HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

#8 Merrimack advanced past #1 Providence, 3-2 in overtime, to return to the Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden for the second time in four years. Scott Borek is the first Merrimack head coach to reach the semifinals twice while graduate student Mark Hillier is the first Warrior player to do so. Sophomore Trevor Hoskin scored three goals, including both game-winning goals, to advance his team through the Opening Round and Quarterfinals.

#4 Boston College has reached the semifinals for a record-tying 28th time, toppling #5 Maine, 5-0, in the quarterfinals. Louka Cloutier made 18 saves in the shutout and became the first Eagle rookie to post a perfect game in the Hockey East Tournament since Joseph Woll in 2017.

#3 UConn returns to TD Garden for the second straight season. The Huskies have reached the championship game in each of their two previous semifinal appearances. Mike Cavanaugh’s team downed #6 Boston University, 5-3, thanks in part to two-point nights from Joey Muldowney, Jake Percival, and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg.

#2 Massachusetts seeks its first title game appearance since 2022 after moving past #7 Northeastern, 4-1. Vaclav Nestrasil and Jack Musa each had three points while Michael Hrabal made 30 saves.

Merrimack goaltender Max Lundgren became the program’s all-time single-season saves leader (1,036) on Saturday.

Tickets to the 2026 Hockey East Men’s Championship weekend at TD Garden are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com. The premier men’s college hockey conference tournament returns to Friday and Saturday, March 20-21.

BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Trevor Hoskin - Merrimack

Trevor Hoskin (So., F; Belleville, Ont.) scored three times in two playoff games, including both game-winning goals, to power Merrimack to the Hockey East semifinals.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Vaclav Nestrasil - Massachusetts

Vaclav Nestrasil (Fr., F; Prague, Czechia) logged a goal and two as- sists in UMass’ 4-1 Quarterfinal win over Northeastern. He set up the Minutemen’s first two goals of the contest and then scored an insur- ance tally in the third period that put UMass up by two. The freshman finished with a plus-two rating on the evening.

ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Viking Gustafsson Nyberg - UConn

Viking Gustafsson Nyberg (Jr., D; Stockholm, Sweden) helped UConn to a 5-3 win over Boston University in the Hockey East Quarterfinals with two assists, a plus-three rating and two blocked shots. His effort helped the Huskies advance to TD Garden for the second consecutive season.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Louka Cloutier - Boston College

Louka Cloutier (Fr., G; Sherbrooke, Que.) earned a shutout victory over Maine on Friday evening, making 18 saves to pick up his fourth shutout of the season. It was the first playoff shutout for an Eagles’ rookie netminder since 2017.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

James Hagens, BC (So., F; Hauppauge, N.Y.) Paced the Eagles with three points on two goals and one assist in a 5-0 win over Maine on Friday evening to advance to the Hockey East semifinals.

Jack Musa, UMass (Jr., F; Orange Park, Fla.) Had three points in UMass’ 4-1 Quarterfinals win over Northeastern, including the game-winning goal and two assists. The three-point night helped the junior reach 100 career points as a Minuteman.

Michael Hrabal, UMass (Jr., G; Prague, Czechia) Backstopped UMass to a 4-1 quarterfinal win over Northeastern, posting a 1.00 goals against average and a .968 save percentage for the week, turning aside 30 of the 31 shots he faced.

Jake Percival, UConn (Sr., F; Avon, Conn.) Had one goal and one assist to help the Huskies take down Boston University, 5-3, and advance to the Hockey East Semifinals at the TD Garden.

Anthony Allain-Samake, UConn (Fr., D; Gatineau, Que.) Scored the game-winning goal in a 5-3 quarterfinal over Boston University, finishing with a plus-one rating in the contest.

Nolan Flamand, MC (Fr., F; Saskatoon, Sask.) Scored a goal in each of two games in the Hockey East Tournament, helping Merrimack to the Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden.

Nathan King, MC (So., D; Victoria, B.C.) Had a goal and added an assist in a 3-2 overtime victory over #1 Providence on Saturday in the Hockey East Quarterfinals.

Max Lundgren, MC (Jr., G; Angelholm, Sweden) Made 57 saves in a pair of wins over UMass Lowell and Providence, including 34 in a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday. Lundgren also became the all-time single-season leader in saves in Merrimack history, stopping 1,036 saves thus far.