Home Cooking: All Higher Seeds Win On First Full Night Of Hockey East Playoffs

at Boston College 4, UMass 1

CHESTNUT HILL, MA - Jimmy Hayes showed up at just the right time. After the Minutemen outshot the Hockey East regular season champs 6-1 through the first ten minutes of the game, Hayes beat UMass goaltender Paul Dainton to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

They wouldn’t look back.

Cam Atkinson scored his league-leading 28th goal of the year just 14 seconds into the second period, and by the time UMass’ Daniel Hobbs scored a power play goal at 11:52 of the middle frame, the Minutemen were already down 3-0 and BC cruised to a 4-1 victory at Conte Forum. John Muse stopped 26 shots to preserve the win for Boston College, which moved a win away from its seventh straight appearance in the Hockey East semifinals.

Dainton stopped 31 shots for UMass, but it wasn’t enough as Toot Cahoon’s squad couldn’t find the depth to skate with BC or the offense to make up for it.

UMass had eight opportunities with the man advantage, but was only able to convert once. BC went 1-for-6 on the power play.

The Minutemen and Eagles face off at 7 PM Saturday night at Conte Forum with UMass’ season on the line.

at New Hampshire 3, Vermont 1

DURHAM, NH - Stevie Moses nearly registered more shots himself than his entire team did a week earlier, recording 10 attempts on net, and closing the scoring off a beautiful feed from Mike Borisenok early in the third period to cap a 3-1 Wildcats win.

Despite being outshot 14-4 in the first period, UNH took an early lead on Paul Thompson’s 27th goal of the season at 4:23. It seemed as though that might be the game-winner for a long time, as Matt Di Girolamo was superb against a solid Catamounts attack.

The lone Vermont goal came when Sebastian Stalberg - who had a great chance in the first on a wrap-around that Di Girolamo sprawled backwards with his arm over his head to glove away - was able to pry lose a rebound and put the puck between the UNH goaltender’s legs.

UNH was successful on its only power play chance when Phil DeSimone scored the game’s second goal with four seconds remaining in a Dan Lawson tripping penalty. Vermont went 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

Di Girolamo stopped 32 Vermont shots to earn the win in his first career Hockey East playoff game.

UNH and Vermont go at it again Saturday night as the Wildcats look to avenge last season’s early playoff exit when they beat the Cats 7-4 on Friday night but lost successive 1-0 decisions on Saturday and Sunday and were unable to advance in the Hockey East tournament.

at Boston University 5, Northeastern 2

BOSTON, MA - BU spotted Northeastern an early lead when Brodie Reid scored his ninth goal of the year at 3:25 of the first period, but pushed back to even the series and extend their season for at least one more game, winning a 5-2 decision at Agganis Arena.

Joe Pereira tallied twice for the Terriers, including an empty-net goal with just 35 seconds remaining, and Matt Nieto, Kevin Gilroy and Ryan Ruikka added markers for BU, which struggled to find any offense in a 4-2 loss to Northeastern on Thursday night.

Jamie Oleksiak also scored for Northeastern, making it a 3-2 game after two periods, but BU was too much for the Huskies in the third. Clay Witt, who has faced BU in three of the five games that he’s played this season, made 29 saves in relief of Chris Rawlings, who allowed three of the six shots he saw to go by him.

Kieran Millan made 30 saves to earn the win for BU, which needs to at least advance to the Hockey East semifinals to have a chance at playing in the NCAA tournament.

Despite drawing ten Northeastern penalties, BU was only able to convert on one power play. Northeastern went 1-for-7 with the extra man.

The series will pause briefly as Agganis Arena hosts the America East Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday before resuming Sunday night at 7 PM with both team’s seasons on the line.

at Merrimack 5, Maine 4

ANDOVER, MA - The Black Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead nearly halfway through the action, and it looked like the Warriors were going to suffer a similar fate to the one they experienced two weeks ago in Orono.

Three unanswered goals later, Merrimack was in charge and held off multiple attempts at a comeback to take a 1-0 series advantage.

Gustav Nyquist scored his 50th career goal for Maine to open the scoring, and added two assists later to finish with three points. Robby Dee scored twice for the Black Bears and added an assist as well.

