1 - BC (13-5-0, 26 pts)
2 - UNH (11-2-2, 24 pts)
3 - BU (8-5-4, 20 pts)
4 - Maine (8-4-3, 19 pts)
5 - Merrimack (7-5-3, 17 pts)
6 - Northeastern (6-7-4, 16 pts)
7 - UMass (5-7-3, 13 pts)
8 - Providence (3-8-4, 10 pts)
9 - Vermont (3-9-3, 9 pts)
10 - Lowell (3-15-0, 6 pts)
Boston College - Another ho-hum four-point weekend for the Eagles, who’ve started to grow accustomed to such things. They’re getting scoring from all four lines and the defense, which moves the puck better than any other team in Hockey East, and the goaltending tandem of John Muse and Parker Milner is yet to really disappoint. With only two games between now and the Beanpot - and neither against tough competition - don’t expect the Eagles to stumble from their perch anytime soon.
UNH - A come-from-behind win over visiting Providence and a come-from-ahead loss against BU don’t make for a very good weekend, but there isn’t enough competition in the league to bump UNH from the top two. That final-weekend home-and-home with BC is suddenly looking very, very interesting.
Merrimack - One bad outing against Lowell caused the Warriors to fall three spots in the Hockey East rankings, but Joe Cannata won’t allow five goals very often, and Merrimack won’t be hard-pressed to score against many teams, either.
BU - Another loss to BC followed by a come-from-behind win at the Whit, where the Terriers traditionally struggle, could mean big things for a BU team still searching for its pulse - it isn’t coming from the captains and it isn’t coming from Jack Parker, either - and until it finds a regular one, there’s no way this team plays deep into March.
Maine - Tough to figure out a team that beats the number three team in the country and then has to come from behind just to tie a team that they’re better on paper than. But the Black Bears are banged up pretty badly, and seem to know when to rise to the occasion. That could serve them well in six weeks, but only if they don’t wait for the occasion to come to them.
Northeastern - The Huskies have benefited from an extended January homestand, but they’ve done what they need to do on it - get points. Their freshman anchors on defense continue to improve, their top two lines remain strong and Chris Rawlings has gotten better as the season has gone on. Their Achilles heel? Taking multiple stupid penalties at the same time - even the best teams will struggle to kill over a minute of 5-on-3 against Maine. When they stay out of the box, they can skate with anyone. If they do, look out.
Massachusetts - Like any team in the bottom four, the Minutemen’s biggest problem is consistency. But a 6-0 throttling of Vermont should help their confidence and give them some energy to use in practice this week - with a home-and-home with Northeastern ahead, UMass could insert itself into the conversation or completely remove itself from it.
Providence - Tim Army’s “disgusted.” No word yet on whether it’s with his team or the way his team’s schedule is playing out. A home-and-home with UNH next week doesn’t figure to help things, either.
Vermont - Win a close one, lose in a blowout. The Cats go as Rob Madore does, and lately, that’s been wildly inconsistent. If they want any chance in March, they’re going to need Madore to start showing up more often.
Lowell - Not much to say for a team that’s lost 14 of 15, but a big road win at Merrimack should go a long way to help this team down the road - and, moreover, finally gives their PR staff something to put on the 2010-11 highlights video.
2 - UNH (11-2-2, 24 pts)
3 - BU (8-5-4, 20 pts)
4 - Maine (8-4-3, 19 pts)
5 - Merrimack (7-5-3, 17 pts)
6 - Northeastern (6-7-4, 16 pts)
7 - UMass (5-7-3, 13 pts)
8 - Providence (3-8-4, 10 pts)
9 - Vermont (3-9-3, 9 pts)
10 - Lowell (3-15-0, 6 pts)
Boston College - Another ho-hum four-point weekend for the Eagles, who’ve started to grow accustomed to such things. They’re getting scoring from all four lines and the defense, which moves the puck better than any other team in Hockey East, and the goaltending tandem of John Muse and Parker Milner is yet to really disappoint. With only two games between now and the Beanpot - and neither against tough competition - don’t expect the Eagles to stumble from their perch anytime soon.
UNH - A come-from-behind win over visiting Providence and a come-from-ahead loss against BU don’t make for a very good weekend, but there isn’t enough competition in the league to bump UNH from the top two. That final-weekend home-and-home with BC is suddenly looking very, very interesting.
Merrimack - One bad outing against Lowell caused the Warriors to fall three spots in the Hockey East rankings, but Joe Cannata won’t allow five goals very often, and Merrimack won’t be hard-pressed to score against many teams, either.
BU - Another loss to BC followed by a come-from-behind win at the Whit, where the Terriers traditionally struggle, could mean big things for a BU team still searching for its pulse - it isn’t coming from the captains and it isn’t coming from Jack Parker, either - and until it finds a regular one, there’s no way this team plays deep into March.
Maine - Tough to figure out a team that beats the number three team in the country and then has to come from behind just to tie a team that they’re better on paper than. But the Black Bears are banged up pretty badly, and seem to know when to rise to the occasion. That could serve them well in six weeks, but only if they don’t wait for the occasion to come to them.
Northeastern - The Huskies have benefited from an extended January homestand, but they’ve done what they need to do on it - get points. Their freshman anchors on defense continue to improve, their top two lines remain strong and Chris Rawlings has gotten better as the season has gone on. Their Achilles heel? Taking multiple stupid penalties at the same time - even the best teams will struggle to kill over a minute of 5-on-3 against Maine. When they stay out of the box, they can skate with anyone. If they do, look out.
Massachusetts - Like any team in the bottom four, the Minutemen’s biggest problem is consistency. But a 6-0 throttling of Vermont should help their confidence and give them some energy to use in practice this week - with a home-and-home with Northeastern ahead, UMass could insert itself into the conversation or completely remove itself from it.
Providence - Tim Army’s “disgusted.” No word yet on whether it’s with his team or the way his team’s schedule is playing out. A home-and-home with UNH next week doesn’t figure to help things, either.
Vermont - Win a close one, lose in a blowout. The Cats go as Rob Madore does, and lately, that’s been wildly inconsistent. If they want any chance in March, they’re going to need Madore to start showing up more often.
Lowell - Not much to say for a team that’s lost 14 of 15, but a big road win at Merrimack should go a long way to help this team down the road - and, moreover, finally gives their PR staff something to put on the 2010-11 highlights video.
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