Top 10: UMass, AIC clinch regular-season titles with weekend sweeps

As the calendar turns to March and Atlantic Hockey and ECAC Hockey postseason play begins this coming weekend, things remain status quo at the top of New England Hockey Journal’s Division 1 Top 10.

It was an exciting weekend for the two Western Massachusetts programs as UMass clinched its first-ever Hockey East regular-season title as part of a two-win weekend before American International did the same in Atlantic Hockey following a Saturday night win over Sacred Heart. The Hockey East slate also included a three-point weeks for Providence, Boston University, and New Hampshire.

Quinnipiac finishes the ECAC regular season as the No. 1 tournament seed and Cleary Cup co-champions with Cornell, while Harvard also secured a first-round bye. Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown will all host first-round series this coming weekend.

In Atlantic Hockey, No. 2 Bentley and No. 4 Sacred Heart both clinched first-round byes, while Holy Cross will be on the road this coming weekend for a series with Robert Morris.

TOP 10

1. Massachusetts

Record: 26-7 (18-5 Hockey East) / Last week: 1

The Minutemen swept a pair of games to claim their first-ever Hockey East regular-season title, defeating Merrimack, 4-2; and Maine, 6-0. Sophomore Oliver Chau scored twice and added an assist in a dominant Saturday win over the Black Bears as UMass held a 45-16 shot advantage. Defenseman Cale Makar matched that line and scored the game-winning goal in North Andover before assisting against Maine. Sophomore Matt Murray and freshman Fille Lindberg split the starts in goal with Lindberg making 16 saves in the latter game for his first collegiate shutout.

2. Providence

Record: 20-9-6 (13-7-3 Hockey East) / Last week: 2

The Friars gained three Hockey East points last week with a 5-2 win at Connecticut and 1-1 tie with Boston University. Junior Josh Wilkins led the Providence offense with a hat trick against the Huskies, helping him establish a new career-high point total with 34. Freshman Jack Dugan had two assists in the UConn game before scoring the lone goal on 46 shots against BU’s Jake Oettinger. Senior Hayden Hawkey tended goal in both games, stopping 33 of the 36 shots he faced.

3. Quinnipiac

Record: 25-7-2 (14-6-2 ECAC Hockey) / Last week: 3

The Bobcats clinched a share of their fourth-ever Cleary Cup with this past weekend’s 4-1 wins at Brown and Yale, combined with Cornell’s tie at Clarkson on Saturday. Junior Nick Germain (Norwalk, Conn.) posted three goals and an assist over the weekend, including two with the game-winner against the rival Bulldogs. Rookie TJ Friedmann scored once in each game, including the deciding tally at Brown. In goal, junior Andrew Shortridge allowed only one goal in each game and totaled 40 saves.

4. Northeastern

Record: 22-10-1 (14-8-1 Hockey East) / Last week: 4

Friday’s 3-1 loss at Boston College snapped the Huskies’ five-game winning streak, but the two Beanpot rivals split the weekend series following Northeastern’s 4-2 win the following night. Senior Austin Plevy scored once in each game to help pace the Hounds’ attack on the weekend, while junior Grant Jozefek had three assists and freshman Jordan Harris (Haverhill, Mass.) dished out two against the Eagles. Sophomore Cayden Primeau stopped 71 of the 75 shots he faced to split the series.

5. Boston University

Record: 14-15-4 (12-8-3 Hockey East) / Last week: 8

The Terriers improved to 4-0-1 over their last five games with a 1-1 tie at Providence and 5-1 win over Merrimack, allowing them to move within one point of fourth-place UMass Lowell in the Hockey East standings. Junior defensemen Chad Krys (Ridgefield, Conn.; 2-3-5) and Dante Fabbro (1-4-5) had five-point games against Merrimack as BU scored on the power play as well as its 10th shorthanded goal of the season. Freshman Joel Farabee and sophomore Ty Amonte (Norwell, Mass.) also scored goals in that game, while sophomore Shane Bowers had the lone tally in Providence. Junior Jake Oettinger stopped 77 of the 79 shots he faced over two games.