While Maine held Joe Cucci and Mike Collins pointless on the night, Merrimack found its scoring from lower down the lineup chart. Elliott Sheen scored twice and Ryan Flanigan added a goal and an assist, as the Warriors’ third line contributed three goals and two assists on the night.

Dan Sullivan - who’d been strong in net recently for Maine - gave up five goals on 24 shots. It was the first time Sullivan had given up five goals all season, though he was pulled twice in games in which he gave up three goals in a period.

The Black Bears lost despite going 3-for-5 on the power play and holding Merrimack to only three man-advantage chances, which they converted one of. 

Joe Cannata stopped 20 Maine shots to earn the win.

The series continues Saturday night, presumably with Maine’s season on the line. Saturday’s game will be televised on NESN and starts at 7:30 PM.

Curtain Call: The Final Weekend Preview...Kinda

UNH @, vs. BC
This series puts even those classic Yale-Union games to shame. UNH can make Saturday’s game meaningless with a win on Friday night at Conte Forum, where they’ve already won once this season. But BC can make Saturday’s return match at the Whit a very interesting one if they’re able to get any points at home on Friday.
We’ve been talking about this all year: John Muse versus Matt Di Girolamo; Paul Thompson against Tommy Cross; Cam Atkinson against Blake Kessel. Problem is, apart from the goaltending battle, it’s not coming down to them. What it is going to come down to, simply, is which team gets the better effort from its role players. Thompson will score - if he doesn’t, his line will; Atkinson and Jimmy Hayes and Chris Kreider will do the same for BC. UNH will need a continued strong effort from reigning Hockey East rookie of the month Kevin Goumas; they’ll need more work from Stevie Moses and John Henrion, each of whom has elevated his game quite nicely in the second half of the season. BC will look to Brian Gibbons, Joe Whitney and Kevin Hayes, among others.
There’s no real preview to write for this one - both these teams are very good. UNH would be well-served to sweep and convince themselves that they can, in fact, play in March - even if it’s just the first weekend. But they won’t. And BC won’t, either. One team gets three points this weekend. Newsflash: It’s not the defending national champs.

BU @, vs. Northeastern
A great series in its own regard, but for much different reasons than BC-UNH. Northeastern can’t move either direction in the Hockey East Rankings, but they can help ensure themselves the quarterfinal matchup that they want by beating BU mercilessly and hoping Merrimack does enough to climb up into third place. They could also ensure themselves a similarly favorable matchup by beating the snot out of BU so that the Terriers don’t have enough men left to ice a team in the event that they maintain their grip on third place. One way or the other, the Huskies are certain to play with an eye on the scoreboard, as the last thing that they want is to face a suddenly hot Maine team at Alfond Arena next weekend.
Since head coach Greg Cronin was suspended by the school two weeks ago, Northeastern has gone 1-1-2 against two top ten teams, upsetting then-number one Boston College at Matthews Arena after they nearly upset them twice in the previous five days. They’re playing inspired hockey for Sebastien Leplante, who’s done an admirable job of gathering the troops. But good and good enough to beat Jack Parker - who always seems to have the Huskies’ number - are two completely different scenarios. Kieran Millan has been riding a hot streak for BU - a really hot one if you don’t count the Beanpot. But, if you ignore Chris Rawlings’ two worst games of the last month - both seven goal-against efforts against BC - he’s actually been better.
BU’s offense has been anemic at best against teams that play mediocre defense at best. Northeastern plays very good defense. BU’s physical game has been lacking against teams that aren’t very physical. Northeastern plays very physical. BU’s missing one of its leaders and perhaps best offensive blueliner in David Warsofsky, who should miss another weekend with symptoms of a concussion. Northeastern’s healthy for the first time in a very long time, and should know just how to attack the hole that Warsofsky’s absence leaves behind.
Yes, on paper this weekend looks like a wash. But remember that the Terriers haven’t lost a conference game in their last nine games, that Parker coaches his teams to be their best in March and that the Terriers need as many points as they can get to have home ice at all in the quarterfinals and we may see a different BU team.

