HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

Hockey East had 10 representatives on the gold-medal winning Team USA at the 2025 World Junior Championship. Boston College freshman Teddy Stiga scored the overtime goal to lift the U.S. to back-to-back golds at the WJC for the first time ever, captained by Ryan Leonard. In total, 24 of 37 USA goals in the tournament were scored by Hockey East skaters, including 12 of 15 goals in elimination games and seven of their eight goals in the semifinals and final. Boston College or Boston University contributed to 36 of 37 USA goals.

Hockey East went a perfect 8-0-0 in non-conference games on Jan. 4-5, and 11-2-0 over the weekend, to improve to 67-26-3 on the year against other leagues. The .714 winning percentage is the highest in league history.

UMass Lowell claimed its second in-season tournament title of the year, winning the inaugural Cactus Cup in Palm Beach, California. Lee Parks factored in all three goals for the River Hawks in a 3-2 win over Omaha to take the crown and was named MVP.

Maine split a weekend with reigning national champions Denver, paced by two assists from Brandon Chabrier in Saturday’s 2-1 win after dropping Friday’s result, 2-1, in the final minute of play.

New Hampshire has scored 33 goals over the last seven games and is outscoring their opposition 33-15 while going 6-0-1.

Vermont has scored 30 goals during its current five-game winning streak, lead by National Rookie of the Month Max Strand. Strand is currently riding an eight-game point streak (5g, 5a).

HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jack Williams - Northeastern

ack Williams (Jr., F; Biddeford, Maine.) tallied four points (1g, 3a) to help power Northeastern to a 5-1 win over No. 17 Quinnipiac. He had four shots on net, two blocks, and finished with a plus-five rating.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Lee Parks - UMass Lowell

Lee Parks (Fr., F; Ottawa, Ont.) factored in on all three goals of a 3-2 win in game one of the Cactus Cup against Michigan Tech, scoring the game-winning goal with 1:41 remaining in the game and assisting on the first two River Hawk goals. In game two’s tournament-clinching win against Omaha, he added an assist to finish the weekend with one goal and three assists for four points. He was named the Cactus Cup MVP for his performance.

HOCKEY EAST CO-DEFENDERS OF THE WEEK

Brandon Chabrier - Maine
Nikolai Jenson - New Hampshire

Brandon Chabrier (Jr., D; Bayville, N.Y.) recorded two assists in Maine’s 2-1 win over No. 6 Denver on Saturday. He led Hockey East with eight blocked shots and tied for the league lead among defenders with six shots on goal to go along with a plus-one rating.

Nikolai Jenson (Sr., D; Cold Spring, Minn.) posted one goal and one assist for two points as the Wildcats went 2-0-0 at Princeton. He recorded one assist in a 3-0 win on Friday and he scored the game-winning goal to break a 3-3 tie in the third period in the 4-3 win on Saturday. The goal was his second game winner of the season. He also had two blocks and was a member of a defense that only allowed three goals over two games.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Jackson Irving - Massachusetts

Jackson Irving (So., G; Newbury, Mass.) started in both games at the Desert Hockey Classic and posted a 1.51 goals against average and a .946 save percentage with 53 saves on the weekend over 119 minutes. He had 31 saves on 34 shots in a 4-2 loss to #16 Cornell. He then posted first career win, first career shutout and had first career assist in an 8-0 win over Robert Morris, stopping all 22 shots he faced.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Ryan Tattle, UConn (Jr., F; Port Moody, B.C.) Scored two goals, including the game-winning goal, and added an assist to help UConn defeat Harvard, 7-3, on Friday. All of Tattle’s points came in the third period and sparked a five-goal period to complete a come-from-behind victory.

Kaden Shahan, UConn (Fr., F; Everett, Wash.) Netted a game-tying goal in the second period of UConn’s 7-3 come-from-behind win over Harvard on Friday.

Callum Tung, UConn (Fr., G; Port Moody, B.C.) Saved 16 of 19 shots in a 7-3 win over Harvard.

David Breazeale, Maine (Sr., D; Jenison, Mich.) Scored the game-winning goal in Maine’s come-from-behind win over No. 6 Denver. He recorded two blocked shots and four shots on goal over the weekend with a plus-one rating.

Albin Boija, Maine (So., G; Sundsvall, Sweden) Stopped 42 of 45 shots in a split weekend with No. 6 Denver.

Aydar Suniev, UMass (So., F; Kazan, Russia) Logged five points in two games at the Desert Hockey Classic on two goals and three assists with two power-play goals and a game winner. He registered an assist in a 4-2 loss to #16 Cornell then led UMass to an 8-0 win over Robert Morris with two power-play goals and two assists.

Scout Truman, UML (Jr., F; Lethbridge, Alta.) Helped the River Hawks to the inaugural Cactus Cup victory in Palm Desert, California. In Saturday’s 3-2 championship game victory against Omaha, Truman scored twice in the third period, including the game-winning goal to lift UMass Lowell to their second trophy of the season. He now leads the team with eight goals scored on the year.

Jack Robilotti, UML (Gr., D; New York, N.Y.) Scored UML’s second goal of the Cactus Cup championship game, his first of the season and first as a River Hawk, to spark He also tallied two blocks on the other end.

Beni Halasz, UML (Jr., G; Budapest, Hungary) Helped lead the River Hawks to the Cactus Cup victory with his 18-save performance in Saturday’s 3-2 victory against Omaha. He held the Mavericks scoreless through two periods and made crucial saves to keep the River Hawks in the control of the game and claim the win.

Zach Bookman, MC (So., D; Syracuse, N.Y.) Had four points in two wins last weekend over Army and Dartmouth, including a three point game against Army (1g, 2a) and the game-winning assist in a 2-1 win over No. 17 Dartmouth.

Caelan Fitzpatrick, MC (Fr., F; Moose Jaw, Sask.) Registered three points this weekend for the Warriors, including assisting both goals in Merrimack’s 2-1 win over No. 17 Dartmouth on Sunday.

Max Lundgren, MC (So., G; Angelholm, Sweden) Made 21 saves on 23 shots in a 5-2 win over Army on Friday.

Jared Whale, UNH (Jr., G; Calgary, Alta.) Went 2-0-0 at Princeton with a 1.50 goals against average and a .900 save percentage as he made 27 saves and allowed three goals. He recorded his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 win on Friday with 15 saves, while he posted 12 saves on Saturday in the 4-3 win.

Dylan Hryckowian, NU (So., F; Île Bizard, Que.) Recorded his first career hat trick en route to a 5-1 win to upset No. 17 Quinnipiac. He added four shots and was plus-three rating.

Cameron Whitehead, NU (So., G; Orleans, Ont.) Finished with a .972 save percentage in a 5-1 upset over No. 17 Quinnipiac, making 35 saves in the win.

Simon Jellus, UVM (Sr., F; Ilava, Slovakia) Racked up three points (1g, 2a) in an 8-1 win over St. Lawrence.

Max Strand, UVM (Fr., F; Roseau, Minn.) Extended his point streak to eight games (5g, 5a) with one goal and one assist in an 8-1 win over St. Lawrence.