Hockey East Power Rankings - 11/16/09

by Chris Aliano

1. UMass-Lowell (7-2-1, 3-1-1 HEA - LAST WEEK: 1) – UMass-Lowell was the lone Hockey East team to not split this weekend, traveling down south to Alabama-Huntsville and sweeping the Chargers by scores of 3-1 and 4-0.  Freshman forward Colin Wright had two goals, and Carter Hutton picked up his eighth career shutout.  The River Hawks have never looked better folks, and the top spot is theirs to lose right now.  UML hosts Merrimack Saturday night in its lone game of the weekend. 

2. UMass (7-2-0, 4-2-0 HE - LAST WEEK: 2) – The Minutemen rallied with eleven seconds left in reguation and prevailed in overtime on Friday against UNH before losing for just the second time this season on Saturday.  Sophomore forward Casey Wellman, who centers that dangerous first line featuring All-American James Marcou, sent the game to overtime before freshman David Boehm won it just over two minutes into the extra frame.  Paul Dainton stopped a career-high 42 shots in that game.  UNH has played well in the conference, so no shame in dropping a game to the Wildcats.  Bottom line for UMass is this: we're more than a month into the season, and they have shown no signs of slowing down, where in years past their inconsistent play during the course of the season hurt their NCAA chances in March.  Another big test looms this week when they travel to No. 9 Yale on Thursday night.  

3. BC (4-3-1, 3-3-1 HEA - LAST WEEK: 3) – The Eagles returned the favor to Vermont on Saturday night after the Catamounts drubbed BC in both teams' season-opener.  Freshman forward Steve Whitney led the way for the Eagles, tallying three points in the 7-1 thrashing.  They looked so impressive on Saturday that it's almost easy to forget their 3-2 loss on Sunday.  It's taken some time for the young Eagles to adjust and adapt, but there is a very high ceiling for this club.  They travel to Maine for a doubleheader this weekend.

4. Merrimack (6-4-0, 3-2-0 HEA - LAST WEEK: 6) – So this is what everyone has been talking about!  Who are these Merrimack Warriors and what did they do with the cellar-dwellers, bottom-feeders and every other negative label they've been known as during previous seasons?  MC dismantled Boston University on Friday night at home, scoring five straight goals en route to a 6-3 victory.  Freshman forward Stephane Da Costa, who notched yet another four-point weekend, is an incredible young player, and head coach Mark Dennehy put it best when he said "[Da Costa] touches the puck and it's his game."  Yes, the Terriers were able to bounce back on Saturday night, but Merrimack came back from a 4-0 first-period deficit and came within one goal.  And let's best honest, whoever thought they were incapable of tying it up is beyond crazy.  They have quickly become one of the better teams in Hockey East: they're physical, they have a dominant forecheck and they aren't afraid of anyone.  If they wind up being a home-ice team in March, watch out. 


5. Vermont (4-4-1, 3-3-1 HEA - LAST WEEK: 4) – Merrimack jumps ahead of Vermont for the moment, partly because the Warriors looked so good over the weekend and partly because the Catamounts looked so terrible on Saturday night.  Nothing went right in the 7-1 loss to BC, but at least they were able to salvage the weekend split in winning their first game at Kelley Rink since Nov. 11, 1994.  Senior netminder Mike Spillane earned Pure Hockey Defense Player of the Week honors with his 30-save effort in Sunday night's 3-2 win.  The Cats are off until Tuesday, Nov. 27, when they host UMass.

6. UNH (3-6-2, 3-2-1 HEA - LAST WEEK: 7) – Probably the toughest team to judge at this point.  UNH's 3-6-2 start is certainly disappointing, but they had a tough early-season schedule with doubleheaders against Miami and Wisconsin (in Madison).  They went 0-3-1 in those games, so if you factor those out you have a .500 team that has played quite well in the conference.  They certainly gave a very good UMass team all it could handle.  The Wildcats should have swept the doubleheader after surrendering the game-tying goal with eleven seconds left in regulation on Friday night before losing in OT, but rebounded with a win on Saturday.  Co-Player of the Week and senior captain Bobby Butler has played well so far, and scored three goals (including two on Saturday) during the weekend.  Home-and-home with BU this weekend is a make-or-break for both teams.

7. Providence (5-3-0, 1-2-0 - LAST WEEK: 5) – I know, it's not very fair that Providence drops two spots after an idle weekend, but like it or not, a main criteria for these rankings is the "what have you done for me lately" factor.  In fact, I'm not sure what to do with Providence anymore.  Yes, they beat Notre Dame earlier in the season and handed UMass its first loss of the season.  Yes, sophomore goalkeeper Alex Beaudry has shown promise, but who--and what--else is there?  The Friars have a very busy week coming up and have a chance to shut me up.  They host crosstown rival Brown on Tuesday night in the Mayor's Cup and then have a home-and-home date with Northeastern.


8. BU (3-6-0, 2-5-0 HEA - LAST WEEK: T8) – What a weekend for the Terriers.  They're lucky to not be ranked lower, and are only eighth based on the upside of getting junior forward Nick Bonino back after a month-long absence following a dislocated shoulder injury.  BU played without leading goal-scorer Alex Chiasson and sophomore defenseman David Warsofsky during the weekend, and they showed signs of wear and tear during the Merrimack Massacre on Friday night.  Without Bonino and Chiasson, the Terriers' offense has become more predictable than Kevin Gilbride's conservative play-calling of the New York Giants: bring it into the zone, send it back to the slot, Kevin Shattenkirk or Colby Cohen fire a shot through traffic, hoping that someone picks up a loose rebound.  Here's the thing: anyone who's seen BU play a game knows what's coming, and those shots either get blocked, or those rebounds are unconverted.  Even in their 6-4 win on Saturday, they got complacent with their 4-0 lead and let Merrimack right back into the game.  Grant Rollheiser also returned to the lineup, meaning that coach Jack Parker can now incorporate the goalie-platoon system he used early last season between Rollie and Kieran Millan.  They'll travel to Durham to take on UNH before returning to Agganis Saturday.  


9. Maine (4-6-0, 3-3-0 HEA - LAST WEEK: T8) – These last three teams (BU, Providence, Maine) really haven't done enough to stand out and prove that one of them is that much better than the other.  In Maine's case, theirs is much similar to Providence's.  They've notched some quality wins against teams like Michigan State and Vermont, and they split a home-and-home this weekend against Northeastern, but haven't epitomized consistency on the ice, to say the least.  Case in point: they drub Northeastern 6-2 before falling the next night 5-2.  Jack Parker labeled Maine as the dark horse in the conference heading into the season, and as of this point, that's all they are. 

10. Northeastern (4-5-0, 2-4-0 HEA - LAST WEEK: T8) – I mean, someone has to be last.  I know it's not fair, but considering their recent string of injuries (even worse than BU's) and on-and-off play as a team (smoked by Maine one night, spank them the next; shutout BU one night, drubbed by BC the next) and amongst their players (Chris Rawlings, make up your mind: play well consistently or be a sieve every night), coupled with their lack of victories over quality teams this season (sorry Huntington Ave. Faithful, your win against the Terriers is no longer considered a "quality win"), and Northeastern is a last-place team.  You can cry about it, or you can sweep Providence this weekend.  Up to you.