It’s just a couple of weeks, but Hockey East is off to terrible start in terms of out-of-conference (OOC) games. It could be a second straight disastrous year for the league when it comes to how it performs in non-conference games, which plays a large role in the all-important Pairwise Rankings.
Last year’s OOC record was the worst for the league since the 2010-11 season. In what was an almost unspeakable truth prior to last season, Boston College, the Hockey East regular season champion, failed to make the NCAA Tournament due to such a poor record in OOC games. The Eagles haven’t won an OOC game since Nov. 13, 2016.
No Hockey East team made the Frozen Four in 2018 for just the sixth time in the history of the league. The others were 2011, 2005, 1992, 1987 and 1986.
To date in 2018-19, Hockey East has an overall OOC record of 15-21-2, but it falls to 9-19-1 when Atlantic Hockey games are excluded. There’s certainly time for the league to make up ground and be in a better position for top teams to make the NCAA Tournament. However, it appears evident that the league is in for another down year overall.
Minutemen buzzing
Greg Carvel’s UMass team went on the road Friday night and upset top-ranked Ohio State, 6-3. It was largely a statement win for a program looking to establish a new identity and prove it belongs in the upper echelon of the league.
A late goal on Saturday proved costly, as the Buckeyes came back for a 3-1 win to force a split of the weekend series in Columbus, Ohio. Still, a 3-1 start for UMass should not be taken lightly. This team is for real, and its top four defensemen are no joke. No other team in Hockey East boasts as strong of a top four — Cale Makar, Mario Ferraro, Marc Del Gaizo and Ty Farmer.
UMass goaltenders have only allowed four even-strength goals through four games. Much of that has to do with the puck-moving capabilities of the Minutemen defensemen.
Makar, the fourth-overall pick by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2017 NHL Draft, has three goals and five assists in four games. If you have the puck on your stick, it’s awfully tough for the opposition to score.
Terriers lack bite
A new year, a new coach, but much of the same in terms of early results.
Boston University is 0-3 after Saturday night’s 4-0 loss at Merrimack. Granted, all three games have been on the road in tough environments. Still, a team as talented as BU should not go into Lawler Rink and emerge with no goals scored.
Center Shane Bowers, winger Joel Farabee and defenseman Dante Fabbro are three of the top players in the league. Talent isn’t the issue, but there’s an underlying problem at Agganis Arena. It will be interesting to see how first-year head coach Albie O’Connell can rectify the situation.
Grounded Eagles
Boston College has been shut out in two of its first three games. The Eagles are 0-3 for the first time since the 1937-38 season. Like BU, all three games have been on the road, but there should be concern in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
As mentioned above, Jerry York’s team hasn’t won an out-of-conference game since Nov. 13, 2016. With St. Cloud State coming to town Thursday night, it will take a herculean effort for BC to break the streak. The next most likely opportunity comes Nov. 23 when Bentley visits Conte Forum.
Logan Hutsko, the reigning Hockey East Rookie of the Year, has yet to record a point in three games. He has eight shots on goal and is minus-3. The Florida Panthers prospect will be a key to the Eagles coming alive offensively.
Husky power outage
Northeastern has scored four power-play goals through four games, but the man advantage looks significantly different with Adam Gaudette and Tyler Sikura now in the NHL.
On Saturday, the Huskies were also without standout offensive defenseman Jeremy Davies. Even though the Huskies scored a power-play goal, there was a lot of frustration. Union did a good job of not allowing pucks through the box.
The Huskies were swept by the Dutchmen, dropping to 2-2 on the young season. With Davies in the lineup, NU still has a nice group of defensemen. Ryan Shea and Jordan Harris will log lots of minutes.
Warrior firsts
Merrimack picked up a 4-0 win over Boston University on Saturday night. It gave first-year head coach Scott Borek his first win at Lawler Rink in three tries, having previously dropped a pair to Lake Superior State.
The victory, which rejuvenated the Warriors some, was the first shutout win over BU in program history.
