HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES
The Opening Round of the league’s 24th postseason begins Wednesday, February 25. #10 Merrimack travels to #7 Maine as the Warriors put their unblemished 4-0 record in the Opening Round on the line once again. The two teams have met just once in the playoffs, a 2-1 Merrimack overtime win in the 2024 Opening Round in Orono.
#9 Providence will travel to #8 Boston University for the programs’ fifth meeting in the Hockey East Women’s Tournament, their first since 2021, and their first in the Opening Round. The Terriers hold a 3-1 edge all-time. Boston University went 2-0-1 over the Friars with a shootout win during the regular season.
Two quarterfinal pairings are already known. #3 Boston College has earned a top-four seed in the tournament each year since 2010, the longest such streak in league history and will play host to #6 Vermont. The Eagles have won each of the previous four meetings in the Hockey East playoffs, including a quarterfinal series sweep in their most recent clash in 2018. Vermont was unbeaten in two home games against Boston College, going 1-0-1 with the tie coming in a 0-0 stalemate on Nov. 1 that saw both goaltenders make at least 30 saves.
#5 New Hampshire will hit the road to #4 Holy Cross as the Crusaders secured their best finish ever in Hockey East play as their previous highest seed was nine. These two teams have twice met in the Opening Round, most recently in 2023, and the Wildcats have a 2-0 mark in those outings. Holy Cross and New Hampshire played three regular season games, each going 1-1-1.
#1 Northeastern claimed the top seed and regular season crown for the sixth time
in program history. The Huskies have advanced to the title game in each of the
last nine seasons, including six straight titles from 2018-23, while the other three
championship games have all needed overtime to decide a winner. Northeastern
will challenge the lowest remaining seed from the Opening Round. The other
Wednesday winner will travel to Toscano Family Ice Forum to face off with #2
UConn on Saturday.
BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Emma Conner -
Boston College
Claire Murdoch - UConn
Emma Conner (Gr., F; Edina, Minn.) paced the Eagles with three goals and one assist for four points in a 2-0-0 weekend, helping BC secure the third seed in the Hockey East Women’s Tournament. She recorded a three-point performance (2g, 1a) in a 5-2 win over UNH on Friday before adding a goal in a 4-0 shutout of Boston University to end the regular season. Conner finished the weekend with a plus-five rating.
Claire Murdoch (So., F; Toronto, Ont.)
was tops in Hockey East last weekend
with five points on four goals and one
assist, totaling 11 shots on net. In Friday’s
overtime loss to Northeastern she factored on both UConn goals, assisting the
Huskies opening goal and then later scoring a go-ahead goal at the end of the first
period. On Saturday, Murdoch recorded
her first career hat trick, helping lift UConn
over Merrimack. Murdoch has multi-point
efforts in four of her last five games.
PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Stryker Zablocki - Northeastern
Stryker Zablocki (Fr., F; Prince Albert, Sask.) scored three goals,
the most of any first-year player in the NCAA last week, and added
one assist in two wins over No. 6 UConn and Providence. Zablocki
had goals in both games and finished with a plus-three rating. Her
four points were second among her classmates nationally.
ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Maeve Kelly - Boston University
Maeve Kelly (Sr., D; Victoria, Minn.) Netted her first goal of the
season in a 3-1 win against Providence, which proved to be the
game-winner and came on the power play. She also registered an
assist on an empty net goal and blocked one shot.
STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Grace Campbell - Boston College
Grace Campbell (Sr., G; Kensington, Md.) went 2-0-0 with a 1.00
goals-against average and a .961 save percentage, making 49
saves on 51 shots in 120 minutes of action. She recorded a 24-save
shutout against Boston University and allowed just two total goals on
the weekend.
HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS
Ava Thomas, BC (Fr., F; Downingtown, Pa.) Posted one goal and two assists for three points, including a short-handed goal, in a 4-0 win over BU. She finished the weekend with a plus-two rating.
Olivia Maffeo, BC (So., D; Canton, Mass.) Recorded one goal and one assist and posted a plus-three rating while helping anchor a Boston College defense that allowed just two goals in two wins.
Luisa Welcke, BU (Sr., F; Heidelberg, Germany) In her first game back from the Olympics, she accrued two points in a win against Providence with a goal and an assist. She scored the empty netter for BU’s third goal and was a plus-two in the win.
Lexie Bertelsen, BU (Fr., F; Belmont, Ont.) Scored the opening goal for BU in a 3-1 win over Providence. She now leads BU freshmen in goals (4) and points (9).
Michelle Pasiechnyk, BU (Gr., G; Ottawa, Ont.) Went 1-1-0, stopping 41 shots in a 3-1 win over Providence on senior night. She then made 20 saves in a 4-0 loss at Boston College. Maya Serdachny, UConn (Jr., D; Edmonton, Alta.) Had one assist with four shots on net and one block in a split weekend.
Abby Hornung, HC (Sr., G; Ashland, Mass.) Made 39 saves and allowed just one five-on-five goal during Friday’s 2-1 overtime setback to Vermont, securing the point that gave Holy Cross their highest-ever finish in the Hockey East standings.
Kiia Lahtinen, Maine (So., G; Porvoo, Finland) Kicked out all 29 shots she faced in a 2-0 win at Merrimack, helping Maine secure the seven seed in the Hockey East Tournament and hosting duties in the Opening Round. It was her fifth career blank sheet.
Mady Cipolla, MC (So., F; Bowie, Md.) Scored two goals in a 4-3 setback to No. 6 Conn on Saturday.
Nina Rossi, UNH (Fr., F; Pittsgrove, N.J.) In the final weekend of the regular season, netted a goal in the third period against Boston College before providing a one-goal, one-assist performance against Vermont, totaling three points on the weekend and extending her point streak to a career-high seven games (3g, 6a).
Allie Lalonde, NU (Jr., F; Irvine, Calif.) Posted a four-point weekend with one goal and three assists to lead Northeastern to two wins over No. 6 UConn and Providence. Lalonde posted multi-point efforts in both games, while finishing plus-two and with three blocks.
Rylie Jones, NU (Jr., D; North Chelmsford, Mass.) Potted one goal and had two assists in a 2-0-0 weekend for Northeastern. Against No. 6 UConn, Jones tallied her first career power-play goal. She then had two assists against Providence. Jones finished the weekend plus-one and with three blocks.
Reichen Kirchmair, PC (Sr., F; Oakville, Ont.) Registered her 100th career point on a goal (55g, 45a) to become the 29th player in program history to reach the mark.
Oona Havana, UVM (So., F; Turku, Finland) Netted her first career hat trick on Saturday in a 6-5 win at New Hampshire, including a between-the-legs goal in overtime to secure the six seed for Vermont in the Hockey East Tournament.
Ashley Kokavec, UVM (Jr., D; Parkland, Fla.) Had a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win at Holy Cross on Friday while adding a career-high eight shots on net.
