Zach Metsa celebrates Quinnipiac winning the Friendship Four. (William Cherry/Belfast Giants)
The new year is here, which means the Division 1 men's college hockey season is back up and running.
It has been an ultra-competitive year across New England. No conference has showcased its parity more than Hockey East, where Merrimack and Connecticut have risen to the top on the strength of banner semesters.
Those two teams find themselves at record-setting places in the national picture, alongside ECAC rivals Quinnipiac and Harvard.
Before all the excitement of the playoff chases begins, here's a look at some of what we learned throughout the fall term in college hockey.
