HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

No. 1 Boston College extended its winning streak to six straight and 10 in league play with a weekend sweep of Vermont. It is the first time a program has won 10 straight Hockey East games since the Eagles won 12 in a row in 2012-13. Will Smith racked up five points (4a, 1g) to take the national overall scoring lead and push his NCAA-best point streak to 17 games, piling up 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in that span. The Eagles are now six points away from clinching the regular season crown.

No. 2 Boston University swept UConn, ensuring a finish no lower than second in the Army ROTC Hockey East Standings. Mathieu Caron posted a 23-save shutout Saturday night while Macklin Celebrini registered five points, including four (2g, 2a) in Friday’s 6-1 road win and now leads Hockey East in scoring with 38 points.

No. 9 Maine split a weekend with Northeastern off the back of two goals and an assist from Bradly Nadeau and 32 saves from Albin Boija in a 5-1 win. The next night, Cameron Whitehead became the first opposing goaltender to post a shutout at Alfond Arena since December 2021 with a 39-save performance in a 4-0 victory, just the second home loss for the Black Bears this year.

Freshman forward Graham Gamache scored both goals of a 2-1 No.12 Providence win at UMass Lowell on Friday night. Philip Svedeback stopped 19 of 20 shots to earn his 17th win of the year.

No. 14 UMass took four of six points from No. 16 New Hampshire as Samuli Niinisaari scored two goals, including the game-winning goal into an empty net, in a 3-2 win on Friday night. Cole O’Hara potted two the next night, but New Hampshire’s Alex Gagne scored his first of the year with 2:09 remaining in regulation before Liam Devlin notched his fifth goal in his last four games in overtime.

HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Cutter Gauthier - Boston College

Cutter Gauthier (So., F; Scottsdale, Ariz.) totaled five points on three goals and two assists, including both game-winning strikes, in a home sweep of Vermont. The sophomore netted a pair of power-play goals on Friday night and added an assist. The first tally stood as the game-winner. On Saturday, he again lit the lamp for the game-winning goal, this time on a shorthanded opportunity.

PRO AMBITIONS CO-ROOKIES OF THE WEEK

Macklin Celebrini - Boston University
Graham Gamache - Providence

Macklin Celebrini (Fr., F; Vancouver, B.C.) had five points in two games, including four (2g, 2a) at UConn on Friday. All four of his points came in the first two periods of a 6-1 win. He then lit the lamp on Saturday for his 26th goal of the season, which leads all NCAA rookies.

Graham Gamache (Fr., F; Edmonton, Alta.) scored both of Providence’s goals in a 2-1 win at UMass Lowell on Saturday night, including the game-winner with 6:39 left in regulation. He totaled three shots on goal with a plus-two rating in the Friars’ only game of the weekend.

ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Samuli Niinisaari - Massachusetts

Samuli Niinisaari (Sr., D; Hamina, Finland) elped UMass take four of six points in a weekend series against No. 16 New Hampshire, scoring twice in Friday’s 3-2 win for a new career high in goals, which included the game-winner, while also blocking two shots. He then blocked three shots in Saturday’s contest in Durham.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Mathieu Caron - Boston University

Mathieu Caron (Jr., G; Abbotsford, B.C.) highlighted by his 23-save shutout on Saturday against UConn, he collected two wins for the Terriers. He also stopped 26 of 27 shots in the series opener, a 6-1 win over the Huskies.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Will Smith, BC (Fr., F; Lexington, Mass.) Racked up five points with four assists and a goal in a home sweep of Vermont, extending his point streak to an NCAA-best 17 games with 11 goals and 21 assists. The freshman dished out three assists on Friday night, including two primaries. On Saturday, he assisted on one goal and scored one of his own late in the third to put the game away.

Jeremy Wilmer, BU (So., F; Rockville Centre, N.Y.) Highlighted by a five-point performance in Saturday’s 6-0 win over UConn, Wilmer collected a career-high four assists, including the primary assist on the final three goals of the game and the game-winning goal, and also lit the lamp during his career night. On Friday in Storrs, Wilmer found the back of the net for a total of six points.

Lane Hutson, BU (So., D; North Barrington,Ill.) Had two assists in Friday’s 6-1 win over UConn.

Bradly Nadeau, ME (Fr., F; St-François-de-Madawaska, N.B.) Led Maine with three points on two goals and an assist while adding seven shots on goal in a 1-1-0 weekend with Northeastern.

Josh Nadeau, ME (Fr., F; St-François-de-Madawaska, N.B.) Dished out two assists in a weekend split with Northeastern and added two blocked shots.

David Breazeale, ME (Jr., D; Jenison, Mich.) Had one assist, two shots on goal, and three blocked shots.

J.P. Turner, UNH (Fr., F; East Falmouth, Mass.) Posted one goal and one assist for two points as UNH went 1-1-0 against No. 14 UMass. He recorded an assist in a 3-2 loss on Friday, while he scored the first goal of the game in a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday.

Alex Gagne, UNH (Jr., D; Bedford, N.H.) Recorded one goal and one assist for two points, while he also led the team with five blocks. He posted an assist in thae 3-2 loss at UMass, while he tied the game at 2-2 with his first goal of the season with just 2:09 remaining in the third period in the 3-2 overtime win.

Jakob Hellsten, UNH (Jr., G; Ljusdal, Sweden) Went 1-1-0 on the week against No. 14 UMass as he made 43 saves and allowed four goals for a 1.99 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. He made 18 saves and allowed two goals on Friday in the 3-2 loss, while he recorded 25 saves on Saturday in the 3-2 overtime win.

Cameron Whitehead, NU (Fr., G; Orleans, Ont.) Went 1-1-0 at #9 Maine with a .923 save percentage with two night of 30+ saves, making 30 in game one and 39 in game two’s shutout. He recorded his third career shutout, marking the first shutout by an opponent at Alford since Dec. 2021. His 4-0 win over #9 Maine marked back-to-back weekends collecting a shutout and gave Whitehead his fifth win over a Top-10 team.

Philip Svedeback, PC (So., G; Vaxjo, Sweden) Stopped 19-of-20 shots faced in Providence’s 2-1 win at UMass Lowell on Saturday for a .950 save percentage.