WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Hockey East Association announced the pairings for the best-of-three quarterfinal round of the 2016 Women's Hockey East championship tournament Sunday. All games begin Friday (Feb. 26). A full schedule can be found below.
Hockey East regular-season champion and No. 1 Boston College will play host to No. 8 Maine at Conte Forum beginning Friday (Feb. 26) at 2 p.m. The Eagles completed a historic regular season, winning all 24 league games in 2015-16 to finish with a perfect 24-0-0 record. BC downed the Black Bears three times in the regular-season by a combined score of 16-2, including two shutouts. Boston College and Maine have met once previously in the postseason, a 2-1 overtime win for BC in the 2013 quarterfinals. This is the third straight season Boston College has earned the top seed and the Eagles have advanced to the championship game three out of the last five years. BC won its only league title at the Women's Hockey East Tournament in 2011.
No. 2 Northeastern draws No. 7 Providence to Matthews Arena Friday (Feb. 26) at 2 p.m., the lone afternoon tilt of the first day of quarterfinal action. The Huskies swept the season series over the Friars, including taking two games in Providence (Jan. 13, Feb. 6). There has been just one prior postseason meeting between the two squads, as Providence downed Northeastern in the 2012 semifinals, 2-0.
No. 3 Boston University welcomes No. 6 Vermont to Walter Brown Arena Friday (Feb. 26) at 7 p.m. The Terriers claimed at 5-2 victory at home, Oct. 25, before skating to a stalemate with the Catamounts, 3-3, Jan. 16. BU rebounded over the Catamounts the next day in a 6-2 triumph, taking the season series at 2-0-1. The two teams met in last year's quarterfinals as the No. 2 and No. 7 seeds. The Terriers swept that series, 8-1 and 7-2, before going on to claim the WHEA Tournament title, their fourth in a row and fifth in program history.
No. 4 UConn will entertain No. 5 New Hampshire at the Freitas Ice Forum starting Friday (Feb. 26) at 7 p.m. Maine took two of three games over the Huskies this season, both 2-1 wins, on Nov. 8 and Feb. 20 before UConn claimed an overtime victory Feb. 21, 2-1. The two teams closed the regular season with a pair of games at New Hampshire; this will mark the second consecutive year that UConn draws a quarterfinal match up with the program against which they ended the regular season. UConn took a pair of games at Maine to end 2015-16 before sweeping the Black Bears in the first round of the postseason. Historically, New Hampshire and UConn have split in two postseason series against each other. The Huskies took a 5-4 overtime victory in the 2005 semifinals before the Wildcats won the 2007 semifinal, 2-0.
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2016 Women's Hockey East Quarterfinal Schedule
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| Date | Matchup | Location | Time |
| Fri., Feb. 26 | No. 2 Northeastern vs. No. 7 Providence | Matthews Arena | 2 p.m. |
| Fri., Feb. 26 | No. 1 Boston College vs. No. 8 Maine | Conte Forum | 2 p.m. |
| Fri., Feb. 26 | No. 3 Boston Univ. vs. No. 6 Vermont | Walter Brown Arena | 7 p.m. |
| Fri., Feb. 26 | No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 New Hampshire | Freitas Ice Forum | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | No. 2 Northeastern vs. No. 7 Providence | Matthews Arena | 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | No. 3 Boston Univ. vs. No. 6 Vermont | Walter Brown Arena | 3 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 New Hampshire | Freitas Ice Forum | 3 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | No. 1 Boston College vs. No. 8 Maine | Conte Forum | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Feb. 28* | No. 1 Boston College vs. No. 8 Maine | Conte Forum | 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Feb. 28* | No. 2 Northeastern vs. No. 7 Providence | Matthews Arena | 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Feb. 28* | No. 3 Boston Univ. vs. No. 6 Vermont | Walter Brown Arena | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Feb. 28* | No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 New Hampshire | Freitas Ice Forum | 3 p.m. |
| * if necessary | |||