Thanks to the blizzard that swept through the region on Friday and Saturday, there wound up being just three games over the weekend, plus the Beanpot on Monday. Combine that with a busy week for me, and these power rankings are a little shorter than usual. I promise I’ll make up for it next week.

1. Boston College (17-7-2, 12-6-1 HE) — Last week: 1
The Eagles won their fourth straight Beanpot on Monday, beating Northeastern 6-3. With the win, BC’s seniors became the first class in program history to collect four Beanpot titles. Johnny Gaudreau had two goals and an assist in the game, while Steven Whitney had a goal and two assists. The Eagles now have a three-game winning streak.

2. New Hampshire (16-7-3, 11-6-2 HE) — Last week: 2
The Wildcats tied Providence 3-3 on Sunday, pulling within one point of first-place BC in the process. Scott Pavelski scored the tying goal with 3:26 left in the third, while Grayson Downing and Maxim Gaudreault each had two points. UNH gave up two power-play goals in the game, marking just the seventh and eighth they’ve allowed all season.

3. Merrimack (13-10-5, 11-6-2 HE) — Last week: 3
The Warriors extended their winning streak to three with a 4-2 win over UMass on Sunday. They’ve climbed into a second-place tie with UNH in the standings and moved up to 20th in the Pairwise. Mike Collins recorded a goal and an assist on Sunday. His 29 points in conference play put him first in the league.

4. Massachusetts-Lowell (14-9-2, 8-8-2 HE) — Last week: 4
The River Hawks didn’t play thanks to the blizzard, so they stay at four. They did move up one spot in the Pairwise, to 17th.

5. Providence (10-10-6, 8-6-5 HE) — Last week: 6
The Friars jump BU (at least in my rankings; they’re tied them in the standings) after tying UNH on Sunday. Nick Saracino tallied two goals and an assist, while Shane Luke notched two assists. Jon Gillies made 41 saves, marking the third time this semester he’s had to make 40-plus saves.

6. Boston University (13-12-1, 10-7-1 HE) — Last week: 5
Here is my not-so-bold prediction for the Terriers: they won’t get back to the Garden and they won’t make NCAAs. I just can’t see them turning it around at this point. Jack Parker echoed Bill Parcells after Monday’s 7-4 loss to Harvard in the Beanpot consolation game, saying, “You are what your record says you are.” Well, BU’s record in the second half says it’s a team that has lost four games against last-place teams (Northeastern twice, Harvard twice) and gotten run out of the building by Denver and UMass.

7. Massachusetts (10-13-2, 7-10-1 HE) — Last week: 7
The Minutemen lost to Merrimack on Sunday and got outshot 41-18 in the process. They’re still seventh in the standings, but they’re just two points ahead of ninth-place Maine.

8. Vermont (8-14-4, 5-10-4 HE) — Last week: 10
The Catamounts picked up a big 3-0 win over Maine on Saturday to move into sole possession of eighth place. Chris McCarthy had a goal and two assists, Kyle Reynolds had two goals, and Caylen Walls had two assists. Brody Hoffman made 19 saves to earn his second shutout of the season.

9. Maine (8-15-5, 4-10-5 HE) — Last week: 8
The Black Bears’ four-game unbeaten streak came to an end with Saturday’s loss to Vermont. That defeat dropped them to ninth in the standings, one point behind Vermont for the eighth and final playoff spot.

10. Northeastern (8-14-3, 4-11-3 HE) — Last week: 9
The Huskies certainly played BC tough in the Beanpot final, and they showed some real resiliency cutting a 4-1 deficit to 4-3. That loss alone shouldn’t drop them to 10th, but Vermont’s win was enough to jump them. The Huskies are now three points out of a playoff spot.

Tuesday, February 12th, 2013 - 11:54 pm | Blogs, Hockey East, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings