Party Crashers
Defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth raised its fourth banner to the rafters of the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center this weekend but arch-rival Minnesota scored the road sweep as Melanie Gagnon's power-play goal with 25 seconds left in overtime capped a 4-3 victory Friday and Jenny Lura blanked the titleholders 2-0 on Saturday. Elsewhere in WCHA play, Wisconsin appears poised to ascend to #1 in the national rankings after taking two from Ohio State 7-4 and 4-0 paced by sophomore Hilary Knight's three-goal weekend. In other non-conference action, former men's assistant Chris Wells grabbed a win in his first game for the St. Lawrence women on the road at Providence before tying Connecticut 4-4 on Saturday while Mercyhurst opened its season in New England with a split at Boston University.
Friday Schedule (times EST)
- #5 Mercyhurst 4, Boston University 2
- Connecticut 4, Colgate 1
- Vermont 7, Union 2
- #7 St. Lawrence 3, Providence 1
- #2 Wisconsin 7, #9 Ohio State 4
- Robert Morris 1, Syracuse 0
- Bemidji State 0, Northeastern 0 (BSU wins shootout 2-1)
- North Dakota 2, St. Cloud State 1
- Minnesota State 5, Maine 2
- #6 Minnesota 4, #1 Minnesota-Duluth 3 (OT)
Saturday Schedule (times EST)
- #4 New Hampshire 5, Niagara 3
- Boston University 3, #5 Mercyhurst 2
- Vermont 3, Union 1
- Providence 6, Colgate 2
- #7 St. Lawrence 4, Connecticut 4 (OT)
- #10 Boston College 5, Rensselaer 2
- Minnesota State 4, Maine 0
- Northeastern 2, Bemidji State 2 (BSU wins shootout 1-0)
- North Dakota 3, St. Cloud State 2
- #2 Wisconsin 4, #9 Ohio State 0
- Robert Morris 3, Syracuse 2
- #6 Minnesota 2, #1 Minnesota-Duluth 0
Nine Thoughts for 09
The whoosh of skates carving up fresh ice. The clap of sticks unleashing pucks at unblemished white twine hanging off orange frames. The dull thud of a goaltender's glove providing a short respite amidst the controlled chaos. College hockey is back! On the eve of the 2008-09 season, USCHO offers up a collection of nine thoughts, questions and musings regarding the upcoming journey toward Agganis Arena and the 2009 Frozen Four in Boston, Massachusetts. Elsewhere, the ECAC coaches picked Harvard to repeat as league champion while the CHA tabbed Mercyhurst as its favorite, Hockey East went with New Hampshire the nod, and the WCHA gave defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth top preseason billing. USCHO also caught up with Bulldog coach Shannon Miller to get her thoughts on last year's title run, the offseason, the upcoming season and other topics.
Related Links
Women's Feature Stories
The ShowstopperWhen Wisconsin's Jessie Vetter is in net, the puck stops here — with "here" being about three feet in front of the goal line. Mike Scandura profiles the Badgers' record-breaker.
Denotes USCHO Extra Premium ContentUSCHO.com/CBS College Sports XXL Polls: Current No. 1s — 10/6
USCHO Players of the Week
O Kristi Kehoe, Northeastern
D Brianne McLaughlin, Robert Morris
Women's Question of the Week
| Which Division I team will be crowned NCAA champion in Boston next March? |
