#1 Massachusetts plays host to #8 New Hampshire at the Mullins Center for the seventh-ever postseason series between the two teams.
Hockey East Quarterfinals Weekend Preview
News and notes from the upcoming weekend of Hockey East action

#1 Massachusetts vs. #8 New Hampshire

- #1 Massachusetts (26-8-0, 18-6-0 HEA) plays host to #8 New Hampshire (12-13-9, 8-10-6 HEA) at the Mullins Center for the seventh-ever postseason series between the two teams. The last time they met came in the quarterfinal round back in 2008, with the Wildcats sweeping the series to advance to the semifinals.

- UMass holds the advantage over New Hampshire this season, sweeping their two-game regular season series.

- The Minutemen enter the weekend after suffering a 4-3 loss on the road at UConn in their final regular season game of the season.

- New Hampshire hits the road to take on the Minutemen after being shutout, 4-0, by Northeastern to close out the Wildcats' regular season.


#2 Providence vs. #7 Boston College

- #2 Providence (21-9-6, 14-7-3 HEA) welcomes #7 Boston College (11-20-3, 10-11-3 HEA) back to Schneider Arena just over one week after the two teams closed out the regular season with a 3-1 Friars victory on Thursday night. The Eagles took the three-game regular season series between the programs with a 2-1-0 record, with the home team claiming victory in each contest.

- Tyce Thompson (Milford, Conn.) was tabbed Pro-Ambitions Rookie of the Week after netting a goal and dishing out an assist on the game-winning tally in Thursday's victory.

- Boston College has the upper hand over Providence heading into the post-season, boasting a 7-3-0 record through seven all-time series in the Hockey East Tournament. The last meeting between the two teams came in the 2012 semifinals, with the Eagles skating away with a 4-2 victory en route to their 11th Hockey East Tournament title.


#3 Northeastern vs. #6 Maine

- #3 Northeastern (23-10-1, 15-8-1 HEA) and #6 Maine (15-15-4, 11-9-4 HEA) are slated to meet for just the third time in the quarterfinal round when the Huskies welcome the Black Bears to Matthews Arena this weekend. Their most recent meeting at this stage of the tournament came back in 2001. Maine holds an all-time record of 6-3-0 over Northeastern in the postseason tournament.

- The Huskies are back on home ice after shutting out New Hampshire, 4-0, in their final regular season game on the road. Cayden Primeau (Voorhees, N.J.) turned away 32 shots in the win, while Biagio Lerario (Addison, Ill.) potted two for the first multi-goal game of his career.

- The Black Bears hit the road to Northeastern after downing Boston University, 6-0, at Alfond Arena in their final regular season game of the year. Senior Rob McGovern (Weymouth, Mass.) was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week after kicking out 30 saves in Saturday night's victory. This marked the first shutout of the year for the Black Bears and just the second of McGovern's career.


#4 UMass Lowell vs. #5 Boston University

- #4 UMass Lowell (18-11-5, 12-7-5 HEA) welcomes reigning Hockey East Tournament champions #5 Boston University (14-16-4, 12-9-3 HEA) for the quarterfinal round of this year's tournament. This marks just the third time that the two teams will face off in the quarterfinals, with each team advancing to the semifinals once in their previous meetings. The Terriers hold the all-time advantage in post-season play with a 7-4-0 record over the River Hawks.

- The River Hawks are back home at the Tsongas Center after visiting Vermont for one game to close out the regular season. They played the Catamounts to a 2-2 overtime draw to finish their three-game regular season series with a 2-0-1 record over Vermont. Tyler Wall (Leamington, Ont.) recorded 25 saves in the come-from-behind effort to secure the draw and crucial point in Hockey East play.

- Boston University looks to get back on track after dropping their final game of the regular season on the road at Maine. The Terriers were shutout by the Black Bears, 6-0, and finished their regular season series with a 1-2-0 record.

- Most recently, the River Hawks swept Boston University in the 2016 quarterfinals at Tsongas Arena. During the 2018- 19 regular season, the two squads split the two-game regular se ason series, with each team winning on the road.