Hockey East Online

	CCM / RBK Player of the Week Colin Wilson of Boston University

WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- Merrimack and Maine each earned their first league victories, defeating Massachusetts and No. 2 Boston College, respectively. Vermont tied Providence and bounced back to beat UMass-Lowell, while the River Hawks also dropped a game against No. 3 Boston University. Outside of league play, BC fell to No. 12 Notre Dame, while No. 4 New Hampshire earned one point during their weekend trip to No. 5 Minnesota.

PC and UVM skated to a 2-2 tie Friday night at Schneider Arena. The Catamounts led 2-0 behind second period goals by juniors Colin Vock (Detroit, Mich.) and Brian Roloff (West Seneca, N.Y.), but Pierce Norton (South Boston, Mass.) netted both Friar goals, tying the game in the third. Vermont continued its roadtrip, playing in Lowell on Saturday, when they held UML to one goal, scored by Ben Holmstrom (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Viktor Stalberg (Gothenburg, Sweden) notched a goal and an assist in the victory, bringing his weekend total to three points.

Merrimack’s 3-1 victory over UMass was led by netminder Andrew Braithwaite (Kingston, Ont.), who stopped 34 shots by UMass. Braithwaite’s efforts earned him Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week honors. UMass outshot the Warriors 35-20, including 14 in the third. The game was knotted at 1-1 after the first frame, but Merrimack captain Rob Ricci (Brampton, Ont.) netted the game-winner in the second. BU traveled to Tsongas Arena Friday and overcame a 3-1 deficit, outscoring the River Hawks 5-1 the second half of the game. CCM/RBK Player of the Week Colin Wilson’s (Winnipeg, Man.) four point night, highlighted by his game-winning goal with 15 seconds left in regulation, boosted the Terriers to their sixth win of the season. UML’s offense was ignited by senior Mike Potacco’s two goals (Kinnelon, N.J.).

Maine hosted BC on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Eagles 2-1. Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) scored the game-winner with 1:34 left in regulation, lifting the Black Bears to victory. Classmate Scott Darling (Lemont, Ill.) stopped 24 Eagle shots.

In a rematch of last season’s National Championship game, No. 2 Boston College hosted No. 12 Notre Dame on Friday. BC was not able to capitalize on their eight power play opportunities and fell to the Fighting Irish, 4-1. Senior captain Brock Bradford (Burnaby, B.C.) scored the lone Eagles goal of the night. Providence hosted the Fighting Irish on Saturday, rookie forward Matt Bergland (Faribault, Minn.) scored PC’s only goal in a 4-1 losing effort.

UNH traveled to Minnesota for a two-game series and came away with one point on the weekend. Junior Brian Foster (Pembroke, N.H.) kept the ‘Cats in the game Friday night with a season-high 39 saves, but the score stayed knotted at two all through overtime. The teams were again tied at two going into the third on Saturday, but Minnesota surged forward with a four-goal final stanza to defeat the Wildcats 6-2. Danny Dries (Lake Orion, Mich.) assisted on both UNH goals.

In another non-league matchup, No. 10 Northeastern took on the Bentley Falcons and skated to a convincing 4-1 victory on Saturday. Joe Vitale (St. Louis, Mo.) and Wade MacLeod (Coquitlam, B.C.) each tallied a goal and an assist on the night. NU netminder Brad Thiessen (Aldergrove, B.C.) stopped 18 shots, including 11 in the final frame.

Matt Bergland, PC (Fr., F, Faribault, Minn.) Assisted on both PC goals in a tie against Vermont on Friday. Also scored against Notre Dame on Saturday.

Scott Campbell, UML (So., F, Navan, Ont.) Tied a career high with two assists, was a plus-1 and won eight of 11 face offs Friday night against BU.

Scott Darling, Maine (Fr., G, Lemont, Ill.) Stopped 24 of the 25 shots that he faced in Maine’s 2-1 victory over No. 2 BC.

Chris Hahn, Maine (Sr., F, Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask.) Gave Maine a 1-0 lead on Sunday afternoon with a goal against #2 Boston College.

Chris Higgins, BU (Sr., F, Lynnfield, Mass.) Notched two goals in the Terriers’ 6-4 victory at UMass Lowell.

Rob Madore, UVM (Fr., G, Venetia, Pa.) Stopped 25 of 26 shots in a 3-1 win at UMass-Lowell on Saturday.

Pierce Norton, PC (Sr., F, South Boston, Mass.) Scored both PC goals in a tie against Vermont on Friday.

Mike Potacco, UML (Sr., F, Kinnelon, N.J.) Totaled two goals and was a plus-1 with four shots on goal Friday night against BU.

Steve Quailer, NU (Fr., F, Arvada, Colo.) Scored the first goal of the game in Northeastern’s 4-1 win over Bentley on Saturday.

