Games To Watch Around College Hockey: Week 8

Story posted November 26, 2015 in CommRadio, Sports by Mike Wszolek

We are getting closer to the new year and that means that games across college hockey will be more intense. There are some really intriguing matchups this week that all fans should be excited for.

No. 8 Harvard at No. 18 Notre Dame

There will only be one game this weekend between the two teams, but I think we all hope that there were two. Notre Dame comes in with a 5-3-4 record, coming off of a tough loss to Umass-Lowell. On the other hand, Harvard is riding high sitting at 4-1-1 winning its last game against Princeton. Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey is having himself a nice year so far, totaling eleven points on five goals and six assists. Also leading the charge for the Crimson is Kyle Criscuolo who has been a senior leader thus far for the team. Although Criscuolo isn’t necessarily contributing statistically, his presence on the ice helps this Harvard team tremendously. He brings leadership and that’s what a team like Harvard needs. On the flipside, the Fighting Irish will be at home for the first time since Nov. 13. South Bend has been friendly to the Irish so far with many games going down to the wire. Notre Dame currently holds a 2-1-3 record at home this season. Notre Dame forward Jake Evans has been an assist machine throughout the season. Through 12 games, the sophomore has tallied 10 assists with only two goals. Look for Evans to come up big in this game and pick up a few more assists if his teammates can cash in. The one and only matchup will take place on Friday at 7:35 p.m.

No. 10 Yale at No. 1 Providence

Yale and Providence are separated by less than two hours and the one game that these two teams play on Saturday should be the best one of the week. Providence is talented across the board and has yet to lose a game this year. The combination of Jake Walman and Mark Jankowski has been too much for opponents to handle so far this season. Walman is second in all of college hockey in scoring with nine goals. The best part is that he’s a defender and is lighting the lamp for the Friars. If Yale wants to be successful on Saturday, they can’t commit penalties. Jankowski has five power play goals so far and will only be getting better from here on out. Even though the Friars haven’t lost a game, they have only tied one game at home and have outscored their opponents 18-9 in Schneider Arena. Yale has won games impressively on the road this year and this will be their fifth game away from home. Goalie Alex Lyon has been unstoppable for this Yale team ranking fourth in save percentage amongst goalies in the entire country. The junior has a .947 save percentage and has only lost one game out of nine total. A potent offense against a stud goalie should be a hard fought game between the two teams. Puck drop set for 7 p.m.

No. 16 Cornell at No. 11 Boston University

Another interesting matchup on hand Saturday will be when these two ranked teams face each other. The Big Red moved up a couple of spots in the latest ranking after a win against Brown. Mitch Gillam Jr. has done a fantastic job in between the pipes for Cornell. The junior has a 6-1-1 record through eight games played and a save percentage of .938. Gillam has already improved from last year and there has only been one game where Gillam has given up five goals. Another assist machine comes from Boston University. Forward Danny O’Regan averages an assist per game this year and has been a senior leader for the team. This game will appeal to many people and should be thrilling to say the least. Puck drop Saturday is 8 p.m.

Although there is only one top 10 matchup this weekend, there is still a lot to watch around the country. Some of the top goaltenders will be in action along with some high-powered offenses. It is definitely a different week with there only being one game in most cases across college hockey, but that makes the games that much more important.


Mike Wszolek is a freshman majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email mewszolek@gmail.com