This past weekend out west it was very quiet in the D-III Women’s hockey space. Only a few games due to the Thanksgiving break, so in that case, we’ll look ahead to what’s to come now that the break has concluded and we have a few more weekends before the semester break occurs. So, here’s your west outlook for this upcoming week/weekend!
Games to keep an eye on
#8 Adrian at #3 UW-River Falls – 11/30/23 (today) – 7pm CST
These two teams meet for the first time (records via school websites) since 12/1/2019. UW-River Falls leads the all-time series with a record of 10-5-1, so it’s not too common that these teams face each other, but it’s good to see them back playing as it’s a fun matchup on paper and in terms of them both being top-ranked teams.
River Falls enters with an undefeated record of 8-0-0, whilst Adrian holds a record of 7-1-0, their only loss coming at the hands of #9 Utica in the Utica University Kickoff Tournament in overtime 2-1.
UWRF is loaded on offense, they’ve got four skaters with 14+ points through eight games played. Arguably the best in D3, Maddie McCollins (8G & 11A), Megan Goodreau (7G & 11A), MaKenna Aure (6G & 9A), & Alex Hantge (7G & 7A), not to mention their senior goaltender Jordan O’Connor (.956 save %) who’s been holding it down in net.
For Adrian, they’ve had a more balanced approach in points, less points as a team relative to UWRF. Their leaders have been Une Bjelland (5G & 5A), Maya Roy (2G & 7A), & Jocelin Hudanish (4G & 3A), their goaltending has been evenly split, so it’ll be interesting to see who gets the start in this one as River Falls is the best team they’ve faced thus far and the best team they face all season until the potential NCAA tournament. It’ll be between the sophomore Annie Gilbert & the grad. senior Michaela O’Brien, a transfer from Endicott College.
Both top defenses, UWRF being the top offense in women’s D3, it’ll be interesting to see how they fare. One stat I believe should be looked out for is penalty minutes. Adrian hasn’t exactly played clean games; they’re averaging just over 11 minutes per game (39-for-89). Meanwhile, UWRF only averages 6 minutes per game (24-48). To go along with Adrian’s heavy penalty minutes, River Falls enters with the 8th ranked powerplay, rolling at 32%, so Adrian’s best shot in this one is to stay out of the penalty box or UWRF may run away with this one.
This one’s worth a watch, tune in tonight at 7pm CST!
MIAC
#1 Gustavus vs Saint Mary’s – 12/1/23 / 12/2/23 – 7pm CST & 2pm CST
These games in my opinion are the most intriguing of the weekend. This series I could easily see being split between these two, Saint Mary’s is a team many are sleeping on and not realizing their potential.
Gustavus enters at 5-0-0 with their best win being vs Augsburg, they’ve only allowed one goal this season, which came vs Augsburg. Saint Mary’s enters at 7-2-0, their best wins have been #7 UW-Eau Claire, two wins vs Augsburg, & one of their losses was slim vs #4 UW-River Falls.
Gustavus currently has the 2nd-ranked offense (4.6 GPG), 2nd ranked defense (0.20 GAPG) & 4th ranked powerplay (33%). Keep in mind they haven’t played the strongest schedule and their sample size isn’t as big as most, but still, impressive numbers.
Saint Mary’s currently has the 13th ranked offense (3.67 GPG), 23rd ranked defense (1,44 GAPG), & 43rd ranked powerplay (12.5%). SMU will need to capitalize on the powerplay if they want a good shot in this game, Gustavus has star goaltender Katie McCoy between the pipes so they’ll need to strike at every opportunity they get if they want to come out on top.
Even if Saint Mary’s doesn’t come out on top in either game, if they keep it close, it’ll show how close they are to taking that next step as a program. This shows how far they’ve come in just a year, as last year we’d be thinking Gustavus would win by at least 5+, but now, I think it comes down to the last period.
Other MIAC Games (All dates/times via USCHO):
Friday:
St. Olaf @ Augsburg – 7pm CST
St. Scholastica @ St. Catherine – 7pm CST
Hamline @ Concordia (Minn.) – 7pm CST
Saint Benedict @ Bethel – 7pm CST
Saturday:
Augsburg @ St. Olaf – 3pm CST
Hamline @ Concordia (Minn.) – 2pm CST
Bethel @ Saint Benedict – 5pm CST
St. Catherine @ St. Scholastica – 6pm CST
NCHA
Besides the huge game between Adrian & UW-River Falls, there’s a few games occurring:
Friday:
#8 Adrian @ Concordia (Wis.) – 7pm CST
Trine @ Marian 7pm CST
Dubuque @ Aurora 7pm CST
Lake Forest @ Lawrence – 8pm CST
Saturday:
#8 Adrian @ Concordia (Wis.) – 3pm CST
Trine @ Marian – 4pm CST
Dubuque @ Aurora – 3pm CST
Lawrence @ Lake Forest – 5pm CST
It’ll be intriguing to see how the Univ. of Dubuque fares vs Aurora. Aurora coming off two losses to Adrian and a late comeback win vs Concordia (Wis.), will be looking to get back on track, while Dubuque is looking to get the biggest wins in the early program history.
WIAC
The lone WIAC conference game of the weekend is UW-Stevens Point @ Northland (12/2/23 – 2pm CST). The Pointers are coming off their biggest program win as of late; it was on the road vs #15 St. Norbert. Northland, a program with a 1st year head coach, is trying to get a win or two under their belts and get some momentum which is true for both teams.
The rest of the WIAC returns to action midweek/next weekend, stay tuned.
