Faceoff Factor

NCAA Weekend Preview: Series To Watch 2/1-2/4

Andrew Chiappazzi | College/NCAA

Feb 1, 03:56 PM | Hype this story!

Ignore the Super Bowl. Ignore the return of Premier League soccer action. Find yourself a television, radio, or online stats source and follow these three college hockey series this weekend.

Two series to watch, and then a special early preview of the Beanpot, which starts Monday.

3. New Hampshire at Vermont
Friday, February 1 at 8:05 EST in Burlington, Vermont
Radio: 102.3 FM WKXL and 1450 AM (New Hampshire) / 620 AM WVMT (Vermont)
Television: CSTV
The Scoop: Vermont is a shell of what it was not that long ago, but a Hockey East battle is always something to watch. New Hampshire is in solid position but could use an easy win to keep things calm in the Granite State. Keep an eye on the Catamounts – they’ve been known to ruin some runs in the past.

2. North Dakota at Minnesota
Friday, February 1 at 8:07 EST in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Saturday, February 2 at 8:07 EST in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Radio: KQHT 96.1 FM (North Dakota) / 830 AM WCCO, 950 AM KDOW (Minnesota)
Television: Fox Sports North (Friday and Saturday)
The Scoop: Minnesota is in a distant sixth in the WCHA, so this game isn’t as important for them as it is for North Dakota. While the Gophers will no doubt have to make a run on the road in the WCHA Tournament, the Sioux are fighting for the #1 seed. Colorado College is playing a non-conference series versus Clarkson, so if UND sweeps Minny, they’ll be within a point of the first place Tigers. Granted, they’ll have played two more conference games than Colorado, but it gives them a bit more wiggle room.

1. The Beanpot – First Round
ALL GAMES AT TD BANKNORTH GARDEN
Monday, February 4 at 5:00 and 8:00 EST in Boston, Massachusetts
Harvard vs Northeastern – 5:00
Boston vs Boston College – 8:00
Radio: 95.3 WHRB, 1060 WBIX (Harvard) / ESPN Radio 890 AM (Northeastern) / 830 WCRN AM (Boston) / WWZN 1510 (Boston College
Television: New England Sports Network (Both Games)
The Scoop: Well, at least we won’t have to worry about another Boston v Boston College final round. They’ll wrap it up next week, but you have to figure that a Northeastern v Boston College final would provide the most intrigue. So, expect Boston locals to be rooting for those two Hockey East schools in the games this Monday. Harvard has a good chance to beat Northeastern, but the Huskies probably have too much firepower for the Crimson. That said, Northeastern is coming off two straight losses last weekend.

Meanwhile, Boston v Boston College is nowhere near as interesting as it might have been in years past. The Terriers are just so lost this year, and BC owns a 2-0-1 record versus them this year. BC has a longer injury list, but they’ve shown a much better ability to adjust and adapt to hiccups than Boston. You can’t even pass BU’s struggles off as being a young team – BC is almost a full year younger.

Enjoy the weekend. See you Monday night.