By: James Duffy
Weekend Review
A lot of action took place in Hockey East last week, and a lot of story lines to follow. Massachusetts struggled for the first time all season, dropping two of the three games they played, two of which were in conference. After sneaking by Maine on Friday, they were smoked by Yale and Boston College, losing 6-1 and 7-0. They still hold a strong 4-2-1 record, but look like they’re coming back down to earth a bit.
On the topic of Boston College, they rolled through the weekend with ease. They beat out #5 Denver before shutting out UMass, bringing their record to 6-1 on the year. Thatcher Demko has an unreal .964 save percentage for the Eagles, and is allowing less than a goal per game. Boston University handed Denver a loss as well in their only game of the weekend, but still fell three spots in the national rankings to 10.
Providence remained undefeated, sweeping Colgate, and the reigning national champs look like they’re in top form. Jake Walman, a sophomore defenseman for the Friars, was named the Warrior Player of the Week, racking up four goals and two assists in two games. Notre Dame too continued their strong start to the year, sweeping UConn twice and locking up four Hockey East points. Lastly, UMass Lowell continues to turn heads this year, splitting two games on the road with Minnesota Duluth. After battling hard in a 2-1 loss, the River Hawks came back to dominate in a 6-3 win.
Scores
Thursday, October 29
Vermont 3-2 Northeastern
Friday, October 30
Boston University 3-4 Merrimack
Maine 4-5 Massachusetts
Denver 3-4 Boston College
Providence 7-2 Colgate
UMass Lowell 1-2 Minnesota Duluth
Saturday, October 31
Notre Dame 2-1 Connecticut
New Hampshire 4-2 Merrimack
Northeastern 3-3 Vermont
Denver 4-5 Boston University
Maine 1-3 Princeton
Providence 4-3 Colgate
Massachusetts 1-6 Yale
UMass Lowell 6-3 Minnesota Duluth
Sunday, November 1
Notre Dame 8-2 Connecticut
Tuesday, November 3
Massachusetts 0-7 Boston College
The Week Ahead
As usual, there’s more fun ahead in Hockey East this weekend. Boston University and Northeastern, two teams playing well below expectations thus far, square off for a home-and-home. For BU, it’s a chance to gain some momentum and get back on track, while the Huskies are just looking to get their first win since opening night. Massachusetts, led by player of the month Dennis Kravchenko will look to rebound in a series against UConn, while Maine and UMass Lowell each are on the road for two, against BC and Vermont respectively.
Non-conference games feature the red-hot Notre Dame Fighting Irish back in South Bend, welcoming Minnesota to town for a pair of games. Sweeping the weekend might be enough for Notre Dame to sneak into the top 15, as they sit just on the outside looking in. New Hampshire will be in the same situation, hosting Michigan State in what should be a challenge for the Wildcats.
National Rankings
Providence – 2 (3)
Boston College – 3 (4)
UMass Lowell – 5 (8)
Boston University – 10 (7)
Others receiving votes:
Merrimack: 34
Notre Dame: 17
Massachusetts: 3