Eight Hockey East teams are in action again this weekend as the four top-ten ranked squads face off with each other yet again in a battle for conference supremacy.
Boston University (2/2) takes on upstart UNH (7/8) in a home-and-home series that could threaten BU’s position alone atop the Hockey East standings. The Terriers still have a strong grasp on the top spot with 12 points to second-place Maine’s nine, but UNH is right behind the Black Bears with 8 and could tie for first with a sweep of the weekend series.
Look for a big weekend from the overdue David Warsofsky (2-7=9), and if the energy that Chris Connolly (5-7=12) showed against Merrimack last weekend is any indication, expect him to continue his torrid point-scoring pace. And don’t be surprised if outstanding freshmen Sahir Gill (3-7=10) and Charlie Coyle (4-4=8) join in, either. They’ve all been excellent in support of junior goaltender Kieran Millan (1.92 GAA, .938 Sv. %), who will have his hands full with a smart, experienced UNH team.
That squad features Paul Thompson (3-7=10), Mike Sislo (5-3=8), Phil DeSimone (3-7=10), Dalton Speelman (4-3-7) and Blake Kessel (1-6=7), their own standout two-way defenseman, but much of the weight of handling BU will fall on the shoulders of junior netminder Matt DiGirolamo. DiGirolamo has been superb in net (2.38 GAA, .924 Sv. %) all season, but has really risen to the occasion in conference play, where he’s yet to lose a game while posting a goals against of 1.36 and a save percentage of .952. Yes, folks, those are Tim Thomas numbers.
Meanwhile, at the end of the green line, Boston College (10/9) plays host to Maine (3/3) in a two-game home set that could prove a deciding point in BC’s season. Although it’s still early, BC has fallen hard the past three weeks without defenseman Tommy Cross (knee) and could do theselves a lot of favors by getting points in both games this weekend.
It’ll be senior goaltender John Muse (1.72 GAA, .945 Sv. %) for the Eagles against juniors Spencer Abbott (8-8=16), Gustav Nyquist (4-11=15) and friends in a battle of upperclassmen who more than excel at their craft face off against each other. That’s not to say that Boston College doesn’t get scoring; ask Cam Atkinson (4-8=12) and Joe Whitney (1-8=9) about that. But Muse has been their stopper and their one constant through a season that’s featured more than a few rough patches.
BC may get Cross back this weekend, but it’s likely that they keep him on the pine until next weekend, when the Eagles face off with Vermont on Sunday, in an attempt to let him shake any rust before BU and BC renew acquaintances the first weekend in December.
Providence, who has quietly built up a point total (eight) that matches BC and UNH, will have their hands full with a Northeastern team that’s nothing if not feisty. Greg Cronin’s bunch is mired in a five-game losing streak and has only won one of their ten games this season. Meanwhile, the Friars - who opened their season with a 3-2 victory of the Huskies at home, will find themselves in a battle with a Northeastern squad that will play recklessly in hopes of notching their first win in three weeks.
Whether or not Northeastern’s able to harness their energy is what will determine if they can get any points from Providence. The Huskies aren’t made of scoring machines - seniors Wade MacLeod (4-3=7) and Tyler McNeely (3-4=7) lead the team in scoring - but they do have a fantastic backstop in Chris Rawlings, who’s been the victim of shoddy defense by the guys in front of him.
There’s rumblings that Cronin’s seat may be getting warm, which is usually enough to inspire a team to step up their play, but there’s been little from Northeastern this season to suggest that they’re interested in playing a team game at all. Against a team like Providence that spreads the scoring around and plays consistent, if not spectacular, defense, Northeastern figures to have their hands full.
In the last series of the weekend, a streaking Merrimack squad plays a home-and-home with next door neighbor UMass-Lowell. While the Warriors spent last weekend pushing BU to the limit - twice - Lowell took the weekend off, so the RiverHawks should come into this series pretty fresh. Or really lazy. That’s the problem with only playing on weekends.
Merrimack was mere votes away from being ranked in this week’s USCHO poll, and Lowell, much like Northeastern, is still trying to figure out just who they are as a team. It will be youth against experience, as Joe Cannata, (1.94 GAA, .941 Sv %) will look to backstop a Merrimack team led by Stephane Da Costa (3-5=8) into Hockey East’s elite.
