Hockey East Online

	Co-Hockey East Players of the Week Brian Gibbons and Nick Schaus

WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- Three Hockey East teams came away with three-point weekends, as Boston College, UMass-Lowell and Vermont all accomplished the feat, while Northeastern shutout No. 5 Boston University on Friday night and Maine downed the Terriers on Sunday afternoon in Orono. Massachusetts also swept its rare non-league home-and-home series with Niagara.

UNH and the Eagles battled to a 4-4 tie on Friday night at the Whittemore Center, after BC scored three goals in first and UNH stormed back in the final period with a three-goal effort. Eagles’ senior blueliner Carl Sneep (Nisswa, Minn.) notched a career-high two goals, while UNH’s Bobby Butler (Marlboro, Mass.) scored the game-tying goal with under a minute remaining in regulation. Hockey East Co-Player of the Week Brian Gibbons (Braintree, Mass.) had a two assist effort in the stalemate. The Eagles skated the next night to a 5-1 victory over Northeastern at Conte Forum, Gibbons had another multiple point effort with three (1g,2a) on the night.

Freshman goalie Chris Rawlings (North Delta, B.C.) was the story for the Huskies on Friday night, amassing a career-high 43 saves in the 1-0 victory vs. the Terriers. Rawlings became the Huskies’ second-ever netminder to shut out Boston University, as Northeastern recorded its first shutout since blanking UMass Lowell on Feb. 27, 2009.

The No. 8 ranked River Hawks and No. 15 Vermont Catamounts battled to a 3-3 draw on Friday in Burlington. Vermont’s Justin Milo (Edina, Minn.) potted the game-tying goal with 11 minutes left in regulation for the Catamounts. UML’s Nevin Hamilton (Ashland, Mass.) notched 34 saves in the net for the River Hawks. On Sunday, the River Hawks earned a convincing 6-3 victory against UNH at Tsongas Arena in front of a national TV audience on ESPNU. Carter Hutton (Thunder Bay, Ont.) got the nod for UML in net, making 33 saves for his third win of the season. Hockey East Co-Player of the Week Nick Schaus (Buffalo, N.Y.) had three points for UML, while senior Kory Falite (Billerica, Mass.) registered two goals for the River Hawks. Vermont’s Mike Spillane (Bow, N.H.) stopped all 33 shots by the Friars for his first career shutout in the 3-0 victory on Sunday.

The Minutemen continued their torrid start to the season with a 4-1 win Friday at the Mullins Center and a 4-2 road victory on Sunday. Paul Dainton (Genelle, B.C.) made 31 saves for the Minutemen on Friday. Maine’s Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) and Scott Darling (Lemont, Ill.) paced the Black Bears to their second league win of the season. Nyquist recorded his league-leading 13th point of the season in the game with a goal and an assist, while teammate Darling made 26 saves in the Black Bear net.

David Boehm, UMass (Fr., F, Naples, Fla.) Netted his first collegiate goal in a 4-1 win over Niagara on Friday.

Bobby Butler, UNH (Sr., F, Marlboro, Mass.) Had four points (2g,2a) over the weekend with the game-tying goal in the tie of BC with under a minute left.

Paul Carey, BC (So., F, Weymouth, Mass.) Recorded one point in each BC game and has tallied at least one point in four straight games (2-3--5).

Alex Chiasson, BU (Fr., F, St. Augustin, Que.) Scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season in 3-2 loss at Maine.

Paul Dainton, UMass (Jr., G, Genelle, B.C.) Posted made 31 saves in a 4-1 win over Niagara on Friday vs. Niagara at

Scott Darling, Maine (So., Goalie, Lemont, Ill.) Made 26 saves as Maine defeated #5 BU 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.

Kory Falite, UML (Sr., F, Billerica, Mass.) Falite scored two goals, including the game-winner, against New Hampshire on Sunday evening.

Michael Lecomte, UMass (Jr., F, St. Hyacinthe, Que.) Scored two goals in a 4-1 win against Niagara on Friday.

Chris McCarthy, UVM (Fr., F, Collegeville, Pa.) Scored the game-winning goal and had an assist in Sunday’s win over PC while posting a +2 rating.

Justin Milo, UVM (Jr., F, Edina, Minn.) Scored three goals and had an assist as the Catamounts picked up three Hockey East points on the weekend.

