Around the Thanksgiving holiday, the conference schedule is light as New England programs test themselves against some of the best around and throughout the country.
This past weekend was no exception, but the slate saw the return of destination games at the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and a marquee NCAA tournament rematch from this past March in Nashville. The series across the pond featured exclusively local teams, with the champion continuing an incredibly hot run of play.
There are no more undefeated teams left in the Division 1 men’s ranks, but Harvard showed well during its own marquee series which highlighted another busy schedule.
Here is New England Hockey Journal's latest look at the top teams in the region:
1. Quinnipiac (10-1-3, 6-0-0 ECAC)
The Bobcats are unbeaten in nine straight games (8-0-1) after earning their first Belpot as Friendship Four champions in Belfast. They toppled ECAC Hockey rival Dartmouth 5-2 and edged past Massachusetts in a shootout following a 2-2 tie. Former Union transfer Colin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) was selected as the Friendship Four MVP after assisting on the championship game goals by graduate student Ethan de Jong and senior Skyler Brind’Amour. Five of Graf’s 10 assists have come in just a three-game span. Sophomore Christophe Fillion netted the lone shootout goal to beat UMass and scored the opening goal against Dartmouth. Victor Czerneckianair (Southington, Conn.) opened the tournament with his first career multi-point game, logging a goal and an assist.
Previous ranking: 3
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2. Connecticut (10-3-3, 7-2-2 HEA)
Though the Huskies notched four points against UMass Lowell to remain atop the Hockey East standings entering Thanksgiving, their most recent result was a downer — Saturday’s 6-0 loss to Cornell in The Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden. It was a rare rough night for sophomore goaltender Logan Terness, who had allowed just 12 goals in his previous eight games. Their team save percentage of .922 is still a top-10 mark nationally. Junior Ryan Tverberg had gone for five points over a three-game span before the Big Red shut down the UConn offense, but he remains one of just 13 scorers in the country with double-digit goals.
Previous ranking: 1
3. Harvard (7-1-1, 6-0-0 ECAC)
After a 7-0-0 start, the Crimson suffered their first loss in Saturday’s finale of a marquee non-conference series at Michigan, 4-1. Sophomore Matthew Coronato scored Harvard’s fifth shorthanded goal of the season, and senior Mitchell Gibson made 43 saves after stopping 35 to gain a 4-4 Friday tie. There was offense from plenty of sources in Ann Arbor, as senior defenseman Henry Thrun (Southborough, Mass.) tallied twice on Friday and now has points in four straight games. Junior Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.) is on the same streak. The penalty kill was a perfect 6-for-6 on the weekend and has allowed just one power-play goal all season.
Previous ranking: 2
4. Boston University (8-4-0, 5-3-0 HEA)
The Terriers managed just two points in their most recent Hockey East series against Northeastern before bouncing back to beat former league rival Notre Dame 5-2 on Wednesday. Freshman Lane Hutson has provided an offensive punch from the blue line, scoring two goals — including his third game-winner of the season during a three-goal third period — against the Irish. Hutson has three goals over BU’s last two games, as he also netted the overtime goal to send BU past Northeastern back on Nov. 19. Matt Brown had three points in the Thanksgiving Eve game, giving him four points in two games and five multi-point efforts during his senior campaign. All but one of their wins has been against a ranked team.
Previous ranking: 4
5. Providence (9-3-3, 6-0-3 HEA)
Because of two overtime ties against UConn earlier this month, the Friars’ run of nine straight games unbeaten may have been built quietly. However, the winning fortunes ran out with Saturday’s 3-2 loss to crosstown Mayor’s Cup rival Brown. It was Providence's first loss to Brown since 2016. On Friday, it took a third-period strike from senior Parker Ford (Wakefield, R.I.) to post a 4-3 win over St. Lawrence. Bruins prospect Philip Svedebäck continued his strong freshman year with 32 saves to beat the Saints. Freshman Austen May stepped up for his first three collegiate goals, including two in the Friday win and cut the team’s deficit to one against Brown. Providence had the first eight shots and scored first against Brown, but a three-goal spurt over 5:27 in the second period was the difference.
Previous ranking: 5
6. Merrimack (10-3-0, 6-1-0 HEA)
The Warriors own the nation’s longest win streak at seven, but games against Connecticut, Massachusetts and Providence will be crucial to cap the semester, especially since they have not seen Hockey East action in two weeks. Sophomore Hugo Ollas made 21 saves in his second straight shutout Nov. 17 at Sacred Heart, while junior Zachary Borgiel stayed perfect at 5-0-0 with 23 stops last Tuesday against Holy Cross. Sophomore Matt Copponi (Mansfield, Mass.) and senior Ben Brar have scored in three straight games and combined for 13 goals this season. The stronger Copponi has made a noticeable jump, scoring five of his team-leading seven goals over the last four contests.
Previous ranking: 6
7. Massachusetts (7-5-2, 3-5-0 HEA)
A Friendship Four win over rival UMass Lowell, 2-1, and tie against Quinnipiac, 2-2, have helped the Minutemen go on a 2-0-1 run and break their uncharacteristic five-game losing streak in Hockey East play. Two goals from freshman Kenny Connors propelled UMass to the first-round win and expanded his team-best total to seven for the season, before sophomore Taylor Makar and freshman Michael Cameron scored against Perets and the Bobcats. Sophomore Luke Pavicich seems to have taken full control of the starting role in net as he compiled 63 saves over the two games to up his save percentage to .929.
Previous ranking: 9
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8. UMass Lowell (9-6-0, 5-3-0 HEA)
It was a tale of two different games for the River Hawks at the Friendship Four as they dropped a 2-1 decision to Massachusetts before coming from 3-0 down to beat Dartmouth in overtime. Sophomore Stefan Owens capped the four-goal comeback against the Big Green, which also included freshman Nick Rhéaume’s first collegiate goal and a pair of points from senior Zack Kaiser. On Friday, TJ Schweighardt also posted his first goal as a River Hawk and graduate Gustavs Davis Grigals made 25 saves before earning the next day’s win with a perfect outing in relief. The River Hawks will hit the road for single games over the next two weekends, facing rematches against both of their opponents from Belfast.
Previous ranking: 8
9. Northeastern (7-5-3, 6-4-2 HEA)
Over the most recent five-game span, the Huskies have just one win but also gained Hockey East ground in a shootout win and overtime loss over the two weekends before Saturday’s 6-4 loss to Western Michigan in Nashville, Tenn. Senior captain Aidan McDonough (Milton, Mass.) logged his fifth multi-point and third multi-goal game with two goals and an assist, but the final three goals belonged to the Broncos, who forced junior Devon Levi to make 33 saves. Freshman Jack Williams (Biddeford, Maine) and sophomore Matt Choupani provided secondary scoring. The game in Nashville began a stretch of six consecutive non-conference games for Northeastern, as it will not return to league play until Frozen Fenway on Jan. 7.
Previous ranking: 7
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10. Boston College (4-5-2, 4-3-1 HEA)
The Eagles logged back-to-back Hockey East wins over Northeastern and UMass Lowell and a three-game unbeaten streak earlier in November, but their Black Friday result was a 5-2 loss to Notre Dame in which they surrendered the final four goals. Juniors Trevor Kuntar and Eamon Powell scored the goals that created a second-period lead. BC will look to crank up the offense before the first semester concludes as it has netted more than three goals only once in its last seven games, though winning two and tying another in league play.
Previous ranking: 10
