HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES
No. 1 Boston University and No. 2 Boston College are set to clash in a home-and-home series while ranked first and second in both the national polls and Pairwise ranking for the first time in over 100 years of history between the programs. Friday’s game can be seen on television in New England on NESN and in Canada on TSN and streamed on ESPN+.
Seven of the nine Hockey East games last weekend were played in front of sell out crowds. Vermont became the 11th league school to host a game at capacity and Hockey East is now the only college hockey conference to sell out every arena at least once this season.
The annual CT Ice Tournament returns this weekend, hosted by UConn at the XL Center. The Huskies square off with Sacred Heart on Friday and will face either No. 7 Quinnipiac or Yale the following day.
Maine won both games of a home stand against UMass Lowell, improving to 16-4-2 on the year and an 8-3-1 mark in Hockey East. It is the Black Bears’ best start in league play since 2003-04.
The top five overall point-getters in Hockey East are all first-year players, including Gabe Perrerault (BC, 34), Macklin Celebrini (BU, 32),
Josh Nadeau (Maine, 32), Bradly Nadeau (Maine, 31), and Will Smith (BC, 31). The next two highest point scorers are sophomores
in Cutter Gauthier (BC, 30) and Lane Hutson (BU, 28).
HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Harrison Scott - Maine
Harrison Scott (Jr., F; San Jose, Calif.) led Hockey East with four
goals on the weekend and added an assist for five points, including a
hat trick on Saturday night that included the game-winning goal and a
power-play goal. He had one goal and one assist on Friday night. He
finished second in the league with 24 face-off wins and also blocked
two shots and had six shots on goal and a plus-three rating to help
Maine to a two-game sweep of UMass Lowell.
PRO AMBITIONS CO-ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Macklin Celebrini -
Boston University
Will Smith - Boston College
Macklin Celebrini (Fr., F; Vancouver, B.C.) scored twice on Friday and lit the lamp again on Saturday in a weekend sweep of Vermont. He now leads BU in goals (16) and points (32). Celebrini, who also leads all NCAA rookies in goals, has secured 10 points (7g, 3a) during his current six-game point streak.
Will Smith (Fr., F: Lexington,
Mass.) scored twice and assisted
on a pair of game-winning goals
in the Eagles’ weekend sweep
of Merrimack. Smith picked up a
goal and an assist in each con-
test. On Friday, he assisted on
what proved to be the game-winning goal in the third period. He
also picked up an assist on the
game-winning goal on Sunday;
later adding a third-period goal.
ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Aidan Hreschuk - Boston College
Aidan Hreschuk (Jr., D; Long Beach, Calif.), in a 2-0-0 weekend
against Merrimack, totaled five points on a goal and four assists. Trailing 2-0 on Friday night, Hreschuk set up Cutter Gauthier on BC’s first
goal of the night in a come-from-behind victory; his first of two assists
in the road tilt. On Sunday, Hreschuk lit the lamp 35 second into the
contest and added a pair of assists as BC took a 6-2 victory. Defensively, he totaled six blocked shots, including four on Sunday.
STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Arsenii Sergeev - UConn
Arsenii Sergeev (So., G; Yaroslavl, Russia) made a career-high 43
saves on 44 shots in a 2-1 win at No. 17 New Hampshire on Sunday
afternoon, including 16 in the first period, 15 in the second, and 13 on
14 shots in the final frame.
HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS
Jacob Fowler, BC (Fr., G; Melbourne, Fla.) Picked up two wins over Merrimack, making 53 saves on 59 shots faced.
Lane Hutson, BU (So., D; North Barrington, Ill.) Led BU with five points on one goal and a team-high four assists in the Terriers’ weekend sweep of Vermont. He began the weekend by matching his career high with four assists in a 5-1 win on Friday. He then opened the scoring with his 10th goal of the season on Saturday.
Mathieu Caron, BU (Jr., G; Abbotsford, B.C.) Made 50 saves during the Terriers’ weekend sweep of Vermont. He posted a .943 save percentage and a 1.51 goals-against average over the weekend.
Josh Nadeau, Maine (Fr., F; St-François-de-Madawaska, N.B.) Recorded four points on one goal and three assists on the weekend, including the game-winning goal and an assist on Friday to go with a two-assist game on Saturday. He had seven shots on goal and a plus-four rating.
Brandon Holt, Maine (So., D; Grand Forks, N.D.) Recorded four points on one goal and three assists and had a league-high plus-five rating to go with two blocked shots. Posted two assists on Friday and followed it up with one goal and one assist on Saturday.
Michael Hrabal, UMass (Fr., G; Prauge, Czechia) Stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced in a 2-1 win at Northeastern and helped UMass kill a five-on-three penalty and a five minute major in the third period to hold on for the victory.
Owen Cole, UML (Jr., F; Dunnville, Ont.) Scored in each of the team’s two games this weekend, making it five consecutive games with a goal.
Jakob Hellsten, UNH (Jr., G; Ljusdal, Sweden) Allowed just two goals and made 42 saves over two games as he posted a 1.02 goals against average and a .955 save percentage going 1-1-0 against UConn. He recorded his second shutout of the season with 20 saves as UNH won 5-0 on the road on Jan. 19, while he then tallied 22 saves as the ‘Cats fell to UConn on Jan. 21.
Filip Forsmark, MC (Gr., F; Skovde, Sweden) Found the back of the net twice at No. 2 Boston College on Sunday.
Ethan Bono, MC (Fr., F; Port McNeill, B.C.) Netted the game’s opening goal on Friday against No. 2 Boston College.
Ivan Zivlak, MC (Jr., D; Gislaved, Sweden) Scored his first career goal as a Warrior on Friday against No. 2 Boston College.
