HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

A crazed weekend in league play saw the Army ROTC Hockey East Standings tighten even further, with just five points separating first and ninth place with three weekends to play in the regular season.

On Monday, the Hockey East Association Athletic Directors announced Steve Metcalf will become the next Commissioner of Hockey East, the fifth in conference history. For full details on Metcalf's appointment, see the full press release on HockeyEastOnline.com.

#12 Northeastern claimed its third consecutive Beanpot crown in double overtime on Monday night, in a game that ended in an official 4-4 draw. Sophomore defenseman Jordan Harris (Haverhill, Mass.) found the back of the net to deliver the trophy to the Huskies. No goaltender in the country had more saves than Craig Pantano's (Bridgewater, Mass.) 84 last week, including stops on 54 of 55 shots he faced in a weekend sweep of #11 UMass Lowell.

No player in college hockey had more points last week than #7 Boston College's Alex Newhook (St. John's, New./4g, 4a) in a 3-0-0 week for the Eagles that lifted his team into first place in the Army ROTC Hockey East Standings. Newhook's classmate, Matt Boldy (Millis, Mass.) ranked second in the NCAA with seven points (3g, 4a.)

Boston University handed New Hampshire two losses in league play thanks in part to the backbone of graduate student goaltender Sam Tucker (Wilton, Conn.) He stopped 69 of 71 shots over the weekend and posted a .972 save percentage and 0.79 goals-against average across three appearances and two starts. David Farrance (Victor, N.Y.) racked up five points (2g, 3a) in a 2-0-1 week for the Terriers, including a goal and two assists in the Beanpot final.

#14 Providence earned a crucial three points at Vermont, moving into a tie for sixth place in Hockey East and three points out of first. Michael Lackey (Washington, D.C.) posted a 1-0-1 record as he stopped 71 of 74 shots faced, including a season-high 39 in Providence's 3-2 win on Saturday.

UConn handed #17 Maine its first loss at home this season on Friday, a 2-1 victory for the Huskies. Benjamin Freeman (Falmouth, Maine) had a career-high three points and a hand in all three UConn goals in Friday's win, including the game-winning goal the third period to deliver the Huskies their fifth-straight Hockey East win. The Black Bears righted the ship the next night as Jeremy Swayman (Anchorage, Alaska) kicked out all 41 shots he saw in a 1-0 overtime victory.

HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Alex Newhook - Boston College

Alex Newhook (St. John's, New.) Led the nation with four goals, eight points , one shorthanded goal, and a plus-six on-ice rating in a 3-0-0 week for Boston College. Newhook also led all of Hockey East with four assists and one power-play tally. The rookie posted a career-best five-point night (2g, 3a) against Merrimack on Saturday, including the game-winning goal, and posted six shots on goal. It was the first five-point performance for the Eagles since 2014. In the process, Newhook pushed his point streak to six games (7g, 6a) and his goal streak to six (7g.)

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Matt Boldy - Boston College

Matt Boldy (Millis, Mass.) potted three goals and added four assists for seven points, the second-highest point total of any skater in the nation last week. During a 3-0-0 week for the Eagles, Boldy produced a pair of three-point outings, including his first career multigoal game on Saturday where he posted a plus-four rating. He pushed his point streak to five games (3g, 6a) and set up the game-winning goal in Friday's 3-2 win at Merrimack.

HOCKEY EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Craig Pantano - Northeastern

Craig Pantano (Bridgewater, Mass.) stopped 54 of 55 pucks he faced in a weekend sweep of #11 UMass Lowell. On Friday night, the graduate student pitched his second shutout of the year with 24 saves. Last Monday, Pantano backboned the Huskies to their third-straight Beanpot championship with 30 saves, making a total of 84 stops in a 2-0-1 week for the netminder. Pantano won the Eberly Award for his performance in the Beanpot, given annually to the goaltender with the best save percentage across two games of the tournament. His 84 saves last week were the most in the nation.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Spencer Knight, BC (Fr., G; Darien, Conn.) Earned a 3-0-0 record in net last week, posting a 2.00 goals against average and .929 save percentage. He picked up his 16th, 17th, and 18th wins of his rookie campaign.

Jack McBain, BC (So., F, Toronto, Ont.) Scored two goals and added two assists for four points, including his second multigoal game of the season on Monday against #18 Harvard in the Beanpot and assisted on the game-winning goal in Friday's 3-2 win at Merrimack.

David Farrance, BU (Jr., D; Victor, N.Y.) Racked up five points (2g, 3a) in a 2-0-1 week for the Terriers, including a goal and two assists in the Beanpot final before adding a goal and a helper in a road win over UNH. Also added five blocked shots in the three games.

Trevor Zegras, BU (Fr., F; Bedford, N.Y.) Earned five points, including three goals, as the Terriers went 2-0-1 on the week. Scored twice in the Beanpot final, including a tally with just 1.2 seconds left to force overtime of an eventual 4-4 draw, then had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory at UNH.

Sam Tucker, BU (GS., G; Wilton, Conn.) Stopped 69 of 71 shots while leading the Terriers to a home-and-home sweep of UNH. The graduate student posted a .972 save percentage and 0.79 goals-against average across three appearances and two starts.

Benjamin Freeman, UConn (Sr., F; Falmouth, Maine) Had a career-high three points and a hand in all three UConn goals in Friday's 3-2 win at #17 Maine to hand the Black Bears their first home loss of 2019-20. The Falmouth, Maine product pickedup an assist on UConn's first two goals of the game and then scored the game-winner in the third period to deliver the Huskies their fifth-straight Hockey East win.

Tomáš Vomáčka, UConn (So., G; Trutnov, Czech Republic) Stopped 49 of 52 shots he saw at #17 Maine last weekend, earning a 3-2 win on Friday and dropping a 1-0 overtime decision on Saturday.

Jeremy Swayman, ME (Jr., G; Anchorage, Alaska) Stopped 74 of the 77 shots he faced on the weekend in a 1-1-0 split with UConn, including a 41-save performance in a 1-0 overtime victory over the Huskies.

Michael Lackey, PC (GS., G; Washington, D.C.) Posted a 1-0-1 record, 1.44 GAA and .959 save percentage over two games this weekend. He stopped 71 of 74 shots faced, including 23 third period saves in Providence's 3-2 win at Vermont on Saturday. Lackey stopped a season-high 39 shots in Saturday's win.