Providence @, vs. Merrimack
You want to say this is a no-contest, that Mack should walk away with four points and about a +13 goal differential in two games, relegating Providence to another March spent watching other teams play hockey tournaments that they could have been a part of. You want to say that Merrimack’s going to be so pissed after getting swept - nay, embarrassed - by Maine that they’re going to take it out on Tim Army’s hapless bunch. You definitely want to say that Alex Beaudry has had to invest in new sheets numerous times this week since he’s been up all night wetting the bed thinking about facing Merrimack’s attack.
You’d be right to say all that, but Providence knows they still have a shot at the Hockey East playoffs - a place they haven’t been in quite a while - and you can never underestimate a desperate squad. Even if they’re playing an angry one. On paper, Providence has no chance. They’ll elevate their game, for sure, but they don’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Warriors and they don’t have the defense to shut them down.
Then again, neither did Maine.

Maine @ UMass
Speaking of the Black Bears, they roll into Amherst riding a five-game conference win streak and fresh off a statement weekend against Merrimack. That statement? They may actually be the real deal. UMass welcomes Maine as they cling to their playoff life and hope to not back into a guaranteed battle with a top-ten team in the opening round of the Hockey East playoffs.
Don’t expect Maine to be as hot as they were last weekend - especially not at an arena where they’ve lost seven straight - but there’s no reason that they can’t get four more points and make a run at the three-seed and home ice next weekend. And if they do, it could be game over for the rest of the conference.

Lowell @ Vermont
It’s not right to say that Vermont’s clinched a Hockey East playoff spot - especially after Lowell played spoiler admirably against Providence last weekend. The Catamounts do, after all, need at least two points this weekend to guarantee themselves a playoff spot. Or for Providence to lose to Merrimack. I mean...yeah. See you next weekend, UVM. As for this weekend...

Hockey East Week 21 Preview

With six teams in and one team out, three teams are fighting for Hockey East’s last two playoff spots. For reeling UMass, seeing maroon and gold all weekend isn’t likely to help their chances, while Vermont figures to have their hands full with BU as well. Providence, on the other hand, finally gets a break from its beast of a second-half schedule as they take on Lowell in a home-and-home that they need to sweep to stay in the hunt.
On the other end of the standings, there are still three home-ice spots up for grabs. Merrimack and BC could take two of them simply by taking a point in either game this weekend - or any game the rest of the way, for that matter. BU - which holds the tiebreaker over Maine - can do it with any combination of three points (win and a tie this weekend, win and a Maine loss, tie and a Merrimack sweep of Maine, among others).
But don’t underestimate Maine. Or, for that matter, Northeastern.

NU @, vs. UNH

I wrote two weeks ago that the last three weeks of the season feature only two matchups between ranked opponents. This may as well be a third. Without head coach Greg Cronin, the Huskies took it to BC last weekend, tying at Conte Forum and never trailing en route to a 2-1 win on home ice against the then-numbed one Eagles on Saturday. Northeastern again received votes in the USCHO poll this week - not nearly enough to get them ranked, but I digress - and could possibly make an appearance in next week’s top 20 if they’re able to get the offense that showed up in the Beanpot final and game one of the weekend series to show up with the defense that nearly blanked BC on Saturday night.
UNH proved two weeks ago that they’re vulnerable when playing a physical team, because they’re far too finesse to be successful in such matchups - one of the reasons, perhaps, that they’re a regular early out in March. Northeastern isn’t as talented offensively as Merrimack, and Chris Rawlings probably isn’t quite as good as Joe Cannata, but they play a similar style. The finesse game suits UNH on the big sheet at the Whitt, but in tight spaces at Matthews, they may be in trouble. The trick to this series for the Wildcats? Get two points on Friday at home, and don’t get complacent on Saturday. If the Huskies can get to Matt Di Girolamo on Friday, though, it could be another very long weekend for Dick Umile’s squad.
The matchup to watch is UNH’s first line of Paul Thompson, Mike “The Sizzler” Sislo and Phil Desimone against Northeastern’s Anthony Bitetto and Luke Eibler. Northeastern’s top pairing has had success throughout the second half of the year slowing down opposing top lines, and they’ll need to do the same here.UNH can score with any line they want, but if the pressure falls on the second and third lines to light up the scoreboard, Northeastern should be able to take the play to UNH. Look out for Huskies captain Tyler McNeely, who’s one point shy of 100 for his career, and Wade MacLeod, who had an 11-game in-conference scoring streak snapped on Saturday.

