Hockey East Roundup: Jan. 31 - Feb 4, 2025

There's still a lot of hockey left in HEA action this year, but the picture is starting to come together when it comes to playoffs. A couple of teams are in line for big things this upcoming weekend, while some others have some concerns heading into the last few weeks. We've got it all here in another roundup for this week.

Series Rewind: Boston College Struggles on a Weekend They Needed Big Things From

Unfortunately for BC, this is not going to be a very nice weekly highlight. Which isn’t to say I think they’re screwed for the rest of the year. However, considering how some of the other teams fared this weekend, I think it’s safe to say these were not outcomes the Eagles wanted from their matchups. 

First was Friday, in a highly anticipated contest against Boston University, the last matchup between these two teams before the end of the regular season. The game started early in BC’s favor, as Gaby Roy opened the scoring less than six minutes into regulation. The Eagles kept pace with BU, and even ended up outshooting them 9-8 by the end of the first frame. However a goal from junior Lilli Welcke knotted the game up at one before the first period ended, and BC wasn’t able to build any momentum from their early opening tally. 

Then in the second, it seemed as though BU had the game well under control. The Terriers jumped out to a lead thanks to freshman Kaileigh Quigg, who scored her first point since November with a tally six minutes in. From there it was all BU for what felt like the remainder of the period. All told, the Terriers would find themselves with a second period shot margin of 12-5, and a 2-1 lead to show for it. 

Final period action is where both offenses really went to work, with a combined 26 shots on goal from the squads. Kate Ham’s fifth goal of the season tied things up early for BC. However, the Eagles were clipped once again after allowing a game winning goal to Riley Walsh midway through the period. By the end of things BU outshot BC 34-26, as sophomore Mari Pietersen continued her hot streak with yet another win. 

Saturday wasn’t much better, and if anything it was worse for BC. The team traveled to North Andover to take on Merrimack, and opted to send out Bailey Callaway for the sophomore’s fourth start of the season. 

The start lasted less than seven minutes.

The Warriors caught the goaltender out of rhythm and scored three goals on six shots, chasing Callaway in favor of Grace Campbell. It was an unfortunate sight, as Callaway in her limited appearances this season has shown flashes of steady goaltending. But when a team is hot early, it’s hard to stop the boulder once it’s on its roll. 

Katie Pyne and Julia Pellerin did their best to close the gap with goals in the first and second periods respectively. However, Chloe Goofers restored the two goal lead soon after Pellerin scored for the first time. Pellerin added a final goal in the third period, but a score from Michaela Littlewood sealed things up for Merrimack, as they skated off with a 5-3 win — and three massive Hockey East points. 

For BC, that’s now losses in three of their last four games, and considering how close the standings are right now, missing out on six points is a tough pill to swallow. They’re right back in action against Vermont Thursday and Saturday, and there’s another six points on the line here that they’re gonna need if they want to jump up into a top-two spot. 

Weekly Awards:

Player of the Week: Audrey Knapp, F, Providence – Sophomore 

No player in the conference had a better offensive weekend than Knapp did, as the sophomore scored five of the seven Providence goals in their last two games. She had all three goals in the 3-2 overtime win over Maine on Friday, securing her first career hat trick in the process. After scoring again in the first on Saturday against UNH, with 91 seconds remaining, she added her fifth goal of the weekend to tie the game and eventually send it to OT. Knapp is now up to 16 goals on the season, tied for the most in the conference alongside BC sophomore Julia Pellerin. 

Pro-Ambitious Rookie of the Week: Chloe Goofers, F, Merrimack – Freshman 

A standout for Merrimack so far this season, Goofers continued her productivity over the weekend. The freshman scored the game winning goal for Merrimack over No. 12 Boston College on Saturday, snapping a five game pointless streak. Goofers is now up to seven goals and 15 points in 28 games played this season, the second highest in both statistics on the Warriors. The game-winner was her second such goal of the season. 

Co-Defenders of the Week: Carmen Elliott, D, Holy Cross – Senior 

On senior night, Elliott had her magic moment in overtime against Maine on Saturday. After singing the Canadian national anthem before the game, Elliott then followed it up with her first goal of the season – and her first goal since her freshman season back in 2021-22. The defender is up to three points on the year in 17 games played, with the goal being her first point since the end of November. 

Ashley Kokavec, D, Vermont – Sophomore

Kokavec served as the main spoiler for Vermont as they marched into Matthews Arena and took down top-15 Northeastern on Friday. The defender put a bouncing puck on the Northeastern net during a routine play that found its way past Lisa Jönsson and in for the 1-0 win. The goal was the second of the season for Kokavec, and she added in total seven shots on goal over the course of the weekend split for Vermont. 

Stop It Goaltender of the Week: Sedona Blair, G, New Hampshire – Sophomore

UNH had a decent weekend, with an OT win over Holy Cross followed by an OT loss to Providence on Saturday. In total, Blair made 85 of 89 saves en route to the 1-1 weekend, including a 43 save shutout on Friday – the highest single-game save mark of her career thus far. The sophomore is now up to a .930 save percentage through the season, the sixth best mark in Hockey East. 