Viktor Stålberg, UVM (Jr., F, Gothenburg, Sweden) Scored a goal and had two assists in a win and a tie over the weekend for the Catamounts.

Brad Thiessen, NU (Jr., G, Aldergrove, B.C.) Made 18 saves on 19 shots in Northeastern’s 4-1 win over Bentley.

James van Riemsdyk, UNH (So., F, Middletown, N.J.) Had a goal and two assists during the weekend series at Minnesota.

Joe Vitale, NU (Sr., F, St. Louis, Mo.) Had a goal and an assist in Northeastern’s 4-1 win over Bentley on Saturday at Matthews Arena.

Colby Cohen, BU (Villanova, Pa.) Has a career-high five-game point streak (1g, 6a) and ranks sixth in country among defensemen in points per game (1.14)

Ryan Flanigan, MERRIMACK (Rochester, NY) Earned first career point, assisting on Todd’s goal on Saturday

Drew MacKenzie, UVM (New Canann, Conn.) Recorded the first assist of his career in a 3-1 win at UML on Saturday.

Karl Stollery , MERRIMACK (Camrose, Alb.) Notched his first career tally on Saturday vs. UMass

Jesse Todd , MERRIMACK (Calgary, Alb.) Tallied first collegiate goal against #19 UMass

Colin Wilson, BU (Winnipeg, Man.) Has 10 points (4g, 6a) during his current four-game point streak

Nov. 13/14, 1992: Maine put up 25 goals in a two-game series against Merrimack during the 1992-93 season.The Black Bears won 14-1 on Nov. 13 and followed that up with an 11-2 win the following night.

Nov. 10, 1995: In front of a standing room crowd of 6,110, the UNH celebrate the grand opening of the Whittemore Center with a 6-5 overtime win vs. defending national champion Boston University om Tom Nolan’s game-winner.

Nov. 10, 2001: Cam McCormick stops 30 shots and blanks the nation’s seventh-ranked team for his second shutout in a row as the River Hawks stun New Hampshire, 1-0. Anders Strome scores the game’s only goal.

Nov. 14, 1995: Senior center Jeff Daw records his 100th career point with an assist as UMass Lowell defeats Merrimack, 5-3, at the Tully Forum.

Boston College: Boston College fell to league foe Maine on Sunday, marking BC’s first loss to the Black Bears since Feb. 18, 2006. BC was unbeaten in its last seven games against Maine (5-0-2)…Sophomore Brian Gibbons (Braintree, Mass.) recorded one assist in each game this week and has now registered at least one point in seven (of eight) games this season. Gibbons has totaled multiple-point performances four times and leads the team with 12 points (3g,9a)…With one goal against Notre Dame and one assist against Maine, captain Brock Bradford (Burnaby, B.C.) has tallied points in six (of eight) games this season and leads the team with seven goals, including four in power-play situations… Senior alternate captain Benn Ferriero (Essex, Mass.) scored the team’s lone goal and his first goal of the season at Maine on Sunday. Ferriero has recorded five points and four assists this season.

Boston University: The Terriers have scored six or more goals in three straight contests for the first time since a three-game stretch from Jan. 31 - Feb. 7, 1997...BU has scored a combined 13 power-play goals over its last five games...The Terriers have outshot their opponent in all seven games this season...BU’s offense ranks second in the nation, averaging 4.71 goals per contest...Sophomores Colin Wilson and Nick Bonino (Unionville, Conn.) are tied for third in the nation in points per game at 1.71...Freshman goaltender Kieran Millan (Edmonton, Alb.) has earned a win in his first four collegiate starts...The Terriers will return to action on Friday (Nov. 14) at UMass and will be looking to open a season with seven wins in the first eight games for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign, when they were victorious in 11 of their first 12 contests.

Maine: Rookie Brian Flynn scored the game winning goal for Maine at 18:26 of the third period on Sunday afternoon against #2 Boston College...It is Maine’s first win against Boston College since Feb. 18, 2006, a span of eight games... Rookie goalie Scott Darling (Lemont, Ill.) improved to 3-1-0 on the season with the win against Boston College... Darling has allowed one goal or less in three of his first four collegiate games...Maine has killed off 17 straight power plays...Senior Chris Hahn (Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask.) has scored a goal in three straight games...Twelve of Maine’s 24 assists on the season have been scored by defensemen, including all four assists on Sunday against Boston College.

Massachusetts : The UMass penalty kill is 25-for-25 over the last five games and is now 31-for-33 (93.9%) which ranks sixth nationally…UMass fell to 0-2-1 this season when scoring fewer than three goals in a game…The Minutemen rank sixth nationally in scoring offense (3.71 gpg), 11th in scoring defense (2.00 gpg), and 7th in power play conversion (8-for-37, 21.6%)…The loss at Merrimack snapped a four-game win streak against the Warriors…The loss was also UMass’ first in nearly a month since dropping the first game of the season to No. 12 Michigan State (10/10)…The loss also snapped UMass’ five-game unbeaten streak which was the fourth longest in the country (4-0-1) in the defeat at Merrimack.

