Tag Archives: Hockey East

Apr 25 2013

Mass. College Hockey: Eight Hockey East Teams To Take Part In Frozen Fenway 2014

By Matt Noonan 

There’ll be hockey at Fenway Park next January as eight Hockey East teams will take part in two doubleheaders at Frozen Fenway 2014, according to the league’s press release this afternoon.

“We are excited about the return of hockey to Fenway,” said Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna in a statement. “We are particularly pleased that with these two doubleheaders, all of our men’s programs will have had the opportunity to experience Frozen Fenway, including the University of Notre Dame, our newest member.”

Hockey East Logo

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia.com

The first doubleheader will occur on Saturday, January 4, 2014, as Merrimack College will face-off against Providence College, which will be followed by Notre Dame and Boston College.

UMass Lowell and Northeastern University will skate against each other in the first game the following Saturday, January 11, before Boston University and Maine face-off in the second game.

Boston’s Mayor Tom Menino, who was quoted in the release, expressed his excitement for the return of Frozen Fenway by saying, “Last year, more than 90,000 people came to Fenway Park to watch college or high school hockey or enjoy free public skating.”

Excluding the eight hockey games, there will be two free public skating days for the City of Boston residents, too.

Game times and ticket information for both doubleheaders will be announced at a later date.

For more information on the Hockey East – HOP HERE

Mar 24 2013

Mass. College Hockey: BU Falls To Minnesota In National Title Game

By NoontimeSports.com 

Courtesy of the Boston University sports information department, here’s this evening’s release about the women’s hockey team, who lost to the University of Minnesota in the National Title Game:

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Playing in the program’s second national title game in the last three seasons, the No. 2 Boston University women’s ice hockey team dropped a 6-3 decision to top-ranked Minnesota on Sunday afternoon at Ridder Arena.

BU (28-6-3) finished its eighth varsity season with a program-record 28 wins and its third Hockey East title in the last four seasons. Nine seniors will graduate as the first senior class to advance to the NCAA tournament in each of their four seasons. Minnesota completed a perfect season with its 41st win to claim the program’s fifth national title.

Junior co-captain Marie-Philip Poulin potted a goal and added an assist while her linemates, freshman Sarah Lefort and senior Jenelle Kohanchuk, each had a goal of their own. Eight different Terriers recorded a point on the afternoon.

Junior goaltender Kerrin Sperry completed her record season with a 23-save effort on Sunday. She made several tremendous saves and won a program-record 24 games this season. Senior co-captain Jill Cardella and classmate Kathryn Miller never missed a game in their collegiate careers, playing in their 151st game in a BU uniform on Sunday.

Lefort had a golden opportunity to give BU a 1-0 lead 5:45 into the proceedings thanks to a great individual effort. She blocked a shot at the top of the BU zone and then raced in alone on Gopher goaltender Noora Raty, but her attempt was denied.

Not to be outdone, Sperry made three big saves against Amanda Kessel’s line with about 11:30 to go in the first period, including one from point-blank range below the left circle. However, the Gophers eventually broke through at the 11:38 mark of the period when Mira Jalosuo scored from the left circle on a power play to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead.

The Gophers extended their lead to 2-0 with 1:28 left in the first frame. With BU on its first power play of the game, Hannah Brandt created a 2-on-1 chance only to have her initial attempt stopped by Sperry. The rebound went behind the net and Brandt banked the puck off of Sperry and into the back of the net.

Lefort tied the game just 16 seconds later with one second remaining on the power play. Poulin had the puck on the left half-wall and got it to sophomore Shannon Stoneburgh at the left point. Stoneburgh’s shot was stopped by Raty, but Lefort pulled the rebound from Raty’s pads and quickly backhanded the puck home for her 24th goal of the season.

Minnesota controlled the tempo for the early part of the second stanza, but BU held its own thanks to strong shot blocking and steady goaltending by Sperry. The Terriers enjoyed a couple good chances, including a 2-on-1 chance by Lefort and Kohanchuk, but Raty was equal to the task.

It became a 3-1 Gopher lead at the 16:02 mark of the second period when Kessel fired a one-timer past Sperry from the right circle. After the Gophers went to a power play, they scored with 11.8 seconds remaining in the frame to take a 4-1 lead into the third period.

With the Terriers on a power play early in the third period, Poulin cut the deficit to 4-2 just 1:48 into the period when her blast from the top of the zone got by Raty. It was Poulin’s 19th goal of the season and 55th point of the campaign. Junior Shannon Doyle and Cardella each assisted on the goal.

