New England programs were shut out of the Frozen Four for the first time in seven years and just the third time since Maine 42-1-2 en route to the national title in 1993. Hockey East finalists Boston University and Providence dropped their respective Regional Final contests, while Northeastern fell in its second NCAA opener in three seasons.
The Friars, the No. 2 seed in Bridgeport, Conn., avenged two regular-season losses to Clarkson with a 1-0 semifinal shutout before suffering a 2-1 loss to Notre Dame. Providence has earned five straight NCAA bids in Nate Leaman’s seven seasons, which is the second-longest active streak in the country. Defending national champion Denver advanced to its 11th straight tournament.
"This stings, losing (in the regional) and in the Hockey East championship. It’s no fun when you are this close," said Leaman following PC’s first regional title game since 2015. "Yes, we are young, but you can only get better from these experiences when the sting is gone."
The Friars finished 24-12-4 for their fifth straight 20-win year. Four of their top six scorers this season were sophomores, including Kasper Bjorkqvist, who tied for the team lead with 16 goals and scored first in both NCAA contests.
A sophomore, too, was goaltender Hayden Hawkey. The Canadiens prospect stopped all 18 shots he faced against the Golden Knights, posting his fourth shutout of the season.
"They were the best four years of my life," senior captain Brian Pinho (North Andover, Mass.) said of his Providence career. "I can’t thank the coaching staff and everyone around the program enough. It’s been great to be a part of, and I told the guys in the room after the game that there are really big things ahead for this program."
In Worcester, Mass., both Hockey East squads saw their seasons end against Michigan, which advanced to its first Frozen Four since 2011 under first-year coach Mel Pearson. The Wolverines beat Northeastern, 3-2, and BU, 6-3.
The Huskies ended with a 23-10-5 mark and saw the talented trio of Adam Gaudette (Braintree, Mass.), Dylan Sikura and Nolan Stevens sign NHL contracts in the following days. Northeastern was the lone team in college hockey with three 20-goal, 40-point scorers.
"This sport is tremendous, but … one team moves on and one goes home," Huskies head coach Jim Madigan said. "We are faced with that now. It’s a sad locker room. There are a lot of guys who have competed and worked hard for nine months; it’s a long season in our sport, and our emotions are coming through. As a coach of this group of young men, I couldn’t be more proud and pleased for how they represented Northeastern."
BU advanced to the eight-team round following a 3-1 victory over top-seeded Cornell. The Terriers are one of just three teams in the country to win a tournament game in at least three of the last four years. — JOSHUA KUMMINS
The Notebook
UMass freshman defenseman Cale Makar was named a third-team Hockey East All-Star, becoming the first Minuteman to earn a league All-Star nod since Justin Braun in 2009-10. Makar and Mario Ferraro, who broke the program’s rookie defenseman scoring record with 23 points, were both All-Rookie selections. …
A slew of players signing NHL entry-level contracts included UConn junior Maxim Letunov and Merrimack senior Brett Seney with the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils, respectively. Seney at least shared the Merrimack scoring lead in each of his four seasons, while Letunov did so twice in three years. BU’s Jordan Greenway made his NHL debut with Minnesota on March 27.
Adam Gaudette and Dylan Sikura were each named Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalists, making Northeastern the only school with two finalists for the top honor in college hockey. Gaudette was named Hockey East Player of the Year, while senior Sikura was the nation’s active career leading scorer with 145 points entering the NCAA tournament and ranked third with 53 this season, including a nation-best 13 power-play goals. …
Northeastern freshman Cayden Primeau was named one of five finalists for the Mike Richter Award, presented annually to the top goaltender in college hockey. Primeau was named Hockey East Goaltending Champion after posting a 1.85 goals-against average and .933 save percentage during the regular season. Those marks ranked fourth and fifth in the nation, respectively. …
Boston University became just the fourth No. 4 seed in Hockey East history to win a league championship and first since rival BC did so en route to winning the 2008 national title in Denver. This also marked the first season since 2008 that the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds met for the Hockey East title; BC and Vermont were the league’s finalists that year. …
Hockey East was ensured it would have three teams represented in the NCAA tournament after Boston University clinched its ninth league championship and first since 2015. Before the Terriers downed archrival Boston College and Providence at TD Garden en route to the league title, Hockey East was in jeopardy of having just two teams — Northeastern and Providence — qualify for NCAAs for the first time since 2013. That year, UMass Lowell lost to eventual national champion Yale in its first-ever Frozen Four in Pittsburgh. …
After making their first appearance in the Hockey East title game since 2001, the Friars qualified for the 16-team NCAA bracket in five consecutive seasons, which is the second-longest active streak in college hockey. Defending national champion Denver advanced to its 11th straight tournament. …
Eight games during this Hockey East postseason went to overtime, including a pair of contests in two different opening-round series. In addition, both semifinal games were decided after regulation for the first time since 1989 and just the second time in league history.
The List: Hockey East Awards
Player of the Year: Adam Gaudette, Northeastern
Gaudette (Braintree, Mass.) is the second straight Hockey East Player of the Year from Northeastern, as Zach Aston-Reese earned the honor last season, and just the third ever. The Thayer Academy product led the nation with 30 goals and 56 total points during the regular season, including 35 points in league contests.
Rookie of the Year: Logan Hutsko, Boston College
Hutsko became the eighth player in BC history and second in three seasons to earn Rookie of the Year honors after leading all league freshmen and the Eagles with 31 regular-season points, including 12 goals. The Tampa, Fla., native also was the lone unanimous selection to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.
Coach of the Year: Jerry York, Boston College
The winningest head coach in NCAA history, York (Watertown, Mass.) was named Hockey East Coach for the Year for the fourth time in his storied career. He led the Eagles to 18 league victories and the Hockey East regular-season title for the ninth time during his tenure after the team was predicted to finish fifth this season.
