HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES
Three teams have secured byes into the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Men’s Tournament as Boston University, Merrimack, and Northeastern are locked into at least a berth in the second round of the playoffs with two weeks to play and can finish no lower than fifth.
The top three teams are separated by just two points, while the next three teams are split by just four in the Army ROTC Hockey East Standings. Five teams remain in the hunt for at least a share of the regular season crown and eight are in position for a top-four finish.
Northeastern leapt to the top of the Army ROTC Hockey East Standings with a 3-0 victory at Vermont. Devon Levi turned in a 42-save shut out, his fifth of the year, to lead the Huskies.
Merrimack took five of six points from Boston University in a crucial league series that put the Warriors within one point of the Terriers and two of first place in Hockey East with three games to play.
Maine played in front of fans at New Hampshire’s Whittemore
Center for the first time in four years after COVID-related
scheduling put the rivalry on ice. Back-to-back sold out crowds
saw the arch-rivals duel to a pair of stalemates with the Wildcats earning the extra shootout point each night.
HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nikita Nesterenko - Boston College
Nikita Nesterenko (Jr., F; Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded his first
career hat trick on Friday night in a 7-3 victory over UMass at
Kelley Rink. He added an assist for a four-point performance
and finished with a plus-three rating in the win with five shots
on goal.
PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Tyler Muszelik - New Hampshire
Tyler Muszelik (Fr., G; Long Valley, N.J.) recorded his first
collegiate shutout in a 0-0 tie against arch-rival Maine on
Saturday. He also allowed no goals during the shootout as the
Wildcats picked up the extra point. He made 29 saves.
ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Jon McDonald - UMass Lowell
Jon McDonald (Gr., D; Livonia, Mich.) dished out three assists
across two games to help the River Hawks claim four out of six
points against the Friars. In Friday’s 3-2 OT loss, McDonald
handed out a pair of helpers and returned to the ice on Saturday with his third assist of the weekend in a 2-1 win on home
ice. He picked up four blocks and a plus-two rating during the
two-game stretch.
STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Devon Levi - Northeastern
Devon Levi (Jr., G; Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que.) otaled 32
saves and denied all three shootout attempts from #9/10
Harvard to win the 2023 Beanpot. The junior netminder was
tournament MVP and took home the Eberly Award for best
tournament goaltender. He followed up with a 42-save shutout against Vermont for his fifth blank sheet of the season and
to put Northeastern back atop the Army ROTC Hockey East
Standings.
HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS
Oskar Jellvik, BC (Fr., F; Taby, Sweden) Registered a three-point night with a goal and two assists in a 7-3 win over UMass on Friday night.
Trevor Kuntar, BC (Jr., F; Buffalo, N.Y.) Scored twice, including the game-winner, in the third period of a 3-1 road victory over UMass on Saturday. He added an assist in a 7-3 home win on Friday to close the weekend with eight shots on goal and a plus-two rating.
Matt Brown, BU (Sr., F; Wood Ridge, N.J.) Became the first league skater to reach 40 overall points thanks to a goal and an assist this weekend against Merrimack. His goal sparked a Terrier second-period rally on Saturday.
Ryan Greene, BU (Fr., F; Paradise, N.L.) Scored a power-play goal on Saturday, his ninth goal of the year.
Lane Hutson, BU (Fr., D; North Barrington, Ill.) Notched a goal and an assist, with his strike beating the second-period buzzer to give BU a 3-2 lead. He is the first Hockey East defenseman to reach 10 goals this season.
Vinny Duplessis, BU (Jr., G; Quebec City, Que.) Recorded an assist and made 10 saves in two periods of relief on Saturday. He did not allow an 5-on-5 goal during Saturday’s contest.
Filip Fornaa Svensson, UML (Gr., F; Linkoping, Sweden) Finished the weekend with two points off a goal and an assist. He scored the equalizer on the power play to force overtime against Providence and added an assist to his weekend total on Saturday to help the River Hawks to a 2-1 victory over the Friars at home. He also collected a pair of blocks to cap his stat line.
Damien Carfagna, UNH (Fr., D; Wood Ridge, N.J.) Posted an assist on the game-tying goal late in the third period in the 2-2 stalemate with Maine on Friday. He tied for the team lead with five blocks over two games against the Black Bears.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, NU (Jr., F; East Greenwich, R.I.) Scored both of the Huskies’ goals against #9/10 Harvard, including the game-tying goal, to win the 2023 Beanpot tournament in shootout after a 2-2 stale- mate. He had a plus-two rating and recorded three blocks against the Crimson. In all, he fired six shots on net in two games, including a 3-0 win over Vermont.
Cam Lund, NU (Fr., F; Bridgewater, Mass.) Tallied a goal and an assist in a 3-0 shutout win over Vermont. He put six shots on net and finished with a plus-one rating across two wins for the Huskies.
Hunter McDonald, NU (Fr., D; Fairport, N.Y.) Recorded four blocks, three shots on net, and a plus-three rating through wins over #9/10 Harvard and Vermont last week. He tallied an assist against the Crimson en route to winning the 2023 Beanpot tournament. On the year, the rookie leads Hockey East in blocks (51) and is second in the country overall (77).
