Northeastern and Providence clash for the first time this weekend since last year's Hockey East semifinal.
Hockey East Weekend Preview
News and notes from the upcoming weekend of Hockey East action

#14 Providence vs. #8 Northeastern (home and home)

- Providence and Northeastern clash for the first time this weekend since last year's Hockey East semifinal. The Friars advanced on to the championship game after edging out the Huskies, 3-2, in overtime.

- Nate Leaman's squad looks to bounce back from a 4-1 loss at Boston College last weekend. Sophomore Jason O'Neill (Odenton, Md.) netted the lone goal of the game for the Friars.

- Northeastern enters this weekend off a split with then-#1 UMass. They were outscored by the Minutemen, 6-1, in their first meeting, but took game two in dramatic fashion with a 2-1 overtime victory. The win was the first for the Huskies over the top-ranked team in the country since 2012.

- Tyler Madden (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) earned Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week honors after the freshman netted the Huskies only goal on the road Friday, before striking just over a minute into the extra frame on Saturday. He is currently riding a seven-game point streak, tallying four goals and seven assists in that span.


Boston College vs. #19 UMass Lowell (home and home)

- Boston College and UMass Lowell hit the ice together for the first two games of a three-game Hockey East series this season. The Eagles have home ice advantage on Friday, before heading to Lowell on Saturday. The programs met three times last year, with Jerry York's squad edging out the River Hawks, 3-2, in overtime in their final meeting to take the series 2-1-0.

- The Eagles knocked off then-#11 Providence, 4-1, in their only game last weekend. They currently hold a 2-0-0 advantage over the Friars this season and will play them once more in March to close out regular season action.

- Christopher Brown (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) netted two goals in the win over the Friars. The senior opened up the scoring in the first period on the power play and then went on to convert on a penalty shot opportunity in the third.

- UMass Lowell enters the weekend riding a five-game winning streak and earning a national ranking after taking four points from Vermont on home ice. They defeated the Catamounts, 6-5, on Friday night, before shutting them out, 2-0, on Saturday.

- Ryan Dmowski (East Lyme, Conn.) was named Hockey East Player of the Week after potting the game-winning goal in each contest, with Friday's coming with less than 10 to go in regulation. The senior now has four game-winning goals on the season. On the backend, Tyler Wall (Leamington, Ont.) posted 25 saves to earn his third shutout of the year en route to being named Hockey East Co-Defensive Player of the Week.


UConn vs. New Hampshire (home and home), vs. Sacred Heart

- UConn is set to play three games in five days as the Huskies take on New Hampshire for two over the weekend and Sacred Heart in non-conference action on Tuesday. Last season, the Huskies took both games of a two-tilt set with the Wildcats, but dropped a 3-1 decision to the Pioneers.

- The Huskies look to put a stop to a two-game skid after dropping their most recent outing to RPI, 5-2. Karl El-Mir (Montreal, Que.) dished out an assist in the loss, pushing his point streak to six games (3g, 5a).

- New Hampshire heads into this weekend riding a three-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1) and are 6-1-2 in their last nine. Last Friday, UNH shutout Merrimack, 5-0, on the road, before visiting Maine on Monday and playing to a 4-4 overtime draw.

- Sophomore Mark Robinson (Bedford, N.H.) was named Hockey East Co-Defensive Player of the Week after posting a 1-0-1 record on the weekend. He recorded 25 saves on Friday to earn his second shutout on the year, before adding another 30 stops on Monday.


Vermont vs. Merrimack

- Vermont hosts Merrimack for two Hockey East match ups this weekend at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Last year, the Catamounts took each contest in their two-game series.

- The Catamounts look to right the ship after dropping each of their last five outings. On Friday night, Vermont's comeback effort came up short when they fell on the road at UMass Lowell, 6-5. UVM was then shutout, 2-0, in its second meeting with the River Hawks.

- Merrimack begins a three-game roads swing to Vermont and UConn after falling to New Hampshire and Boston University last weekend. They were shutout by the Wildcats, 5-0, before falling to the Terriers, 7-2.


Maine vs. #2 UMass

- Maine welcomes UMass to Alfond Arena for two games to kick off the programs' three-game Hockey East series. Their final meeting will be on March 2 at the Mullins Center. Last year, the Black Bears posted a 3-0-0 record over the Minutemen.

- Maine is back on home ice for the second weekend in a row after playing to a 4-4 overtime draw with New Hampshire on Monday. Rookie Jakub Sirota (Prerov, Czech Republic) scored the first goal of his career with just over a minute to go in regulation to knot the game at four and force the extra frame.

- UMass hits the road after splitting a home and home series with then-#8 Northeastern. They skated past the Huskies, 6-1, on home ice Friday night, but came up short in 2-1 overtime loss on Saturday at Matthews Arena. The loss was just their fourth of the season and only the second in Hockey East play.

- Senior Jacob Pritchard (Macomb, Mich.) recorded four points on the weekend, finding the back of the net once and dishing out three assists.


Boston University vs. #15 Arizona State

- Boston University hosts Arizona State for two games this weekend. This marks just the second series between the two teams, with the Terriers sweeping the Sun Devils in their inaugural series last year in the desert.

- The Terriers are coming off a weekend that saw their five-game unbeaten streak snapped by then-#7 Quinnipiac, 4-3, in non-conference play. The Terriers then rebounded to take two points from Merrimack in Hockey East play with a resounding 7-2 victory.

- Ty Amonte (Norwell, Mass.) had three points on the weekend, including a shorthanded goal and an assist in Saturday night's setback.