2025-26 NCAA Preview: Hockey East

What’s that on the horizon? Oh nothing, just the start of Hockey East play fast approaching as fall kicks off. With that start comes a fresh slate for the 10 teams in the conference, all of whom have different expectations for this upcoming season, and obviously different outcomes awaiting them. 

Here today, I’m breaking down storylines for each team, and highlighting a player I think you should keep an eye out for. It’s another long one from me (are any of you really surprised?), so get settled — we’re gonna be here awhile. 

Boston College 

Last Season: 21-13-2 overall record, finished 3rd with 51 points | Eliminated by BU in semifinals

Storyline to Watch: Who’s Gonna Score?

Look, I’m not saying Boston College won’t score at all this season. I’m just saying it’s going to be quite difficult to replace the amount of scoring they’ve lost over this offseason. 

Of their top five scorers, only one player is returning to the Heights for 2025-26. Of course that is their top scorer Sammy Taber, who has been lights out both of her two seasons thus far. But otherwise, the Eagles have lost 105 of their 257 total points from last season in one go due to graduation and transfers. 

The additions of Sage Babey — who had a fairly productive freshman year at Merrimack — and incoming freshman Maxim Tremblay — who registered 114 points in 70 games with Stanstead College last year — could help. However, it’s unfair to rest a large majority of the offensive game on two of the younger players. Taber can only do so much, but if players such as Lauren Glaser and Alanna Devlin can produce, then maybe BC will still have some offensive upsides. But I'm just not too sure. 

Player to Watch: Grace Campbell | Senior, Goaltender 

It’s a funny transition to go from talking about the offense to talking about the goaltender, but if the offense does take as big of a step back as expected, then Campbell is going to need to be even more impressive than she was last year. 

In 32 games, Campbell finished with a .930 save percentage, 20 wins, and a goals against average of 2.04. Her five shutouts were second best in the conference, and a new career-high. If BC wants to stay near the top of Hockey East, and potentially even make it into the top-three this year, they’re going to need Campbell to be as solid as she was a season ago. I’ll be keeping an eye on her. 

The rest of the conference should too. 

Boston University 

Last Season: 24-12-2 overall record, finished 2nd with 57 points | Won HEA Title Tournament Title, Eliminated by Clarkson in NCAA tournament 

Storyline to Watch: How Solid is the Defensive Side of Things?

When you can get the 2023-24 national goaltender of the year to come out of retirement, you have to do it. 

Which is how BU solved their questions in the cage, following the departure of Callie Shanahan this summer. Michelle Pasiechnyk joins the Terriers one year removed from her graduation from Clarkson. In her last season with the Golden Knights, the 23-year-old posted a career-high .945 SV%, and joins a Terrier team whose defensive system is stellar — which can make her job even easier. 

Though, I do worry how stepping away from hockey could impact her play on the ice. In the goaltender position, and in any position really, you need to play regularly in order to maintain your same skills. Pasiechnyk hasn’t dressed for an NCAA game in over a year, which could impact the first few weeks of this season, if not the entire year. 

Otherwise, defensively this team has seen some massive departures. Tamara Giaquinto, Maggie Hanzel, and Julia Shaunessey all graduated this past year, along with the aforementioned Shanahan. Losing all of those pieces is difficult to overcome. The addition of Ella Belfry from Colgate bolsters their blueline, however I’m still not sold on BU repeating their success from a season ago. 

Will they be good? For sure. Will they be conference champions? That remains to be seen. 

Player to Watch: Riley Walsh | Senior, Forward

After transferring from Union last year, Walsh came in and made an immediate impact on the Terriers lineup. With 17 points, she finished seventh in scoring on BU, but is the third-highest returning scorer this year. After an ice cold February, Walsh turned it on in the last game of the regular season and the first two games of the playoffs. 

In said playoffs, she scored the overtime winner to lift BU over Vermont, giving them their first Hockey East playoff win in over half a decade. In order for BU to continue the success they found last year, Walsh is going to have to step up further. I’m not saying she’s the most important piece of their puzzle, but she’s up there. 

University of Connecticut 

Last Season: 22-12-2 overall record, finished 1st with 58 points | Eliminated by Northeastern in semifinals 

Storyline to Watch: Can They Hold Off the Other Squads? 

