PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Boston College was 10.5 seconds away from giving Jerry York his record-breaking win, but Nick Saracino ruined the celebration plans when he banged home a loose puck to tie the game at 3-3. The Eagles had a few chances to win it in overtime, but Providence’s Jon Gillies (26 saves) made a couple big saves to preserve the 3-3 draw.

The Eagles (11-2-1, 9-2-1 Hockey East) took a 1-0 lead 12:39 into the game when Pat Mullane won an offensive-zone faceoff and Johnny Gaudreau managed to chip the puck past Gillies. BC added to its lead with 6:54 left in the second when Michael Matheson scored a power-play goal on a shot through traffic.

Derek Army cut the lead in half 22 seconds into the third when he split the BC defense and beat Parker Milner (34 saves) with a backhander. Matheson restored the two-goal lead 1:34 later with his second goal of the game, but then Noel Acciari answered for the Friars (7-6-2, 5-4-1 HE) 12 seconds after that. The score stayed that way until Saracino’s late heroics.

(more…)

Durham, NH.- It was a made for TV game that wasn’t televised and it had every makings of a game that mattered. BU raced out to a 1-0 lead four minutes, 39 seconds into the first on a goal by Wade Megan. This goal would be the lone goal of a tightly played first period as BU took the 1-0 lead into the intermission. The Terriers would add two more at 4:01  and 8:03 of the second period to give the visitors a 3-0 lead over the host Wildcats. The lead was enough as the Terriers would hold off a late charge by UNH to take home the 3-2 victory.

UNH falls to 11-2-2 on the season and 8-2-1 in Hockey East, while Boston University improves to 9-5-0 and 7-4-0, The win moved the Terriers within three points of second place UNH and within four of Boston College in the Hockey East standings, as the Terriers remain in third place in the conference. (more…)

Dartmouth got an early goal from captain Mike Keenan at two minutes, 33 seconds of the first period and Vermont would respond nine minutes later to send the game into the first intermission deadlocked at one. The second period was the Dustin Walsh show, as he ripped a snipe in the slot past Hoffman just 29 seconds into the stanza and made it 3-1 with four minutes remaining. The lead was enough for Dartmouth, as they never looked back and defeated Vermont 4-2. Dartmouth improves to 7-2-2 on the season, while Vermont falls to 3-8-3.

What I Saw

• Vermont actually played one of the most confident games I have seen from them in the past two seasons. They were poised with the puck and played pretty good defense for the most part. The goals that Dartmouth scored on the night were on poor defensive coverage by the Catamounts, lapses that often happen against good teams, such as Dartmouth. (more…)

There’s a new No. 1, and eight other teams are also in a different spot than last week. Let’s get right to it.

1. Minnesota (10-3-2, 5-3-2 WCHA) — Last week: 2
The Gophers pulled right up to Denver’s bumper last week, and a split with UNO, combined with Denver dropping three of four points to Wisconsin, is just enough for them to make the pass this week. They continue to play strong defense, as they lead the league with 1.87 goals against per game and haven’t allowed more than 27 shots in any of their last eight games. Erik Haula had three points in the series and extended his point streak to 10 games.

2. Denver (9-4-1, 7-2-1 WCHA) — Last week: 1
The Pioneers drop out of the top spot after mustering just one point in a home series against Wisconsin. They came close to not getting any points, but Joey LaLeggia scored with 1:16 left in regulation to force overtime (and the tie) on Friday. They’re now 0-3-1 in their last four games. After scoring three or more goals in nine of their first 10 games, they’ve scored just one in three of their last four.

(more…)

For the first time since Oct. 24, we have a new No. 1. In case you forgot, I had Lowell first to start the season. Swing and a miss. Anyway, let’s get right to it.

1. New Hampshire (11-1-2, 8-1-1 HE) — Last week: 2
UNH had been knocking on the door for weeks, and this weekend BC cracked it open just enough for the Wildcats to squeeze through. They swept Lowell with a pair of 5-2 wins, completing the season sweep in the process. Grayson Downing tallied two goals and two assists on the weekend, while Dalton Speelman, Kevin Goumas, Nick Sorkin and Jeff Silengo all had three points. UNH now leads the conference in offense, defense and special teams net.

2. Boston College (11-2-0, 9-2-0 HE) — Last week: 1
The Eagles had their 10-game winning streak snapped by BU on Friday, but they bounced back with a 5-2 win over their archrivals on Saturday. With the victory, Jerry York tied Ron Mason’s all-time wins record. Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist on Friday before having his 15-game point streak snapped on Saturday. The second line of Kevin Hayes, Bill Arnold and Brendan Silk combined for three goals and three assists on Saturday.

