If the Hockey East season ended today, the playoffs would look like this:
Number 8 Vermont at Number 1 UNH*
Number 5 Maine at Number 4 Boston University
Number 6 Northeastern at Number 3 Merrimack
Number 7 UMass at Number 2 Boston College
*UNH gets the one on the strength of its 2-1 victory over BC at Conte Forum in November; each of the other teams is alone in its seeding currently.
But of course, the season doesn’t end today. And there are still quite a few matchups that could very seriously affect the above seedings, not the least of which is the season-ending series between UNH and BC.
The five most important series in the last three weeks of the Hockey East season:
UNH @ Vermont
When the Wildcats travel to Burlington next weekend, they’ll be doing so looking to shake off their first losing streak of the season and get their swagger back. The other Cats, meanwhile, will be looking to strengthen their grasp on a playoff spot - with only two points separating them and ninth-place Providence, it will be a desperate series for Vermont, whish hasn’t been able to string together two consistent games yet this season. But they’ll be facing an urgent and upset UNH team looking to take out their frustrations on anyone who gets in their way. Rob Madore, be warned.
Boston College vs., @ Northeastern
Over six days from Monday through Saturday, BC and Northeastern play three times. The first match will get more attention, no doubt, but it’s the Friday and Saturday matchups that are really the most important. It will be interesting to see how the teams play each other in Monday’s Beanpot championship, especially if the game gets out of hand early. In their only previous meeting this season, the Eagles and Huskies played even for 50-plus minutes before Steven Whitney beat Chris Rawlings at 12:51 of the third.
Boston College was number one then, and they’ll be number one again this time, but Northeastern is a much-improved team that’s playing defense at a very high level in front of a great goaltender in Rawlings. But to acknowledge Northeastern’s growth without noting how well BC has jelled and how strong John Muse has been in net wouldn’t be fair to Jerry York’s team, which is poised to contend for its third national title in four years. It’s very hard to believe that this series could be swept, but somebody should win it. Don’t be surprised if that somebody is whichever team loses on Monday night.
Merrimack at Maine
While Northeastern and UNH will play a pivotal series the weekend after next, this is the big one - assuming that Maine is still ranked, it’s only one of two series pitting ranked teams against each other in the last three weeks of the year. Maine’s game - speed and finesse - and Merrimack’s - physical, heavy on the forecheck, questionable on the backcheck - couldn’t be more opposite each other’s, and it’s going to make for what’s either a very fun series to watch or a very fun series to coach and nothing in-between. It’s not likely that the series will give Maine a chance to leapfrog the Warriors in the standings - they’re currently seven points apart and Merrimack (UMass) and Maine (Lowell) each play teams fairly likely to cede four points next weekend - it could be a preview of the quarterfinals, and things are likely to get very heated at Alfond.
Providence/Merrimack
Yes, at face value this may seem like a wash of a series, but Providence has already beaten Merrimack once this year still within spitting distance of a playoff spot, they’re going to make things very, very difficult for the Warriors - and if they’re not, expect them to flat-out make the last weekend of the season hell for Merrimack.
UNH @, vs. BC
Through 21 games, they’re even in first with 32 points. Over the next two weeks, they each have Northeastern and a road set with Vermont (UNH) and Massachusetts (BC), two teams fighting for those seventh and eighth playoff seeds. The number one seed in Hockey East will likely be awarded to whichever team wins this series. Tough to imagine a series could have more on the line than that.
Number 8 Vermont at Number 1 UNH*
Number 5 Maine at Number 4 Boston University
Number 6 Northeastern at Number 3 Merrimack
Number 7 UMass at Number 2 Boston College
*UNH gets the one on the strength of its 2-1 victory over BC at Conte Forum in November; each of the other teams is alone in its seeding currently.
But of course, the season doesn’t end today. And there are still quite a few matchups that could very seriously affect the above seedings, not the least of which is the season-ending series between UNH and BC.
The five most important series in the last three weeks of the Hockey East season:
UNH @ Vermont
When the Wildcats travel to Burlington next weekend, they’ll be doing so looking to shake off their first losing streak of the season and get their swagger back. The other Cats, meanwhile, will be looking to strengthen their grasp on a playoff spot - with only two points separating them and ninth-place Providence, it will be a desperate series for Vermont, whish hasn’t been able to string together two consistent games yet this season. But they’ll be facing an urgent and upset UNH team looking to take out their frustrations on anyone who gets in their way. Rob Madore, be warned.
Boston College vs., @ Northeastern
Over six days from Monday through Saturday, BC and Northeastern play three times. The first match will get more attention, no doubt, but it’s the Friday and Saturday matchups that are really the most important. It will be interesting to see how the teams play each other in Monday’s Beanpot championship, especially if the game gets out of hand early. In their only previous meeting this season, the Eagles and Huskies played even for 50-plus minutes before Steven Whitney beat Chris Rawlings at 12:51 of the third.
Boston College was number one then, and they’ll be number one again this time, but Northeastern is a much-improved team that’s playing defense at a very high level in front of a great goaltender in Rawlings. But to acknowledge Northeastern’s growth without noting how well BC has jelled and how strong John Muse has been in net wouldn’t be fair to Jerry York’s team, which is poised to contend for its third national title in four years. It’s very hard to believe that this series could be swept, but somebody should win it. Don’t be surprised if that somebody is whichever team loses on Monday night.
Merrimack at Maine
While Northeastern and UNH will play a pivotal series the weekend after next, this is the big one - assuming that Maine is still ranked, it’s only one of two series pitting ranked teams against each other in the last three weeks of the year. Maine’s game - speed and finesse - and Merrimack’s - physical, heavy on the forecheck, questionable on the backcheck - couldn’t be more opposite each other’s, and it’s going to make for what’s either a very fun series to watch or a very fun series to coach and nothing in-between. It’s not likely that the series will give Maine a chance to leapfrog the Warriors in the standings - they’re currently seven points apart and Merrimack (UMass) and Maine (Lowell) each play teams fairly likely to cede four points next weekend - it could be a preview of the quarterfinals, and things are likely to get very heated at Alfond.
Providence/Merrimack
Yes, at face value this may seem like a wash of a series, but Providence has already beaten Merrimack once this year still within spitting distance of a playoff spot, they’re going to make things very, very difficult for the Warriors - and if they’re not, expect them to flat-out make the last weekend of the season hell for Merrimack.
UNH @, vs. BC
Through 21 games, they’re even in first with 32 points. Over the next two weeks, they each have Northeastern and a road set with Vermont (UNH) and Massachusetts (BC), two teams fighting for those seventh and eighth playoff seeds. The number one seed in Hockey East will likely be awarded to whichever team wins this series. Tough to imagine a series could have more on the line than that.
No comments:
Post a Comment