NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Merrimack scored twice during a five-minute power play en route to a 4-2 win over Providence on Sunday. With Ross Mauermann serving a five-minute major for charging, Karl Stollery scored with 56 seconds left in the first and Josh Myers scored on the same power play 3:01 into the second. Joe Cannata made 37 saves in the victory, while Rhett Bly scored the game’s first goal and Jesse Todd sealed the Merrimack (14-5-5, 10-4-3 HE) win with an empty-netter. Stefan Demopoulos and Myles Harvey registered the Providence (10-12-2, 8-8-1 HE) goals, both of which came on the power play.

What I saw

-A lot of penalties. The teams combined for 70 penalty minutes, including 43 in the first period alone. There were four majors and three game misconducts, as both teams toed the line between physical and dirty all game. On top of Mauermann’s charging major (which didn’t include a misconduct), Providence’s Chris Rooney and Merrimack’s Brendan Ellis were both ejected for facemasking — which is a nice way of saying “fighting” — and Merrimack’s Jordan Heywood was shown the gate for a blatant hit from behind. (more…)

BOSTON — Nick Pryor scored the game-winning goal at 6 minutes of the second period, and Matt Mangene added one into an empty net with five second left in regulation, lifting Maine to a 3-1 win over Boston University Saturday night. The victory completed a two-game weekend sweep of BU for the Black Bears — their first in Boston since 1992.

Sophomore goaltender Dan Sullivan continued his steady play in goal with 38 saves, including 12 in the third period. For the weekend, Sullivan stopped 66 of 69 shots, lifting his season save percentage to a respectable .903.

The losses were BU’s first since a New Year’s Eve defeat at Notre Dame. Still, the Terriers leave the weekend in good position both in conference and on the national stage.

What I Saw

• Maine continued its smart play through the neutral zone. On Friday, Maine’s 1-2-2 gave BU fits whenever the Terriers looked to break the puck up ice. The same held true on Saturday, as BU rarely generated offense when forced to go the length of the ice. As usual BU created frequent scoring chances when they managed to break through Maine’s formation or worked an odd-man rush. Preventing the Terriers from doing this consistently helped Maine take four points over the weekend. The absences of BU defensemen Alexx Privitera and Max Nicastro made it more difficult for BU to move the puck up ice. Both players were injured in Friday’s game. (more…)

Durham, NH.- On a night where New Hampshire was able to keep up with the Eagles, Barry Almeida scored a crucial powerplay goal three and a half minutes into overtime to give Boston College the weekend sweep over a reeling UNH team. The goal was his 16^th of the season and it left the sold out Whittemore Center crowd of  6501 stunned after another good effort by their local team and freshman goaltender, Casey Desmith.

The second and third periods were practically a stalemate with the only blemish on either goalie, a UNH tying goal with 1:12 left in the second period, off the stick of Mike Borisenok, to deadlock the game at two that stood throughout the third period. It seemed as though UNH might be able to pull out the win, after a good second period performance by freshman goaltender Casey Desmith, where he stood on his head and made 19 saves in the period but it was not to be on the night and Boston College, as they usually do this time of year, found a way to win it.

The loss was the third straight for the Wildcats and it was the second consecutive Saturday in which they lost in overtime. They fall to 9-14-2 on the season and also fall back into ninth place, one point out of a playoff spot behind both Northeastern and UMass. The win was a the second consecutive for the Eagles and the weekend as a whole was a huge bounce-back weekend after last weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Black Bears up in Orono. Boston College improves to 16-10-1 and 11-7-1 in the conference. With the win they moved into a tie for first place with rival Boston University with 25 points one point clear of third place Maine. (more…)

BOSTON — Maine’s Marc Anthoine scored at 10 minutes, 8 seconds of the third period to give Maine a 3-2 lead over Boston University Friday night. The Black Bears added an empty-net goal to seal a 4-2 win at Agganis Arena. The win was Maine’s third in a row and 10th in its last 14 games.

For BU, the loss was its first in its last six games. Despite a 1-0 lead entering the first period, the Terriers struggled to generate offense throughout the night. A 20-minute delay caused by an issue with the lighting at Agganis resulted in BU dominating the second half of the second period at the restart. However, Maine goaltender Dan Sullivan (28 saves) kept BU from running away with the game.

