Like many people who follow college hockey, I consider the postseason the best time of the year.
But in this pandemic? Not so much.
I’m thankful, of course, that 51 Division 1 schools opted to play, and I’ve watched as many games as I could, in person, on TV or online. At this point, however, I’m staggering toward the finish line, hoping to get there before more bad news drops. I can’t imagine how the players and coaches must feel.
Be that as it may, the Hockey East playoffs are under way.
Merrimack was forced to close down its season last week because of one (!) positive test for COVID, and Vermont and Maine were eliminated by Lowell and New Hampshire, respectively, on Wednesday.
That leaves eight teams. Next up will be four single-elimination matchups on Sunday, with the winners moving on to the semifinals on Wednesday.
Predictions are not usually my thing, though I did call Providence College’s upset win over Boston University in 2015. You could look it up, as Casey Stengel used to say.
Anyway, here’s how I see Sunday’s quarterfinal games:
New Hampshire at Boston College
The Wildcats slogged to a 10th-place finish, but the brightest moment in their season happened in January when they went into Conte Forum and beat BC on a power-play goal with 26 seconds left in overtime.
Back home two days later, they played the Eagles tough before losing in overtime.
UNH is feeling good coming off a 7-2 rout of Maine in Orono, but upsetting BC is too tall an order.
The Eagles, with some of college hockey’s biggest names in Spencer Knight, Matt Boldy and Alex Newhook, simply have more than New Hampshire can handle. They are faster, deeper and more skilled.
Prediction: BC, 5-2
Northeastern at UMass
The Minutemen looked like a juggernaut in pounding Providence College and then beating BC in overtime recently, both on the road, but took a step back in a tie against Maine at home.
With a heavy style of play, good goaltending from Filip Lindberg, top-flight defensemen in Zac Jones and Matthew Kessel and balanced scoring up front, UMass can be a handful. The Minutemen won both games against Northeastern.
The Huskies have the nation’s third-best power play, speed and skill up front and one of the league’s top defensemen in Jordan Harris. But they haven’t beaten a team with a record of .500 or better all season.
Prediction: UMass, 5-3
UMass Lowell at Boston University
The teams played only once this season. The River Hawks outplayed the Terriers last Saturday and had the edge in shots and puck possession, but the game went in the books as a 3-3 tie.
Lowell is one of the better Corsi teams in the country, while BU is not.
(A quirk in BU’s stats: The Terriers have the same power-play percentage, 15.3, and penalty kill percentage, 83.1, as Alabama-Huntsville.)
Over the past decade, Lowell usually has gotten very good goaltending. Not this season, as the team’s save percentage is an ugly .869.
It says here that freshman goalie Drew Commesso will put BU over the top on Sunday.
Prediction: BU, 3-1
Providence College at UConn
UConn, with the top scorer in Hockey East in Jonny Evans, has had its best season under coach Mike Cavanaugh. Tough to play against, the Huskies have a win over BC and two against PC.
Uncharacteristically, the Friars have taken a pair of savage beatings this season, losing to BC, 9-0, and UMass, 8-1, both at home. They were on verge of a blowout defeat at UConn a week ago, trailing 5-0 before losing 5-3. After the one-sided losses to BC and UMass, the Friars rebounded with good wins at Lowell and Northeastern.
I like PC’s chances for a bounce-back win here for the simple reason that beating a Nate Leaman coached team three times in the same season is very difficult.
Prediction: PC, 3-2