Sperry robbed Kessel with 15:40 left in the third period with what was likely her best save of the afternoon. Kessel made a great move to get around a defender, but Sperry was in great position and turned aside Kessel’s bid.

Poulin nearly cut the Gophers’ lead to just a goal at 4-3 after she dangled through the defense, but her chance was turned aside by the blocker of Raty. On the ensuing rush down the other end of the ice, the Gophers made it a 5-2 game when Rachel Ramsey converted a tap-in the crease.

BU never gave up, however, and the Terriers made it a 5-3 game with an extra-attacker goal at the 17:08 mark of the period. Junior Kaleigh Fratkin’s shot was blocked by a defender, but Kohanchuk quickly collected the puck and scored her team-leading 25th goal of the season. Kessel completed the scoring with an empty-net goal with 51 seconds remaining in regulation.

In just eight seasons as a varsity program, BU remains the only Hockey East school to advance to an NCAA title game. The Terriers have won four NCAA tournament games, including two at Walter Brown Arena.

Mar 23 2013

Mass. College Hockey: UML’s Arnold Connects On Wraparound Clincher

By Matt Noonan 

BOSTON, MA – UMass Lowell may not always be linked to Boston College and Boston University, two clubs that have experienced a great deal of success in the college hockey world over the past few decades, but this season the River Hawks turned the tables by capturing their first Hockey East regular season crown and conference championship on Saturday with a 1-0 victory against the Terriers at the TD Garden.

Derek Arnold secured the win for UML as he corralled the puck behind the BU cage and netted the game-winner at 11:09 in the third, which sent the Blue and Red supporters into a frenzy.

“It’s pretty special,” Arnold said of his game-winning strike. “I had a large group of family here tonight, they were in a box, and growing up me and my dad used to come every year (and we’d see) BC and BU win this tournament every year, so it’s very, very special for Lowell to win it.”

Arnold’s late-game strike wasn’t his first in this year’s conference tournament as he netted the game-winner against Maine last Friday in overtime to secure the River Hawks a trip to Causeway Street.

When it came to his goal this evening – a wraparound – Arnold explained his short stick hasn’t always allowed him to score that way, but something worked tonight as he deposited the puck into Sean Maguire’s net to seal the win.

“(The puck) went off Scott Wilson’s skate and it kind of went almost to the corner, but I was kind of down deep and it kind of went right on my stick and Maguire was way out of the net, so I just saw some daylight like I said and I took it to the net,” said Arnold.

“I’m usually not too successful on wraparounds because I’ve got a small stick, but for tonight to get that it was pretty cool.”

UML had never won a conference championship and lost its two meetings against BU in 1994 and 2009, but the third time proved to be the difference.

“We have some confidence and once we get rolling we’re rolling,” explained Arnold. “We had an 11 or 12 game unbeaten streak earlier (this season), and we won the regular season, so now we win this and hopefully we’ll see what happens tomorrow and see where we’re going, so it should be cool.

“Last year we got bounced out in that last game down in Bridgeport, so (we’re) hoping for a better result this year.”

Mar 23 2013

Mass. College Hockey: BU’s Postgame Reactions (VIDEO)

By NoontimeSports.com 

After their team’s 6-3 win against Boston College on Friday in the Hockey East semifinals, Boston University’s Evan Rodrigues and Danny O’Regan, as well as coach Jack Parker, discussed their thoughts on the victory and what the Terriers need to do to earn a win this evening against UMass Lowell.

The interviews, which we’ve provided below, are courtesy of the Hockey East YouTube Channel.

 

  

Mar 23 2013

Mass. College Hockey: BU Remains Focused On Winning A Championship

Boston University Logo

By Matt Noonan

BOSTON, MA – Jack Parker must have said something motivational to his troops during a media timeout last night during the Hockey East semifinals against Boston College.

The Eagles, who were leading the Terriers by two tallies midway through the second frame, appeared to have all the momentum on their side. Yet, something was different, especially about this particular match.

Boston College has always felt at home at the TD Garden. They’ve won four consecutive Boston Beanpot championships, as well as the last three conference crowns, too. And even though history appeared to be on their side with a two-goal advantage, their momentum vanished after two quick strikes from BU’s Evan Rodrigues and Matt Lane, which tied the game at 2.

Lane’s goal, his fourth of the season, was what really changed the contest as the first-year forward stole a pass off a face-off in his team’s zone and raced down the ice to net the equalizer.

