HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

#1 UConn claimed the top seed and first regular season crown in program history to earn home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Huskies are seeking their first Bertagna Trophy as Hockey East Tournament champions and have advanced to the title game in three of the last six years.

The Opening Round of the league’s 22nd postseason begins February 28 with two games. #10 Holy Cross travels to #7 Boston University in search of the Crusaders first-ever postseason win since joining Hockey East in 2018-19. It marks the first postseason meeting of the two teams. Holy Cross was 2-1-0 against BU in the regular season.

#9 Merrimack will travel to #8 Maine for their first clash in the Hockey East Tournament. It is Maine’s first appearance in the Opening Round and earned home ice on the final day of the regular season, while Merrimack is a perfect 2-0 on the road in the Opening Round. The Warriors were 2-0-1 against the Black Bears this season.

The 2023 Hockey East Women’s Tournament Championship will be played Saturday, March 9 at 12:00pm. The game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPNU.

Maine’s Ida Kuoppala (15g, 11a) and Vermont’s Natalie Mlynkova (15g, 11a) end the regular season with a share of the Hockey East scoring title at 26 points each in 27 league games.

UConn’s Megan Warrener claimed the best goals against average in league play at 1.01, allowing just 12 goals in 12 Hockey East games played and posting a 10-1-1 record.

HOCKEY EAST CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Tia Chan - UConn
Ida Kuoppala - Maine

Tia Chan (Jr., G; Milton, Ont.) stopped all 58 shots she faced in a weekend sweep of Boston University, collecting her sixth shutout in Hockey East play this season. Her perfect performance delivered UConn its first regular season crown in program history as the Huskies earned the No. 1 seed in the Hockey East Tournament.

Ida Kuoppala (Gr., F; Pendersore, Finland) had a four-point weekend to help Maine secure home ice in the Hockey East Opening Round, posting two goals and two assists in a sweep at Holy Cross. She had the primary assist on both game-winning goals. She finished the regular season with a share of the Hockey East scoring crown, accumulating 26 points on 15 goals and 11 assists.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Sam Morrison - Maine

Sam Morrison (Fr., F; Dominion, N.S.) helped Maine secure home ice in the Hockey East Opening Round with three goals and one assist in a sweep at Holy Cross. She scored both game-winning goals for the Black Bears, including the overtime strike on Friday in a 2-1 victory to position Maine for home ice on the final day. She fired nine shots on net.

ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Lily Hendrikson - Providence

Lily Hendrikson (Jr., D; Edina, Minn.) led all NCAA defenders last week with three points in a sweep of Merrimack. She scored the game-winning goal in a 4-1 win on Friday and added two primary assists on Saturday.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Jessie McPherson - Vermont

Jessie McPherson (Sr., G; Chatham, Ont.) Tallied 29 saves and a shutout in Vermont’s 2-0 win over No. 12 Northeastern on Friday night. McPher- son followed the next day with a 31 save performance in UVM’s 1-1 tie with Northeastern, making 60 total saves in an undefeated road swing.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Gaby Roy, BC (Sr., F; Marshfield, Mass.) Scored in both games against UNH this weekend, picking up two points. She had eight shots on goal in the pair of contests.

Sammy Taber, BC (Fr., F; Tewksbury, Mass.) Added a goal and an assist to push her point totals to eight tallies and 15 helpers on the year in league play. Her 23 points were tied for third-most in Hockey East among all players.

Keri Clougherty, BC (Jr., D; Lynn, Mass.) Had 10 blocked shots in two games against UNH, including a game-high six on Saturday.s

Kathryn Stockdale, UConn (Sr., F; Ottawa, Ont.) Finished the weekend with two assists that helped the Huskies take down Boston University and claim the regular season title.

Alexia Moreau, HC (So., F; Louiseville, Que.) Had one goal, one assists and three blocks on the weekend. She scored in game one of the Maine game and had an assist in game two as well as all three blocks.

Emily Crovo, HC (Fr., F; Melrose, Mass.) Had two blocks and an assist on the weekend. She had the two blocks in game one against Maine and had an assist on Saturday.

Taylor Cantelon, HC (So., D; Oakville, Ont.) Blocked four shots against Maine and scored her first collegiate goal on Saturday.

Abigail Hornung, HC (So., G; Ashland, Mass.) Made her first collegiate start in net for the Crusaders against Maine on Friday, making a total of 41 saves in the outing, a career high.

Elise Morphy, Maine (Sr., D; Regina, Sask.) Dished out two assists, one in each game of a road sweep at Holy Cross.

Jorden Mattison, Maine (Sr., G; Fenwick, Ont.) Made 61 saves and allowed four goals while backboning Maine to a weekend sweep at Holy Cross.

Annie Berry, UNH (Gr., F; Milton, Mass.) Recorded three goals, including a game-winning tally, and three assists for a total of six points to lead UNH to a sweep of Boston College that lifted the Wildcats past the Eagles into third place in the Army ROTC Hockey East standings. Her other stats included two blocks and a plus-four rating.

Sydney Leonard, UNH (Fr., F; St. Bonifacius, Minn.) Registered three points, all assists, as well as one block and a plus-three rating as UNH swept Boston College to lift the Wildcats past the Eagles into third place in the Army ROTC Hockey East standings. Leonard recorded her first career multiple-assist game and matched her personal best of two points with a pair of helpers in Saturday’s 6-4 road win.

Sedona Blair, UNH (Fr., G; Eden Prairie, Minn.) Stopped 53 of 58 shots for a .914 save percentage and 2.50 GAA in UNH’s two-game sweep of BC. Blair made 28 saves for a .966 save percentage in the 3-1 win. Blair climbed to second on UNH’s leader board for single-season saves at 874; the program’s single-season record is 886.

Grace Shirley, PC (Gr., F; Saskatoon, Sask.) Recorded three points in a sweep of Merrimack with a goal and an assist on Friday and scoring the Friars’ first goal on Saturday, which proved to be the game-winning strike. She was also second in the NCAA with a plus-five on-ice rating.

Hope Walinski, PC (Jr., G; Lincoln, R.I.) Made 31 saves on 32 shots, including a 17-save shutout of Merrimack in a weekend sweep.

Lily Humphrey, UVM (Gr., F; Huntington, Calif.) Scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period to lift Vermont past No. 12 Northeastern on Friday night. On Saturday, Humphrey netted the equalizing goal with 2:11 remaining in regulation to secure the tie for Vermont.