6. Harvard

Record: 17-9-3 (13-7-2 ECAC Hockey) / Last week: 6

Harvard finished the regular season victorious in 13 of its last 18 ECAC games after a 4-1 win at Rensselaer and 4-3 loss to Union over the weekend. The Friday victory allowed the Crimson to clinch a first-round playoff bye. Seven different players scored goals in the series with freshman Jack Rathbone (West Roxbury, Mass.) posting three points to lead the offense. Against the Engineers, freshman Casey Dornbach had a goal and an assist and junior Cameron Gornet made 18 of his 48 saves for his third consecutive victory.

7. UMass Lowell

Record: 18-11-4 (12-7-4 Hockey East) / Last week: 5

The River Hawks slipped down to fourth in the Hockey East standings as they were held to one point through a home-and-home set with New Hampshire, dropping a 1-0 decision in Durham before skating to a 2-2 tie. Senior Connor Wilson and junior Kenny Hausinger scored the goals, while senior Christoffer Hernberg (21 saves) and junior Tyler Wall (30 saves) split the pair of tight decisions to conclude the three-game set with the Wildcats for the regular season.

8. American International

Record: 18-15-1 (18-9-1 Atlantic Hockey) / Last week: Not ranked

The Yellow Jackets clinched sole possession of the top spot in the Atlantic Hockey standings for the first time ever with Saturday’s 4-1 win over Sacred Heart, which followed a 5-2 loss to the Pioneers two nights earlier. Freshman Justin Cole scored once in each game as one of five AIC skaters to post two points on the weekend. Three of AIC’s four goals came on the power play in the Saturday win with sophomore Tobias Fladeby scoring the game-winner in the second period. Junior Zackarias Skog made 50 saves on the weekend, including 30 on 31 shots in the victory.

9. Maine

Record: 14-15-4 (10-9-4 Hockey East) / Last week: 7

The Black Bears slip in the NEHJ ranks after their five-game unbeaten streak was snapped with Saturday night’s 6-0 loss at UMass. Sophomore Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves on 33 shots over the first two periods, while senior Rob McGovern (Weymouth, Mass.) had a 12-save effort in the final frame. The Maine offense was held to only 16 shots on goal, including three from senior Brendan Robbins (Nashua, N.H.).

10. New Hampshire

Record: 12-12-9 (8-9-6 Hockey East) / Last week: Not ranked

The Wildcats earned three points over their penultimate weekend of the regular season, earning a 1-0 win and then a 2-2 tie with UMass Lowell. Freshman Jackson Pierson scored the lone Friday goal, his eighth of the season, at 17:07 of the second period. Defensemen Will MacKinnon and Max Gildon scored in Saturday’s stalemate at Tsongas Center. MacKinnon’s goal was the first of his collegiate career. Sophomore Mike Robinson (Bedford, N.H.) made 48 saves on the weekend, including 29 in his fifth shutout of the year.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Dante Fabbro

Boston University / Jr. / D / New Westminster, B.C.

Chad Krys

Boston University / Jr. / D / Ridgefield, Conn.

Both blueliners factored into the scoring on all five BU goals en route to Saturday’s 5-1 win over Merrimack, which extended the team’s unbeaten streak to five games. Krys scored twice and added three assists in his 100th collegiate game, while Fabbro scored the first Terrier goal of the game before assisting on the next four. Neither defenseman had more than three points in a game this season prior.

Jake Oettinger

Boston University / Jr. / G / Lakeville, Minn.

Oettinger led BU to a tie at Providence and a win over Merrimack during a busy weekend in goal. The junior stopped 45 of the 46 shots he faced on Thursday night against the Friars, marking the fifth 40-save effort of his season. He extended BU’s unbeaten streak with a 32-save performance over the first 52:27 of Saturday’s win over Merrimack before senior Max Prawdzik (Andover, Mass.) played the remaining time.