“I don’t know if we got complacent, but they got a few lucky breaks, we didn’t catch those breaks and I think we kind of got away from what made us successful in the first 35 minutes,” said BC’s Pat Mullane, who watched Lane’s goal from the bench.

“I don’t think guys sat back, we still attacked, but maybe just the bounces didn’t go our way tonight.”

BU’s offensive onslaught continued with a go-ahead goal from Garrett Noonan, who didn’t appear in his team’s last three contests, late in the second, which pushed the Terriers ahead for good.

Danny O’Regan, a member of this year’s Hockey East 2013 Pro-Ambitions All-Rookie Team, tacked on two power play goals early in the third to seal the win for the Terriers and setup a rematch of the 2009 conference championship against UMass Lowell, who defeated Providence College in the first game on Friday.

The win was certainly an impressive performance for a BU team that had struggled in January and February, but entered the contest on a four-game winning streak, two of which came last weekend against Merrimack College in the first round of the tournament. And while the players know this is Parker’s last ride, they certainly don’t seem interested in concluding their season without some hardware.

“I think especially after the first period we kind of realized that he’s such a great coach that we weren’t going to let him lose to BC at the Garden,” said O’Regan. “We were willing to do whatever it took.”

BU appeared flat following the opening face-off and destined to skate off the ice with a loss, but whatever Parker said to his squad during that timeout provided the Terriers with the necessary spark to rally and beat the Eagles.

“We have our backs to the wall, we played pretty well down the stretch here, but buried ourselves earlier in January and February, (especially) early February and we have to win to continue the season,” said Parker.

“After the way we played in the Garden (during the Beanpot tournament), I didn’t think we were going to be here this time, but the way we fought back and got home ice and took advantage of home ice by beating a really good Merrimack team and then get by BC tonight (was good for our team). I’m very proud of these guys and very happy for them and they have a chance to play a championship, (so) we’ll see what happens.”

It certainly will be an emotional night for the Red and White, who will once again be the underdog against a River Hawks club that’s 6-1 in the current month. And even though they haven’t defeated UMass Lowell this season, don’t expect the Terriers to lie down. Friday’s game proved that BU is determined to extend their season for another week, as well as do whatever is necessary to pull out a win.

“It’s obviously good to beat BC in the Garden,” said Noonan. “I don’t know if we have yet in my career here, but the jobs not done yet and we need to win tomorrow and it was a good win tonight.”

Mar 22 2013

Mass. College Hockey: UMass Lowell 2, Providence 1 (Game Summary)

UML's Scott Wilson secured the River Hawks a spot in Saturday's Hockey East Championship with a goal at 12:30 in the third! (Photo Credit: Hockey East)

UML’s Scott Wilson secured the River Hawks a spot in Saturday’s Hockey East Championship with a goal at 12:30 in the third! (Photo Credit: Hockey East)

By Matt Noonan 

BOSTON, MA – Scott Wilson punched UMass Lowell’s ticket to the Hockey East Championship for the first time since 2009 as he deposited his 15th strike of the season at 12:30 in the third period.

Wilson corralled a loose puck around center ice, connected with a streaking Riley Wetmore down the far boards before he received the puck in the slot and fired home the game-winner past Providence netminder Jon Gillies (31 saves).

Providence (17-14-7) earned the lead off a shot from Kevin Rooney, his first collegiate goal at 8:59 in the first before UMass Lowell (25-10-2) responded with a strike from A.J. White 34 seconds into third, which tied the game.

Neither squad capitalized on the power play, as both units concluded the contest a combined 0 for 9.

UMass Lowell’s Connor Hellebuyck, who leads the conference in goals against (1.46), save percentage (.946) and winning percentage (.895), recorded a season-best 34 saves.

The River Hawks will face-off against the winner of BC-BU tomorrow at 7 p.m. UMass Lowell has appeared in two conference championships (’94 and ’09), but lost both matches to the Terriers.    

Mar 22 2013

Mass. College Hockey: Hockey East Championship Weekend Roundtable

By NoontimeSports.com 

In honor of the Hockey East semifinals and finals, which commence later today, we’ve decided to call upon the local college hockey gurus to breakdown each matchup and determine who’ll be skating around the TD Garden Saturday evening with some hardware.

Noontime Sports would like to thank Joshua Kummins (Associate Editor of BostonSportsU18.com & SB Nation College Hockey Contributor), Mike McMahon (Senior Writer/Recruiting Editor of College Hockey News), Josh Seguin (College Hockey News) and Rich Slate (Boston Metro) for their help with this particular post.

