HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

Massachusetts swept a home-and-home with RPI to open its 2018-19 season, riding the back of a four-point game from Hockey East Player of the Week Cale Makar (Calgary, Alta./2g, 2a) on Friday night. The sophomore is the first Minuteman defender to post four points since 2006, while his classmate Mitchell Chaffee (Rockford, Mich.) found the back of the net three times over the weekend.

Northeastern took two wins at Sacred Heart, including a 25-save shutout from Cayden Primeau (Voorhees, N.J.) on Saturday, the fifth of his career. He is now tied for fourth on the career shutout leaderboard at Northeastern.

Maine won both of its tilts against St. Lawrence in Orono to jump out to a 2-0-0 start. Jeremy Swayman (Anchorage, Alaska) stopped 39 of the 41 shots he faced and Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup (Charlottenlund, Denmark) scored the first goal of his collegiate career and set up two others.

Providence earned a second-place finish in the annual Ice Breaker Tournament, hosted by Mercyhurst. The Friars took a 4-0 win over Miami in the opening round, backstopped by a 22-save shutout from Hayden Hawkey (Parker, Colo.) before dropping a 3-0 decision in the championship game.

UConn won its 2018-19 season-opener at Army West Point, 5-2. Adam Huska (Zvolen, Slovakia) stopped 32 shots in his season debut and Ruslan Iskhakov (Moscow, Russia) appeared twice on the score sheet, setting up the Huskies' second goal of the night before striking with a highlight-reel breakaway goal.

Merrimack shut out Bentley in a 1-0 road victory on Friday night. Senior netminder Craig Pantano (Bridgewater, Mass.) pitched a 25-save shutout for the Warriors.

Hockey East league play begins this coming weekend, as UConn travels to #5 Providence on Friday and #13 Boston University visits Merrimack on Saturday.

HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Cale Makar - Massachusetts

Cale Makar (Calgary, Alta.) posted a four-point game (2g, 2a) in a 6-1 win over RPI Friday, becoming the first UMass defender to notch four points since 2006. He assisted on the game-winning strike in that game, and anchored the Minutemen defense that allowed just two goals.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup - Maine

Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup (Charlottenlund, Denmark) Netted the first goal of his collegiate career and set up two others in a weekend sweep of St. Lawrence, opening the Black Bears' season with a pair of victories.

HOCKEY EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Cayden Primeau - Northeastern

Cayden Primeau (So., G; Voorhees, N.J.) went 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .961 SV% on the weekend, including a 25-save shutout on Saturday at Sacred Heart. He now sits in a tie for fourth place on Northeastern's career shutout list after just 36 career games with five blank sheets.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

David Cotton, BC (Jr., F; Parker, Texas) Recorded his first career hat trick and a career-high four points on Saturday at Wisconsin. He finished a two-game stint in Madison with seven shots on net and his first collegiate multi-point game.

Connor Moore, BC (Jr., D; Cumming, Ga.) Picked up a pair of primary assists on Saturday against the Badgers.

Bobo Carpenter, BU (Sr., F; North Reading, Mass.) Scored a goal in both games at #11 Minnesota State and chipped in with an assist on Friday.

David Farrance, BU (So., D; Victor, N.Y.) Earned a BU-best four points (4a) in two games at #11 Minnesota State, including three primary helpers.

Alexander Payusov, UConn (Jr., F; Montreal, Que.) Helped lift the Huskies to a 5-2 win at Army to open their season, scoring the final goal midway through the third period and causing the turnover that set up their fourth strike.

Ruslan Iskhakov, UConn (Fr., F; Moscow, Russia) Appeared twice on the score sheet in his collegiate debut, setting up the Huskies' second goal of the night before striking with a highlight-reel breakaway goal.

Adam Huska, UConn (Jr., G; Zvolen, Slovakia) Stopped 32 shots in his season debut, backstopping UConn to a 5-2 win at Army West Point on Friday. He stopped 14 shots in the first period alone, preserving a 1-1 tie at the first intermission.

Chase Pearson, ME (Jr., F; Alpharetta, Ga.) Potted two goals and added an assist in a weekend sweep of St. Lawrence.

Jeremy Swayman, ME (So., G; Anchorage, Alaska) Went 2-0-0 in the first weekend of 2018-19, stopping 39 of the 41 shots he faced.

Mitchell Chaffee, UMass (So., F; Rockford, Mich.) Found the back of the net three times in a home-and-home sweep of RPI and finished plus-two on the weekend. His two-goal night on Saturday was the seventh multi-point game of his career.

Bobby Trivigno, UMass (Fr., F; Setauket, N.Y.) In the first collegiate series of his career, recorded three points (3a) in two wins over RPI, including a helper on the game-winning goal in a 3-1 road win.

Ryan Dmowski, UML (Sr., F; East Lyme, Conn.) Totaled three points (1g, 2a) in a series split with RIT. He fired seven shots on net across the two games.

Seth Barton, UML (Fr., D; Kelowna, B.C.) Dished out two assists on Saturday at RIT.

Tyler Wall, UML (Jr., G; Leamington, Ont.) Stopped 25 shots in a 2-1 win on Friday against RIT to open the 2018-19 season.

Craig Pantano, MC (Sr., G: Bridgewater, Mass.) Posted a 25-save shutout against Bentley on Friday in a 1-0 win for the Warriors.

Liam Pecararo, NU (Sr., F; Canton, Mass.) Enjoyed back-to-back multi-point nights to begin his career as a Husky, posting two assists on Friday and a goal and an assist on Saturday at Sacred Heart. It was his first goal since Jan. 24, 2015 when he was with Maine.

Tyler Madden, NU (Fr., F; Deerfield Beach, Fla.) Potted a goal in each of his first two games with Northeastern, including a power-play goal on Saturday. He also won 18 of the 34 draws he took on the weekend.