With all the hubbub around Selection Sunday and the excitement of the upcoming March Madness, there is a championship that often gets overshadowed during this time of the year.
That is the annual Hockey East Men’s Championship.
These three games will take place at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. with two semi-final games at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 22. The final game will commence at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, where the Hockey East Champions will be crowned.
Not only has this been a historical year for NCAA men’s hockey, but especially the Hockey East conference. Whether it be the plethora of first-round draft picks who joined the Boston College Eagles this season or future first-round draft pick Macklin Celebrini and the Boston University Terriers, plenty of teams have excelled.
Here are previews of the matchups that are set to take place this weekend:
Massachusetts vs. Boston College (4 p.m.)
No. 16 University of Massachusetts men’s hockey program is coming off a high after beating the No. 13 ranked Providence College Friars 3-1 on Saturday, March 16.
The Minutemen are making their first semi-final appearance since 2022, when they won the Championship, beating the UConn Huskies 2-1.
This year, they are set to be real contenders in this tournament.
Junior defenseman Scott Morrow and freshman forward Jack Musa have been generating quite a lot of offense for the Minutemen this year. With Morrow’s physicality and Musa’s high hockey IQ, the Minutemen average about three goals per game.
In front of the net, freshman Michael Hrabal has notched a 91% save percentage, being a force to be reckoned on every opportunity that a puck enters his crease.
Now, let’s talk about the Boston College Eagles and their star-studded roster.
They currently have three freshmen on their roster who were drafted last year in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. This includes forward Will Smith, forward Ryan Leonard and forward Gabe Perrault.
They have all proven to be the focal points of the Eagles’ offense and Smith has the second-most goals with 18, behind 2022 Philadelphia Flyers’ pick Cutter Gauthier’s 32 goals.
Leonard is also a very physical player, known to throw punches here and there, but always does his part to help the team out offensively. Even though they don’t generate a lot of shots on goal, the shots they take are always right on the money.
It’s also very crucial that we recognize Jacob Fowler, the 2023 NHL Draft second-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens. He has been a brick wall for the Eagles, holding a 92% save percentage. He’s stood on his head on multiple occasions, like when they faced the UConn Huskies in the Hockey East Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Eagles may have won the game 5-4, but if it weren’t for Fowler’s savvy obstructions of the puck in his crease, fans might’ve seen a different outcome.
This matchup could go one of two ways, very high scoring or very low scoring. With offensive powerhouses on both sides, my prediction will see a very high-scoring game take place and the Eagles will come out with the dub.
Avery’s Final Score Prediction: 6-5 Boston College in Overtime
Maine vs. Boston University (7:30 p.m.)
The University of Maine Black Bears are currently sitting at No. 8 in the nation and have had a pretty historic season with multiple players stepping up.
Brothers Bradly and Josh Nadeau have been the leaders of the teams’ offense this season, both having 19 and 18 goals on the season, respectively.
Goaltender Albin Boija has also been a commanding presence on the team’s defense with a 92% save percentage.
They will face up against the red-hot No. 2 ranked Boston University Terriers.
Freshman forward Celebrini has been the star of the team this season with 30 goals and defenseman Lane Huston has been the behind-the-scenes contributor with 32 assists.
The Terriers are known to be an extremely physical team, but between the Minutemen and the Black Bears, Maine has had the best chance of making it to the Championship if they shut down the duo of Celebrini and Hutson.
Avery’s Final Score Prediction: 2-1 Boston University in Regulation
With my final score predictions listed above, that would mean a Boston College vs. Boston University Championship. This would be a monumental matchup to see the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation in a championship setting in their home city.
Avery’s Championship Prediction: 3-1 Terriers in OT
It is sure to be quite an exciting weekend for hockey in New England. If you can’t make it to see these teams’ showdown against one another, you can watch the games on NESN or stream it on ESPN+.
Looking forward to BU scoring the illustration 2 point goal in overtime!
illustrious*