The now back-to-back regular season champions lost a lot on paper, including Jada Habisch, and Ava Rinker. With those names leaving, I was expecting the UConn offense and defense to both take steps back, especially considering both drove the Huskies forward in their own way. 

And then Connecticut added Julia Pellerin out of the portal, and announced that netminder Tia Chan would be returning for a fifth and final year in the NCAA. No big deal, just two of the best players in the conference last season playing in the same lineup. 

Pellerin was an offensive powerhouse in 2024-25, finishing with the most goals out of anyone in the conference (20), and fourth in overall scoring (34 points). If she can immediately take over the spot left behind by Habisch, then UConn is in far better shape than I expected. 

Which brings us to Chan, who has been one of the top netminders in the NCAA throughout her time in Storrs. With a .945 SV% across 24 games last season, and a GAA of just 1.54, it’s no surprise Chan was awarded the conference Goaltender of The Year award. She’s a game changer, if not a season changer, and her surprise fifth year helps the Huskies immensely. 

Sure, some of the other teams took a step forward this year, but UConn arguably didn’t lose a step at all. There’s a reason they’re the team to beat, and they’re consistent enough to potentially maintain their hold on the regular season trophy. 

Player to Watch: Claire Murdoch | Sophomore, Forward 

Murdoch was the top rookie in HEA last year, and for good reason. The then-freshmen put up 13 goals and 29 points in 36 games, good for eighth, and sixth-best in the league respectively. Murdoch at times drove the UConn offense, and it was more surprising not seeing her on the box score than it was seeing her name pop up. 

If she can avoid a sophomore slump and perhaps even improve upon her skills, the UConn offense could be deadly. Putting her with Pellerin is, in my opinion, a no-brainer – they can both drive the other forward. There’s a reason Murdoch saw time on Team Canada’s collegiate team this summer, and I’d plan on seeing her on an All-Hockey East team come spring time too. 

Holy Cross

Last Season: 10-20-4 overall record, finished 9th with 25 points | Eliminated by Vermont in opening round 

Storyline to Watch: Is This the Year for the Step Forward? 

It seems as though this could be said every year for the Crusaders, but this year feels even more important for the team. Firstly, because they’re in goalie Abby Hornung’s last year of eligibility, and secondly because the bottom half of Hockey East seems a bit more open than it’s been in the past. 

Unfortunately, Holy Cross did lose a few names due to graduation, though none of their top five scorers are on that list. Returning all of those top players — who combined for 51 of HC’s 130 total points — is massive, and if they can all produce at a similar level, then I wouldn’t be surprised if Holy Cross challenged for a higher spot in the rankings. 

It helps that Hornung is returning, especially after her Second Team All-Hockey East honors last year. The now-senior finished with a .940 SV% and a 1.90 GAA in 26 starts, and helped drop HC’s team goals against from 103 across 35 games in 2023-24, down to 73 in 34 contests. If she can put up similar numbers, and if HC can up their offensive numbers, I highly doubt they don’t take a step forward. 

They hit double digit wins for the first time in nearly a decade last year — I’d be shocked if they don’t hit that number again. 

Player to Watch: Literally Anyone on the Power Play 

When you have the worst power play in the conference, things can be pretty bleak. 

Last year, the worst mark in Hockey East was the Crusaders' advantage, where they scored just 9.3% of the time (11-for-118). They had the most opportunities on the advantage, sure. But they just couldn’t convert on many of their chances if any, and that ended up hurting them a lot of the time. 

This year, if they can take some of the offensive prowess they demonstrated last season and use it to their advantage, I think perhaps the power play gets a little bit better. Top-scorer Emily Crovo had three goals on the PP, but the scoring otherwise was fairly spread out. The improvement will be necessary in order for HC to make a dent in the standings, and they’ll have to do it quickly.

Whatever happens, no going 10 games without a PPG again, please. 

Maine

Last Season: 11-21-3 overall record, finished 6th with 38 points | Eliminated by BC in quarterfinals 

Storyline to Watch: I Don’t Know What to Make of Them

Look, I watched a fair amount of Maine last year, but I still don’t really understand everything that’s going on up in Orono. 

Could they score? For a large part of the year the answer was not really until about the last three weeks of the season for some reason. Could they defend? Also not really. 

Are they going to improve in either of these areas this year? Again, not really sure about that one. 

