Top 10: UMass, Providence earn top spots with Frozen Four berths

Two teams remain in New England’s collegiate hockey ranks.

Hockey East will have multiple Frozen Four representatives for the first time since 2015 (and fifth since 2000) as UMass and Providence punched their tickets to Buffalo, N.Y., after taking care of regional business within regional borders. The Minutemen and Friars earned three of their four combined wins in shutout fashion.

American International was the talk of the college hockey world on Friday night after becoming the second team in as many years to upend top-seeded St. Cloud State in its first game of the tournament. The Atlantic Hockey champion Yellow Jackets advanced to the West Region title game, falling to Denver, while Quinnipiac also played for a Frozen Four berth in Allentown, Pa.

Harvard and Northeastern saw their seasons come to an end during opening-round action, suffering tough defeats in Manchester, N.H., and Providence, R.I., respectively. UMass and Providence earned their trips to the Frozen Four out of those same locations.

In our usual ranking format, here is a look at the six New England clubs that were in the hunt for a national championship entering Friday’s start of NCAA tournament play:

1. Massachusetts

Record: 30-9 (18-6 Hockey East) / Last week: 1

The Minutemen were dominant en route to winning the Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H. Freshman goaltender Fille Lindberg pitched consecutive shutouts by 4-0 scores against UMass and Notre Dame, needing to make only 30 saves over the two games. Senior Brett Boeing and sophomore John Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) both posted 2-1-3 lines to lead a UMass offense that posted 36-17 and 34-13 shot advantages in the two games. Friday marked Boeing’s second two-goal effort in three games. In total, six different players scored and 12 recorded points to help the Minutemen to their first-ever Frozen Four with sophomore Jake Gaudet and freshman Anthony Del Gaizo tallying the game-winners.

2. Providence

Record: 24-11-6 (14-7-3 Hockey East) / Last week: 3

The Friars got the job done in the East Regional just mere miles from their campus, taking down Minnesota State and Cornell at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center to earn their first Frozen Four trip since 2015. Providence scored six unanswered goals to take Saturday’s 6-3 win before senior Hayden Hawkey made 19 saves the following day for a 4-0 shutout, completing a weekend over which he stopped 50 of the 53 shots he faced. Junior Josh Wilkins factored into five of Providence’s 10 goals, scoring two and adding an assist against the top-seeded Mavericks before marking both columns in the title game. Junior Brandon Duhaime notched a 1-3-4 line, while freshman Tyce Thompson’s (Milford, Conn.) three-point Saturday included the game-winning goal.

3. Quinnipiac

Record: 26-10-2 (14-6-2 ECAC Hockey) / Last week: 4

During the Midwest Regional in Allentown, Pa., the Bobcats earned a 2-1 decision over Arizona State before bowing out with a 3-1 loss to top-seeded Minnesota Duluth. Senior Craig Martin scored a power-play goal in Sunday’s setback after adding an assist against the Sun Devils. Sophomore defenseman Joe O’Connor (Hamden, Conn.) and freshman William Fallstrom lit the lamp against the Sun Devils, lifting Quinnipiac to its first NCAA tournament win since it advanced to the Frozen Four in 2016. Junior Andrew Shortridge tended goal in both games and finished the weekend with 43 saves on 46 shots, including 20 in Saturday’s victory.

4. Northeastern

Record: 27-11-1 (15-8-1 Hockey East) / Last week: 2

After winning the Beanpot and Hockey East titles en route to setting a new single-season wins standard, the Huskies saw their season come to an abrupt end with a 5-1 loss to Cornell in the second Saturday game at the East Regional. Senior Liam Pecararo (Canton, Mass.) scored Northeastern’s only goal after it fell into a 4-0 hole just after the midway mark of the second period. Sophomore Cayden Primeau, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, stopped 14 shots while allowing five goals for only the third time this season.

5. Harvard

Record: 19-11-3 (13-7-2 ECAC Hockey) / Last week: 5

Making its fourth NCAA appearance in five seasons, the Crimson came out on the wrong side of a 4-0 score against UMass in Friday’s Northeast Regional opener. Senior Michael Lackey made 12 of his 32 saves in the first period, reaching the 30 marker for the fifth time this season. Co-captain Lewis Zerter-Gossage led Harvard with four shots on goal.

6. American International

Record: 23-17-1 (18-9-1 Atlantic Hockey) / Last week: 6

The Yellow Jackets completed their magical Atlantic Hockey title-winning season with a trip to the West Regional Final in Fargo, N.D., earning a 2-1 win over top-seeded St. Cloud State before being shut out by Denver, 3-0. Sophomore defenseman Brennan Kapcheck and junior Joel Kocur scored goals against the Huskies and were ultimately named to the All-Tournament Team for their weekend efforts. Junior Zackarias Skog stopped 54 of 57 shots on the weekend and finished the seven-game postseason run with a .944 save percentage. Prior to this season, AIC had never finished .500 at the Division 1 level.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Josh Wilkins

Providence / Jr. / F / Raleigh, N.C.

Wilkins was named Most Outstanding Player at the East Regional after scoring three goals and adding two assists as the Friars downed Minnesota State and Cornell to advance to the Frozen Four. The junior scored twice and assisted on freshman Tyce Thompson’s game-winner in the third period against Minnesota State, recording all three points on the power play. He had six shots on goal over the two games and will carry a four-game point streak to Buffalo.

Fille Lindberg

Massachusetts / Fr. / G / Espoo, Finland

Lindberg was literally perfect during the Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H., making 17 saves in a semifinal shutout against Harvard before Notre Dame forced him to stop only 13 pucks in Saturday’s title game. The freshman from Finland had not started back-to-back games all season long before the beginning of his current four-game streak and has pitched three shutouts in that span.