So, without further ado, here’s our breakdown:

Game No. 1: No. 1 UMass Lowell vs. No. 4 Providence College (Fri., 5 p.m.)

Who is one player to watch in this particular matchup? What can we expect from him? 

Mike McMahon: Has to be Jon Gillies. Quite frankly, the Friars have gone and will go as far as Gillies takes them. He hasn’t shown an indication that he’s wilt under the bright lights. That being said neither has Connor Hellebuyck. It’s definitely a showcase of goaltenders here and likely a 2-1 game. Goals will be at a premium.

Rich Slate: Providence’s freshman goaltender Jon Gillies, who was arguably the top player in Hockey East this season. He won’t give up many goals and was 1-2 against UMass Lowell this season.

Which line will make the biggest impact for Providence and UML?

Joshua Kummins: Each forward on the Friars’ top three lines are double-digit point scorers. Freshman Mark Jankowski and senior Tim Schaller start on the top line, while sophomore Ross Mauermann is a stalwart in the middle of the second unit.

McMahon: Getting Shane Luke back is a big plus for the Friars. He really helps solidify three lines for Providence. For UML it’s Riley Wetmore‘s line. They — and especially him — do a lot of things that go underappreciated. All three of those guys — Wetmore, Derek Arnold and Ryan McGrath — are solid two-way players.

How does UMass Lowell defeat PC and advance to Saturday? 

Kummins: This game will be about defense because after getting this far, I cannot expect either Gillies or Hellebuyck to have a “bad” game.

Josh Seguin: It will probably be a pretty defensive game, but they need to do what they do best, which is timely scoring and responding to everything the Friars send at them.

How does Providence College defeat UML and advance to Saturday? 

Seguin: Jon GIllies will have to take control of the game. The young guys have to stay composed, too.

Slate: Providence will have to find a way to score more goals against the River Hawks. In their two losses against them this season they had one goal in each contest.

Who wins this series and why? Score prediction? 

Seguin: UML wins, 3-1. Right now, they are playing some of the best hockey in the country. Providence is young and may struggle with the environment.

Slate: The River Hawks have been one of the hottest teams in college hockey for the second half of the season and they will be looking for revenge after getting upset in the Hockey East playoffs last season by PC. My pick: UMass Lowell wins 3-2.

Game No. 2: No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 3 Boston University (Fri., 8 p.m.)

Who is one player to watch in this particular matchup? What can we expect from him?

Kummins: Everybody knows how dynamic Johnny Gaudreau is for Boston College, but Steven Whitney is a senior that has kicked it up a notch in his final season in a Maroon and Gold sweater. The Reading, Mass. native and Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Walter Brown Award winner led all Hockey East players with 25 goals, but his 126 career points still trails his older brother Joe Whitney (2007-11), who is tied for 42nd in the all-time BC record books.

Seguin: Johnny Gaudreau has to be the go-to player for the Eagles. If the Terriers do not stop him, it will be a long night. Gaudreau has been a primetime player in his career and I would expect that to continue this weekend.

Which line will make the biggest impact for BC and BU? 

Kummins: Gaudreau-Pat Mullane-Whitney would have been the definite answer for the Eagles about six weeks ago, but head coach Jerry York has shuffled things up a bit after a dry spell that saw the Eagles go 2-4-1 in January. Even with Mullane and Whitney shifting down to join sophomore Quinn Smith on the second line, the trio is still potent in BC’s balanced attack.

For the Terriers, the answer is simple: Matt Nieto, Danny O’Regan, and Evan Rodrigues, who make up BU’s second line. They’ve combined for 33 goals and 40 assists this season. O’Regan, a St. Sebastian’s product, leads all Hockey East first-years with 36 points.

McMahon: The Gaudreau line for BC is the one to watch for, obviously. For BU, I’d keep an eye on Nieto’s line.

How does BC defeat BU and advance to Saturday? 

McMahon: They’re going to need their defense to really rise to the occasion. There’s no reason to believe they won’t, but at this time of year, you need to start from the back end.

Seguin: BC just has to be BC, quite simply. If they do the little things and don’t defeat themselves they will win this one. A steady dose of Johnny Gaudreau, Steven Whitney and Pat Mullane may be difficult to handle for the Terriers, so get them involved.

How does BU defeat BC and advance to Saturday? 