Complete Scoreboard: 

Friday: 

Providence 3 vs. Maine 2 – OT 
New Hampshire 1 at Holy Cross 0 
Boston University 3 vs. Boston College 2 
UConn 3 vs. Merrimack 1 
Vermont 1 at Northeastern 0

Saturday: 

Holy Cross 1 vs. Maine 0 – OT 
Providence 4 vs. New Hampshire 3 – OT 
Boston University 4 vs. Vermont 1 
Merrimack 5 vs. Boston College 3 
Northeastern 4 at UConn 3 – OT 

Tuesday: 

Boston University 3 at Northeastern 2 – OT

What to Watch: New Hampshire/Merrimack 

Thursday at New Hampshire, 6 PM | Saturday at Merrimack, 6 PM

I know these two teams aren’t in contention for the top spots in the conference like some of the other squads right now, but out of all the games this weekend this series might have the biggest implications in terms of the playoff picture 

UNH is seventh in HEA standings after winning against Holy Cross Friday and dropping an overtime decision Saturday to Providence. Last season the Wildcats were a top-four seed in the conference — this season, that’s very different. 

Merrimack on the other hand has struggled to move out of the bottom rungs of the conference for years. They’re currently sitting last in Hockey East, with just 14 points. 

What I will say for Merrimack is they have the talent and the schedule to play upset here over the next few weeks. The team just had a massive upset over BC that I talked about above, and after this weekend set they also have a series against Maine the following weekend, a team that has struggled to be consistent all season.

When these two teams met on Jan. 10th, UNH dispatched Merrimack with a 5-3 win. Since then it’s been pretty rough for the Warriors, with a 1-3-2 record in six games played. Granted, their last four games have come against top-15 nationally ranked teams. But I digress. 

For UNH on the other side, they’ve gone 2-3-0 since beating MC in North Andover, and are looking to get back to their winning ways after coming up just short against Providence on Saturday. 

Two names I’d keep an eye out for are Goofers from MC, and UNH’s Kira Juodikis. Neither of these names are surprising for those who have kept tabs on both teams this season. 

Goofers is third in rookie scoring this season with 15 points, though she’s been relatively quiet in the second semester for Merrimack. Juodikis last time out against MC had a hat trick to help seal the win for the Wildcats, and just last Saturday she had another two goals against Providence. The senior is tied for fifth in goals scored in Hockey East, with 11 in 26 games. If UNH wants to win big this weekend, it’s going to start with Juodikis. 

I’m highly interested in how the special teams match up. Merrimack still has the best power play in the conference, with a 22% success rate. UNH’s penalty kill has taken a step back in recent weeks, although they’re still a close fourth with an 88.2% kill rate. On the opposite side though, UNH’s 20% on the PP is still a top-three mark in the conference, while Merrimack is third-worst on the PK at just 80%. There’s a world in which UNH does damage on the power play against Merrimack, who in return can’t quite do the same. 

Full Upcoming Schedule: 

Thursday: 

Merrimack at New Hampshire – 6 PM 
Vermont at Boston College – 6 PM 

Friday: 

UConn at Boston University – 6 PM 
Providence at Holy Cross – 6 PM 
Northeastern at Maine – 6 PM 

Saturday: 

Providence at Boston University – 4 PM 
New Hampshire at Merrimack – 6 PM 
Boston College at Vermont – 6 PM 
Holy Cross at UConn – 7:30 PM 

Monthly Standings Update:

As of Feb. 4th, 2025
Pairwise Rankings Found Here

1. Boston University – 50 Points (16-4-1 in conference, 19-8-1 overall)

1. Last Month: No. 1
2. National Pairwise Ranking: No. 10

2. UConn – 46 Points (15-4-2 in conference, 17-9-2 overall) 

1. Last Month: No. 2
2. National Pairwise Ranking: No. 16

3. Northeastern – 41 Points (13-8-1 in conference, 18-10-1 overall)

1. Last Month: No. 4
2. National Pairwise Ranking: No. 11

4. Boston College – 39 Points (13-7-1 in conference, 17-10-1 overall) 

1. Last Month: No. 3
2. National Pairwise Ranking: No. 15

5. Providence – 37 Points (12-7-2 in conference, 16-9-3 overall) 

1. Last Month: T-7
2. National Pairwise Ranking: No. 19

6. Maine – 27 Points (7-14-1 in conference, 8-20-1 overall) 

1. Last Month: T-7
2. National Pairwise Ranking: No. 26

7. New Hampshire – 26 Points (9-12-0 in conference, 13-14-1 overall) 

1. Last Month: No. 5
2. National Pairwise Ranking: 26

8. Vermont – 21 Points (5-14-2 in conference, 8-16-3 overall) 

1. Last Month: No. 6
2. National Pairwise Ranking: 34

9. Holy Cross – 17 Points (4-14-3 in conference, 8-16-3 overall) 

1. Last Month: T-7
2. National Pairwise Ranking: 32

10. Merrimack – 14 Points (4-14-3 in conference, 7-18-3 overall) 

1. Last Month: No. 10
2. National Pairwise Ranking: 35