Merrimack @ Maine

This was supposed to be the big matchup of the weekend before Northeastern burst onto the scene in the Beanpot final and then upended BC on Saturday. It’s still a very big matchup. But if you’re Tim Whitehead, it’s gotta be making you lose sleep at night. With Northeastern two points behind Maine - and with no reason to see why the Huskies can’t at least take two points this weekend - the pressure is suddenly on the Black Bears to not get swept and slip into sixth in the conference. Think that’s crazy talk? Think again.
Merrimack’s second in scoring and first in defense in Hockey East (thanks, Beanpot). Maine is sixth in defense, but no team below them has a chance at finishing above seventh place, and that’s saying something. The Black Bears are a team that’s strong through the neutral zone and on the attack, but they’re not a team that plays well in their own zone. And against a physical team like Merrimack, they’re bound to have even more trouble.
That said, a Maine sweep this weekend would put them all but clear of Northeastern and right in contention for home ice in the quarterfinals. And nobody wants to go to Alfond for a weekend and try to win two of three. Not even Merrimack. But don’t expect that to happen. Joe Cannata’s been too good, Chris Barton, Jesse Todd and Joe Cucci have had superlative second halves and the Warriors should get leading scorer Stephane Da Costa back from a knee injury this weekend as well. The matchup to watch is anytime one of those four strong, quick forwards are flying through the neutral zone at Dan Sullivan or Martin Oullette or Shawn Sirman or whichever Mainer wins the pre-game promotion and gets to play goal for the Black Bears for the night. Don’t expect Maine’s defense to do anything to slow them down. And don’t expect Gustav Nyquist or Spencer Abbott or Tanner House or Brian Flynn to have their way with Cannata like they did with Lowell’s goaltending last weekend. Home ice or not, this weekend should be a wash.

UMass @, vs. BC

If UMass has spent the past few months searching for an identity (and they have), this isn’t the place to find it. The Eagles will be angry and hungry after suffering what may well be their last loss of the 2010-11 season Saturday night, and the Minutemen are going to have to hope that they can weather the storm to get any points out of the weekend.
If they can, it’s going to be up to Paul Dainton, who’s been strong but not spectacular in net throughout the season for UMass. But Chris Kreider, Brian Gibbons, Jimmy Hayes, Cam Atkinson and Joe Whitney are likely to have other thoughts on the matter. UMass’ biggest hope in this series involves them seeing Parker Milner in net for BC in one of the games and playing the role of spoiler - if not, it may be their season that winds up spoiled.

Lowell @, vs. Providence

I’m not sure that this series is worth a comment. Thanks to Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertanga for only making me have to write previews on four series this weekend, though. The whole five-previews-in-one-post thing was getting a bit much.
Also, if Providence doesn’t get at least three points from this weekend, a) they’re all but out of the playoffs and b) they don’t deserve to be there, anyway. That’s all you need to know.

Vermont @ BU

Vermont did one thing really well against UNH last weekend. That one thing: score first. Problem for them was, UNH is a third-period team. BU isn’t. If the Cats can get something going early against Kieran Millan, they stand a chance against the Terriers. If they can get three points, they’ll earn a playoff berth.
Vermont did a lot of things poorly last weekend. Those lot of things: everything after they scored first. BU isn’t a team that likes to get pushed to the outside, and Vermont didn’t make any efforts to make UNH work from the walls last weekend. It’s not a combination that looks good for the Catamounts.
Meanwhile, after an embarassing loss to Harvard in the Beanpot consolation game, BU bounced back last weekend, winning 2-1 and 1-0 over a Providence squad that a good team would have beaten 4-0 and 6-2.
It’s identity check time for both teams. Which means it’s identity check time for Rob Madore, who’s been good-but-not-great for Vermont; and it’s identity check time for BU’s upperclassmen, most of whom won’t be around next year after they leave early for the NHL or parts unknown, but who could make a big statement over the next six weeks if they re-commit themselves.
It’s also identity check time for Jack Parker - who, as we all now know, may be coaching for his job. Home ice shouldn’t be a concern for BU in this series; winning with energy should. Because if they don’t win with energy, they’re going to lose with disgrace again.