Week 3 Games to Watch Bring Big Stakes to Elite Early-Season Showdown: Puck Drop

It's a main event weekend in college hockey, complete with some quality undercard matchups, but one meeting that completely stands out among the rest.

It's the first No. 1 vs. 2 meeting since last year's Big Ten rivalry meeting between Michigan and Michigan State on Jan. 17, 2025 in Ann Arbor. It's a 2006 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal rematch. .It'll even include the raising of a championship banner.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Here are the Week 3 college hockey games to watch this weekend:

3) No. 8 Quinnipiac at Penn State

Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. EDT

Penn State needs a big weekend to bounce back from last week’s back-to-back losses against UConn (1-3) and Sacred Heart (3-6). However, these were much closer matchups than the scoreboards read, with Penn State down just one goal before the empty netters started pouring in. Quinnipiac’s weekend wasn’t quite as challenging, but they did split with an unranked Maine team. The real struggle for the Bobcats so far has been the penalty kill. They've allowed five power-play goals on 14 attempts, and those were the difference in the road loss against the Black Bears. To Quinnipiac’s benefit, though, Penn State has yet to score on the man-advantage, but its only had four chances to do so. Plus, the Nittany Lions have brought some fresh young talent onto the scene, with Kale Dach scoring two of Penn State’s three goals thus far, so special teams are still settling in. Dach was a seventh-round draft pick back in 2024, but his production has skyrocketed since, including a 75-point season to lead the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen last year. With young talent for the Nittany Lions and Quinnipiac still figuring out the penalty kill, Penn State has a chance to get back in the mix and reverse the season-opening skid. 

TV: Big Ten Plus

2) Northeastern at No. 19 Massachusetts

Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. EDT; Saturday, Oct. 17 at 5:30 p.m. EDT

These conference rivals are straddling the edge of the Top 20. After Northeastern trampled Bentley 5-1 last weekend, the Huskies earned 49 votes toward the poll, but it wasn’t enough to break into the national rankings. Meanwhile, UMass has struggled to start the season after losing Mike Richter Award finalist Michael Hrabal to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. The Minutemen have picked up a 1-2-1 record after playing Colorado College and RIT, and they’ve seemed to settle into their goaltending with late-addition freshman Ethan Eskit taking the lead. His 2.99 GAA and .904 save percentage didn’t exactly pop off the page in the WHL last season, but he could be the surprise UMass needs on collegiate ice. However, Northeastern returns a Richter Award semifinalist in Lawton Zacher, whose stellar netminding kept the Huskies alive in a number of high-caliber competitions, including shutting out both Denver and BC early in the year. These programs met a whopping five times last season, with UMass taking three, including the Hockey East Quarterfinal to end Northeastern’s season. Both teams missed the NCAA tournament last year, and are looking to establish themselves among a crowded Hockey East field, with five of the conference’s 11 teams currently in the nation’s Top 20. 

TV: ESPN+

1) No. 2 Michigan at No. 1 Denver

Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. MT; Saturday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. MT

It can’t get better than a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Denver started off this season with the first-place nod, fresh off their third national title in five years. However, Michigan has been to four of the last five Frozen Fours as well and is on a roll with sweeps of now-ranked Bowling Green and Alaska Anchorage. Denver also swept Alaska Anchorage, but Michigan had the scoring advantage, winning by a cumulative 17-3, compared to Denver’s 10-3. In fact, all of Michigan’s games so far have been high-scoring, with veterans Jayden Perron (seven goals, six assists) and Michael Hage (three goals, nine assists) charging back onto the scene averaging three or more points per game through the opening stretch. It’ll be interesting to see if the Wolverines can keep this trend going against a powerhouse like Denver, who brought on four NHL draft picks this offseason, including Daxon Rudolph, who went fourth overall as the highest selection in Pioneers history. Furthermore, the last two times that these teams met were high-stakes competitions, with the Pioneers knocking Michigan out of the national tournament in the Frozen Four semifinal in both 2022 and 2026. This will be the first time that these programs have met during the regular season since 2002. 

TV: NCHC.tv

Puck Drop: Thursday, October 15, 2026

• Callie Rice had two goals, while Sarah Powers and Maxim Tremblay each notched a goal and an assist as the Boston College women’s team shut out Merrimack 5-0. Penelope Lavoie added a power-play goal, and Bailey Callaway stopped all 19 shots for her first career shutout (she shared one earlier this season). Madelyn Murphy had three assists, and Ava Thomas two.

• Numerous outlets reported that Dave Hakstol coached his final game as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, and he’s expected to be named the next head coach at Arizona State on Thursday. The Grand Forks Herald reported that Hakstol has started working on his Sun Devils staff.

• Forward Aaron Huglen (Minnesota) announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Hockey Quote of the Day

"I learned more about professional hockey that season in Birmingham than I did in any other. We were animals. But it was fun."

Rod Langway on the Birmingham Bulls

We'll Leave You With This ...

Cole (Capitals) and Lane Hutson (Canadiens) both played at Boston University, but had never faced each other before. Washington won the first NHL meeting between the brothers. Lane had a goal and an assist, Cole had an assist but got the win.

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