Offensively, their group is mainly intact. Top scorer Lily Fetch is set to return, alongside names like Mikayla Boarder and Stephanie Jacob who both finished in the top-five in scoring as well. The issue is that the top scorers weren’t doing a lot of scoring. The Black Bears combined for 64 total goals last year, third worst in the conference. They also gave up 101 goals against, also third worst in Hockey East. 

What I will say is Kiia Lahtinen showed marked improvement as the season came to an end, finishing with a .909 SV% after spending much of the season below .900. Hopefully that improvement continues. 

One thing I’d really like to see improved upon in the penalty kill. If the Black Bears want to be competitive, a 79.6% kill rate is not sustainable, and neither is taking over 100 penalties with a PK that’s struggling that much. 

Player to Watch: Stephanie Jacob | Forward, Sophomore 

For Maine to actually take a step forward, they need to see more production from their top forwards. Jacob is one such player, who had a solid freshman campaign, but could improve upon it in her second year. 

Her seven goals were second best on the team, while her 13 points was fourth best. In an expanded role as a sophomore, I’d expect to see that tick up. She was one of the few players who converted on the advantage, and generated a lot of chances on a team that struggled to get pucks on net for large swatches of the year. She’s a player to keep an eye on, especially after a solid end of the year. 

Merrimack

Last Season: 9-23-4 overall record, finished 10th with 20 points | Eliminated by UConn in quarterfinals 

Storyline to watch: Can this Team Gel Together, and Fast? 

So if I’m being completely honest here, when I saw the amount of MC players in the transfer portal this spring, I thought it was a typo. 

The Warriors were far and away the most active team in the portal in the conference, bringing in 10 players to replace those who exited in the portal following the 2024-25 season. These 10 new names don’t include any of the nine new freshmen on the roster either. 

Yes, Merrimack has 19 new players on their roster, in just one year. 

There are positives and drawbacks to this in my opinion. It gives head coach Erin Hamlen almost an entirely fresh slate to start over following last year’s disappointing last place finish in the regular season. Although it also means that the team now has to quickly find a way to work together if they want to be competitive in this conference. 

I think it may be too big of a task for Merrimack — and if their tie with Stanstead College (a high school program from Quebec) in an exhibition is any indication, then I think I may be right. I’d be more than happy to be surprised, but there’s frankly far too many question marks for me to trust the Warriors to play particularly well together before American Thanksgiving, if at all this season. 

Player to Watch: Maria Lindberg | Forward, Junior 

Well, one of only two players from the Warriors top-10 in scoring last year returning in 2025-26 is their leading point producer from a year ago. Lindberg quite literally was doing it all last year for MC. With 19 points, 11 goals and 77 shots, she led the team in all three statistics, and it appears as though MC is going to be looking to her to do so again this year. 

If she’s able to tighten up her play defensively (she was second-worst on the team at a -22 last year), then I think this year could be an even bigger step forward than the season previous was. 

New Hampshire 

Last Season: 15-17-3 overall record, finished 7th with 34 points | Eliminated by Merrimack in opening round 

Storyline to Watch: Where is the Offense Coming From?

I feel like a broken record, constantly talking about offense this year, but honestly it’s because there’s been so much turnover once again. 

Two years ago, UNH was a team on the up-and-up. They finished third in the conference standings, made it to the tournament semifinal, and had all their pieces working together to create a formidable opponent. 

Then last year, that all fell apart. Thanks to a large amount of roster turnover, the Wildcats finished below .500, scored just 70 goals, and were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs on home ice by Merrimack. 

Not great. 

This year, I worry the same trend will continue. Their top five scorers are gone, though in all honesty none of them were that productive last year to begin with. Plus, after a solid freshman season, Sedona Blair saw a bit of a regression as a sophomore and if that continues things could get even hairier. 

Although, if they’re able to figure things out, they could challenge for that fifth spot in the conference. They’re returning Alyson Hush who had six goals on the rock solid power play for the Wildcats (19.5% conversion rate), and are adding forwards Josie Linn (52 points in 31 games in the USHS in Minnesota) and Nina Rossi (55 points in 46 games for Shattuck St. Mary’s) who could provide offensive upside. 

Another plus is UNH’s non-conference schedule could set them off on the right foot with matchups against Mercyhurst, Assumption, Union, and Harvard on the docket before conference play begins. If they’re able to perform well there, a nice roll into conference action could be highly beneficial. 

