Maine continued its impressive season after a weekend sweep over UMass Lowell, while No. 2 Boston College dealt with a Friday night stunner as they fell to Merrimack. Here’s a look back at some of the weekend’s key matchups in Hockey East.
Boston College vs. Merrimack:
Although Boston College and Merrimack split their two weekend matchups, there were many more positives to take home for the side from North Andover. The Warriors (8-11-1, 4-6-1 HEA) came in confident after three straight wins, including one against No. 17 Dartmouth. The Eagles (13-4-1, 7-3-1 HEA) were also flying high with wins in three of their last four.
In the first matchup, Merrimack marched into the Conte Forum on a Friday night and knocked down the doors of No. 2 Boston College, defeating them 5-2.
The Eagles had the upper hand early, producing a fast start. Oskar Jellvik struck first for Boston College 13 minutes into the game. Things went from bad to worse for the Warriors when Brady Berard scored a short-handed goal for his Eagles.
Following the Berard goal, the wheels began to turn for Merrimack. The Warriors capitalized on the same power play with a goal from Antonio Venuto. Venuto then passed the baton to Harrison Roy who knotted up the game just one minute and 20 seconds later. At that point, confidence was wavering for the No. 2 ranked team. Vann Yuhas scored to give Merrimack the lead three minutes later.
The Warriors continued their domination in the third period with two more goals, making it five unanswered after allowing the short-handed goal in the second period. Merrimack ultimately notched the victory on night one.
All eyes then turned to Saturday to see if the Warriors could complete the sweep at home. There were now a lot of questions for Boston College to answer, including the possible fatigue and energy levels of World Junior stars like Ryan Leonard.
Those questions were quickly answered as Leonard himself opened the scoring for the Eagles in the second period. That period ended up being the decider as two more Boston College players–Berard and Jake Sondreal– joined him on the score sheet. Merrimack tried to fight back with a Nick Pierre power-play goal midway through the third period, but it was too little too late for the home team on night two. The Eagles took the win 4-1.
Boston College now shifts its focus to a massive weekend series against No. 6 Providence. The Warriors will look to get back on track against UMass.
UMass Lowell vs. Maine:
No. 5 Maine came into a weekend series against No. 9 UMass Lowell expecting success on the back of competitive games against Denver. Still, many were surprised when the Black Bears (15-4-2, 7-2-2 HEA) pulled off a dominant road sweep over the River Hawks (12-6-2, 5-5-1 HEA).
The Tsongas Center’s Friday night festivities started off hot, as UMass Lowell took a 1-0 lead 90 seconds into the second period. Maine responded with three unanswered goals, though, and stepped up its defense to win. Harrison Scott was at the forefront with two goals, while David Breazeale scored a third in a 3-1 victory.
The River Hawks sought a response on Saturday night as they looked to avoid getting swept. The Black Bears had other plans in mind, though. The road team stormed to a two-goal lead in the first period thanks to goals from Thomas Freel and Nolan Renwick. UMass Lowell fought back with a Jacob MacDonald goal in the second period, but from there, Maine engineered another goaltending and defensive masterclass to win 2-1.
Black Bears goalie Albin Boija ended up winning the conference’s Goaltender of the Week award for his performance in the series. The Sweden native marshalled his team’s road sweep, only letting in a combined two goals. In Friday night’s win alone, Boija made 26 saves with 15 coming in a dominant Maine third period.
Looking ahead, the Black Bears will host red-hot No. 17 UConn in a weekend series as some of the best teams in the nation will go head-to-head in Orono. The River Hawks will host Stonehill for a non-conference game on Jan. 18.
Other Results:
No. 11 Boston University swept Vermont, scoring a combined 13 goals over the weekend.
No. 17 UConn made a statement against No. 19 New Hampshire, winning 4-1 and 3-2 in games to prove its relevance to the country.
No. 6 Providence made quick work of Brown, beating them 2-0 last Tuesday in a crosstown rivalry game.
Standings Update:
Maine continues to have the best record in the Hockey East at 7-2-2 with 24 points, but Boston University sits only a single point behind. New Hampshire continues to struggle in conference play, as they move to dead last in the standings with just eight points on the year. In the national picture, UConn has entered the USCHO rankings at No. 17, leapfrogging No. 19 New Hampshire. Maine and Boston University are the highest Hockey East risers in the poll, moving up two and four spots respectively. Boston College remains the highest ranked team in the conference at No. 2 while in-state foes Massachusetts and Northeastern continue to try to sneak into the national picture.
Zeke Altman can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @EzekielAltman.