Gustav Nyqust, Maine (So., F, Malmo, Sweden) Scored a goal and added an assist to lead Maine to a 3-2 win over #5 BU.

Mike Sislo, UNH (Jr., F, Superior, Wis.) Registered a pair of goals and an assist over the weekend.

Carl Sneep, Sr., D, (Nisswa, Minn) Registered five points (2g,3a) on the weekend, tallied two power-play goals in a 4-4 tie at UNH and three assists vs. NU.

Ben Smith, BC (Sr., F, Avon, Conn.) Tallied three points (2g,1a) in a 1-0-1 weekend vs. UNH and Northeastern.

Austin Block, UNH (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) Potted his first career goal on Sunday afternoon vs. UMass-Lowell

David Boehm, UMASS (NAPLES, FLA.) Netted his first collegiate goal in Friday’s win over Niagara

Head coach Greg Cronin, NU Notched his 60th career victory as NU’s head coach with Friday’s win

Connor Hardowa, UNH (EDMONTON, ALB.) Handed out his first career assist on Butler’s third-period goal at UML

Ben Holmstrom, UML (COLORADO SPRINGS, COL.) In the midst of a five-game point streak (2g, 4a)

Michael Lecomte, UMASS (St. Hyacinthe , QUE.) Scored two goals on Friday against Niagara after missing the last four games due to injury

Brett Leonard, UVM (South Burlington, Vt.) Picked up the first assist of his career in a 3-0 win over PC Sunday

James Marcou, UMASS (KINGS PARK, N.Y.) Now has 92 points in 82 career games with his two points Sunday

Max Nicastro, BU (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) Recorded his first collegiate point with an assist on Alex Chiasson’s goal against Maine on Sunday

Gustav Nyquist, Maine (Malmo, Sweden) Has five goals in seven career games against Boston University

Will Ortiz, UMASS (FRAMINGHAM, MASS.) Tallied four points in the weekend series with Niagara. He has recorded a point in four of UMass seven games this season

Nick Schaus, UML (BUFFALO, NY.) Topped the 50 career point plateau with three points (1g,2a) against UNH to give him 51 for his career

Mike Spillane, UVM (Bow, N.H.) Stopped 33 shots in a 3-0 win over Providence on Sunday to earn his first career shutout

Paul Worthington, UML (LANGHORNE, PA.) Is currently on a five-game point streak (3g,3a)

One of Hockey East strengths is the quality of its facilities. Boston University’s Agganis Arena has set a new standard for college hockey arenas in the East. The Mullins Center at UMass and Conte Forum at BC showcase basketball and hockey before crowds in the 8,000 to 10,000 range. Designed by the same architect, the Whittemore Center at UNH and Tsongas Arena at UMass Lowell draw in the 6,000 range regularly.

Every arena has its own personality and charm but no site combines the old and the new like Northeastern’s Matthews Arena. Friday night’s 1-0 Huskies win over BU was played before nearly 5,000 fans in a building that will celebrate its 100th birthday in the not so distant future. The place was rocking on Friday, and the home crowd celebrated not only an NU win but the first advance sellout in school history. The attendees also enjoyed the extensive renovations visible throughout the arena. As someone who first played on Arena ice in 1964, I was thrilled to see how modernized the building has become (new seats, new press box, Jumbotron) while keeping its charm and plenty of familiar features (the rafters, the ceiling.)

Vermont’s Gutterson Fieldhouse is another of the league arenas that has kept its original feel while providing improved amenities for its fans. Maine’s Alfond Arena makes three. Providence gave Schneider Arena a new look over the past two years, replacing all seats and banners and updating its club room. Merrimack has made a number of changes, many beyond the view of the public, and will debut a new scoreboard/clock before year’s end. All of this reflects the commitment each institution continues to make to hockey, a commitment that benefits participant and spectator alike.

Nov. 4, 1994: Merrimack combines with Providence for 10 power-play goals, the most ever in a Hockey East game.

November 9, 1990: ULowell and Northeastern battle to an 8-8 standoff at Matthews Arena, the highest-scoring tie in Lowell’s history.

Nov. 11, 1989: Merrimack earns its first Hockey East win, defeating Northeastern 6-5 in overtime.

Nov. 15, 2002: Maine scored a school-record five goals in 5:08 at Northeastern. The Black Bears went on to defeat the Huskies 8-2 in the game.

