HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

Boston University won 2026 Friendship Series in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the first time the women’s series featured four teams. The Terriers earned a shootout win over No. 8 Quinnipiac to advance to the finals, where they downed Harvard, 3-2, to claim the Belpot. Sydney Healey scored two goals in the semifinals to bring BU back from a 2-0 deficit. Mari Pietersen stopped 63 shots on the weekend, and all three shootout attempts from Quinnipiac in the semifinal, to backbone the Terriers and earn MVP honors.

Vermont swept Dartmouth in a pair of one-goal games. Rookie netminder Zoe Cliche pitched an 18-save shutout in Friday’s 1-0 victory and kicked out 26 in a 2-1 road win the next day. Stella Retrum factored in on both goals of the 2-1 triumph, setting up the game-tying goal before scoring the game winner late in the second period.

Maine is currently on a four-game winning streak after Lulu Rucinski scored both goals of a 2-1 win over Holy Cross on Saturday. The rookie blueliner also set up the game-winning goal in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Brown in Portland.

Tia Chan paced UConn to a sweep over Providence in league play, making 62 saves on 63 shots she faced over the weekend. Saturday’s 31-save shutout was the third perfect game of her season and the 10th start of the 2025-26 campaign with at least 30 stops.

New Hampshire swept Long Island University and is now 4-1-1 in its last six outings. Sadie Makokis racked up five points on a goal and four assists while Nina Rossi posted two goals and two assists of her own.

HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Mari Pietersen - Boston University

Mari Pietersen (Jr., G; Goodwood, Ont.) made 36 saves in a 2-2 draw with No. 8 Quinnipiac and denied all three shootout attempts from the Bobcats to backbone the Terriers into the 2026 Friendship Series championship game. She then made 27 saves to deliver the Belpot to Boston University in a 3-2 win over Harvard and was named Tournament MVP.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Zoe Cliche - Vermont

Zoe Cliche (Fr., G; Ottawa, Ont.) backboned the Catamounts to a weekend sweep over Dartmouth, including an 18-save shutout in a 1-0 win on Friday, her second perfect game of the season. She followed up with a 26-save performance in a 2-1 road win. Overall she posted 44 saves on 45 shots against and a .978 save percentage in the two games.

ARMY ROTC CO-DEFENDERS OF THE WEEK

Lulu Rucinski - Maine
Sadie Makokis - New Hampshire

Lulu Rucinski (Fr., D; Orono, Minn.) scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Holy Cross Saturday after earning an assist on the game-winning goal over No. 15 Brown on Tuesday. She finished the two-game sweep with a plus-four rating three blocks. Maine is now unbeaten in its last four games (3-0-1) and 4-1-1 in its last six since Nov. 28.

Sadie Makokis (Jr., D; St. Albert, Alta.) helped UNH to a sweep of LIU with five points (1g, 4a), dishing out three assists in a 4-0 shutout win on Saturday before adding a goal and another helper in a 6-1 victory on Sunday. She also posted a plus-three rating and assisted on both game-winning goals.

STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Tia Chan - UConn

Tia Chan (Gr., G; Hamilton, Ont.) made 62 saves on 63 shots faced in UConn’s sweep of Providence. On Friday, Chan made 31 saves in a 4-1 win, 18 of them coming in the third period. On Saturday, she earned her third shutout of the year, making 31 saves for her 10th game with at least 30 stops this year.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Sydney Healey, BU (Sr., F; Arthur, Ont.) Scored both of BU’s goals in a 2-2 tie and eventual shootout win against No. 8 Quinnipiac in the semifinals of the 2026 Friendship Series in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The senior buoyed the Terriers after BU fell down 2-0.

Lexie Bertelsen, BU (Fr., F; Belmont, Ont.) Assisted on BU’s first goal in a 3-2 win over Harvard to help BU win the 2026 Friendship Series. She is leading BU freshmen in points with six and assists with five this season.

Maeve Kelly, BU (Sr., D; Victoria, Minn.) Set up the championship-winning goal at the 2026 Friendship Series with 7:14 remaining in regulation. She added one blocked shot in the title game and two in the semifinals, a 2-2 win over No. 8 Quinnipiac.

Julia Pellerin, UConn (Jr., F; Windham, N.H.) Helped UConn to a sweep of Providence with a goal and three assists to go along with eight shots on net. In Friday’s 4-1 win, Pellerin scored the game-winning goal and later assisted UConn’s fourth goal helping secure the victory. On Saturday, Pellerin dished out two more assists for her second consecutive multi-point game.

Sade Sandilands, Maine (Fr., D; Carstairs, Alta.) Scored a goal in a 3-2 win over No. 15 Brown on Dec. 30 in Portland, Maine and assisted on the game-winning strike on Jan. 3 against Holy Cross. She finished the week with a plus-two rating and had four blocks.

Madisyn Ryan, Maine (So., G; Corona, Calif.) Earned her second career win in just her second career start on Dec. 30, making 23 saves in a 3-2 win over No. 15 Brown.

Avery Anderson, MC (Sr., F; Arvada, Colo.) Factored in on both scores in Merrimack’s 2-2 draw with Bemidji State on Sunday, scoring once and assisting on the other goal.

Kerttu Lehmus, MC (Fr., F; Orivesi, Finland) Founded the back of the net in a 3-1 setback to Bemidji State on Saturday.

Maggie Kime, MC (So., D; Plymouth, Mich.) Had the primary assist on the game-tying goal in 2-2 draw with Bemidji State on Sunday.

Adreanna Doucette, MC (So., G; Millbury, Mass.) Made 28 saves on 30 shots faced in a 2-2 draw with Bemidji State.

Nina Rossi, UNH (Fr., F; Pittsgrove, N.J.) Registered a four-point (2g, 2a) weekend with a goal and an assist in each game of New Hampshire’s sweep of LIU. She pushed her point streak to six games (4g, 6a) dating back to Nov. 30. She put nine shots on net and recorded a plus-two rating.

Noemi Martinez, UNH (Jr., G; Glen Ridge, N.J.) Stood tall in net for the Wildcats in a 6-1 win over LIU on Sunday (Jan. 4), turning away 24-of-25 shots faced for a .960 save percentage.

Stella Retrum, UVM (Jr., F; Maple Grove, Minn.) Factored in on both goals of a 2-1 win at Dartmouth on Saturday, setting up the game-tying goal before scoring the game winner late in the second period. She put a total of nine shots on net across a sweep of the Big Green.