HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES
Massachusetts pulled to an even 2-2-0 overall record with a weekend sweep of western Massachusetts rival American International. Josh Lopina extended his goal-scoring streak to three straight games with tallies in each win, including a power-play goal for the game-winner in Friday’s road contest. Lucas Mercuri scored his first collegiate goal, a game-winner, with 2:19 remaining in regulation on Saturday, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending the Minutemen on to a 4-2 win, while Matt Murray was the only league netminder to win two starts last weekend, kicking out 38 of 41 shots he faced.
Boston College earned its first win in league play on Friday night, toppling #18 Northeastern on home ice, 5-3. Marc McLaughlin pushed his goal scoring streak to three consecutive outings and now has five goals in just four games to start the season. Jack McBain dished out three assists in Friday’s victory, including one on the power-play and one shorthanded helper. He added a goal on Saturday to push his point streak to four games, with at least one point in each of the Eagles’ contests to date. He has six assists and one goal for seven points.
Merrimack earned a weekend split on the road at Colgate thanks to a wild, four-goal third period on Saturday that saw two goals from Ben Brar. Max Newton had a massive weekend at Colgate to pace the Warrior offense with four points (1g, 3a). He scored the team’s lone goal Friday, then added two more tallies and an assist on Saturday, including the game-winning goal, to complete a 5-3 comeback road win. He ended the set with four points and now leads the team in points with six (4g, 2a) through just four games.
Boston University took a weekend split against Sacred Heart. After falling, 3-2, with
just 13 seconds left in Friday’s contest, the Terriers rebounded for a 4-1 victory on
Saturday. Domenick Fensore led the Terriers with four points (1g, 3a). The junior
blueliner had a goal and added an assist on Friday against Sacred Heart before
tallying two assists in the Terriers’ 4-1 win the next night. Fensore also blocked five
shots.
HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Max Newton - Merrimack
Max Newton (Vancouver, B.C.) had a massive weekend at Colgate to pace the Warrior offense with four points (1g, 3a). He scored the team’s lone goal Friday, then added two more tallies and an assist on Saturday, including the game-winning goal, to complete a 5-3 comeback road win. He ended the set with four points and now leads the team in points with six (4g, 2a) through just four games.
PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Lucas Mercuri - Massachusetts
Lucas Mercuri (Montreal, Que.) scored his first collegiate goal, a game-winner, with 2:19 remaining in regulation against American International on Saturday, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending the Minutemen on to a 4-2 win to complete the weekend sweep of the Yellow Jackets. Also added an assist in the contest for first career multi-point game.
HOCKEY EAST DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Domenick Fensore - Boston University
Domenick Fensore (Thornwood, N.Y.) the junior blueliner led the Terriers with four points (1g, 3a) in two games this weekend. He scored a goal and added an assist on Friday against Sacred Heart before tallying two assists in the Terriers’ 4-1 win the next night. Fensore also blocked five shots.
HOCKEY EAST GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Matt Murray - Massachusetts
Matt Murray (St. Albert, Alta.) was the only league netminder to win two starts last weekend, kicking out 38 of 41 shots he faced in a home-and-home set with American International. He made 24 saves on 25 shots in Friday’s road victory before turning aside 17 in Saturday’s home win.
HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS
Marc McLaughlin, BC (Sr., F; North Billerica, Mass.) Pushed his goal scoring streak to three consecutive outings, netting two in the Eagles’ 5-3 win over Northeastern on Friday to begin league play. One of his tallies came shorthanded after leading the nation in shorthanded strikes in 2020-21. He also found the pack of the net Saturday night at Bentley. The BC captain has five goals in just four games to start the season. He won 33 of his 47 faceoffs against NU and Bentley (70.2 percent) and skated in his 100th career game on Friday night
Jack McBain, BC (Sr., F: Toronto, Ont.) Dished out three assists in Boston College’s 5-3 victory over Northeastern on Friday, including one on the power-play and one shorthanded helper. He added a goal on Saturday to push his point streak to four games, with at least one point in each of the Eagles’ contests to date. He has six assists and one goal for seven points.
Ethan Phillips, BU (Jr., F; Dartmouth, N.S.) Phillips tallied a goal and an assist in the Terriers’ 4-1 win over Sacred Heart as part of a three-point weekend. His goal came on the power play thanks to a nifty redirection in front of the net.
Tyler Boucher, BU (Fr., F; Haddonfield, N.J.) Boucher scored his first collegiate goal in the Terriers’ 4-1 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday night.
Drew Commesso, BU (So., G; Norwell, Mass.) Made 61 saves on 65 shots over the weekend, including 30 in a 4-1 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday night.
Josh Lopina, UMass (So., F; Minooka, Ill.) Extended his goal-scoring streak to three straight games with tallies in each win over American International this past weekend, including a power-play goal for the game-winner in Friday’s road contest. The sophomore also added an assist in Friday’s victory for a three-point weekend. The Anaheim Ducks draft pick currently has four points through the first four games of the season.
Hugo Ollas, MC (Fr., G; Linkoping, Sweden) Enjoyed a stellar collegiate debut Friday night for the Warriors at Colgate. He stopped 30 of the 32 shots that he saw to keep Merrimack in the game, as the Warriors fell by a 2-1 score in overtime.
Ben Brar, MC (Jr., F; Abbotsford, B.C.) With the Warriors down, 3-1, entering the third period at Colgate on Saturday, Brar scored twice to help power a four-goal third period in an eventual 5-3 victory. He finished the weekend with three points, two goals and one assist, in a split weekend for the Warriors.
