Hockey East Roundup: Nov. 20 - Dec. 1, 2024

After a week off of roundups, we’re back with another Hockey East feature this week, and there’s been plenty of action since the last time we spoke. We’ll flash back and check out some non-conference action, but we’ve got plenty from within the league to preview as well. Off we go! 

Providence has productive weekend against Harvard

The last two weekends have not featured a lot of in-conference action, which we saw work in favor of the Friars on Nov. 22nd and 23rd as they took on the Crimson. 

It wasn’t all easy, however, as Providence needed a shootout and overtime to sweep the series. On Friday, the Friars actually coughed up a two goal lead that they had jumped out to in the first period. And they coughed up the lead with under 90 seconds remaining in regulation – with two goals in 59 seconds from Harvard’s Maria Pape and Kaley MacDonald. 

For Providence, Sarah Davies added her fifth goal of the year 11:03 into the game, and Jessie Pellerin, the freshman, added another with just under a minute left in the first. The team also outshot the Crimson 30-24 – however, Harvard had an additional 27 blocked shots by the end of extra time. 

In the shootout, which doesn’t actually count for any additional standings points in the ECAC/Hockey East matchup, junior standout Reichen Kirchmair was the hero – and the only one to find the back of the net in the three rounds. 

On Saturday, there was more back and forth between the two sides. And this time late third period heroics ended up working in Providence’s favor as compared to harming them like it had the day before. 

After goals from Antonina Dinges and Kirchmair in the first and second periods, Harvard’s Ella Lucia was poised to play the hero in the contest as she put the Crimson ahead with 3:43 remaining in regulation. Audrey Knapp, however, wasn’t going to allow that to happen, as she tied it back up 66 seconds after to send the game to overtime. 

And none other than Kirchmair was there to score the overtime winner off of assists from Millie Sirum and Brooke Becker.

The goal was Kirchmair’s eighth goal of the year and her 16th point as well. She is tied for the conference lead in goal scoring with teammate Knapp, and is second in total points behind just Sammy Taber of BC – who Providence will see this upcoming weekend to close out their first half of the season. 

Merrimack takes down Penn State for fifth win of the year

The Warriors are no stranger to playing upset, and have done so many times over the course of their time in Hockey East. This past weekend was no different, as they played the No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions in Nashville at the annual Smashville Showcase. 

And where they won 3-1 on Friday for their fifth win of the season. 

Before the matchup, Merrimack was riding a seven-game winless streak, with their last win coming on Oct. 26th to Lindenwood. In Friday’s game, to start the Warriors were outshot 11-6 in the first period, however it took until 4:34 into the second for Penn State to find the back of the net courtesy of Tessa Janecke on the power play. 

Merrimack then followed it up with three unanswered goals from Sarah Hirst, Sophie McKinley, and Raice Szott, who iced the game with under 30 seconds remaining for an empty netter. 

Credit where credit is due to Merrimack, who ended up keeping pace with the Nittany Lions in the second, before weathering the storm in the third to maintain their lead and secure the win. With the victory, freshman Margaux Favre recorded her fourth victory of the season, and elevated her save percentage to a .905 in 432 minutes of action. 

It was a great victory for the Warriors, and while they faltered against Clarkson 4-0 the following day, they’re right back in action this weekend against Vermont and Holy Cross – two teams that have struggled in conference of late, which could bode well for Merrimack.

