The field for the men’s Hockey East semifinals looks a little different this season.
While Maine (22-7-6) and Boston University (21-12-2) are both back from last year, UConn (21-10-4) and Northeastern (14-19-3) are making their first appearance since they squared off in 2022, when UConn won the battle of the Huskies, 4-1, to reach the championship game for the first time. That UConn squad just missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Tournament after losing in overtime to UMass.
This year’s edition already has clinched a spot in the NCAAs for the first time. BU and Maine are also in, while Northeastern will look to become the first ninth seed to advance to the title game and qualify for the NCAA Tournament with a pair of wins this weekend at sold-out TD Garden.
BU and UConn will kick things off Thursday at 4 p.m. BU took 5 of 6 points from the Huskies this season, winning the Hockey East opener, 4-2 at Agganis Arena on Oct. 18, then getting the extra point in the shootout after the teams skated to a 2-2 tie in Storrs on Feb. 25.
That game would be remembered in part for Cole Hutson’s goal halfway through the third period, one that landed him on ESPN’s “SportsCenter’’ top 10 plays. On Wednesday, Hutson was named the Hockey East rookie of the year. He leads all NCAA freshmen in points (39) and assists (27). His 1.18 points per game is the most among defensemen nationally.
The Terriers are 4-0 since the tie at UConn, advancing to the semifinals with a 3-2 overtime win over UMass on freshman Cole Eiserman’s game-winner. The Newburyport native’s 21 goals are tops on the team, and he enters Thursday’s matchup on a three-game goal streak, finding the back of the net five times in that span.
Junior Quinn Hutson leads the team with 46 points after setting career highs in goals (20) and assists (26). Goalie Mikhail Yegorov (8-4-1) is fourth in the NCAA with a .937 save percentage, while his 1.82 goals-against average is good for sixth.
UConn is riding an eight-game unbeaten streak, including a 3-1 win over Providence in the quarterfinals. Since Jan. 1, the Huskies are 13-2-3, good enough to climb to fourth in Hockey East, and reached 20 wins for the third time in the last four years. They enter Thursday seventh in the PairWise, the system used to select and seed the NCAA Tournament, one spot behind BU.
The run is all the more impressive considering the team was picked to finish eighth in the conference in the preseason, and is just one reason why Mike Cavanaugh was named the conference’s coach of the year.
Sophomore Joey Muldowney set the program record for goals in the Hockey East era with 24 and has registered a point in 10 straight games. Linemate Jake Richard has an 11-game point streak.
They are centered by graduate senior Hudson Schandor, who sustained a lower-leg injury in the first period against Providence, but managed to get back on the ice in the second period and score the tying goal. The captain was out for the rest of the game, and will be a game-time decision for Thursday.
After outlasting Merrimack in double overtime in the first round and upsetting No. 1 Boston College in the quarterfinals, Northeastern will look to keep its Cinderella run going in the nightcap against Maine. The Black Bears finished second in Hockey East and took the season series, 2-0-1.
Northeastern’s top line of Cam Lund, Jack Williams, and Dylan Hryckowian has combined for 49 goals and 65 assists. Lund’s 17 goals are the most on the team, while Williams leads the squad with 41 points (16 goals, 25 assists).
Sophomore goalie Cameron Whitehead has turned it up in the postseason, stopping 74 of 77 shots for a .961 save percentage through two games. He recorded 30 saves against BC, with the lone goal surrendered with 2:34 remaining when the Eagles went with an empty net for an extra skater.
Maine reached the semifinals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2004-05 and 2005-06. They did so by getting goals from seven players in a 7-1 rout of UMass Lowell.
Goalie Albin Boija was named one of the four finalists for the Mike Richter Award on Wednesday, given to the top goalie in men’s Division 1 hockey. The sophomore’s 1.75 goals-against average is fourth in the country, while his .930 save percentage is fourth among goaltenders who have played more than 30 games.
Harrison Scott (17 goals, 15 assists) leads the Black Bears with 32 points, followed by Taylor Makar’s 28 (16 goals, 12 assists). Rated third in the PairWise, Maine is on track for a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.