HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

No. 13 Boston University won the 2024 Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, downing Merrimack, 6-2, in a Hockey East contest in the semifinals before vanquishing former league foe Notre Dame in the title game, 4-3. The Terriers scored three goals in the final 13 minutes, including the game-tying and game-winning goals just 20 seconds apart, while Mathieu Caron made 14-saves in the third period alone to claim the Belpot.

No. 16 UMass Lowell earned the title of Adirondack Winter Invitational champions with a 2-0 win over St. Lawrence that saw Beni Halasz extend his shutout streak to 143:34. The River Hawks then took No. 20 Clarkson to a 4-4 tie before earning victory in a shootout.

No. 4 Boston College handed No. 15 Dartmouth its first loss of the season by way of four third-period goals to plain a 5-3 victory. Blueliner Lukas Gustafsson sparked the furious comeback as he dished out two primary assists in the final frame, including setting up the game-winning, shorthanded goal.

New Hampshire swept RIT, 5-1 and 6-1, thanks in part to the first two collegiate points from Ryan MacPherson and 37 saves in two starts from Jared Whale.

No. 10 Providence earned another top-20 win over Clarkson on Friday, toppling the Golden Knights, 3-2, in overtime. Tanner Adams, finished the weekend with two goals and one assist, including on the game-winning goal in a 2-1 triumph over St. Lawrence.

Maine swept RPI, 6-0 and 6-2, thanks in part to a hat trick and four-point game from Lynden Breen and a 42-save weekend from Albin Boija.

Tickets to the 2025 Hockey East Men’s Championship, set for Thursday and Friday, March 20-21 at TD Garden, are on sale now. Fans can save 10% when purchasing tickets to both nights.

HOCKEY EAST CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Shane Lachance - Boston University
Lynden Breen - Maine

Shane Lachance (So., F; Andover, Mass.) was named the Friendship Four Player of the Tournament, totaled four points (2g, 2a) across two Terrier wins in Belfast. He was instrumental in the Terriers’ third-period rally, recording the primary assist on the game-tying goal with 4: before scoring the winning goal just 20 seconds later. Lachance also assisted on his team’s first goal of the final frame to get BU within striking distance.

Lynden Breen (Gr., F; Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B.) recorded his first career hat trick and assisted on the game-winning goal in Maine’s 5-0 win at RPI on Saturday for a four-point game to tie for the league lead in points. It was a natural hat trick, scoring all three goals in succession. He also recorded a power-play goal and a plus-three rating to go with four shots on goal, two blocked shots and won six face offs.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

John Mustard - Providence

John Mustard (Fr., F; Oradell, N.J.) put more shots on net than any other rookie in the NCAA and finished the weekend with a goal and two assists over two games as the Friars went 2-0-0 at the Adirondack Winter Invitational in Lake Placid, N.Y. He registered an assist in the 3-2 overtime win over No. 20 Clarkson on Friday and followed up with the game-winning goal in the third period and an assist in Saturday’s 2-1 win over St. Lawrence. He totaled 10 shots on goal over two games.

HOCKEY EAST DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Lukas Gustafsson - Boston College

Lukas Gustafsson (Jr., D; Atlanta, Ga.) sparked Boston College’s four-goal third period in a 5-3 win over previously undefeated Dartmouth on Friday night. He dished out two primary assists in the final frame, including setting up the game-winning, shorthanded goal, and blocked one shot to help the Eagles triumph over the Big Green.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Mathieu Caron - Boston University

Mathieu Caron (Sr., G; Abbotsford, B.C.) made 59 saves, the most of any league netminder, across two Terrier victories in Belfast, backboing BU to the Friendship Four title. His weekend included 31 saves in Friday’s Hockey East win over Merrimack. He the stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third period of Saturday’s comeback win over Notre Dame as the Terriers clawed back from a two-goal deficit to claim the Belpot for Hockey East.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

James Hagens, BC (Fr., F; Hauppauge, N.Y.) Recorded his first multi-goal performance after scoring two goals in the 5-3 come-from- behind victory over No. 15 Dartmouth on Friday.

Teddy Stiga, BC (Fr., F; Sudbury, Mass.) Scored his second short-handed goal of the season as well as having one assist to finish with two points in BC’s victory over Dartmouth.

