The Massachusetts hockey team was victorious Saturday over Merrimack, splitting the two-game series 1-1. Here’s how the rest of Hockey East performed this past weekend.
Maine vs. the University of Connecticut
The No. 17 ranked UConn Huskies traveled to Orono, Maine to take on the No. 6 ranked Maine Black Bears in a two-game split series on Friday and Saturday. The first game on Friday, was a dominant 4-2 Huskies win. UConn’s Forward Joey Muldowney was elite, scoring all four goals for the team. Huskies’ goalie Tyler Muszelik had an impressive 26 saves with only two goals allowed.
The Black Bears managed to make Saturday’s game an entertaining one. UConn was down 2-1 with just under 40 seconds in the third period until forward Jake Percival tapped the puck in. It was all tied up after overtime which meant the teams were heading into a shootout.
Forward Nicholas Niemo was the first to shoot for Maine and scored a huge goal which gave the Black Bears the win. The crowd went ballistic as the horns played during Niemo’s celebration. The Huskies didn’t make a single goal as Maine won the overtime shootout.
UConn and Maine’s goalies were busy in game two. Huskies’ Callum Tung recorded 30 saves with only two goals allowed. Albin Boija made 22 saves with two goals allowed.
University of New Hampshire vs Boston University
The No. 11 ranked BU Terriers swept the No. UNH Wildcats this weekend. The Terriers blew out the Wildcats in front of their home crowd winning 6-3 on Friday. The game was tied 3-3 heading into the third period, but BU did not take its foot off the gas and scored three goals in pure dominance.
The Terriers saw many different players score but it was forward Ryan Greene who led BU with two goals scored. BU’s goalie Mathieu Caron had 39 saves with three goals allowed. The Wildcats did lose 2-1 in the second game but managed to make the game in Boston a thriller.
Tied 1-1 in overtime Terriers’ Caron had 34 saves and one goal allowed. Greene had another clutch offensive performance scoring the game winning goal to sweep UNH. BU currently sits in first place in the Hockey East with a 9-3-1 conference record and will look to keep its momentum going.
The Wildcats sit at last place in the Hockey East with a 2-7-2 conference record. UNH will look to turn it around on Jan. 24 against Vermont at home.
Vermont vs. Northeastern
The Vermont Catamounts hosted the Northeastern Huskies on Friday and Saturday in what were very close games. Northeastern claimed game one with a 2-1 victory thanks to a clutch overtime Jack Williams goal.
The Huskies and Catamounts goalies were nearly identical stats wise, each having 27 saves. NU goalie Cameron Whitehead only allowed one goal compared to UVM’s Axel Mangbo’s two.
The Huskies had the brooms ready for the sweep as they won 3-2 in game two. The Catamounts applied the pressure early, having 13 total shots on goals in the first period alone. UVM was up 1-0 after the first period but NU’s two-goal second period was too much for the Catamounts to handle as the Huskies never trailed again.
After outshooting NU 13-8 in the first period, UVM was outshot 13-9 the rest of the game. Catamounts’ goalie Mangbo allowed five total goals in the two game series.
Other Hockey East Results:
The No. 2 ranked Boston College Eagles swept the No. 4 ranked Providence Friars winning 3-0 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday. BC is in second place in the Hockey East with a 9-3-1 conference record and has a big matchup with first place BU Terriers coming up on Jan.24.
The Stonehill Skyhawks pulled off a massive upset against No. 9 ranked UMass Lowell River Hawks 3-2 on Saturday in an exciting overtime game. Defensemen Evan Orr made the game winning goal when it mattered most to carry the Skyhawks to victory.
Brennan McGrevy can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @BMcgrevy