Although, they did lose to Assumption in a shoot out last year. So anything’s possible. 

Player to Watch: Alyson Hush | Forward, Senior 

I mentioned Hush before with good reason. As a junior, the forward put up a career-high 14 points in 35 games — more than she’d ever played in her first two seasons combined. While her 11 goals stands out in particular, that’s helped by her six aforementioned scores on the power play. If UNH wants to see the same success on the advantage, I’d put Hush out there as much as possible. 

Hush is one of just three seniors playing on the Wildcats this year. With the amount of youth that will populate the lineup, they’ll clearly look to her to lead them in more ways than one. Her role will inevitably be larger this year than seen in years past, and in that position, potentially we see it aid UNH in their quest to get back near the top of the standings. 

Northeastern 

Last Season: 22-14-1 record, finished 5th with 46 points | Eliminated by BU in HEA Championship game 

Storyline to Watch: Will They Return to the Top of the Table?

Well, if people were hoping the Northeastern run of dominance was potentially well and truly over, I have some bad news for them. 

The Huskies took another step back last year, finishing in fifth in the regular season standings, and were the runner-ups in the conference tournament for a second-straight year. Following the graduation of Skylar Irving — their top scorer for the last two seasons — and some of their key defenders, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to imagine a world where Northeastern stays in the 4/5 range again this year. 

But then you look at their freshman class, and who’s returning to the team again this year, and that belief becomes a little shakier. 

Besides Irving, five of the top-six scorers in the Huskies lineup are back this season, along with rising-sophomore goaltender Lisa Jönsson, who was outstanding for large portions of her rookie year. And they’re adding fellow netminder Renna Trembecky, who may be even better than Jönsson, as wild as that may seem.  

The biggest addition is the cheat code that is Stryker Zablocki, who just set the record for the most points in a single U18 tournament (12 in six games). The forward is electric when she needs to be, and alongside a goal scorer like Lily Shannon, the product could be magic. 

All of this to say the NU offense, which has seen an extreme dip from where it was in 2022-23, seemingly is back in a good place. Defensively there are some question marks, there's no doubt about that, but with the names they’re bringing in and the names they already have, I truly think they’re going to find themselves near the top of the conference once again. 

Buckle up everyone. 

Player to Watch: Allie Lalonde | Forward, Junior 

I feel like I’ve picked a lot of junior forwards, but for good reason. Lalonde missed the first half of the season due to injury, before returning down the stretch to play 20 games. Though she had a slower start than she did as a freshman, the then-sophomore still made her impact when needed, especially in the playoffs. 

In a full, healthy season, I don’t see why Lalonde wouldn’t be back near the top of the Huskies offensive numbers once more. Where I think she may be the most important, is in the circle. Without Irving, the struggles NU already had in the dot are going to be even more apparent. Unless, of course, Lalonde can help out — and I think she can. 

Providence 

Last Season: 20-12-3 overall record, finished 3rd with 49 points | Eliminated by Northeastern in quarterfinals 

Storyline to Watch: Was Last Year a One-Off, or is the Offense For Real?

In 2023-24, the Friars scored 72 goals as a team and allowed just 84. While the defense was strong, offensively the team couldn’t quite keep up with everyone else around them. This past season, they jumped nearly 30 goals, all the way up to 100, while allowing just 74. A marked difference in one season. 

Now however, the Friars have lost four of their top-six scorers, and I’m worried those offensive numbers will dip down again. 

Reichen Kirchmair and Audrey Knapp are a formidable duo upfront, and if Jessie Pellerin and Kiara Kraft can take another step following solid seasons last year, then that answers some of the questions. 

But certainly not all. 

With the losses of Lily Martinson, Hannah Johnson, and Brooke Becker, that’s 65 points gone right off the bat. Becker had three of Providence’s 13 goals on the power play, and replacing that productivity is going to be a challenge. Not to mention Johnson was the third highest scorer on the team, and finished sixth in the conference overall. She was the third head on the monster of a first line Providence iced last year. Without her, can the line generate at the same clip? I’m not so sure. 

Player to Watch: Audrey Knapp | Junior, Forward

Speaking of that three-headed monster, Knapp was a key driver on it as well. The now-junior finished with 35 points last season, including 19 goals — tied for second-most in Hockey East with her linemate Kirchmair. 

