College Hockey Schedule Features Not One, But Two No. 1 vs. 2 Matchups: Puck Drop

What's better than a no. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in college hockey?

How about a second No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup?

While No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Michigan State are getting more of the attention on the men's side as they're meeting for the 350th time and this will be the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in series history, the women will also see No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Ohio State series in Madison that could determine not only first place in the WCHA, but top seeding in both the upcoming conference and national tournaments.

However, it's like the exact opposite of the UM-MSU showdown in that these teams have played numerous times recently as No. 1 and 2, most recently as December. The Badgers swept the series at OSU Ice Rink 2-1 and 6-1. They've met in the last three national championship games, and even played last year at Wrigley Field, which went to a seven-round shootout before the Buckeyes won.

This weekend will be different, though. Both teams have five active players in the Olympics, leaving them shorthanded for the rest of the regular season (the first round of the WCHA playoffs will be March 27-March 1).

For Wisconsin, Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Ava McNaughton and Kirsten Simms are all representing Team USA, while freshman Adéla Šapovalivová is on Team Czechia (and yes, those teams played Thursday in their tournament openers).

The Buckeyes have Joy Dunne on Team USA, Mira Jungaker, Jenna Raunio, and Hilda Svensson playing for Sweden, and Sanni Vanhanen with Finland.

The Olympians were already on their way to Italy during last weekend's games. Wisconsin split two games with No. 3 Minnesota, with the loss in overtime, while Ohio State swept then-No. 9 Minnesota Duluth.

With that in mind, and with the NHL off for 19 days for the Olympic men's tournament, here's full weekend slate of college game:

Men's College Hockey Weekend Schedule

Friday's Games
AHA
Air Force at Niagara, 6 p.m. ET
Bentley at Holy Cross, 7 p.m. ET
Canisius at Robert Morris, 7 p.m. ET
Mercyhurst at Sacred Heart, 7 p.m. ET
RIT at Army, 7 p.m. ET

Big Ten
No. 2 Michigan State at No. 1 Michigan, 7 p.m. ET
Ohio State at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CT
Notre Dame at No. 13 Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CT

CCHA
No. 15 St. Thomas at Bowling Green, 7 p.m. ET
No. 16 Augustana at No. 19 Michigan Tech, 7 p.m. ET
Ferris State at Bemidji State, 7 p.m. CT

ECAC
RPI at Clarkson, 7 p.m. ET
No. 14 Dartmouth at Harvard, 7 p.m. ET
Yale at Princeton, 7 p.m. ET
Brown at No. 5 Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET
Union at St. Lawrence, 7 p.m. ET
No. 9 Cornell at Colgate, 7:30 p.m. ET

Hockey East
No. 18 Maine at Boston University, NESN 7 p.m. ET
No. 7 Providence at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. ET
No. 12 UConn at Northeastern, 7 p.m. ET
Vermont at No. 11 Boston College, 7 p.m. ET
No. 19 Massachusetts at UMass Lowell, 7:15 p.m. ET

NCHC
No. 8 Denver at Colorado College, 7 p.m. MT
St. Cloud State at Arizona State, 7 p.m. MT
No. 4 Western Michigan at Miami, 7:05 p.m. ET
No. 3 North Dakota at No. 10 Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m. CT

Non-Conference
Alaska at Alaska-Anchorage, 7 p.m. AT
Lindenwood at Stonehill, 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, February 7, 2026
AHA
Mercyhurst at Sacred Heart, 3 p.m. ET
RIT at Army, 4 p.m. ET
Air Force at Niagara, 6 p.m. ET
Holy Cross at Bentley, 6 p.m. ET
Canisius at Robert Morris, 7 p.m. ET

Big Ten
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 Michigan State, BTN, 6:30 p.m. ET, at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Mich.
Notre Dame at No. 13 Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CT
Ohio State at Minnesota, BTN, 8 p.m. CT

CCHA
No. 16 Augustana at No. 19 Michigan Tech, 5 p.m. ET
Ferris State at Bemidji State, 6 p.m. CT
No. 15 St. Thomas at Bowling Green, 7 p.m. ET

ECAC
Union at Clarkson, 4 p.m. ET
Colgate at No. 9 Cornell, 7 p.m. ET
Brown at Princeton, 7 p.m. ET
Yale at No. 5 Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET
RPI at St. Lawrence, 7 p.m. ET

Hockey East
UMass Lowell at No. 19 Massachusetts, NESN 7 p.m. ET
Vermont at No. 7 Providence, 7 p.m. ET

NCHC
St. Cloud State at Arizona State, 5 p.m. MT
No. 4 Western Michigan at Miami, 6 p.m. ET
No. 3 North Dakota at No. 10 Minnesota Duluth, 6 p.m. CT
Colorado College at No. 8 Denver, 7 p.m. MT

Non-Conference
Alaska at Alaska-Anchorage, 5 p.m. AT
Lindenwood at Stonehill, 7 p.m. ET

Women's College Hockey Weekend Schedule

Friday's Games
AHA
Delaware at Robert Morris, 3 p.m. ET
No. 4 Penn State at Lindenwood, 4 p.m. CT
RIT at Syracuse, 6 p.m. ET

