The Northeast is in the midst of one of the worst snowstorms in recent history, meaning it’s a good time to stay inside and watch Hockey East. This edition will feature a recap dating all the way back to the beginning of December.
In Week 10, UConn swept Merrimack and Boston College swept UMass Lowell in two relatively insignificant series.
UMass Amherst and Northeastern split their weekend series, as did Boston University and Vermont.
The most notable matchup of the weekend was between, at the time, No. 11 Maine and New Hampshire. Despite being outshot heavily in both outings, New Hampshire took both games off the heels of two incredible Kyle Chauvette performances in net, saving 49/51 shots on the weekend for the upset sweep.
Week 11 saw very few matchups, as winter break arrived.
Providence took down Brown early in the week, while Maine won an overtime bout against Lowell in one of only two Hockey East matchups in the week.
Merrimack faced Yale and LIU on back-to-back days, taking both matchups.
Vermont was shutout by Army 3-0 in their lone game of the week, while BU and Northeastern’s lone matchup of the weekend ended in a BU OT win.
Maine hosted Lindenwood in a two-game set in which the Black Bears dominated for a sweep, rebounding off their flawed prior week.
New Hampshire’s upset runs continues, beating one of the best teams in the country in Dartmouth, in an OT upset to keep the Wildcats on the map.
Nobody from Hockey East would play for two more weeks, with week 12 kicking off with the holiday face-off featuring Boston College against reigning NCAA champions Western Michigan.
BC fell against WMU, but won the consolation against Lake Superior for third place in the tournament.
Merrimack played and won against both Brown and Vermont during the week, while UConn swept LIU in a home-and-home against the independent.
Lowell took part in the Cactus Cup in California, where they’d beat Minnesota State, but ultimately fall to St. Cloud State in the final.
Providence beat Alaska in game one of their series but would be stunned when they not only lost game two but by four goals to one of the worst teams in the country.
Vermont shut out RPI 3-0 in their lone matchup, while New Hampshire’s miracle run stalled in a split series against Colgate.
Maine flew out to Denver for a big-time matchup, with a convincing Black Bears win followed by a tie, making a statement for Maine as well as the struggling Hockey East.
Northeastern fell to Army in their lone game of the week.
Week 13 kicked off the return of conference play after the break.
UConn fell in a surprising 5-3 loss at home to UMass Lowell, though they rebounded for a convincing win in game two.
Amherst and BU, two teams fighting to stay in the rankings, each managed to win one shutout victory against the other.
Northeastern’s shortcomings continued for another week, falling in both of their two games against the Vermont Catamounts.
Providence made their presence known at home, outscoring Maine 9-1 in a statement series against one of the best that the conference has to offer.
The only non-conference of the week featured Merrimack travelling to Holy Cross, ultimately winning 5-2.
Week 14 opened with an intra-Massachusetts matchup between Boston University and Harvard, with the Terriers taking it 4-1.
BU also took on Lowell later in the week, losing game one in overtime but winning 3-0 the following day.
Amherst played Merrimack in a home-and-home in which the Minutemen took both games.
Boston College and Providence faced off, with the Friars winning both games 4-3 to continue their astronomical rise back to the top of the nation.
Vermont travelled to UConn for a two-game set, losing one game but upsetting the Huskies in the other.
Northeastern managed to fight off their downward slide, sweeping New Hampshire to slow their tumble.
This would not last long, as the now unranked Huskies opened Week 15 with a loss to Merrimack followed by another loss to them the following day.
No. 17 Maine travelled to Lowell for a series, winning game one in OT but taking game two more convincingly.
The rise of the Friars continued, as No. 11 Providence swept No. 18 BU, propelling them further into the conversation at the top of the conference.
UMass Amherst played Vermont in a two-game set, which saw the Minutemen hold the Catamounts to zero goals on the weekend.
No. 15 Boston College kept afloat with a series sweep against New Hampshire.
No. 13 UConn travelled to New Haven to defend their Connecticut Ice crown, winning the first game against Yale 5-2.
In the biggest test of their season, the Huskies took down No. 6 Quinnipiac to claim the title for the second straight year. Proving their strength and ability to beat almost anybody.
This week features the Battle of Commonwealth Ave with a lone game between No. 13 Boston College and Boston University, a preview of the upcoming Beanpot tournament.
Amherst takes on Northeastern Friday and their Lowell counterpart Riverhawks on Sunday.
New Hampshire will see Merrimack in a matchup this weekend, while Vermont plays Stonehill in a non-conference bout.