As an upperclassman, even more responsibilities are going to fall on Knapp on the ice. If she can continue to produce the way she has the last two seasons, she’ll finish near the top of PC’s stat sheet when it’s all said and done. What probably will regress, and what I’m looking out for most, is how high her shot count is. After 94 shots in her rookie season, she jumped up to 120 last season. I’m not asking her to replicate that, but I am asking her to come close. If only so that Providence has some of them hit the back of the net. 

Vermont 

Last Season: 9-25-2 overall record, finished 8th with 27 points | Eliminated by BU in quarterfinals 

Storyline to Watch: Genuinely, What’s Happened Here? 

It feels like a long time ago that UVM was competing for the top spots in Hockey East, even if it’s been less than three seasons. After finishing second in 2022-23, UVM dropped to sixth in 2023-24, and then eighth last year. They failed to reach double digit wins, and though they succeeded in sneaking past Holy Cross in the opening round, they just never seemed like a particularly dangerous squad when it came down to it. 

This year, I think that pattern continues. Their top scorer departed in the transfer portal for Clarkson (forward Lara Beecher), one of the best faceoff winners in the conference graduated (center Evelyne Blais-Savoie), and neither of their consistent starters from a year ago are back for another year (Sydney Correa and Jane Gervais) 

Both netminders were often the only reason games didn’t get further out of hand for Vermont. This team could not produce outside of their top weapons, and their shot generation was shockingly low. With just 12% conversion on the PP, and a conference-worst 77.4% PK rate, this team struggled and struggled hard. 

Frankly, I just don’t see that being any different this time out. 

Stella Retrum from Penn State is an intriguing addition, and could help jolt the offense. I’m also interested in how the freshman class pans out, especially with two goaltenders in it. Maybe UVM will prove me wrong this year, and they’ll get back to their productive ways.  

That’s a pretty big maybe. 

Player to Watch: Whoever Gets the Starters Job

Like I said, two of the six incoming freshmen this year are netminders; Zoe Cliche and Lily Prendergast. 

Cliche is a true freshman, who put up a .927 SV% in 21 starts for the Nepean Wildcats in the OWHL U22 AA league last year. Prendergast is a bit older, at 20, who played with the Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins in the same league. In 22 starts, Prendergast had a .922 SV% — though she had the record advantage with a 19-2-0 compared to Cliche’s 9-11-0. 

Altogether, the fight for the starter's job is quite interesting. Perhaps the Cats opt to go for a tandem to start, especially to ease the rookies into game play. Or perhaps they choose to ride the more senior member of the trio in Ellie Simmons. Prendergast did start the exhibition against St. Michaels on Sept. 20th, so if anything, I’d lean towards her seeing action in the opener against Penn State. 

Emma’s Predicted Standings 

1. UConn
2. Northeastern 
3. BU
4. Providence 
5. BC
6. UNH
7. Maine 
8. Holy Cross 
9. UVM 
10. Merrimack

HEA Preseason Coaches Poll

Before you throw pitchforks and torches at me, let me explain something – I’m quite bad at making predictions. This is definitely not the rankings to end all rankings, but I do think there will be some surprises in the conference this season, hence why I picked some teams to finish in certain places. 

Let me address the two biggest elephants: No, I don’t think BU is going to be in the top spot of the table, and yes I do think Holy Cross sneaks up a spot to eighth. 

For BU, I frankly worry about the first few weeks of the season, especially considering the turnover on the defensive side of things. Replacing three of your top blueliners is hard to do, not to mention that it’s a brand new goalie in the net. 

I also just generally like the additions made by UConn and Northeastern. Both Husky squads needed offensive jolts to replace their losses, and they found them in Pellerin and Zablocki. They also have their tried and tested goaltenders, which will be a boon. 

HC’s jump is mainly because I do not trust UVM. Offensively, last year they were a mess, not to mention the losses I’ve mentioned above. 

When it comes down to it, the Catamounts looked lifeless last year, especially in November. The two offenses are similar, but I’d give the goaltending to Holy Cross when it comes down to it. And that very well could be the difference. 

Okay. Now you can throw the pitchforks and torches now. 

Happy NCAA Hockey Season everyone — lets have some fun, shall we?