Key Games to Watch in College Hockey Week 4 Includes Michigan Showdown

Are you a men's college hockey fan? My name's Amelia Ballingall. You're with College Hockey on SI, and we're counting down three games you don't want to miss this weekend. Coming in at number three, we have Sacred Heart versus Holy Cross. Both of these teams have finished in the top three of the AHA for the past three seasons. Holy Cross took home the regular season title back in the 2024-25 season, and although Sacred Heart has been picked as number one for the past three years in the conference, they have yet to bring home a trophy in either the regular season or the conference tournament. However, both of these teams are looking ahead to great seasons once more, with Holy Cross already taking home a win over Maine, and the Pioneers bringing down both Penn State and Ohio State early this season. Last year, the Crusaders were knocked out in the semifinal, while the Pioneers were taken down in the championship game. Both of these teams are still gunning for this trophy, and this matchup would have major implications in the AHA standings. Coming in at number two, we have BU versus UConn. Hockey East made a huge dent in the national polls this week, taking seven of the 20 slots, including the entirety of 15 through 20. And sitting right at the top of that bottom section are BU at 15 and UConn at 16. However, they've had very different strengths since the start of the season. UConn holds on to a 2-2 record with wins over Penn State and Colorado College, while BU currently sits at 4-1 but has yet to face a ranked opponent. And an interesting thing to keep an eye out for on the ice is a sibling rivalry with UConn's Mike Murtaugh and BU's Jack Murtaugh. These brothers have been successful against each other's teams in the past, each earning three points in the season series between these programs last year. And it's another matchup that can have big implications in its conference standings. Coming in at number one, we have Western Michigan at Michigan. This is a top five local rivalry between two teams that have found a lot of national success in recent seasons. Michigan has been to four of the last five Frozen Four and currently stands at number one in the country, but they haven't won a national championship since 1998. Meanwhile, Western Michigan stands at number five right now, and although they've only made it to one Frozen Four in the past five years, they made the most of it, taking home the title in the 2024-25 season. These are two of the top-scoring teams so far this season, with Western Michigan outscoring their opponents by 4.75 points per game and Michigan by four. However, strong goaltending with Michigan's Jack Ivanovic and Western Michigan picking up Camden Miller in the portal. It'll be interesting to see if either of these programs can limit each other's offensive success. This is bound to be an energetic competition with plenty of local pride, so it's definitely one you won't want to miss.