There are four weeks left in the Hockey East season. Two teams (UNH, BC) have clinched playoff berths. Six teams (UNH, BC, BU, Merrimack, Maine, Northeastern) are in contention for home-ice in the quarterfinal round of the Hockey East playoffs. And four teams (UMass, Vermont, Providence, Lowell - yes, even Lowell) are fighting for the right just to play anyone in the playoffs.
Once again, the three Beanpot teams have what should be easy matchups on Friday night before going idle on Saturday. In Amherst, a sure-to-be pissed off Boston University squad rolls into town looking to take out the frustration from their 3-2 OT loss in the opening round of the Beanpot - their fourth loss to BC on the season - on UMass, who is yet to beat anyone above them in the standings this season, but should have plenty of motivation to take it to BU after Merrimack put up an 11-spot on them last Saturday. Still, BU’s playing some very great hockey and is a much improved team from the squad that the Minutemen last saw in mid-October. Toot Cahoon’s troops? Not so improved.
Meanwhile, Northeastern - fresh off a 4-0 drubbing of an embarrassingly awful Harvard squad in their opening-round Beanpot game - rolls into the Tsongas Center to close out their season series with Lowell. The Huskies, who already own the season-series victory over the hapless RiverHawks on the strength of two 3-1 wins, have been getting superb goaltending from Chris Rawlings (four shutouts in his last six games) and impressive offensive contributions from Wade MacLeod, who has a point in nine straight Hockey East games, but they continue to go as their freshman defensemen do. Against a Lowell team that only scores 2.4 goals per game and allows more than four, they should see their good fortune in 2011 continue.
About ten miles up I-495, the most intriguing and important series of the weekend concludes on Saturday evening. UNH has won 11 of its last 13 Hockey East games and finally wrested control of first place away from Boston College last weekend when they beat Maine in the most dramatic of fashions, with Paul Thompson scoring the game-winner in the most unconventional of ways with only 15 seconds to go after Gustav Nyquist and Spencer Abbott both missed an empty net just 30 seconds earlier. Their momentum comes to a head as they take on Merrimack - which set a school record with its 17th win last weekend - which has won seven of its last nine conference games, and has scored seven or more in four of its last nine games to climb into mathematical sole possession of third place. It’s not a trap weekend for the Wildcats - who spend next weekend in Burlington - nor for the Warriors, who go at it with UMass on President’s Day weekend, but it’s still a very dangerous matchup for both teams. Dick Umile’s squad is getting production from all four lines finally, but the defense has been lackluster in support of Matt DiGirolamo, who continues to backstop UNH to wins, despite having started in every game this season. Kevin Dennehy’s bunch has seen Joe Cucci, Chris Barton and Jesse Todd emerge as legitimate scoring threats to compliment Stephane Da Costa, but Joe Cannata’s stellar goaltending continues to be the reason that Merrimack is where they are. He and DiGirolamo share the league lead in wins heading into the series, and they’ll need to play for the outright lead if they want to get their team any points in the home-and-home series. Whichever team can control the tempo will take these games - Merrimack’s had a lot of success agitating their opponents into making bad mistakes, but UNH is one of the most well-coached teams in all the land. If it turns into a finesse series, UNH takes it. If not, Merrimack could be making a push for first place when it’s over.
While UNH is trying to keep their good fortune going, the Black Bears will be doing everything in their power to find some momentum in a two-game home set with Vermont, which had been playing some of the least inspiring hockey in the league before drubbing Providence on Saturday night. It doesn’t say much; they’re still playing pretty uninspiring hockey - they’re just doing it in eighth place instead of ninth. If Maine wants to keep within sight of home ice in the quarterfinals, they need to sweep this series. If they don’t, they better hope they get to play BU.
Speaking of Providence, before heading to the Mullins Center Saturday night, they welcome BC to town, praying that the Eagles are already looking ahead to Monday’s Beanpot title game with Northeastern. Unfortunately, they won’t be. The Friars will lose this one. And then probably will lose to UMass, too. And then Tim Army will be really disgusted.
Once again, the three Beanpot teams have what should be easy matchups on Friday night before going idle on Saturday. In Amherst, a sure-to-be pissed off Boston University squad rolls into town looking to take out the frustration from their 3-2 OT loss in the opening round of the Beanpot - their fourth loss to BC on the season - on UMass, who is yet to beat anyone above them in the standings this season, but should have plenty of motivation to take it to BU after Merrimack put up an 11-spot on them last Saturday. Still, BU’s playing some very great hockey and is a much improved team from the squad that the Minutemen last saw in mid-October. Toot Cahoon’s troops? Not so improved.
Meanwhile, Northeastern - fresh off a 4-0 drubbing of an embarrassingly awful Harvard squad in their opening-round Beanpot game - rolls into the Tsongas Center to close out their season series with Lowell. The Huskies, who already own the season-series victory over the hapless RiverHawks on the strength of two 3-1 wins, have been getting superb goaltending from Chris Rawlings (four shutouts in his last six games) and impressive offensive contributions from Wade MacLeod, who has a point in nine straight Hockey East games, but they continue to go as their freshman defensemen do. Against a Lowell team that only scores 2.4 goals per game and allows more than four, they should see their good fortune in 2011 continue.
About ten miles up I-495, the most intriguing and important series of the weekend concludes on Saturday evening. UNH has won 11 of its last 13 Hockey East games and finally wrested control of first place away from Boston College last weekend when they beat Maine in the most dramatic of fashions, with Paul Thompson scoring the game-winner in the most unconventional of ways with only 15 seconds to go after Gustav Nyquist and Spencer Abbott both missed an empty net just 30 seconds earlier. Their momentum comes to a head as they take on Merrimack - which set a school record with its 17th win last weekend - which has won seven of its last nine conference games, and has scored seven or more in four of its last nine games to climb into mathematical sole possession of third place. It’s not a trap weekend for the Wildcats - who spend next weekend in Burlington - nor for the Warriors, who go at it with UMass on President’s Day weekend, but it’s still a very dangerous matchup for both teams. Dick Umile’s squad is getting production from all four lines finally, but the defense has been lackluster in support of Matt DiGirolamo, who continues to backstop UNH to wins, despite having started in every game this season. Kevin Dennehy’s bunch has seen Joe Cucci, Chris Barton and Jesse Todd emerge as legitimate scoring threats to compliment Stephane Da Costa, but Joe Cannata’s stellar goaltending continues to be the reason that Merrimack is where they are. He and DiGirolamo share the league lead in wins heading into the series, and they’ll need to play for the outright lead if they want to get their team any points in the home-and-home series. Whichever team can control the tempo will take these games - Merrimack’s had a lot of success agitating their opponents into making bad mistakes, but UNH is one of the most well-coached teams in all the land. If it turns into a finesse series, UNH takes it. If not, Merrimack could be making a push for first place when it’s over.
While UNH is trying to keep their good fortune going, the Black Bears will be doing everything in their power to find some momentum in a two-game home set with Vermont, which had been playing some of the least inspiring hockey in the league before drubbing Providence on Saturday night. It doesn’t say much; they’re still playing pretty uninspiring hockey - they’re just doing it in eighth place instead of ninth. If Maine wants to keep within sight of home ice in the quarterfinals, they need to sweep this series. If they don’t, they better hope they get to play BU.
Speaking of Providence, before heading to the Mullins Center Saturday night, they welcome BC to town, praying that the Eagles are already looking ahead to Monday’s Beanpot title game with Northeastern. Unfortunately, they won’t be. The Friars will lose this one. And then probably will lose to UMass, too. And then Tim Army will be really disgusted.
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