HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

Owen Cole exploded for four points on a goal and three assists to power UMass Lowell to a 6-3 win over Merrimack and into the national rankings for the first time this season. The River Hawks are now 4-1-0 to start the year.

UConn took four of six points from #15 UMass on the Hockey East opener for the Minutemen. Jake Percival scored two goals, including one short-handed tally, to help UConn to a 3-2 win on Saturday.

#6 Maine took five of six points at Northeastern last weekend, earning its first win at Matthews Arena since 2012. Albin Boija went 1-0-1 while posting a league-leading .948 save percentage and 1.44 goals against average. He recorded 55 saves, making 24 on Friday night and 31 on Saturday.

#2 Boston College toppled #14 Western Michigan in the first-ever meeting between the two programs, thanks to a three-goal third period spurred by Teddy Stiga’s first goal as an Eagle. Sophomore duo Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard then connected twice in the final minute of the period to secure a 4-2 victory over the Broncos.

#3 Boston University went on a two-game road swing to #7 North Dakota, earning a series split by handing the Fighting Hawks their first regulation home loss in their last 23 attempts. Tom Willander scored the eventual game-winner late in the third period on Saturday in a 4-3 victory.

New Hampshire stormed back to down #11 Quinnipiac on the road, 3-2, on Saturday. Cy LeClerc made his season-debut for the Wildcats last weekend, scoring a goal and adding the primary assist on the game-winning goal.

HOCKEY EAST CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Owen Cole - UMass Lowell
Ryan Leonard - Boston College

Owen Cole (Sr., F; Dunnville, Ont.) totaled four points on a goal and three assists in UMass Lowell’s lone game of the weekend, a 6-3 win at Merrimack. His big night included setting up the game-winning goal while winning 11 of 22 times from the faceoff circle.

Ryan Leonard (So., F; Amherst, Mass.) scored twice in the final minute of the third period, just 28 seconds apart, on Saturday as the Eagles overturned an early 2-0 deficit to defeat #14 Western Michigan by a score of 4-2.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Will Elger - Providence

Will Elger (Fr., F; Westerville, Ohio) scored his first collegiate goal on Friday night in a 3-2 overtime win at Vermont and followed up with another goal on Saturday in the 4-4 tie between the Friars and Catamounts. Elger finished the weekend with two goals, four shots on goal and a plus-two rating.

HOCKEY EAST DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Tom Willander - Boston University

Tom Willander (So., D; Stockholm, Sweden) scored the eventual game-winner late in the third period on Saturday in a 4-3 victory at #7 North Dakota. He also had three blocked shots and earned an assist in the series opener on Friday.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Tyler Muszelik - UConn

Tyler Muszelik (Jr., G; Long Valley, N.J.) wrapped an undefeated weekend with 57 total saves to help UConn go 1-0-1 against #15 UMass and take four of six Hockey East points from the Minutemen.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Aram Minnetian, BC (So., D; Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) Had one assist along with blocking four shots for Boston College in its 4-2 victory over #14 Western Michigan.

Jacob Fowler, BC (So., G; Melbourne, Fla.) Made 20 saves against Western Michigan to earn his third victory of the season, a 4-2 win.

Devin Kaplan, BU (Jr., F; Bridgewater, N.J.) Helped the Terriers to a 4-3 win at #7 North Dakota on Saturday night, scoring a shorthanded goal to break a 2-2 tie at 12:28 of the third before having the primary assist on Tom Willander’s eventual game-winner at 16:08.

Cole Hutson, BU (Fr., D; Chicago, Ill.) Recorded two assists in a weekend split at No. 7 North Dakota, blocking three shots in the process.

Jake Percival, UConn (Jr., F; Avon, Conn.) Scored two goals, including one short-handed tally, to help uconn to a 3-2 win over #15 UMass on Saturday and secure UConn four of six league points on the weekend.

Ethan Whitcomb, UConn (Fr., F; St. Catharines, Ont.) Finished with one goal and one assist to help UConn go 1-0-1 on the weekend against #15 UMass. Whitcomb also won 50% of his faceoffs in Saturday’s 3-2 win.

Harrison Scott, ME (Jr., F; San Jose, Calif.) Had one goal and one assist on the weekend while recording nine shots on goal and 19 face-off wins to go with one blocked shot. He scored on Friday night to help Maine earn its first win at Matthews Arena since 2012 and assisted on a power-play goal on Saturday night in a 2-2 draw.

Oskar Komarov, ME (Fr., F; Uusikaarlepyy, Finland) Had the primary assist on the game-tying goal at Northeastern on Friday night mid-way through the final stanza and also had one shot on goal.

Brandon Holt, ME (So., D; Grand Forks, N.D.) Helped Maine to a 1-0-1 weekend and its first win at Matthews Arena since 2012 with one goal and one assist to go with seven shots on goal. He recorded a power-play goal on Saturday night and had a power-play assist on Friday night.

Albin Boija, ME (So., G; Sundsvall, Sweden) Went 1-0-1 while posting a league-leading .948 save percentage and league-leading 1.44 goals against average. He recorded 55 saves, making 24 on Friday night and 31 on Saturday. On Saturday, had five saves in overtime and then stopped both shootout attempts he faced.

Chris Delaney, UML (Fr., F; Hopkinton, Mass.) Scored a goal and added an assist for two total points, giving him a team-leading four goals and two assists on the year.

Isac Jonsson, UML (Sr., D; Angelholm, Sweden) Netted the first goal of the season on Saturday night in a 6-3 victory at Merrimack. The veteran now has a goal and a helper on the year for two points.

Henry Welsch, UML (Gr., G; Lakeville, Minn.) Remains unbeaten this season, moving to 4-0-0 after the 6-3 win over Merrimack Satur- day night. In the victory, Welsch made 14 saves on 17 shots.

Caelan Fitzpatrick, MC (Fr., F; Moose Jaw, Sask.) Scored his first goal for the Warriors in a 6-3 setback on Saturday.

Trevor Griebel, MC (Jr., D; Glendale, Ariz.) Netted a power-play goal against UMass Lowell on Saturday.

Cy LeClerc, UNH (Jr., F; Brentwood, N.H.) In his season-debut for the Wildcats, the junior scored a goal and added the primary assist on the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win at #11 Quinnipiac.

Cam Lund, NU (Jr., F; Bridgewater, Mass.) Recorded two goals and 12 shots on net in two games against #6 Maine, extending his goal streak to four games.

Cameron Whitehead, NU (So., G; Orleans, Ont.) Finished with a .914 save percentage over the weekend against #6 Maine, recording back-to-back games with at least 30 saves. His 64 saves ranked first among all league goaltenders.

Nick Poisson, PC (Gr., F; Vancouver, B.C.) Scored the overtime goal in Providence’s 3-2 win at Vermont on Friday and followed up with the game-tying goal with 25.4 seconds remaining on Saturday as the Friars forced a 4-4 tie and earned a shootout win for an extra league point. Poisson finished the weekend with seven shots on goal over two games.

Massimo Lombardi, UVM (Jr., F; Beaconsfield, Que.) Had a goal and three assists to help Vermont take #13 Providence twice into overtime last weekend.