The depth of Division 1 men’s college hockey in New England has arguably never been more apparent this season than over the past couple of weeks.
The region is home to six of the top 13 teams in the PairWise rankings. Boston College and Boston University remain potential top seeds in the NCAA tournament. And Northeastern continued its late-season surge with another Beanpot championship on Monday night.
The battle for Boston bragging rights is now in the past, so it’s all about league play from here. The number of regular-season games remaining continues to dwindle, meaning that even more games on big stages are soon on the horizon.
Here is our latest look at the top 10 teams in the region.
1. Boston College (21-5-1, 13-3-1 HEA)
Previous ranking: No. 1
The Eagles were not deterred following a loss to Boston University in the Beanpot semifinal. They rebounded to shut out Harvard, 5-0, after beating New Hampshire, 6-1, on Friday. Sophomore Cutter Gauthier had two goals and two assists to lead the way against UNH. Freshman Gabe Perreault continued a 13-game point streak with BC’s first of three second-period goals, his 13th of the season. Perreault finished the Beanpot with a nation-leading 45 points, passing Denver’s Massimo Rizzo by one. Freshman Jan Korec earned a 19-save shutout in his first collegiate start against Harvard.
2. Boston University (19-8-1, 13-4-1 HEA)
Previous ranking: No. 2
Before suffering Beanpot heartbreak at the hands of Northeastern on Monday night, it had been a tale of two streaks — three down, then three up — for the Terriers. The latter run finished with a win against archrival BC in the Beanpot semifinal and then Friday’s resounding 7-1 triumph against Merrimack. BU has counted on 17-year-old Macklin Celebrini through it all, scoring goals in six straight and 10 of his last 11 games. Sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson eclipsed the 10-goal mark and now has a six-game point streak. On Monday, the Terriers controlled all but the scoreboard in the Beanpot final, taking three one-goal leads and holding a 36-17 shot advantage.
3. Maine (18-6-2, 10-5-1 HEA)
Previous ranking: No. 4
The Black Bears enter the upcoming rivalry series at New Hampshire having split their last two Hockey East weekends, going 2-1 in three straight one-goal games. Freshmen Josh Nadeau and Anthony Calafiore scored in a 2-1 win over Providence on Friday. Nadeau added his 15th goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Friars the following night, joining his brother Bradly Nadeau as Maine’s first pair of 35-point rookies since 1992-93. Coach Ben Barr has rode the hot hand of Albin Boija in net since Northeastern’s six-goal outburst on senior Victor Ostman on Feb. 2, and the freshman was rewarded with a 15-save shutout at UMass and a 27-save effort in the win over Providence to help run his save percentage to .933.
4. Quinnipiac (20-7-2, 13-3-1 ECAC)
Previous ranking: No. 3
Quinnipiac has split its last six ECAC games. After sweeping Harvard and Dartmouth, the Bobcats took a 3-1 loss at St. Lawrence before bouncing back for a 4-2 win at Clarkson this past weekend. Junior Collin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) kept his point streak going at five consecutive games with his second goal in a minute’s span against Clarkson, following sophomore defenseman Charles-Alexis Legeault’s deciding tally. The stout defense that Quinnipiac has long been known for returned against Clarkson as it allowed just 16 shots to reach goaltender Vinny Duplessis. The Bobcats remain eight points clear of second-place Princeton in the ECAC regular-season title race.
5. Providence (16-9-2, 9-6-2 HEA)
Previous ranking: No. 5
The Friars played 13 one-goal games this season. After a 2-1 loss to Maine on Friday, junior defenseman Guillaume Richard’s overtime goal led to a 4-3 triumph on Saturday. It was the Black Bears’ first home loss this season. Hudson Malinoski notched a goal and two assists across the final 10:29 of Saturday’s game. He forced overtime with 4:33 left in regulation after assisting on classmate Graham Gamache’s power-play tally to open the scoring in the third period.
6. Massachusetts (16-7-3, 9-5-2 HEA)
Previous ranking: No. 6
The Minutemen swept a home-and-home from rival Connecticut this past weekend, moving into a fourth-place tie in Hockey East. Coach Greg Carvel has been impressed with his team’s defensive play in recent weeks, allowing just five goals over the past four games with freshman Michael Hrabal commanding in net. A member of Czechia’s World Junior team, Hrabal made a career-high 36 stops in each game against the Huskies and now sports a .922 save percentage. Classmates Dans Locmelis and Jack Musa each tallied in the third period of Friday’s 2-0 shutout. Fellow rookies Cam O’Neill and Aydar Suniev opened the scoring in Saturday’s 3-1 win. Junior defenseman Scott Morrow (Darien, Conn.) assisted on both game-winners.
7. Northeastern (13-12-2, 6-11-0 HEA)
Previous ranking: No. 8
The Huskies extended their winning streak to six games in grand fashion on Monday, capturing their second straight and ninth-ever Beanpot championship with consecutive wins over Harvard and BU. Senior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I.) continued his Causeway Street dominance — now eight points in six career Beanpot games — by scoring the overtime goal off captain Justin Hryckowian’s feed in both contests. The Huskies wouldn’t be standing in the winner’s circle without the immense play of freshman goaltender Cameron Whitehead, who stopped 54 of the 59 shots he faced in his first TD Garden tournament.
8. New Hampshire (14-11-1, 7-8-1 HEA)
Previous ranking: No. 7
The Wildcats lost back-to-back games to BC and Merrimack last weekemd. Now they welcome archrival Maine to Durham for two sold-out games this weekend. UNH is 9-3-1 at home and 8-2-0 after losses this season. Senior Harrison Blaisdell scored the lone goal in Friday’s setback, but BC’s four power-play goals were way too much to overcome. Against Merrimack, sophomore Cy LeClerc (Brentwood, N.H.) scored his ninth goal of the season and first since Jan. 5. Junior Jakob Hellsten leads Hockey East with a 2.17 GAA.
BIG PICTURE: Northeastern may have shifted its season completely with Beanpot win
9. Holy Cross (16-11-4, 11-9-3 AHA)
Previous ranking: No. 10
The Crusaders appear to be peaking at just the right time of yet another season under coach Bill Riga after making a surprise run to the Atlantic Hockey title game last year. They entered a bye week following a home sweep of Air Force. A five-game win streak has them four points (but just one loss) behind Sacred Heart in the league standings. Freshman Jack Stockfish had a career-best weekend against the Falcons, going for two goals and five assists. Senior Tyler Ghirardosi registered a pair of two-goal games and has six points in the series. On the defensive side, senior Jason Grande stopped 49 of the 51 shots he faced after entering Friday in relief. His third 30-save effort of the season came on Saturday.
10. Connecticut (12-15-2, 7-11-1 HEA)
Previous ranking: No. 9
When the Huskies beat Providence 2-1 on Feb. 3, with Ethan Haider’s 42-save effort and an 8-for-9 penalty kill, it looked to be just the effort that UConn needed. However, two tight losses to UMass in a home-and-home left them in a tough position again.