Boston University (2/2) takes on upstart UNH (7/8) in a home-and-home series that could threaten BU’s position alone atop the Hockey East standings. The Terriers still have a strong grasp on the top spot with 12 points to second-place Maine’s nine, but UNH is right behind the Black Bears with 8 and could tie for first with a sweep of the weekend series.
Look for a big weekend from the overdue David Warsofsky (2-7=9), and if the energy that Chris Connolly (5-7=12) showed against Merrimack last weekend is any indication, expect him to continue his torrid point-scoring pace. And don’t be surprised if outstanding freshmen Sahir Gill (3-7=10) and Charlie Coyle (4-4=8) join in, either. They’ve all been excellent in support of junior goaltender Kieran Millan (1.92 GAA, .938 Sv. %), who will have his hands full with a smart, experienced UNH team.
That squad features Paul Thompson (3-7=10), Mike Sislo (5-3=8), Phil DeSimone (3-7=10), Dalton Speelman (4-3-7) and Blake Kessel (1-6=7), their own standout two-way defenseman, but much of the weight of handling BU will fall on the shoulders of junior netminder Matt DiGirolamo. DiGirolamo has been superb in net (2.38 GAA, .924 Sv. %) all season, but has really risen to the occasion in conference play, where he’s yet to lose a game while posting a goals against of 1.36 and a save percentage of .952. Yes, folks, those are Tim Thomas numbers.
Meanwhile, at the end of the green line, Boston College (10/9) plays host to Maine (3/3) in a two-game home set that could prove a deciding point in BC’s season. Although it’s still early, BC has fallen hard the past three weeks without defenseman Tommy Cross (knee) and could do theselves a lot of favors by getting points in both games this weekend.
It’ll be senior goaltender John Muse (1.72 GAA, .945 Sv. %) for the Eagles against juniors Spencer Abbott (8-8=16), Gustav Nyquist (4-11=15) and friends in a battle of upperclassmen who more than excel at their craft face off against each other. That’s not to say that Boston College doesn’t get scoring; ask Cam Atkinson (4-8=12) and Joe Whitney (1-8=9) about that. But Muse has been their stopper and their one constant through a season that’s featured more than a few rough patches.
BC may get Cross back this weekend, but it’s likely that they keep him on the pine until next weekend, when the Eagles face off with Vermont on Sunday, in an attempt to let him shake any rust before BU and BC renew acquaintances the first weekend in December.
Providence, who has quietly built up a point total (eight) that matches BC and UNH, will have their hands full with a Northeastern team that’s nothing if not feisty. Greg Cronin’s bunch is mired in a five-game losing streak and has only won one of their ten games this season. Meanwhile, the Friars - who opened their season with a 3-2 victory of the Huskies at home, will find themselves in a battle with a Northeastern squad that will play recklessly in hopes of notching their first win in three weeks.
Whether or not Northeastern’s able to harness their energy is what will determine if they can get any points from Providence. The Huskies aren’t made of scoring machines - seniors Wade MacLeod (4-3=7) and Tyler McNeely (3-4=7) lead the team in scoring - but they do have a fantastic backstop in Chris Rawlings, who’s been the victim of shoddy defense by the guys in front of him.
There’s rumblings that Cronin’s seat may be getting warm, which is usually enough to inspire a team to step up their play, but there’s been little from Northeastern this season to suggest that they’re interested in playing a team game at all. Against a team like Providence that spreads the scoring around and plays consistent, if not spectacular, defense, Northeastern figures to have their hands full.
In the last series of the weekend, a streaking Merrimack squad plays a home-and-home with next door neighbor UMass-Lowell. While the Warriors spent last weekend pushing BU to the limit - twice - Lowell took the weekend off, so the RiverHawks should come into this series pretty fresh. Or really lazy. That’s the problem with only playing on weekends.
Merrimack was mere votes away from being ranked in this week’s USCHO poll, and Lowell, much like Northeastern, is still trying to figure out just who they are as a team. It will be youth against experience, as Joe Cannata, (1.94 GAA, .941 Sv %) will look to backstop a Merrimack team led by Stephane Da Costa (3-5=8) into Hockey East’s elite.
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