UMass-Lowell: The River Hawks have scored a power play goal in four straight games, their longest streak since they scored a man-advantage goal in four consecutive games last season (2/3-16)…UML’s CPR Line: Scott Campbell, Mike Potacco and Mark Roebothan had six points in Friday’s game against BU. Potacco scored two goals while Campbell and Roebothan each had two assists…The River Hawks have lost two straight for the first time this season…UML has scored just one goal in three of its four losses this season…The River Hawks allowed a first period goal for the first time this season Saturday night…Ben Holmstrom scored his second goal of the season, first on the power play, and won 25 of 37 face offs in the two games over the weekend.

Merrimack: Two of Merrimack’s three goals against #19 UMass were the first career goals by freshmen, with Jesse Todd and Karl Stollery each netting their first collegiate tallies... The Warriors have scored first in all three home games this year and five of eight games overall...All three goals in Merrimack’s 3-1 win over #19 UMass were from Canadian-born players...Stollery ranks tied for second among Hockey East freshmen with a +6 rating...Todd’s goal at 1:40 of the first was Merrimack’s quickest goal in a conference game since Mickey Rego (Hudson, Mass.) scored 44 seconds in against Providence on March 4, 2006...The Warriors have won three of the last four meetings at Lawler Arena against the Minutemen... Merrimack and Massachusetts will not faceoff again in the final weekend of the season...Beginning this Friday, the Warriors play five games in three cities in their next 12 days.

New Hampshire: The Wildcats had three ties all of last season and just two in 2006-07, but already have three ties this season through nine games...UNH played to back-toback ties for the first time since back-to-back 3-3 ties in a home-and-home series with UMass-Lowell on Feb. 13 & 14, 2004…Sophomore Phil DeSimone (East Amherst, N.Y.) has already matched his goal production for a year ago with this third goal of the season on Friday…Peter LeBlanc potted five goals all of 2007-08, but already has four goals in the early going for the Wildcats…A UNH sophomore has scored a goal in eight of nine games this season including both games this weekend. Overall, the second-year Wildcats have accounted for 77.8 percent of the goal scoring 14 of 18 goals…Freshman Blake Kessel (Verona, Wis.) is skating a team-best +12 and has been on the ice for each of the Wildcats last eight goals.

Northeastern: Northeastern has held opponents scoreless on the power play in two straight games and 19-straight power plays. The last power play goal against the Huskies was in the second period Oct. 31 at UNH. The Huskies rank second in Hockey East and seventh in the nation in penalty kill percentage at 93.5...Northeastern ranks fifth, nationally, in scoring defense (1.67) and scoring margin (1.56) and 14th in scoring offense (3.22)...With a 4-1 win over Bentley on Saturday, Northeastern remains perfect all-time against Atlantic Hockey opponents. Northeastern is 8-0-0 all-time against AHA members and 52-16-1 all-time against current AHA schools... At 6-1-2, Northeastern is off to its third-best start through nine games. Only the 1980-81 (9-0-0) and 1993-94 (7-1-1) teams started better...With 549:40 minutes, Brad Thiessen leads Hockey East by 61:35. He ranks fourth in GAA (1.53) and second in save percentage (.951). He has allowed two goals or less in seven of nine games this season.

Providence College : Freshman Matt Bergland has recorded at least one point in five of the first eight games…In addition, Bergland has four multiple-point games and leads the team in scoring with 10 points (2g, 8a)…He ranks third in the country among rookies with his 10 points…Senior Pierce Norton scored two power-play goals against Vermont marking the seventh time in his career that he has recorded a two-goal game…Of the 19 goals scored by the Friars this season, 10 have been scored by freshmen and sophomores…Freshman goalie Justin Gates (Cranston, R.I.) recorded a career-high 28 saves in the tie against Vermont.

Vermont: Senior assistant captain Peter Lenes (Shelburne, Vt.) has recorded at least one point in seven of eight games this season and ranks tied for third among Hockey East players in scoring with three goals and 11 points…Junior Brian Roloff (West Seneca, N.Y.) recorded Vermont’s first shorthanded goal since last January in a 2-2 tie at Providence on Friday…Freshman goalie Rob Madore is 2-0-1 on the season with a 1.93 goals against average and a .932 save percentage…The Catamounts are 42-8-12 in their last 62 games when scoring first…UVM is unbeaten (4-0-1) this season when scoring at least three goals…Vermont hosts the Huskies on Friday in the first meeting between the two schools since last year’s Hockey East Quarterfinals…The Catamounts took the series 2-1 against the Huskies to advance to the TD Banknorth Garden.