What I saw

• Maine clogged the neutral zone effectively throughout the game. Both the forwards and defensemen pressured puck carriers and stepped into passing lanes well, forcing BU to defend against the Maine transition attack. All four lines confidently pressured BU when they could, opting against any high-risk plays and trusting their coverages. The Terriers’ offense was especially effective when they managed to cycle the puck. Maine limited those opportunities with their strong play through the neutral zone. Late in the game, Maine sent its forwards into the BU zone, preventing the Terriers from breaking out cleanly. After the Black Bears went up, 3-2, in the third, they managed possession with an effective cycle that kept the Terriers from creating chances. BU coach Jack Parker commented after that the game that the play was atypical of Maine. However, creating turnovers through the neutral zone has helped Maine on its current 10-2-2 run. (more…)

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — A pair of goals in the final 3:05 lifted Boston College to a 4-3 win over New Hampshire on Friday night. Scott Pavelski gave UNH a 3-2 lead with 4:42 remaining, but the Eagles answered 1:37 later when Johnny Gaudreau tipped home a beautiful slap pass from Brian Dumoulin. Then with just 51 seconds to go, Pat Mullane found Steven Whitney streaking through the slot for the game-winner.

The Eagles (15-10-1, 11-7-1 HE) opened the scoring 35 seconds into the game when Kevin Hayes corralled the puck below the goal line and banked in a shot off UNH (9-13-2, 6-10-1 HE) goalie Casey DeSmith’s skate. The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead with two goals early in the second from Austin Block and Stevie Moses, but BC answered later in the period with a shorthanded goal from Chris Kreider. The Eagles peppered DeSmith with 34 shots, while the Wildcats managed to test Parker Milner just 13 times.

What I saw

-The Eagles carried play in the first period. They outshot UNH 13-5 in the frame, but time of possession seemed even more lopsided than that. They pinned the Wildcats in their own end for entire shifts at a time, limiting UNH to an occasional one-and-done opportunity at the other end. Through 10 minutes, the Wildcats had just two shots on goal, and one came from the neutral zone while the other was a soft wrister from the point. The only thing BC didn’t do was score more than one goal, which was largely attributable to DeSmith’s stellar play in net. (more…)

After nine league games last weekend the standings are starting to take shape. Boston University, despite the midseason losses of players, have come to the top of the standings seemingly to stay. Their impressive weekend against Providence, outscoring the Friars 14-1, prove to many that this team has finally gotten over the hump and become the great team that many people thought they would be at the beginning of the year. With the University of Maine coming in this weekend hot off a weekend sweep of Boston College, the Terriers will be facing off with another hot team.

This weekend features a weekend that could go a long way in shaping the standings going forward. With a five point lead over fourth place Maine, Boston University could put a huge cushion between themselves and the Black Bears in the standings. On the other side, Maine could make a race of it. UMass-Lowell and UMass will renew their rivalry in a home and home series that will deeply impact the standings. UMass is battling UNH for the seventh spot in the conference while also keeping track of Northeastern, who is in ninth on the outside looking in 4 points back of them and three points behind eighth. Northeastern heads up to Vermont to hopefully gain four points as they are three points out of a playoff spot. Every game is crucial going down the stretch here is my weekly attempt of previewing the games this weekend. (more…)

The only spots I really feel confident about this week are first and 10th. Spots two through five are virtually inseparable in my mind, and the same goes for spots six through nine. Only one of those middle eight teams is in the same spot as last week.

1. Boston University (15-6-1, 12-4-1 HE) — Last week: 1

The Terriers strengthened their hold on the top spot by smoking Providence 6-1 on Friday and 8-0 on Saturday. They went an absurd 8-for-15 on the power play, moving them up to fifth in the country on the man advantage. They’ve scored two or more power-play goals in four of their last five games, and Saturday marked the first time they’ve scored six in a game since 1996. BU now ranks third nationally in offense and first in the PairWise.

2. Merrimack (13-5-5, 9-4-3 HE) — Last week: 3

The Warriors lost to UNH 2-1 on Friday before rebounding with a 3-2 overtime victory Saturday. They’ve allowed exactly two goals in each of their last five games, maintaining their league-leading 2.00 goals-against average. Joe Cannata stopped 59 of the 63 shots he saw and now ranks second in the conference with a .928 save percentage. Merrimack lost Carter Madsen (7 points) for the season when he suffered an ankle injury Saturday. (more…)

BOSTON — Derek Arnold scored at 2 minutes, 50 seconds of overtime to clinch a 3-2 win and a four-point weekend for UMass Lowell over Northeastern at Matthews Arena Saturday night. The goal, Arnold’s 10th of the season, came on breakaway following a chip through a neutral zone from UML’s Michael Budd. NU defenseman Luke Eibler and forward Cody Ferriero attempted to glove Budd’s chip down, but collided at the center ice. Defenseman Anthony Bitteto stood in position to play the puck at the NU blue line, before the puck skipped over his stick, allowing Arnold to corral it and walk in alone on Chris Rawlings.

