HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

Hockey East opened the first weekend of the 2023-24 season with a 7-2-1 mark in non-conference play and an additional 3-0-1 mark in exhibition contests.

The Hockey East on NESN schedule begins this weekend with No. 1 Boston University visiting New Hampshire at 8 p.m. on Friday night as the Game of the Week. It kicks off a slate of 50 games on NESN or NESN+ during the season.

No. 6 Boston College began its 102nd season on ice with a 2-1 overtime win at No. 2 Quinnipiac on a night where the Bobcats raised the banner for their 2022 national championship. Cutter Gauthier clinched the game with a stinging overtime wrist shot while Jacob Fowler earned a 29-save win in his NCAA debut.

No. 18 Providence earned a weekend split at No. 5 Michigan after nearly completing a four-goal comeback in Sunday’s back marker. Saturday night, Luke Kyrs dished out two helpers and Liam Valente scored the game-winning goal to lift the Friars to victory.

No. 19 Northeastern roared to a season-opening 7-0 victory over Stonehill, backed by a 13-save shutout from Cameron Whitehead in his NCAA debut. The Huskies then tied Quinnipiac, 2-2, in a Sunday exhibition contest.

No. 1 Boston University, UConn, UMass, and UMass Lowell all picked up non-conference wins in their opening weekends.

HOCKEY EAST CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Cutter Gauthier - Boston College
Lane Hutson - Boston University

Cutter Gauthier (So., F; Scottsdale, Ariz.) scored the game-winning goal against defending national champion and No. 2 Quinnipiac with 9.5 seconds left in overtime on Saturday night. He led all skaters with eight shots on goal in the game.

Lane Hutson (So., D; North Barrington, Ill.) after playing nearly the entire third period, Hutson’s shot in overtime found back of the net to earn a 3-2 win at Bentley on Saturday night. It was his sixth career game-winning goal, four of which have come in overtime.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Cameron Whitehead - Northeastern

Cameron Whitehead (Fr., G; Orleans, Ont.) started in his first career NCAA game and finished with 13 saves for his first career shutout in Northeastern’s 7-0 win over Stonehill.

ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Luke Krys - Providence

Luke Krys (Gr., D; Ridgefield, Conn.) dished out two assists to help the Friars to a 4-2 victory at No. 5/4 Michigan on Saturday night. He also registered three blocks and two shots on goal over the weekend.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Jacob Fowler - Boston College

Jacob Fowler (Fr., G; Melbourne, Fla.) picked up his first collegiate win in his NCAA debut, stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced against No. 2 Quinnipiac. He made 13 saves in the second period and helped BC go 7-for-7 on the penalty kill.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Macklin Celebrini, BU (Fr., F; Vancouver, B.C.) Scored his first career goal in highlight-reel fashion and then provided the primary assist on Lane Hutson’s overtime-winner in a 3-2 win at Bentley. He was also strong at the faceoff dot, leading BU with a 12-6 record on draws.

Case McCarthy, BU (Gr., D; Clarence Center, N.Y.) In his first game since being injured during the Hockey East semifinals, McCarthy scored the first goal of the game on a shot from the right point. McCarthy also blocked a shot and was second on the Terriers with six shots on goal.

Mathieu Caron, BU (Jr., G; Abbortsford, B.C.) Made 21 saves in his Terrier debut, with his sharp performance helping BU earn a 3-2 win at Bentley. The team’s player of the game, Caron allowed just one even-strength goal and made several big saves to ensure the Terriers never trailed.

Matthew Wood, UConn (So., F; Nanimo, B.C.) Finished a 1-0-1 weekend at Colgate with two goals and one assist. The sophomore finished the weekend with a plus-three rating.

Jake Richard, UConn (Fr., F; Jacksonville, Fla.) In his NCAA debut weekend, posted one goal and two assists in two games and finished with a plus-three rating. His first collegiate goal was a big one for the Huskies as it came with 1:30 left in the third period on Saturday to force overtime.

John Spetz, UConn (Sr., D; Oak Ridge, N.J.) Opened UConn’s scoring on Saturday just 44 seconds into the Huskies’ second game at Colgate.

Arsenii Sergeev, UConn (So., G; Yaroslavl, Russia) Made 35 saves on 37 shots to backbone UConn to a 4-2 win at Colgate on Friday.

Ryan Ufko, UMass (Jr., D; Smithtown, N.Y.) Had a goal and an assist in a season-opening 5-3 win over American International and finished with a plus-one rating. His assist came on UMass’ lone power-play goal of the contest.

Matt Crasa, UML (Jr., F; New York, N.Y.) Scored two goals in a 3-2 overtime loss at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night.

Jak Vaarwerk, UML (Fr., F; East Amherst, N.Y.) Earned his first career point in a 2-1 victory over Alaska Anchorage on Sunday evening, picking up an assist in the third period.

Luke Pavicich, UML (Jr., G; Clarence Center, N.Y.) Made 27 saves and earned a 2-1 win in his first start for UMass Lowell.

Alex Campbell, NU (Sr., F; Chateauguay, Que.) In his Huskies’ debut, he recorded two goals en route to a 7-0 victory over Stonehill. The senior transfer also tallied an assist on the second goal of the game and tied for a team-high seven shots on goal. He finished plus-three on the night.

Vinny Borgesi, NU (So., D; Philadelphia, Pa.) Recorded a goal and two assists en route to a 7-0 win for Northeastern to go along with two shots on goal and two blocks. He finished a plus-four on the night.

Riley Duran, PC (Jr., F; Woburn, Mass.) Scored a goal in both games at No. 5/4 Michigan over the weekend, helping the Friars earn a split of the weekend series. He finished the weekend with a team-high 10 shots on goal over two games and recorded three blocks while going 9-of-16 at the faceoff dot.

Hudson Malinoski, PC (Fr., F; Saskatoon, Sask.) Tallied a goal and an assist in Sunday’s game at No. 5/4 Michigan. The rookie recorded seven shots on goal and three blocks over the two games.

Jaroslav Chmelar, PC (So., F; Nove Mesto nad Matuji, Czechia) Tied for the team lead in points over the first two games as he posted a goal and two assists in a weekend split at No. 5/4 Michigan. He registered five shots on goal and assisted on Liam Valente’s game-winning goal against Michigan on Saturday night.

Joel Maatta, UVM (Jr., F; Helsinki, Finland) In Saturday’s exhibition tilt with McGill,l Maatta scored the first two goals of the Catamounts 4-0 win. It was his second two-goal game as a Catamount.