Hockey East News: Vermont Grabs First-Place Hold as Wild Weekend Reshapes Conference Landscape

BOSTON — The biggest surprise of the early college hockey season is undoubtedly the Vermont Catamounts.

After taking 5 of 6 points on the road against Boston College at Conte Forum, Vermont extended its first-place lead in the Hockey East standings to three points. The Catamounts’ stellar start has caught national attention, earning them the No. 20 spot in this week’s USCHO.com Division I poll and No. 18 in the USA Hockey Men’s College Hockey poll. Vermont is one of five Hockey East programs featured in both national polls.

Here is a comprehensive look at how a chaotic weekend unfolded across Hockey East.

Vermont Dominates Conte Forum Showcase

The Catamounts left no doubt during their trip to Chestnut Hill, claiming five crucial points in a dramatic series against Boston College.

• Michael Hagens: The Army ROTC Defender of the Week led the defensive core with a goal and four assists on the weekend, capping Friday night by scoring the shootout winner. Hagens is currently riding a five-game point streak (3G, 5A).
• Ethan Burroughs: The forward delivered a standout four-point weekend (2G, 2A). Burroughs was credited with the game-winning goal on Friday night before coming back to register assists on extra-attacker goals with just 2:24 remaining in the third period of Game 2.
• Jacob Oster: Named National Rookie of the Month, Oster anchored Vermont between the pipes, turning aside 55 saves over the two-game set.

Check out the @USCHO Weekend Review as they cover No. 20/18 Vermont’s fast start to the 2026-27 campaign – https://t.co/oxLRlUjwUc
#802Hockey https://t.co/bhlgLcR01i

— UVM Men’s Hockey (@UVMmhockey) November 10, 2026

Boston University Splits Non-Conference Clash at No. 3 Michigan State

In marquee non-conference action, Boston University traveled to East Lansing for a showdown against No. 3 Michigan State, returning home with a weekend split.

Friday night belonged to the Terriers in a convincing 6-2 victory over the Spartans. Goaltender Mikhail Yegorov stood tall with 33 saves, while forwards Tynan Lawrence and Caleb Malhotra produced two points apiece. Defenseman Carter Amico provided the offensive spark from the blueline, scoring a pair of goals for his first career multi-goal performance.

Goaltending Duel Highlighted in UMass-Maine Split

Massachusetts and Maine split a tight series up north at Harold Alfond Sports Arena in Orono, Maine.

The Minutemen secured Friday night’s opener behind Stop It Goaltender of the Week Ethan Eskit, who stopped a career-high 46 shots. Eskit was equally heroic on Saturday, turning away 42 shots in a 2-0 defeat. Across the weekend, the Black Bears peppered 91 total shots on goal, with Eskit stopping 88—the most saves by any NCAA netminder over the weekend. His .967 save percentage ranked second among all NCAA goalies with two starts.

Maine netminder Albin Boija earned the shutout victory on Saturday with 16 saves. Boija finished the weekend 1-1-0 with a 1.02 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage.

UNH Earns First League Wins in Rivalry Sweep of UMass Lowell

The New Hampshire Wildcats entered Tsongas Center winless in Hockey East play and left the weekend with two victories following a sweep of the UMass Lowell River Hawks. The performance marked the 24th time in program history that UNH has swept UMass Lowell.

• Nick Ring: Named Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Week after recording a five-point series (2G, 3A). Ring scored the game-winner and added an assist on Friday, then posted a three-point night (1G, 2A) on Saturday at the Whittemore Center.
• Émile Guité: Earned Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week honors after scoring twice in Saturday’s 5-4 victory. Guité’s second score came just 32 seconds into overtime, marking his third game-winning goal of the season. He is now tied for the national lead in goals with six.
• Jacob Macdonald: The River Hawks freshman provided a bright spot for UMass Lowell on Saturday, recording a three-assist night to move into a tie for sixth in Hockey East with 10 total points.

Offense Explodes in Split Between Providence and Connecticut

Providence and UConn engaged in a high-scoring weekend shootout, combining for 20 total goals across two games.

UConn claimed Friday’s opener 5-4 behind three-point performances from Alexander Blais (3A), Joey Muldowney (2G, 1A), and Jeremy Loranger (2G, 1A).

The Friars responded with force on Saturday, exploding for eight goals in an 8-1 victory. Co-Hockey East Player of the Week Logan Sawyer led the rampage, registering a hat trick and an assist in the win. Sawyer capped off a five-point weekend with eight shots on net and a +3 rating.