HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

The 2023 iteration of Frozen Fenway kicks off Friday with a pair of women’s games before a Saturday doubleheader of Hockey East men’s teams. All four games will air on NESN. Saturday begins with a Hockey East matchup between UConn and Northeastern 2:30pm. Boston College and Massachusetts then take the ice at 6:00pm in a non-league tilt. Tickets are on sale now and available to purchase online at RedSox.com/FrozenFenway.

Hockey East is well represented at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. Team USA carries four Hockey East players in Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier, Boston University’s Lane Hutson, and Massachusetts’ Kenny Connors and Ryan Ufko. Czechia’s roster includes Providence’s Jaroslav Chmelar and Slovakia was led in part by Vermont assistant coach Scott Moser.

Providence claimed the Ledyard Classic crown, toppling Yale, 3-0, and Merrimack, 6-1, at the annual tournament held at Dartmouth. Freshman Bennett Schimek led the NCAA with five points while rookie goaltender Philip Svedeback stopped 39 of 40 shots he faced for the Friars.

No. 8 Boston University toppled No. 9 Harvard, 2-1 in overtime, at Walter Brown Arena on Friday night. The game was televised nationally on ESPN2 as part of Hockey East’s six-year agreement with the World Wide Leader and Home of Hockey. Terrier captain Domenick Fensore buried the dagger, his seventh goal of the year and third game-winning strike.

HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Bennett Schimek - Providence

Bennett Schimek (Fr., F; Mendota Heights, Minn.) was tied for the national lead in scoring over the past week with five points on three goals and two assists over two games. He posted a 1-1-2 stat line against Yale on Friday before totaling 2-1-3 on Saturday in the Friars’ 6-1 win over No. 6 Merrimack to clinch the Ledyard Classic title. Schimek was named MVP of the tournament and also was a plus-six over two games.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Cole O'Hara - Massachusetts

Cole O'Hara (Fr., F; Richmond Hill, Ont.) had more shots on net than another other rookie in the NCAA last weekend with eight, leading to two goals and two assists for the first-year Minuteman. He tallied twice, the first two-goal game of his career, in Wednesday’s 6-3 setback, including a game-opening power-play strike. He followed up with a career-first two-assist game, both coming on the power-play, to lead the offensive charge in a 4-1 win over Lake Superior State.

ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Domenick Fensore - Boston University

Domenick Fensore (Sr. D; Thornwood, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal to defeat No. 9 Harvard in overtime, 2-1, Friday night on a game shown nationally on ESPN2. Fensore was a force in OT, skating three shifts for the Terriers during 3-on-3 play. He led his team with seven shots on goal and three blocked shots. The OT winner was his seventh tally of the season and third game-winning goal of the campaign.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Philip Svedeback - Providence

Philip Svedeback (Fr., G: Vaxjo, Sweden) paced all Hockey East goaltenders in wins (2), GAA (0.50), save percentage (.975) and shutouts (1) during the first weekend back from winter break. The freshman stopped 39-of-40 shots faced over two wins at the Ledyard Classic, earning himself Top Goalie recognition for the tournament.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Colby Ambrosio, BC (Jr., F; Welland, Ont.) Finished a two-game split at Arizona State with two goals and an assist for three points with a plus-three rating. He had a goal and an assist in Friday’s 5-2 win over the Sun Devils and scored another goal on Saturday to go along with six shots on goal, which was tied for a team-high.

Nikita Nesterenko, BC (Jr., F; Brooklyn, N.Y.) Posted three assists in a two-game series against Arizona State with a plus-3 rating, extending his career-high point streak to seven games (3g, 7a).

Quinn Hutson, BU (Fr., F; North Barrington, Ill.) Opened the scoring for BU in the Terriers’ 2-1 overtime win over No. 9 Harvard, notching his seventh goal of the season. He generated five shots on goal against the Crimson.

Drew Commesso, BU (Jr., G; Norwell, Mass.) Made 33 saves, including 15 in the third period and one in overtime, to backstop BU to a 2-1 OT win over No. 9 Harvard. Nine of his saves came on the penalty kill as BU held the fifth-ranked power play in the country to an 0-for-4 mark on Friday.

Aaron Bohlinger, UMass (Jr., D; Walden, N.Y.) Racked up five points from the Minutemen blueline, helping UMass claim third place at the Holiday Faceoff Classic in Milwaukee. He dished out two assists in a 6-3 setback to Clarkson before scoring twice and adding another primary assist in a 4-1 win over Lake State

Alex Jefferies, MC (Jr., F; Lunenburg, Mass.) Dished out three assists last weekend, including two in Merrimack’s 3-2 win over Dartmouth on Friday and another in a 6-1 setback to Providence the next night in the Ledyard Classic title game.

Zach Bookman, MC (Fr., D; Syracuse, N.Y.) Collected two assists, one in each game of the Ledyard Classic.

Zachary Borgiel, MC (Jr., G; Fort Gratiot, Mich.) Made 19 saves in Merrimack’s 3-2 OT win over Dartmouth on Friday, improving to 8-0-0 on the season.

Liam Devlin, UNH (So., F; Needham, Mass.) Posted three goals and one assist for four points over two games at Union. He recorded one goal and one assist for two points on Friday, while he scored both of UNH’s goals on Saturday. He now has four multi-point games for his career.

Cy LeClerc, UNH (Fr., F; Brentwood, N.H.) Tallied three assists against Union on Friday in a 4-3 loss. His three assists and three points were both career highs. He now has five multi-point games on the year.

Colton Huard, UNH (So., D; Foothill Ranch, Calif.) Registered two goals and two assists for four points over the two games at Union. He recorded two goals and one assist on Friday, while he tallied one assist on Sat- urday. His two goals were a career-best as he posted his third career multi-point game.

Max Crozier, PC (Sr., D; Calgary, Alta.) Finished with four assists over two games last weekend, also finishing with a plus-six rating. The four helpers led all Hockey East players. Crozier was also named to the Ledyard Classic All-Tournament Team.