Boston College and Boston University have started the year on historic down notes, but two other Hockey East teams – Providence and UMass – made history of the positive variety last weekend.
The Friars opened Hockey East play with a 7-2 win over UConn, which was the 1,000th in program history. The No. 1 team in our first regional Top 10 of the season has seen 11 different players score 16 goals through five games. Junior Josh Wilkins netted one in each outing this past weekend; the Friars also visited Sacred Heart on Saturday and skated to a 2-2 tie with Sacred Heart.
Senior Bryan Lemos (East Providence, R.I.) recorded a goal and an assist against the Pioneers in his first game action since Nov. 25, 2017. Meanwhile, Gabe Mollot-Hill made 25 saves when a Providence goaltender other than Hayden Hawkey started for the first time in 83 games.
As for UMass, their clear standout was defenseman Cale Makar, the two-time reigning Hockey East Player of the Week.
His second consecutive four-point weekend powered the Minutemen, 6-3, past Ohio State on Friday for their first win over a top-ranked team in the nation since Feb. 10, 2012 at BU. The win helped lift UMass to No. 16 in the nation, which marks their first ranking since Feb. 15, 2010.
Boston woes
Last year, BU finished a game short of the Frozen Four with a loss to Michigan in the NCAA Northeast Regional final. As for archrival BC, it missed qualifying for the national tournament despite winning its 16th Hockey East regular-season title.
The Commonwealth Avenue clubs have returned the bulk of their offense – BC didn't graduate one senior last year – but both have begun on sour notes with losses in each of their first three games.
BC suffered three- and two-goal losses during a season-opening sweep at Wisconsin and dropped a 1-0 decision in its most recent game Friday night at Quinnipiac, totaling just five goals on the year. Finding more balance up front would do the Eagles well as three of the team’s five goals belong to junior David Cotton. Goaltender Joseph Woll (.892 save percentage) hasn’t been his usual self either.
BU junior Jake Oettinger has similarly endured a challenging start, allowing 11 goals in a three-game span for the second time since Feb. 9-16. The Terriers have provided just six goals of support, including two off the stick of North Reading, Mass., native Bobo Carpenter.
Overall, though, it hasn’t been enough for either side to crack the win column.
The Eagles haven't lost their first three games in a season since 1937-38 when the legendary John “Snooks” Kelley’s team played only a 15-game schedule. First-year BU head coach Albie O’Connell was a senior captain on the Terriers’ last team to start with three (of, eventually, four) consecutive losses in 1998-99.
This marks the first season in which both BC and BU were winless through three games since 1933-34. And it won’t get easier when the teams come home this weekend. BC hosts No. 2 St. Cloud State on Thursday in its home opener, and BU welcomes Providence on Friday.
Real good rookies
Nine freshmen in college hockey have scored five or more points so far this season, including four from New England-based programs. UMass forward Bobby Trivigno ― whose sister, Dana Trivigno, is a former Boston College captain ― leads the region’s rookie crop with six points through four games.
UConn forward Jáchym Kondelík and Providence forward Jack Dugan each have five points, while reigning All-USHL Third Team and Holy Cross forward Matt Barry has equaled that mark to co-lead all Atlantic Hockey rookies.
In addition, Tyler Madden became the first Northeastern player since Braden Pimm in 2013 to score goals in the season’s first three games. No rookie had previously accomplished that feat for the Huskies since 2000.
UMass Lowell has more freshmen (13) on its roster than any team in college hockey, while UConn and Quinnipiac each have a dozen. Trivigno is one of eight newcomers at UMass.
Living up to his name
UMass Lowell junior Tyler Wall pitched a 36-save shutout in Friday’s series-opening, 3-0 win at Miami and now leads Hockey East with a .968 save percentage on the season. He has allowed just three goals in as many games for the River Hawks, registering his first win in nearly eight months.
Also in net, Bridgewater, Mass., native Craig Pantano led Merrimack to its first shutout of Boston University in program history on Saturday with 34 stops. It was the senior’s second clean sheet in three games, following a 1-0, Oct. 12 decision at Bentley that marked head coach Scott Borek’s (Swampscott, Mass.) first win behind the Merrimack bench.
Wild rides
A day separated the games in last week’s Bentley-AIC series in Springfield, Mass., but nothing changed from Tuesday to Thursday. The Atlantic Hockey rivals needed overtime on both occasions.
The teams skated to a 4-4 draw in the latter game, but junior Martin Mellberg scored 1:01 into overtime and added a pair of assists to pace the Yellow Jacket offense in a 5-4 win Tuesday.
Through five games, junior Blake Christensen leads AIC with six points (three goals, three assists).
Blue line injuries
Two of the best defensemen in Hockey East missed some weekend action due to injury.
BU junior Chad Krys (Ridgefield, Conn.) did not play in a Friday exhibition against the U.S. Under-18 Team or Saturday’s Hockey East opener at Merrimack, though he is expected back in the lineup soon. According to The Daily Free Press, the lower-body injury that has kept Krys out is “nothing major.”
Northeastern’s Jeremy Davies had two assists during Friday’s overtime loss to Union, but an upper-body injury kept him out the following night. Head coach Jim Madigan listed Davies' status as “day-to-day” after the game.