Complete Scoreboard: 

Hockey East Conference Matchups are bolded

Wednesday Nov. 20th: 

Union (ECAC) 1 at Vermont 0 

Friday, Nov. 22nd: 

Boston College 3 vs. UConn 2 

New Hampshire 1 at Vermont 0

Providence 2 at Harvard (ECAC) 2 – PC won shootout 1-0

RPI (ECAC) 3 vs. Merrimack 2 

Saturday, Nov. 23rd:

UConn 2 vs. Boston College 1 

Providence 3 vs. Harvard 2 – OT

RPI 2 vs. Merrimack 1 

Sunday, Nov. 24th: 

Maine 3 at Vermont 1 

Tuesday, Nov. 26th: 

New Hampshire 3 at Mercyhurst (AHA) 1 

Wednesday Nov. 27th: 

Princeton (ECAC) 8 at Boston University 1 

Mercyhurst 4 vs. New Hampshire 1 

Friday, Nov. 29th: 

Merrimack 3 vs. Penn State (AHA) 1 

Yale (ECAC) 3 vs. UConn 1 

Wisconsin (WCHA) 9 at Maine 0

Minnesota Duluth (WCHA) 4 vs. Vermont 0

Saturday, Nov. 30th:

Boston College 3 at Northeastern 0

Holy Cross 6 vs. Assumption (NEWHA) 0 

Clarkson (ECAC) 4 vs. Merrimack 0

UConn 4 at Sacred Heart (NEWHA) 2 

Brown (ECAC) 3 at Providence 2 

Minnesota Duluth 9 vs. Vermont 1 

Wisconsin 6 at Maine 1

Sunday, Dec. 1st: 

Brown 4 vs. Holy Cross 1 

What to Watch: UConn looks to keep things rolling on road trip 

Friday at New Hampshire, 6 PM. Saturday at Maine, 7 PM 

This season, the Connecticut Huskies have been fairly middle of the pack, with an 10-8-0 record so far – although five of their losses have been from outside of conference play. 

The most recent loss, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Yale Bulldogs in the 2024 Nutmeg Classic, came last week. In the game, UConn was outshot 38-18 by Yale, and their one goal came on the power play thanks to Kyla Josifovic in the first period. 

In the consolation game of the Classic, UConn easily defeated Sacred Heart 4-2, with four-straight goals and a solid outing for senior Megan Warrener. 

This week their schedule is slightly more challenging, if only because of the travel between Friday and Saturday. First up is New Hampshire, who the Huskies defeated easily already in a two game set on Oct. 11th and 12th. The Wildcats, however, have been playing solid hockey as of late, with wins in five of their last seven contests. 

They’ve also slowly but surely climbed their ways up in the special teams rankings. UNH now has the third-best PK in the country behind Wisconsin and Northeastern (who the Wildcats will play Wednesday before their Friday evening showdown with UConn). They’re also 12th best on the PP, at a 21.4% clip this season, the best number in the conference. 

On Friday, UConn should do their best to stay off the special teams. Their power play is at just 12.5% conversion, and their PK, while decent, is operating at a 84.6% success rate, and against a lethal PP like UNH that could suffer. 

Saturday, on the other hand, is a different story. Maine’s power play is tied for fourth-worst in the nation at just 9.1%, and their PK is at a kill rate of just 83.1%. Which isn’t the worst in Hockey East by any means, but it’s still not great against teams with solid power play skills. 

It’ll be interesting to see how UConn handles the back-to-back travel games in different places, especially with the drive up to Orono for the second half of the weekend. After this however, the Huskies are off for nearly a month, and will get some time to rest and reset following their trip North. 

Prediction: UConn should win both of these games. But if there’s one that’s a bit up in the air, it’s against UNH. The Wildcats have performed a lot better after a rocky start to the season, and depending on the outcome of their game against Northeastern Wednesday, it could help spur them past Connecticut on Friday. I don’t see this happening per se, but it’s definitely a possibility as the Huskies hit the Whittemore Center. 

Upcoming Schedule: 

All times in EST, full streaming details available here

Wednesday Dec. 4th: 

Providence at Boston College – 11 AM 

Northeastern at New Hampshire – 6 PM 

Friday Dec. 6th: 

Vermont at Merrimack – 2 PM 

Boston College at Holy Cross – 6 PM 

Boston University at Maine – 6 PM 

UConn at New Hampshire – 6 PM 

Saturday Dec. 7th: 

Holy Cross at Merrimack – 2 PM 

UConn at Maine – 7 PM