Boston College: Freshman Philip Samuelsson scored his first collegiate goal at 10:39 of the first period of a 5-1 win over Northeastern... BC finished a combined 6-fot-12 in power-play situations in two games this week, more than doubling its prior conversion percentage to 23.9 percent this season (9-for-39)...BC finished 8-for- 9 in penalty-kill situations and is now killing opponent power plays at 87.1 percent this season (27-for-31)...Junior goaltender John Muse (East Falmouth, Mass.) played all 125 minutes in net.

Boston University: With Friday’s 1-0 loss at Northeastern, the Terriers were shut out in an opposing rink for the first time since March 12, 2004…BU was unbeaten in its last 12 regularseason games (10-0-2) against Maine until Sunday’s 3-2 setback in Orono…After being snakebitten throughout the first few weeks of the season, sophomore Chris Connolly (Duluth, Minn.) scored his first goal of the year on Sunday against Maine on his 31st shot on goal…The Terriers’ 2-5 start is its worst through seven games since the 1998-99 season, when they went 1-5-1 to open the year…Freshman defenseman Ben Rosen (Syosset, N.Y.) made his collegiate debut in Friday’s contest against Northeastern…Last season, the Terriers were 5-0-0 when allowing exactly three goals. This season, BU is 0-4-0 when allowing an opponent to score three goals…BU will enter its home-and-home series with Merrimack next weekend having not scored an even-strength goal in its last 154:47 of play…The Terriers have won their last 15 contests against the Warriors, having swept each of the past five season series.

Maine: The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team earned its second straight win over a top-10 team…Last week, Maine defeated #10 Vermont and this week the Black Bears upended #5 Boston University… Maine improves to 3-1 at Alfond Arena on the season…The three-game home winning streak is the longest since Maine won four games at home from Oct. 31 to Nov. 21, 2008…Gustav Nyuist extending his points streak to seven games with a goal and an assist on Sunday against Boston University…Maine has scored at least one power play goal in all eight games this season…Maine’s game against BU on Sunday was the first game of the season that has been decided by just one goal…Maine’s sophomore class has scored 48.6 percent of the total points and combined for six of nine points on Sunday against the Terriers.

Masachusetts: UMass started the year 4-0 for the first time since 2003-04 and with a 3-0 mark in Hockey East prior to the loss to Providence was off to its best start in league play ever… UMass ranks tied for 5th nationally in scoring offense (3.86 gpg) and 4th in power play conversion (12 for 40; 30.0%)…12 of UMass’ 27 goals scored have been on the power play…UMass is outscoring opponents 12-to-2 in the third period this season…UMass will host New Hampshire twice at the Mullins Center this weekend in one of the conference’s top rivalries; Massachusetts was 0-1-2 against the Wildcats last season, with the loss coming in overtime in Durham, N.H.

UMass-Lowell: No. 8 UMass Lowell earned three points with a win over New Hampshire and a tie at Vermont this weekend…Kory Falite scored two goals to help fuel the River Hawks’ 6-3 win over UNH…The last time UML beat UNH in the Tsongas Arena, Falite scored twice as well…Seniors Paul Worthington (Langhorne, Pa.) and Ben Holmstrom (Colorado Springs, Col.)are riding five-game point streaks: Worthington has scored three goals and three assists while Holmstrom has two goals and four assists during the streak…The River Hawks scored three power play goals in a game for the first time since March 6, 2009 when they tallied four against Maine…UML’s power play is scoring 28.3% of the time, the second highest mark in Hockey East…Nick Schaus (Buffalo, N.Y.) became the sixth active River Hawk to score 50 or more career points, notching four points this weekend on two goals and two assists to tally 51 career points…UML now travels south to battle Alabama- Huntsville in a two-game set next weekend.

Merrimack: After playing a league-high eight games in the first month of the season, the Warriors were idle this weekend. They open a home-and-home series with Boston University on November 13. Merrimack is 5-0 at home for the first time since the 1998-89 season, its last season as a ECAC member before joining Hockey East…Chris Barton (Calgary, Alb.) continues to lead all Hockey East players with seven goals, while Stephane Da Costa (Paris, France) is second with six goals and has 10 points, tops among rookies. Da Costa was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month for October, while Barton was runner-up for Player of the Month… Merrimack is 2-1 in Hockey East play for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign…They have picked up at least a man-advantage tally in six straight games and rank third in Hockey East on the power play and first on the penalty kill…Senior captain Pat Bowen (Marshfield, Mass.) continues to lead all Hockey East defensemen with eight assists…The Warriors lead all Hockey East teams with 12 first-period goals and 30 overall.

