did lack a certain flow.
Perhaps the biggest irony of the large-scale productions meant to celebrate the game of hockey is that the on-ice product is hardly worth celebrating.
Rensselaer and Union at Quinnipiac and Princeton: This weekend’s travel-partner set features four teams with intriguing mid-season storylines. Quinnipiac won 12 of its first 13 games but have gone just 1-4-1 in six games since then, and the lone victory came over American International. The Bobcats host RPI Friday night and Union Saturday. It’s the start of a stretch of eight home games in their next nine overall, and the Bobcats are a perfect 8-0-0 at home, a good time for them to get back on track.
Princeton had a disappointing first half but seems to be getting things back on track. They tied Maine and beat Cornell at the Florida College Classic and defeated Quinnipiac in overtime earlier this week on the strength of a Dan Bartlett hat trick. It total, Princeton carries a four-game unbeaten streak into the weekend and may be playing to its potential. The Tigers host Union on Friday night and RPI Sunday afternoon in an ESPNU-televised game, beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
RPI finished second at the Great Lakes Invitational by defeating Michigan in the semifinals before falling to Michigan State in the championship. Of course, they played those games without freshman forward Jerry D’Amigo, who helped the United States to a gold medal at the World Junior Championship. D’Amigo won’t play in Friday’s game at Quinnipiac as he recovers from the grueling international duty, but expects to be in the lineup for the televised game Sunday at Princeton.
Union has lost just once in its last 13 games (8-1-4) and that defeat came at the hands of nationally ranked Massachusetts. The Dutchmen are undefeated in league play with a 4-0-3 ECAC Hockey record, and stand just three points behind first-place Quinnipiac despite having played four fewer league games. Those teams meet on Saturday.
Ferris State at Notre Dame (Saturday-Sunday): The eight-game Ferris State Reality Tour (as in, are the Bulldogs for real?) continues this weekend with its third and fourth legs at the Joyce Center. The jury’s still out on Ferris after last week’s performance in Madison in the Badger Hockey Showdown—coach Bob Daniels’ team was rocked by Yale, but recovered to beat Merrimack, 5-1.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, showed some spark in a win against Colgate and tie with North Dakota at the Shillelagh Tournament in suburban Chicago. The Irish are in the midst of an important stretch of games as well, with series against Michigan State and surprising Lake Superior State on the horizon.
Colorado College at Minnesota Duluth (Friday-Saturday): These two teams split a series in Colorado Springs earlier this season, not suprising considering how evenly matched they are. Both the Bulldogs and Tigers have played 20 games, and both have scored 70 goals this season. Both have scored 49 goals in 14 league matches. Both have 12 overall wins and eight in the WCHA, but two points separate them in the conference standings; CC has two fewer losses and two more ties than UMD.
Both teams would also like to bounce back from disappointing losses during the holidays. The Tigers beat an excellent Cornell squad in the first round of the Florida College Classic, but allowed two third-period goals to Maine en route to a 3-2 loss in the tournament championship. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, throttled Mercyhurst in the first round of the Catamount Cup last week before host Vermont handed them a 5-2 loss in the title game.
Also: Bentley, fresh off wins against UConn and UMass at last week’s UConn holiday tournament, hosts Canisius in the week’s marquee series in Atlantic Hockey. … Only two CCHA teams have more goals this season than Lake Superior State. The Lakers, currently in fifth place in the league, head to East Lansing to face second-place Michigan State. … Important weekend for current Hockey East leader New Hampshire. The Wildcats host UMass Lowell Friday and UMass Saturday.
TV Schedule (all times Eastern): Friday—Boston College vs. Boston University, NESN and NHL Network, 7:30 p.m.; Lake Superior State at Michigan State, Fox Sports Net Detroit, 7:30 p.m.; Connecticut at Air Force, CBS College Sports, 8 p.m.; Harvard at Minnesota, Fox Sports Net North, 8 p.m.; Minnesota State at North Dakota, Fox College Sports, 8:30 p.m.; Alaska Anchorage at Denver, Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday—UMass Lowell at Northeastern, NESN, 7:30 p.m.; Minnesota State at North Dakota, Fox College Sports, 8 p.m.; Alaska Anchorage at Denver, Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain, 9 p.m.; Harvard at Minnesota, Fox Sports Net North, tape delay TBA.
Sunday—Rensselaer at Princeton, ESPNU, 3 p.m.; Massachusetts at Northeastern, ESPNU, 8 p.m.