Kamil Bednarik, BU (Fr., F; Elmhurst, Ill.) Totaled three points (1g, 2a) across two Terrier wins in Belfast at the Friendship Four. After recording two assists in Friday’s league win over Merrimack, he scored his first collegiate goal in Saturday’s victory over Notre Dame with a shorthanded goal to put BU ahead, 1-0. Bednarik, who assisted on another shorthanded strike against Merrimack, also helped the BU penalty kill hold Notre Dame scoreless across four opportunities.

Gavin McCarthy, BU (So., D; Clarence Center, N.Y.) Scored his first two goals of the season in Belfast, scoring a shorthanded goal in Friday’s league triumph over Merrimack before sparking the Terriers’ comeback against Notre Dame with a third-period goal. He now has a three-game point streak.

Frank Djurasevic, Maine (So., D; New Rochelle, N.Y.) Had a power-play goal and two assists in Maine’s two-win weekend as he led league defenders in points. He had a plus-four rating, five shots on goal and two blocked shots in a sweep of RPI.

Albin Boija, Maine (So., G; Sundsvall, Sweden) Swept RPI with a 2-0-0 record and one shutout, making 42 saves over the weekend for a .955 save percentage and 1.00 goals against average.

Dillan Bentley, UML (Jr., F; Peoria, Ill.) Scored the game-winning goal in Friday’s 2-0 victory over St. Lawrence, before tallying an assist in game two against No. 20 Clarkson and scoring the team’s first goal in the shootout to help give them the both the shootout and tournament win at the Adirondack Winter Invitational.

Mirko Buttazzoni, UML (Fr., F; Langley, B.C.) Netted a game-tying breakaway goal in the second period of a 4-4 draw with No. 20 Clarkson, before adding a nice assist on a River Hawks third-period goal to finish with two points and help the squad win the Adirondack Winter Invitational in Lake Placid. He concluded the weekend with seven shots on goal.

TJ Schweighardt, UML (Jr., D; Manahawkin, N.J.) Helped the River Hawks win the Adirondack Winter Invitational in Lake Placid with an assist in game two against No. 20 Clarkson and finished the weekend with a plus-two rating and three shots on goal.

Beni Halasz, UML (Jr., G; Budapest, Hungary) Earned his second consecutive shutout in UMass Lowell’s 2-0 victory over St. Lawrence on Friday in the Adirondack Winter Invitational, making 20 saves. He has now kept opponents scoreless in his last three appearances and his last 143:34 minutes of play.

David Sacco, MC (So., F; Middleton, Mass.) Scored three times at the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, including a two goal against Harvard. He was also named the team’s player of the game in both contests.

Ryan O'Connell, MC (Fr., F; Moorestown. N.J.) Had an assist on Merrimack’s tying goal in their 6-2 loss to Harvard.

Seamus Powell, MC (So., D; Marcellus, N.Y.) Had two assists in Merrimack’s 6-2 setback to Boston University on Friday.

Max Lundgren, MC (So., G; Angelholm, Sweden) Made 47 saves on 53 shots in both games in the Friendship Four Tournament in Belfast.

Ryan MacPherson, UNH (Fr., F; Windsor, Ont.) Posted his first two points of his collegiate career with a goal and an assist in the 6-1 win over RIT on Nov. 30. He gave the Wildcats a 3-1 lead in the second period and also recorded the primary assist on the last goal of the game. MacPherson has played in six games so far this season.

Luke Reid, UNH (Sr., D; Warman, Sask.) Scored his first goal of the season and led the team with a plus-six as the Wildcats only al- lowed two goals over two wins over RIT. He posted a plus-three rating in both games and netted his first goal of the season in the 6-1 win on Saturday.

Jared Whale, UNH (Jr., G; Calgary, Alta.) Went 2-0-0 on the week over RIT allowing only two goals with a total of 37 saves for a .949 save percentage and a 1.01 goals against average. He made 21 saves on Nov. 29 in a 5-1 win, while he recorded 16 in the 6-1 win on Nov. 30. His 1.90 goals against average and .921 save percentage are ranked third in Hockey East. Whale is 6-4-2 on the season.

Tanner Adams, PC (So., F; Northport, N.Y.) Finished the weekend with two goals and one assist, helping the Friars to a 2-0 record at the Adirondack Winter Invitational in Lake Placid, N.Y. He scored the first goal in both games and assisted on John Mustard’s game-winning goal against St. Lawrence on Saturday.