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NCAA

NCAA week 20 preview: Ranked meets unranked

Lack of top ten matchups offers room for surprise

Bemidji State will have a tough opponent as No. 1 Wisconsin travels to Sanford Center. The Badgers are on a ten-game win streak. With Ann-Renée Desbiens between the pipes and Annie Pankowski unfront, Wisconsin looks unstoppable. The Beavers will rely on point leader Emily Bergland and netminder Brittni Mowat if they stand any chance against the the number one team.

John Mazza previews Week 20:

No. 1 Wisconsin @ Bemidji State, Friday Feb. 3 and Saturday Feb 4

  • Wisconsin continues to dominate the field, outscoring Minnesota State 11-1 over the weekend.
  • With two goals, Annie Pankowski (Laguna Hill, CA) led the Badgers to their 5-0 victory of the Mavericks. Ann-Renée Desbiens (La Malbaie, QC) collected her 11th shutout of the season en route to the win.
  • Two Badgers reached the 100-point mark in the 6-1 victory. Sydney McKibbon (Oakville, ON) and Emily Clark (Saskatoon, SK) both reached this milestone in the first period of the game.
  • Bemidji could not win against North Dakota last weekend, taking a loss and a tie in the series.
  • Emily Bergland (Thief River Falls, MN) scored the lone goal for the Beavers during the 3-1 loss on the power play.
  • Bergland again scored the lone goal for Bemidji in the 1-1 tie. After taking the lead in the first, the Beavers could not hold off the Fighting Hawks, who tied the game in the third. /

No. 3 Clarkson @ Harvard, Saturday Feb. 4

  • Collecting four more ECAC points, Clarkson still sits in the top spot in their conference.
  • Co-captains Cayley Mercer (Exeter, ON) and Loren Gabel (Kitchener, ON) both tallied two goals, leading Clarkson to their 300th program win.
  • With another two-goal night, Mercer again led her team to victory. Midway through the second period, Mercer broke the 0-0 tie, to give Clarkson the lead, which they held for the rest of the game.
  • With a loss and a tie, Harvard continues to struggle against top ECAC opponents.
  • Netminders Beth Larcom (Middletown, RI) and Molly Tissenbaum (Toronto, ON) combined to make 24 saves in the 4-0 loss to Colgate.
  • After falling behind 2-1 in the second, Harvard rallied to tie the game. With three minutes left in regulation, Briana Mastel (Wallingford, CT) found the back of the net on the power play, leading to a 2-2 tie. /

Yale @ Princeton, Friday Feb. 3

  • After a sweep of Brown, Yale is looking to use this momentum to defeat another Ivy League opponent.
  • With goals from Kaitlin Gately (Hingham, MA) and Phoebe Staenz (Zürich, Switzerland) Yale skated to a 2-1 victory.
  • With three power play goals from Eden Murray (Medicine Hat, AB), Staenz, and Krista Yip-Chuck (Whitby, ON), the Bulldogs went on to beat Brown 4-2.
  • Facing Quinnipiac, Princeton defeated the No. 7 team in the country.
  • Making 18 saves, freshman goalie Steph Neatby (Toronto, ON) earned her third shutout in the 3-0 victory. /

UConn @ No. 6 Boston College, Saturday Feb. 4

  • Playing the unpredictable Catamounts, UConn split the weekend series.
  • Falling 3-0 in the second, Leah Lum (Richmond, BC) and Briana Colangelo (Whitby, ON) cut the lead to one, but a Vermont goal sealed the 4-2 loss for the Huskies.
  • On a five-game losing streak, the Huskies desperately needed a win. Lum netted the puck twice, breaking the streak, and leading UConn a 4-2 victory.
  • In the midweek game Boston College picked up another two points in Hockey East against Merrimack.
  • Andie Anastos (Farmington Hills, MI) and Kristyn Capizzano (Oakville, ON) each notched a shorthanded goal, leading the Eagles to a 4-1 victory over the Warriors. /

No. 5 Minnesota @ Minnesota State, Friday Feb. 3 and Saturday Feb 4

  • With a sweep of St Cloud State, Minnesota improves to 15-4-3 in the WCHA and 19-5-3 overall.
  • With her first collegiate goal, Kippin Keller (Minnetonka, MN) helped lead the Gophers to a 2-1 win.
  • Netminder Sidney Peters (Geneva, IL) collected a shutout after making 12 saves in the 5-0 victory.
  • Without a point against Wisconsin, Minnesota State remains at the bottom of the WCHA standings.
  • Making a career-high 42 saves, senior Brianna Quade (Newcastle, ON) did her job, but was no match for the explosive Badger offense as her team lost 5-0.
  • On the power play, sophomore Emily Antony (Plymouth, MN) netted the lone goal of the weekend for the Mavericks. /

Note: All rankings listed are from Week 19’s SB Nation’s Women’s College Hockey Division 1 Poll.

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