(more…)

It is starting to become clear to me that we may finally have a top team in ECAC hockey, and that team is Quinnipiac. I was reluctant to put them there mainly because of one loss to AIC in early November, but I stand corrected and they have used this loss to propel them  into an eight game unbeaten streak. Quinnipiac’s success has put the conference on alert but Yale is also on an impressive four game winning streak. Both teams look strong and have overtaken the supposed top two of just a few weeks ago, Dartmouth and Union. Without further ado, here are this weeks Power Rankings…

1. Quinnipiac (10-3-2, 6-0-0) – Last Week 4

Quinnipiac is one of the hottest teams in the country going 7-0-1 in their last eight games and are unblemished against fellow conference foes. They are also this week’s CHN Team of the Week. The Bobcats now sit three points clear in the ECAC standings of Dartmouth and have more than proven themselves for this ranking. Last weekend they swept a pair of games on the road against Union and RPI. The former was last weeks number one team in these rankings and the Q held them to a paltry 20 shots on goal. Eric Hartzell was named ECAC goaltender of the week as he stopped 41 of 42 shots sent his way, on the weekend. (more…)

Up

1. Caleb Herbert, Forward, Minnesota Duluth

Following a three-point opening night against Ohio State, Herbert had only recorded one assist in his last 11 games, and, before last weekend’s series against Michigan Tech, he had zero goals. Luckily for Herbert and the Bulldogs, he ended his goalless streak against the Huskies, scoring a goal each night and adding two helpers on the weekend to give himself a four-point showing in a three-point weekend for Minnesota Duluth.

2. Landon Peterson, Goalie, Wisconsin

While Peterson’s 1-2-1 record won’t drop any jaws, his other numbers – especially the ones he’s racked up on the road – should. In 283 total minutes, Peterson boasts a .933 save percentage and a 2.12 goals against, but, away from Kohl Center, he’s compiled a .945 save percentage in 184 minutes, including a 1-0-1 record against Minnesota and Denver. In those two games, he’s seen a combined 79 shots and only yielded three goals.

3. Drake Caggiula, Forward, North Dakota

North Dakota has had another up and down start to the season, something that has become kind of normal in Grand Forks. But UND will obviously be looking to make its post-Christmas charge again this year, and, in order to do just that, guys like Caggiula will have to step up and make an impact on a nightly basis. Caggiula, just a freshman, made his impact known in UND’s series against Colorado College, notching three goals on the weekend, including Saturday’s game-winner in overtime.

Down

1. Nick Shore, Forward, Denver

Shore flew out of the gates and quickly compiled 16 points in Denver’s first 10 games, a big reason why the Pioneers made a charge up the rankings and asserted themselves early on. Since then, however, he’s cooled of a bit. In his past four games, Shore has slipped into a bit of mini-slump, only collecting two points (a goal against Yale and an assist against Wisconsin).

2. Kevin Genoe, Goalie, Michigan Tech

In the first 263:05 he played this season, Genoe had given up 11 goals, was 3-1-0 and had a shutout. In the 73:33 he played against Minnesota Duluth last weekend, Genoe let seven pucks past him, including three on just eight shots before getting yanked on Friday night.

3. Ben Kinne, Forward, Bemidji State

After failing to record a point in Bemidji State’s first game, Kinne had been on a bit of a hot streak – he’d popped in a pair of goals and had five helpers over a six-game stretch. But Kinne has now failed to find the score sheet in three straight, and thats a big part of the reason that the Beavers are 0-3-0 in those contests.

BOSTON — Jerry York was looking to tie the all-time wins record on his archrival’s ice, but Boston University had different ideas. Led by a 35-save effort from Matt O’Connor, the Terriers beat Boston College 4-2 at Agganis Arena on Friday night. An exciting first period didn’t produce any goals, but the Terriers finally broke the ice 9:04 into the second. Matt Nieto hit the post on a rebound chance, but Garrett Noonan was able to bat the puck out of mid-air and past Parker Milner (30 saves).

BU (8-4-0, 6-3-0 Hockey East) added to its lead seven minutes later when Evan Rodrigues took a pass from Danny O’Regan and fired a laser past Milner’s glove. The Eagles (10-2-0, 8-2-0 HE) answered just 38 seconds later when Johnny Gaudreau kicked a pass to Pat Mullane, who proceeded to beat O’Connor stick-side. Matt Grzelcyk scored what proved to be the game-winner 1:46 into the third when he led a rush down the left wing and beat Milner on a wraparound.

What I saw
-Some great goaltending. The only reason the game was scoreless after 29 minutes was because O’Connor and Milner both made a handful of great saves on quality chances. The Terriers had a couple turnovers in their own zone that could’ve given BC an early lead, but O’Connor was there to bail out his defense and keep it scoreless. Milner’s biggest challenge came against Sahir Gill on a breakaway, but the senior netminder was able to shut the five-hole in time. O’Connor also made several big saves in the third as the Eagles tried to claw their way back.

(more…)

UNH took an early lead at nine minutes, 43 seconds  on a breakaway, shorthanded goal off the stick of Grayson Downing and would proceed to score the next three goals in the game to race out to the 4-0 lead on the River Hawks. The goal was Downing’s sixth of the season. He would later score his second of the game, while Kevin Goumas and John Henrion also scored for UNH. The 4-0 lead was more than enough for UNH and they would hold on for the 5-2 victory over Lowell.

UNH improves to 10-1-2 on the year with the victory and 7-1-1 in Hockey East, while UML falls to 4-6-1, 2-4-1. Coupled with a BC loss to BU on Friday night, the win moved the Wildcats to within one point of the Eagles in the Hockey East standings, with a game in hand. The loss was the first for UML in three games and UNH is unbeaten in seven tilts. (more…)

Hockey East teams return to conference action in a major way as a total of ten games will be played between the league teams. The biggest two game series this weekend is without question Boston University and Boston College who will take the regional and national stage by storm with two nationally televised tilts. The home and home series becomes a popular concept this weekend as four out of five series’ are of the such. This weekend could be the one that teams could make a big splash in the league standings as many of the games are between teams in all four tiers, which Hockey East has turned into. Without further ado, here is my weekly take on the games: (more…)