Northeastern held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but couldn’t put a third past UML’s Doug Carr, who made 13 saves in the third period. The final 20 minutes tilted heavily in the Huskies’ favor after an even first 40. Carr kept the game tied, calmly brushing away the shots NU sent his way and getting his team to the overtime.

What I Saw

• Even in the third period, watching Northeastern dominate play, UMass Lowell’s compete level and commitment to simple, smart play shone through. The Huskies outshot the River Hawks, 13-7, late in the game, maintaining possession for most of the period. Aided by a pair of power plays, the Huskies looked certain for a go-ahead goal at some point. Aside from Carr’s brilliance — and there really isn’t a better way to describe the sophomore — the UML skaters executed near flawlessly in terms of defensive assignments. Whether it was boxing out swarming NU players after shots, seamless line changes or getting clears when they needed them, UML was nearly perfect. One mistake stands out — a failed clear attempt kept a winded penalty kill unit on the ice for about 30 seconds longer than UML coach Norm Bazin would’ve liked. Carr bailed the River Hawks out in that instance. In general, this commitment to the most fundamental concept of hockey that every coach reinforces in his players’ minds every chance he gets — keep it simple — has put UML in its current position. (more…)

Durham, NH.- After New Hampshire defeated Merrimack in a 2-1 thriller on Friday night, Merrimack and UNH played to a 2-2 tie after regulation. The Warriors won it just 19 seconds into overtime on a goal by John Heffernan, who slipped a quick snipe right above the stick of Damon Kipp over the shoulder of the goaltender, Casey Desmith, and into the net to seal the win.

On a night where Merrimack made some key changes to their lineup, with the scratch of leading scorer Ryan Flanigan, the Warriors got two goals from their listed fourth line. This fourth line production coupled with the insertion of John Heffernan played dividends for them in the end as the latter scored the game winning goal in just his eighth game of the season.

UNH played from behind most of the game and used a goal midway through the third period to force the game to overtime, but it was just not meant to be. After a win against Merrimack on Friday night, UNH played arguably its best two games of the season on back to back nights. With the loss UNH stays in the eighth and final playoff spot by three points over Northeastern. With the win Merrimack moved up into a tie for second with Boston College with a two games in hand.

What I saw

-Merrimack played a gutsy game. On the first shift of the game, first line Center Carter Madsen was taken out on a stretcher. This must have been demoralizing on the bench but the Warriors instead turned it right around and controlled play for the first half of the first period. This strong play early led to Rhett Bly’s goal at 3:06 of the period, giving Merrimack an early lead in which they never fully relinquished.

-UNH played another phenomenal defensive game, their fourth in a row. The overtime game winner from Merrimack was a pretty snipe right over the stick of Damon Kipp. Every man was seemingly covered by New Hampshire which has not always been the case this season for them. Heffernan made a great play and shot. This is a loss that cannot be blamed on poor defense or lack of effort. (more…)

BOSTON — The first period ended with Boston University leading Providence, 4-0, and, despite a strong effort in the final 40 minutes, the Friars failed to inch much closer, falling to BU, 6-1. The teams will play the second game of a home-and-home series Saturday night at Schneider Arena in Providence. The game will also decide the season series between the two clubs; PC defeated BU, 5-3, on Oct. 14.

Adam Clendening assisted on three of the Terriers’ goals, and six different players scored for BU. Kieran Millan made 36 saves in the game, preventing PC from mounting anything resembling a comeback Friday night.

What I Saw

• Despite the five-goals loss, Providence played a good game. With BU leading 1-0 and eventually 2-0, the Friars went on the power play twice and created plenty of offense. Losing the battle in front of Millan, the Friars failed to capitalize on the second and third chances they generated. Following the game, PC coach Nate Leaman praised his club, pointing to a few tough bounces in front of Alex Beaudry leading to BU’s first three goals. The Friars outshot BU 20-11 in the second period, but a few key saves from Millan prevented PC from developing any momentum. Shane Luke’s goal at 8 minute, 59 seconds of the second period looked to spark the visitors to an extent, but nothing came of it. To say BU won this game solely due to some puck luck isn’t exactly fair to the Terriers. Still, to say the Friars lost, 6-1, because they were bad is equally unfair to the Friars. (more…)