NCAA Week 16 Preview: Full Slate Resumes

After last week’s light schedule got the puck going again, Week 16 sees a number of ranked vs. unranked matchups prior to the Frozen Fenway showcase on Tuesday. No. 6 ranked Boston College, 13-3-3, meets unranked Harvard, 1-9-1, for a special occasion in Boston, Massachusetts. Though this one slants heavily in BC’s favor, the battered Crimson Tide did pick up a last minute 3-3 tie vs. Colgate right before the break. They will have to deal with BC, who has a strong offensive punch - four forwards registered over 20 points at the half.

John Mazza previews Week 16:

Harvard vs. No. 6 Boston College, Tuesday Jan. 11

• Harvard is hoping to start the year off strong against BC at Frozen Fenway.
• On Dec. 2, Harvard was shut out by Cornell. Molly Tissenbaum (Toronto, Ontario) made 23 saves, but the offense could not find the back of the net in the 3-0 loss.
• In their last game before the break, the Crimson tied No. 7 Colgate. Val Turgeon (Denver, Colo.), Haley Mullins (East Greenwich, R.I.), and Lexie Laing (Marblehead, Mass.) scored in the third period to put Harvard ahead before Colgate tied the game in the final 21 seconds.
• On a seven game unbeaten streak, the Eagles look to continue to dominate Hockey East in the new year.
• Before break, Boston College defeated Dartmouth 6-1. Delaney Belinskas (Port Orange, Fla.) tallied two goals and an assist, while teammate Andie Anastos (Farmington Hills, Mich.) got one goal and two assists to push the Eagles past Dartmouth. /

Ohio State @ Penn State, Friday Jan. 6 and Saturday Jan. 7

• Ohio State is hoping to bounce back from back-to-back shutout losses to Wisconsin.
• In the 7-0 loss, Kaylee Remington (Scandia, Minn.) replaced Kassidy Sauve (Whitby, Ontario) in net late in the second. She made 15 saves on 16 shots in her second appearance of the season.
• With her first start the next day, Remington made 40 saves on 45 shots. Her efforts were not enough, and the Buckeyes lost 5-0.
• Penn State went on break with a loss and a tie in their last two games. They hope they can improve their home record against the Buckeyes this weekend.
• On Dec. 30, the Nittany Lions faced the Quinnipiac Bobcats. After being down 1-0, Victoria Samuelsson (Leksand, Sweden) scored late in the first to tie it. With 68 seconds left, the Bobcats found the back of the net and Penn State fell 2-1.
• In the New Year’s Eve matchup against Princeton, Brooke Madsen (Eagan, Minn.) scored two goals to help Penn State tie the Tigers. /

New Hampshire @ Northeastern, Friday Jan. 6 and Saturday Jan. 7 @ New Hampshire

• UNH returns from break carrying a five game unbeaten streak.
• In a 5-3 win against Yale on Dec. 10, Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) led the team in points with three assists.
• Northeastern already has a win under their belt in 2017 with their 4-2 win over UConn on Jan. 2.
• With her 100^th career point, Paige Savage (Johns Creek, Ga.) scored the game-winning goal with under three minutes left in the game. /

Dartmouth @ No. 8 Quinnipiac, Saturday Jan. 7

• Dartmouth is hoping the new year will bring with it some new luck. With a 2-10 record, the Big Green need a strong start to move up in the ECAC standings.
• In the 6-1 loss to BC, Christina Rombaut (Rothesay, New Brunswick) scored the only goal for Dartmouth, her third of the year.
• Kennedy Ottenbreit (Grayson, Saskatchewan) scored the both goals for Dartmouth in the 4-2 loss to Vermont. It was the senior’s 100^th career game.
• Quinnipiac is looking to bounce back after a win and a loss on New Year’s weekend.
• In a tough fought game with Penn State, the Bobcats edged their way ahead of the Nittany Lions. With just over a minute left in regulation, Melissa Samoskevich (Sandy Hook, Conn.) found the back of the net, pushing Quinnipiac past Penn State.
• On New Year’s Day, the Bobcats fell to Princeton. Kate MacKenzie (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Emma Woods (Burford, Ontario) scored for Quinnipiac in the 3-2 loss. /

Minnesota State vs. No. 2 Minnesota, Sunday Jan. 8

• Minnesota State will play No. 2 Minnesota in the US Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women’s Face-off Classic in Edina, Minn. The Mavericks are coming off a split series with Union and are hoping to use the momentum to defeat the Gophers in conference play.
• Despite making 25 saves, senior netminder Brianna Quade (Newcastle, Ontario) could not win the game for her team, with Minnesota State losing 2-1.
• Late in the third period of the rematch Anna Keys (Cottage Grove, Minn.) netted the puck, pushing the Mavericks past the Dutchwomen in the 2-1 victory.
• In their last games before the break, Minnesota split their series with Boston University.
• On Dec. 9 the Gophers easily defeated the Terriers with a 5-1 win. Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, Minn.) and Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, British Columbia) each had three points in Minnesota’s first game in Walter Brown Arena.
• The next day saw a different result. Trailing multiple times in the game, the Gophers rallied in the last five minutes to tie the game and send it to overtime. Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.) scored the game-tying goal late in the third, but BU captain Natalie Flynn scored in overtime to edge out the Gophers 6-5. /

Note: All rankings listed are from Week 12’s SB Nation’s Women’s College Hockey Division 1 Poll.