NCAA Women's Hockey: Week 12 Recap - The Hockey Writers -

Current Rankings (Week 13):

Minnesota
Boston College
Cornell
Clarkson
North Dakota
Harvard
Wisconsin
Boston University
Northeastern
Minnesota-Duluth

Week 12 Notes

Boston College started 2013 off well with three victories, beating Clarkson 5-1 on Thursday, St. Lawrence 4-3 in overtime on Friday, and Northeastern 6-2 on Wednesday. The Eagles once again were able to pressure their opponents offensively, posting 108 shots on goal in both games combined. They played well in all facets against the Golden Knights, and really found their scoring touch that game. Boston College looked a little less sharp against the Saints, but they still came away with the victory. They then dominated their mid-week Hockey East match-up against the Huskies. The Eagles’ penalty kill was perfect in all three games, but they might have gotten into a little bit of penalty trouble. They have two big tilts coming up this weekend against Vermont and Cornell, so although they’ve been playing great, they can’t afford any huge lapses in play.

Clarkson lost both of their games this week; after falling to BC on Thursday, they also lost to Northeastern, 4-3, on Friday. The losses are probably both at least partly due to the fact that the Golden Knights’ arguably two best players, Jamie Lee Rattray and Erin Ambrose, were competing for Canada’s under-22 team at the 2013 Meco Cup in Germany. Not having Rattray and Ambrose available is a big hit to their roster, but if Clarkson wants to remain one of the top teams in the country, they’re going to have to get contributions from other players. With games against Brown and Yale next week, they’ll have a good opportunity to get back on the right track.

North Dakota earned a sweep over Lindenwood this week, winning 7-3 on Friday and 8-4 on Saturday. They completely dominated the play in both games; they put up 60 shots and 54 shots in each contest respectively. UND proved that they’re still prone to defensive and goaltending lapses, however, as they did give up seven goals to a weaker club. They’ve got a huge weekend coming up against Minnesota on the road. The question heading into that series is whether or not North Dakota can tighten things up enough to gut out a victory and hand the Gophers their first loss of the season. It’s unlikely, but anything goes with rivalries, and UND played Minnesota pretty well in their first two meetings of the season.

Harvard had a strong showing this week, earning a 9-0 win over Union and a 2-1 win over Rensselaer. They continued their great play in all three zones, and showed their offensive skill against Union. The Crimson also displayed composure in their win over RPI, a very gritty club who can be a handful for some of the best teams in the nation. Harvard will look to earn three more wins this upcoming week against Princeton, Quinnipiac, and Connecticut. The game against the Bobcats is the most interesting match-up for the Crimson because of the scoring prowess of Quinnipiac’s top line.

Boston University got off to a good start after the break with a 4-2 win over Connecticut. The Terriers were without forwards Marie-Philip Poulin, Jenelle Kohanchuk, and Sarah Lefort, who were playing for Canada at the Meco Cup. They’ve got three very important in-conference games coming up this week, with a series against Maine on Friday and Saturday and a game against Northeastern on Wednesday. BU will want to come away with three victories in order to help keep them in second place in the Hockey East standings.

Northeastern had a bit of a rough week, losing 6-0 to St. Lawrence on Thursday and 6-2 to Boston College on Tuesday. They did, however, come away with a big victory against Clarkson on Friday. The Huskies have shown this year that they have the talent to beat some very good teams, but their main issue is still consistency from game to game. They’ll look to improve this week against touch competition, with game against Cornell on Friday and one against Boston University on Wednesday.

Three Stars of the Week

1. Jocelyne Lamoureux, Senior, Forward, North Dakota: Displayed her true offensive talent with a four-goal game, and five goals and three assists total this weekend.

2. Meghan Dufault, Freshman, Forward, North Dakota: The rookie stepped up in a big way for UND this weekend, tallying four goals in one game and seven points total in their series against Lindenwood.

3. Jillian Dempsey, Senior, Forward, Harvard: Continued to show the leadership and skill she’s been displaying all season as she led Harvard to two wins this week with two goals and four assists.