Follow the links below for USCHO recaps of recent meetings between this week’s opponents.
Minnesota at Ohio State, Fri. 7 p.m., Sat 7 p.m.
Minnesota has won four in a row against Ohio State.
11/7/04 Minnesota 5, Ohio State 1
11/6/04 Minnesota 10, Ohio State 0
3/13/04 Minnesota 5, Ohio State 1 (WCHA semifinal)
2/7/03 Minnesota 5, Ohio State 3
Lesson Learned: Every time the Buckeyes have lost to Minnesota, an otherwise close game has been blown open on the Gopher power play. In OSU’s 1-1 tie against the Gophers in 2004, each team took just three penalties. OSU will need that kind of game to have any chance of winning this time around.
Northeastern vs. Providence, Sat. 2 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m.
Providence has won its last two games against Northeastern.
1/25/04 Northeastern 2, Providence 1
10/23/04 Northeastern 1, Providence 1
1/3/03 Providence 6, Northeastern 3
Lesson Learned: Northeastern had better-than-expected results against Providence last season thanks largely to better-than-expected defenders in front of All-American goalie Chanda Gunn. Now Gunn has graduated and the best defenders have transferred, leaving the Huskies with a long way to go, although they appeared to make significant progress with a split against Boston College last weekend.
Wisconsin at North Dakota, Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. 7 p.m.
Wisconsin won its only previous two meetings with North Dakota, the first series ever between the schools.
11/21/04 Wisconsin 7, North Dakota 2
11/20/04 Wisconsin 5, North Dakota 1
Lesson Learned: Both games of this series’ last incarnation were decided quickly as the Badgers outscored the Fighting Sioux by a total 8-0 margin in the first periods. None of North Dakota’s recent results suggest this weekend will be much closer. The Sioux have scored less than three goals in seven straight games, while Wisconsin had given up only one goal in six games prior to UMD’s late-game offensive explosion last Saturday.
Minnesota-Duluth at Minnesota State, Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. 7 p.m.
Minnesota-Duluth has a four-game unbeaten streak against Minnesota State (3-0-1). The last meeting was a 3-3 tie.
10/22/04 Minnesota-Duluth 2, Minnesota State 0
Lesson Learned: The Bulldogs lack the explosive offense that has allowed them to pull away from the majority of their opponents in the past. Meanwhile, Minnesota State is as tough to score on as ever, and only the No. 1 Gophers have netted more than four goals on them this season. The Mavericks are capable of upsetting UMD, like they did twice to open the 2003-04 season, but they’ll need another near-flawless defensive performance and a couple power play goals to pull it off.
Cornell at Dartmouth, Fri 7 p.m.
Dartmouth has won 11 in a row against Cornell.
1/24/04 Dartmouth 5, Cornell 0
Every one of those last 11 wins by Dartmouth against Cornell was by three goals or more. The Big Red will be hard-pressed to end that streak.
