Around the W: UConn sweeps Clarkson, RPI stuns Northeastern

The first real weekend of the women's college season had one clear message: the September poll was a guess, and a few teams already want it corrected. UConn made the loudest case, and the No. 1-vs-No. 2 game is this Friday.

UConn sweeps No. 9 Clarkson

No. 12 UConn spotted Clarkson a 2-0 lead on Friday and won 3-2 anyway, with Julia Pellerin scoring the go-ahead goal in the third period.

Saturday was a clinic: UConn went 4 for 4 on the power play, a program record for one game, and Taylor Belchetz made 43 saves for her first career shutout in a 4-0 win. UConn is 2-2 after opening its season with two losses at St. Cloud State.

The W read: Clarkson outshot UConn 43-28 on Saturday and still lost by four. That's a goalie and a power play winning a weekend, which is a perfectly legitimate way to win one, and UConn looks considerably more dangerous than its ranking suggested.

RPI stuns No. 5 Northeastern in overtime

Northeastern outshot RPI 42-14 in its opener and lost 2-1. Sadie Bellissimo made 41 saves, Kaylynn Fisher tied it on a power play after Grace Sadura's third-period goal, and Barbora Cerna-Proskova ended it in overtime.

The W read: A 42-14 shot edge says Northeastern played the better hockey. The scoreboard says it needs to finish. Northeastern visits Providence on Friday afternoon, and that game carries considerably more information than this one.

St. Cloud State keeps winning

St. Cloud State swept No. 15 Minnesota State 5-2 and 3-0, a week after sweeping UConn at home. That's 4-0 by our count, and the team entered the poll at No. 13 with 71 points, per the USCHO poll.

The W read: Two ranked opponents, four wins. St. Cloud State is playing like a top-10 team, and Friday at No. 14 Colgate is the next test.

Boston College 17, Stonehill 0

Boston College set a program record for goals in a game, breaking the 14 it scored against RPI in 1996. The Eagles outshot Stonehill 60-20, Ava Thomas scored three times, and three goalies shared the shutout.

The W read: A seventeen-goal opener tells you almost nothing about BC except that it showed up and took the opposition seriously. Holy Cross on Friday and a home opener against Providence on Saturday will tell you more.

Duluth splits at Vermont

No. 7 Minnesota Duluth lost 3-0 at Vermont on Friday, then won 3-2 in overtime on Saturday.

The W read: A road split in October isn't a crisis. A shutout loss to an unranked opponent is still a warning, especially for a program that just climbed two spots to No. 7 in the poll.

Friday: No. 1 Wisconsin at No. 2 Ohio State

Wisconsin took 17 of the 20 first-place votes in the last poll and beat Boston University 4-1 on Friday. Ohio State swept St. Thomas 5-2 both nights. The two meet in Columbus on Friday night (game page).

The W read: It's October, so nobody's season gets decided, and both programs will meet again when the stakes are considerably higher. But the winner gets to say it's the best team in the country, and the loser gets to say it's early.

I'd rather be the one saying the first thing. Wisconsin has the depth; Ohio State has the building. I'll take Ohio State in a one-goal game.