The last weekend of January was a rowdy one in the Hockey East conference. Despite 4 intraconference showdowns taking place over the weekend, the whole country was only talking about one: #1 Boston University against #2 Boston College. This was a historic first for both programs as they have never met before as the top two teams in the nation during the regular season. A true all-star showdown with two rosters filled to the brim with first round NHL talents. Beyond the headlining matchup, 10^th ranked Providence would face UMass Lowell, 17^th ranked UNH would face Vermont, and this year’s underachievers, Merrimack and Northeastern would go head-to-head.

               In the headline matchup, Boston College managed to collect a pair of regulation wins in the Green-Line Rivalry. Friday night’s contest was 4-1 for the Eagles, but with two empty net goals on the score sheet, Gabe Perrault’s 2^nd period game winner was backed by an incredible performance from Jacob Fowler. The rematch on Friday was an equally close affair with the Eagles topping the Terries 4-3, this time with Will Smith being the hero just over halfway through the 3^rd period. 10^th ranked Providence put some screws to the Riverhawks on Friday night by a score of 7-2. Bennett Schimek was sensational for the Friars scoring two goals and two assists for a four point night at the Tsongas Center. Saturday’s showdown in Rhode Island was a different, but equally disastrous showing the UMass Lowell. The Riverhawks propelled themselves to a 3-1 lead in the 2^nd period before being overwhelmed by the Friars and falling 4-3 in Overtime. Austen May was terrific for Providence by recording 3 points and the game winning goal. 17^th ranked New Hampshire got off to a poor start over the weekend by dropping their first game against Vermont 2-1. Massimo Lombardi was clutch for the Catamounts again, recording the game winner in the second period of the game. The Wildcats bounced back on Saturday with a 6-3 win. For the second time in his last four games, Morgan Winters recorded a three-assist game. In Friday night’s contest between Merrimack and Northeastern, the Huskies came out on top 5-3, in large part due to Jack Willliams and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine’s 3-point outputs. In Saturday’s rematch, Williams recorded another two points, with Alex Campbell and Dylan Hryckowian following suit enroute to a 4-1 victory.

               My takeaways from the weekend. Soon to be 1^st ranked Boston College has been fantastic since the conclusion of World Junior’s, and their wins over Boston University are a big confidence booster for them. Fortunately for both teams, both coaches are aware that they haven’t reached their ceilings yet, but the Hockey East and National Tournaments will present pitfalls for both of their championship bids. 10^th ranked Providence continues to pick up wins that will make them a serious contender both in the conference and the national spotlight. 17^th ranked New Hampshire’s recent failure to pick up key points against West Point, UConn, and Vermont could cost them a national tournament bid. With 8 of their last 12 games being against top-11 ranked opponents, the Wildcats are going to need to dig deep to keep their pairwise bid alive.