The 2022 Hockey East playoffs begin Wednesday, with opening round games involving the No. 6-11 seeds in the conference facing each other for the chance to advance to this weekend’s quarterfinals.
No. 11 University of Maine will play No. 6 Merrimack College at Lawler Arena, while No. 10 Vermont will travel to Providence to take on the seventh-ranked Friars. No. 8 Boston College will face No. 9 New Hampshire at home, fresh off of beating UMass twice to close out the regular season. Northeastern, who captured the school’s first regular season title, holds the top seed by virtue of edging the Minutemen by one point. UMass Lowell, Connecticut and Boston University round out the Hockey East top-five. BU and UConn will face each other in Connecticut on Saturday, while the rest of the field will be determined in the opening round.
Here is a quick look at a player on each of the teams playing Wednesday who could be a key play-driver for his school’s hopes to extend their season to Saturday and beyond.
