New England college hockey rankings: BU moves into No. 1 spot

The second half of the Division 1 men’s college hockey season is underway, and we’re looking back at recent action with the first installment of New England Hockey Journal’s power rankings in the new year.

The top of the rankings features a new No. 1 locally and nationwide, while a total of four teams have logged at least 14 victories. There is representation from Hockey East, ECAC Hockey and Atlantic Hockey throughout the top 10.

Following this weekend’s action, the local slate will feature the Battle of Commonwealth Avenue between Boston College and Boston University and the return of Connecticut Ice on the final weekend of January.

Here is our latest look at the top teams in the region.

1. Boston University (14-4-1, 9-1-1 HEA)

Previous ranking: No. 2

The Terriers extended their Hockey East lead with two recent wins, beating Northeastern 4-3 in overtime on Jan. 9 before junior Mathieu Caron pitched a 36-save shutout in a 3-0 triumph over New Hampshire on Saturday. Graduate senior Sam Stevens has broken out lately, scoring three goals in a four-game span — including the game-winner against UNH — to extend his point streak to five. Freshman Macklin Celebrini netted the other two goals in the third period and had three on the week following his return from World Juniors.

2. Boston College (14-4-1, 7-3-1 HEA)

Previous ranking: No. 1

In their first action since seven players won gold at the World Junior Championship, the Eagles  split a Hockey East series with Providence. The contributions of BC’s star-studded freshman class grew larger as Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.) scored his first career goal, while Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) netted a pair for the second time this season and is now on a four-game goal scoring streak. Saturday’s 4-3 loss was just BC’s second in 10 games (7-2-1) and first since Dec. 1 against Northeastern, coming despite freshman Jacob Fowler’s second straight 30-save effort.

3. Quinnipiac (15-4-2, 9-0-1 ECAC)

Previous ranking: No. 3

After opening the new year with a tie at Northeastern, the Bobcats’ most recent weekend was no contest — a sweep of Princeton to remain unbeaten in ECAC Hockey. Friday’s 9-2 win included six goals in the first 8:52, including a goal and two assists by junior Collin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) during that span. Graf also scored the first two goals in a 3-1 Saturday win on the road, giving him 1.94 points per game for the season. Sophomore Sam Lipkin assisted on both of Graf’s Saturday goals and has points in seven straight.

4. Maine (14-4-2, 6-3-1 HEA)

Previous ranking: No. 4

The Black Bears used a five-goal third period to surge to a 5-3 Friday win at UConn before their nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1) was snapped in a 2-0 loss the following day. The setback marked the first time this season that Maine had been shut out. Freshman brothers Josh and Bradly Nadeau each scored a goal in Friday’s victory, but sophomore defenseman Brandon Holt notched his first two-goal game and senior Harrison Scott scored his fourth goal in five games. Senior Victor Ostman earned his sixth straight win with 25 saves.

5. Providence (11-6-2, 5-4-2 HEA)

Previous ranking: No. 6

Senior captain Chase Yoder’s second goal of the game with 4:30 left in regulation helped the Friars erase three one-goal deficits en route to their first win over the No. 1 team in the country since Dec. 3, 2011 (Merrimack) and their third win over a top-five opponent this season. Yoder has scored three game-winning goals this season. Sophomore Philip Svedeback made 22 saves in the win, which came a night after he was pulled after allowing five goals on BC’s first 14 shots in Chestnut Hill.

6. Massachusetts (12-6-3, 5-4-2 HEA)

Previous ranking: No. 5

The Minutemen have gone 1-2-2 in five games since returning from the semester break, including a most recent split with Merrimack that included Friday’s 4-3 home win and a 4-1 loss the following night in North Andover. Freshmen played a key role in the win as Jack Musa and Bruins prospect Dans Locmelis each found the back of the net before the game-winner on a third-period power play came from junior defenseman Ryan Ufko. Musa is the team’s leading scorer with nine goals and 23 points. Michael Hrabal made his first start since returning from World Juniors with Czechia, stopping 31 shots in the Friday win.

7. New Hampshire (11-6-1, 4-3-1 HEA)

Previous ranking: No. 7

The Wildcats put up their third-highest shot total of the season (36) but were shut out for only the second time at BU, where they fell to a Terriers team that they had beaten at home in October. An 0-for-5 showing on the power play proved costly as UNH had a three-game win streak snapped. Junior Jakob Hellsten made 23 saves in his fourth consecutive start and continues to lead Hockey East with a 1.81 goals against average. The North Dakota transfer has allowed more than two goals in only two of his 11 outings.

8. Merrimack (10-10-1, 3-7-1 HEA)

Previous ranking: No. 10

After defeating Brown, Stonehill and Holy Cross in their first three post-Christmas games, the Warriors have made it a 4-1-0 run this semester after pulling off a Saturday win against UMass. The star duo of junior Matt Copponi (Marshfield, Mass.) and senior Alex Jefferies (Lunenburg, Mass.) are both on three-game goal streaks, but Jefferies will be sidelined for the foreseeable future after suffering an injury on Saturday. The win also included the return of junior goaltender Hugo Ollas from illness, and his 24-save performance could lead to the return of a healthy competition with senior Zachary Borgiel that has been key over the past two years.

9. Sacred Heart (10-11-2, 10-5-1 AHA)

Previous ranking: N/A

The Pioneers have gained nine points from their last four Atlantic Hockey games and hold a six-point advantage over second place at the top of the standings. Junior Daniel Ebrahim and senior TJ Walsh (Shrewsbury, Mass.) each had two goals across three games — a tie/shootout win over Army last Tuesday and a win and overtime loss in a weekend home-and-home with Bentley — recently. Ebrahim was the spark in Friday’s 4-3 win at Waltham, Mass., scoring two goals in the second period. Walsh has a team-leading 11 goals and 22 points.

10. American International (13-10-1, 9-6-1 AHA)

Previous ranking: No. 8

Saturday’s 4-1 win at Air Force put the Yellow Jackets back on the winning track after a three-game winless streak and kept them in second place in the Atlantic Hockey standings. Freshman Alfred Lindberg posted two goals and two assists in the series, including his third three-point effort over the team’s last six games. The Swedish native has recorded points in 10 of his last 11 games. Sophomore John Lundy also had a three-point effort in the victory — which followed AIC’s first loss to Air Force in 10 meetings on Friday — and continues to lead the team with 12 goals.

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