ECAC
Union at Colgate, 3 p.m. ET
No. 7 Princeton at Dartmouth, 3 p.m. ET
No. 8 Quinnipiac at Harvard, 3 p.m. ET
Rensselaer at No. 12 Cornell, 5 p.m. ET
St. Lawrence at Brown, 6 p.m. ET
No. 11 Clarkson at No. 9 Yale, 6 p.m. ET

Hockey East
Boston College at No. 13 Holy Cross, NESN 2 p.m. ET
Merrimack at New Hampshire, 2 p.m. ET
No. 6 UConn at Providence, 6 p.m. ET

NEWHA
Sacred Heart at Post, 1 p.m. ET
Saint Anselm at Long Island, 3 p.m. ET
Saint Michael's at Assumption, 7 p.m. ET
Stonehill at Franklin Pierce, 7 p.m. ET

WCHA
No. 3 Minnesota at St. Thomas, noon CT
Bemidji State at No. 10 Minnesota Duluth, 3 p.m. CT
No. 15 Minnesota State at St. Cloud State, 6 p.m. CT

Saturday, February 7, 2026
AHA
No. 4 Penn State at Lindenwood, 1 p.m. CT
Syracuse at RIT, 3 p.m. ET
Delaware at Robert Morris, 3 p.m. ET

ECAC
No. 11 Clarkson at Brown, 3 p.m. ET
Rensselaer at Colgate, 3 p.m. ET
Union at No. 12 Cornell, 3 p.m. ET
No. 8 Quinnipiac at Dartmouth, 3 p.m. ET
No. 7 Princeton at Harvard, 3 p.m. ET
St. Lawrence at No. 9 Yale, 3 p.m. ET

Hockey East
Boston College at No. 6 UConn, 3 p.m. ET
Maine at Boston University, 4 p.m. ET
No. 5 Northeastern at Vermont, 5 p.m. ET
New Hampshire at No. 13 Holy Cross, 6 p.m. ET
Providence at Merrimack, 7 p.m. ET

NEWHA
Franklin Pierce at Stonehill, 2 p.m. ET
Saint Anselm at Long Island, 2 p.m. ET
Saint Michael's at Assumption, 3 p.m. ET
Post at Sacred Heart, 7 p.m. ET

WCHA
St. Thomas at No. 3 Minnesota, 2 p.m. CT
Bemidji State at No. 10 Minnesota Duluth, 2 p.m. CT
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 1 Wisconsin, 3 p.m. CT
No. 15 Minnesota State at St. Cloud State, 6 p.m. CT

Sunday, February 8, 2026
WCHA
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 1 Wisconsin, 2 p.m. CT

Puck Drop: Friday, February 6, 2026

• Vermont women's hockey shut out Boston University 3-0 for its first season sweep over the Terriers in program history. Lauren O'Hara set a program record by scoring 10 seconds into the annual Rally Against Cancer game, breaking Amanda Pelkey's mark of 19 seconds in 2014 against Union.

10 SECONDS INTO OPENING PUCK DROP AND THE CATAMOUNTS STRIKE FIRST 🚨🚨🚨

Lauren O'Hara snipes her fifth goal of the season to give UVM the 1-0 lead 😼#802Hockey pic.twitter.com/Xx2CaEei14
— UVM Women's Hockey (@UVMwhockey) February 5, 2026

• The final NHL games were played before the Olympic Break, with the tournament in Italy set to be played next week on Feb. 11. That's also the date when initial rosters regarding potential replacement players have to be set.

• Outdoor Showdown Highlights National College Hockey Players of the Week

• Avery Hayes, a 23-year-old undrafted forward from from Westland, Mich., who was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League earlier in the day, scored on his first NHL shot and added another goal during Pittsburgh's 5-2 victory over Buffalo.

FIRST GAME, FIRST SHOT, FIRST GOAL FOR AVERY HAYES 🐧

And look at the family's reaction! pic.twitter.com/dSEmL6VhII
— NHL (@NHL) February 6, 2026

Men's College Hockey Thursday Scores

No Games Scheduled

Women's College Hockey Thursday Scores

Hockey East
Vermont 3, Boston University 0
No. 5 Northeastern 5, Maine 1

Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times are local to where the game is being played.

Olympic Hockey Update

• Team USA opened the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in a dominant fashion with a 5-1 win in women's hocley. Former Northeastern player Hayley Scamurra scored twice and the U.S. outshot Czechia, 42-14. For more on the game: Alex Carpenter Kicks off Team USA's Opening Winter Olympics Win

• Three Takeaways From U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey Win vs. Czechia in Olympic Opener

• The game between Finland and Canada was postponed after cases of norovirus were identified within Team Finland, with 13 players sick or quarantined. It's been rescheduled for next Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, after the rest of the preliminary round is completed, meaning both teams will have less rest for the quarterfinals.

Thursday's Scores
Group A
United States 5, vs. Czechia 1
Finland vs. Canada, postponed
Group B
Sweden 4, Germany 1
Italy 4, France 1

Friday's Schedule
Group A
Czechia vs. Switzerland, PalaItalia Santa Giulia, Milan, 8:40 a.m. ET
Group B
France vs. Japan, Fiera Milano, Milan, 6:10 a.m.

Hockey Quote of the Day

“Why is a puck called a puck? Because ‘dirty little bastard’ was taken.”
Martin Brodeur

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We'll Leave You With This ...

Listen in as Hayley Scamurra reflects on her two-goal night and the #WinterOlympics opener! 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/vUTI5bQBRt
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 5, 2026