McMahon: They need to get a solid game out of Sean Maguire, who looked terrific vs. Merrimack last week. I also think they BU should try to keep the puck moving, especially in the offensive zone, cycle when they can. Make that BC defense work. BC’s dangerous with the puck, and the best defense is to make sure they don’t have possession.

Seguin: BU needs to play stout, defensive hockey. The defensive breakdowns that plagued them the better part of the second half cannot be present. BU needs to stop Gaudreau, Whitney and Mullane. If they can do those things they could easily pull the upset.

Prediction: Who wins this game and why? Score Prediction?  

Kummins: BC’s recent domination in the Hockey East Tournament (and its senior experience on the big stage) will prove to be the difference in this game. Over the last four years, the Eagles have won 14 conference tournament games and I see that streak continuing in a 5-3 win.

McMahon: It’s an interesting matchup because both of these teams aren’t nearly as deep as they typically are, but I was really impressed with BU last week and I think they upset the Eagles here. It’s a close game though, maybe even OT, but I’m going 4-3 BU. The Terriers need the win to stay alive in the Pairwise, where BC will make the NCAA tournament regardless of the result.

Game No. 3: Hockey East Championship (Sat., 7 p.m.)

Based off your predicted winners on Friday, who wins on Saturday and why? 

Kummins: My championship match of Boston College and UMass Lowell should be a great one, especially since both squads are headed to the NCAA tournament. Both teams are on strong streaks, but I think it is BC’s Garden experience that pays off in a close victory.

McMahon: Defense wins championships and there isn’t a better all-around defense than Lowell, who’ll win 3-2.

Seguin: UML right now is the most complete team of the four remaining. The River Hawks beat the Eagles about a month ago. They respond well and score in timely situations, which makes them dangerous.

Slate: BC will defeat UMass Lowell because of their experience in the Beanpot Finals, Hockey East playoffs and NCAA Tournament. BC beats UMass Lowell, 4-3.  

Early thoughts on the NCAA tourney: How far does the winner go in the Frozen Four? 

Kummins: I don’t think Boston College has quite enough to capture a second consecutive title, but UMass Lowell could certainly make some noise. With a pairing in Manchester or Providence likely, the River Hawks definitely have enough to break through with a trip to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh this year.

McMahon: Lowell has their best chance ever to make a Frozen Four. You look at their record — 20-3-1 in their last 24 games — and it’s so much about catching fire at the right time. Those BC teams that won national titles always went on runs to end their season.

Seguin: UML, BC and UNH are all in. The former two have the best chance of a deep run and if BU can get in they may be as well. UNH can make some noise if they get back to the defensive juggernaut they once were in the first half. Lowell is deep, while BC has a dangerous trio that can light up any team in the country. Lowell and BC both have the talent to earn a spot in the Frozen Four, but it’s all about matchups. Sometimes it’s the matchups and where teams play, which makes all the difference.

Slate: BC advances to the Frozen Four, but loses in the semifinals.

Mar 21 2013

Mass. College Hockey: Weekend Schedule

By Matt Noonan 

We’ve got a busy weekend of college hockey upon us and below is the schedule. Make sure to checkback throughout the weekend for scores, roundups and recaps.

Men’s Ice Hockey: Hockey East Semifinals/Finals @ TD Garden 

* Game No. 1: Providence College vs. UMass Lowell, 5 p.m. @ TD Garden (Fri., Mar. 22) 

* Game No. 2: Boston College vs. Boston University, 8 p.m. @ TD Garden (Fri. Mar. 22) 

* Championship: Winner of Game No. 1 vs. Winner of Game No. 2, 7 p.m @ TD Garden (Sat., Mar. 23) 

Women’s Ice Hockey: NCAA Frozen Four @ University of Minnesota 

* Game No. 1: Boston College vs. Minnesota, 6 p.m. (Fri., Mar. 22) 

* Game. No. 2: Boston University vs. Mercyhurst, 9 p.m. (Fri., Mar. 22)

* Championship: Winner of Game No. 1 vs. Winner of Game No. 2, 4 p.m.  (Sun., Mar. 24) 

Mar 17 2013

Mass. College Hockey: Hockey East Semifinals Set

By NoontimeSports.com 

The Hockey East announced the pairings for Friday’s semifinals, which will be held at the TD Garden, and below is the schedule.

Game. No 1 – No. 1 UMass Lowell vs. No. 4 Providence College, 5 p.m.

Game No. 2 - No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 3 Boston University, 8 p.m.

For more information on this weekend’s pairings or the Hockey East — HOP HERE