New Hampshire: UNH scored three third period goals in a 4-4 tie of Boston College. It marked the third time the Wildcats have scored three or more goals in a period this season...Bobby Butler scored three points during the weekend series with a pair of goals and an assist. Butler scored the equalizer with just under a minute remaining in regulation against Boston College. Butler has a team-best 11 points in nine games (1.22 ppg)...Freshman Austin Block potted his first career goal with a second period tally on Sunday afternoon against UMass-Lowell...Rookie defenseman Connor Hardowa handed out his first career assist on Bobby Butler’s third-period goal at UMass-Lowell...The Wildcats travel to 19th-ranked UMass for its fifth- and sixth-straight games against nationally ranked foes. overall, the Wildcats have played six games against ranked foes...After scoring just two goals last weekend, the Wildcat offense potted seven goals in two games.

Northeastern: The first time Northeastern knocked off a defending champion was actually against Boston University on Jan 10, 1979, when NU toppled the Terriers, 6-4. NU earned its 12th victory in program history over a defending champion on Friday night...Freshman goaltender Chris Rawlings became the Huskies’ second-ever netminder to shut out Boston University as Northeastern recorded its first shutout since blanking UMass Lowell on Feb. 27, 2009. Additionally, Northeastern can stake its claim to ending BU’s five-year run of not being shutout on the road. Brad Thiessen was the last NU goalie to make 43 stops when he turned the trick against New Hampshire on Nov. 1, 2008...Junior defenseman Mike Hewkin notched his 12th and 13th points with assists in the BU and BC outings. Hewkin’s first two points of the season came in succession, marking his first-ever pointstreak for the Huskies. Freshman Chris Student also logged his first collegiate point with the helper on Kyle Kraemer’s first tally of the season at Boston College...Northeastern converted at least one powerplay goal in its first six regular-season games thus far before having its streak snapped at Conte Forum against Boston College on Saturday night...Junior forward Wade MacLeod now leads Northeastern with five points, including a club-best three goals...Sophomore Alex Tuckerman was awarded NU’s first penalty shot since Steve Quailer’s conversion against Merrimack on Jan. 9, 2009 at 18:21 in the third period at Boston College. Tuckerman was not able to connect on his attempt.

Providence College: Providence College’s three-game road winning streak came to an end with a 3-0 loss at No. 15 Vermont on Sunday…PC is now 2-3 on the season against ranked opponents with both wins coming on the road…The loss also ended sophomore Matt Bergland’s (Faribault, Minn.) four-game point streak…Six of the Friars’ eight games so far this season have been on the road…The Friars are 4-2 in games away from Schneider Arena this season…PC has killed off its opponents’ last five power-play opportunities…Junior Jordan Kremyr (Cloverdale, B.C.) already has a career-high five assists this season…In the Friars’ last two games, their lineup has featured seven freshmen and four sophomores…Providence College in off until November 17 when it hosts Brown University in the 24th Annual Mayor’s Cup at Schneider Arena.

Vermont: Senior Brayden Irwin (Toronto, Ont.) has a point in six of seven games to begin the season…Irwin has a team leading four goals and nine points to rank tied for ninth among Hockey East players in scoring…Vermont’s 3-0 shutout against Providence on Sunday was its first since a 4-0 win over St. Lawrence in the Catamount Cup championship game on Jan. 3 last season…Sophomore Rob Madore (Pittsburgh, Pa.) handed Mike Spillane (Bow, N.H.) the game puck following Sunday’s win for earning his first career shutout with 33 saves…Junior Justin Milo became the 12th different Catamount to score a goal this season with his third period tally in a 3-3 tie with UMass-Lowell on Friday…Vermont returns to action at Boston College on Saturday (Nov. 14 at 7pm) and Sunday (Nov. 15 – 4pm)…The Catamounts are 0-8 at Kelley Rink since joining Hockey East…Vermont hasn’t won at Boston College since Nov. 11, 1994 in a 4-2 victory.