Hockey East: Team Takeaways, Part I

Happy almost-Halloween everyone! The first month of the season is basically complete in Hockey East, and with it, we’re taking a look at some takeaways for the teams in the conference after their first sets of games. We’re splitting this up into two parts: the first five teams in the conference today, and the second five teams later this week, going in alphabetical order. 

Also! If you’re looking for something similar in the ECAC, my friend Eli has a great breakdown of those teams. Be sure to check it out after we finish up here. Now, let’s get into it. 

Boston College: It’s way too early, but Ava Thomas may be the real deal 

Look, when a player has scored 28% of a team’s goals through the first seven games of the season, most likely you’re not expecting it to be a freshman. But in the case of Boston College, that’s exactly what’s happening with rookie Ava Thomas. Not only has she scored five of BC’s 18 goals so far this season, but she's factored into over 70% of the Eagles' total goals and leads Hockey East in total points so far this season. 

Yes, the predominant amount of Thomas’ scoring came against Holy Cross, Saint Anselm, and Providence — three teams notably not the strongest this year. However, in the two contests she failed to record a point, the Eagles were shut out completely by Minnesota and Cornell. Their offense is seemingly running through the young player, and for good reason. Am I sure this is sustainable? Not entirely. But for now, BC definitely has the answer for the holes left up front on their roster this season, even if their defense still has some question marks. 

Boston University: There are some mild concerns

Last week, BU coach Tara Watchorn told the Boston Hockey Blog — BU’s student run outlet dedicated to the university’s hockey teams — that the reason the team scheduled their tough opponents early was “to stress our environment, to see where we're at, to see where our strengths are and where we need to get better. And I feel like those five games did that.” 

In those five games (two against No. 3 Minnesota, two against No. 8 Colgate, and one against unranked Brown), the Terriers failed to record a single win, have scored just seven goals, have blown the lead three times, and have taken a step back in nearly every category they succeeded in last year. 

Am I writing BU off entirely because of this? Absolutely not. This is a team that had a large amount of turnover in the off season, especially in net and defensively, the two places in particular they succeeded in 2024-25. Of course it’s going to take time in order for the newest players to gel and for the team to get its bearings underneath them, especially after playing two top teams in the NCAA. 

However, the continued lack of production on the power play plus the step back on the penalty kill is a slight cause for concern. It’ll be interesting to see how they rebound, especially against their conference slate in November and following their first win of the season, after a goal from Sydney Healey in the third period led them over UNH this past weekend. 

UConn: Sure and steady, the Huskies continue to perform

When I first looked at UConn’s schedule to open the year, I was concerned to put it mildly. All four of their first series were against teams ranked in the top-15 at some point this season already, with two of those on the road against talented teams like Mercyhurst and Clarkson.

Following their first eight games of the season, however, UConn sits at 5-2-1, after sweeping Princeton, splitting with the Golden Nights and the Huskies of St. Cloud, and by going 1-0-1 against the Lakers. 

I’ve said it time and time again, the Huskies have a system that works. While offensively they’re averaging just two goals per game, defensively they’re locking things down to the tune of only 1.5 goals against. Tia Chan’s .956 save percentage is outstanding, especially against teams who offensively outpace a lot of the schools in Hockey East, who she has more experience against. 

If the power play can continue to produce (it currently sits at 6-for-26, or 23.1%), and if the Huskies can stay the course against their next round of opponents, I’d be mildly surprised if they weren’t at double digit wins by Thanksgiving. 

Holy Cross: Goaltending has been solid, across the board 

Coming into the year, I said that Abby Hornung was the player I’d be watching from the Crusaders, following a solid junior campaign a year ago. This season, in split time with fellow senior Brooke Loranger, Hornung actually has been outplayed — although not by much. 

Holy Cross, through their first nine games, has allowed just 1.2 goals per game on average. Hornung's registered a .934 save percentage, and Loranger’s sporting a slightly better .938 in one fewer game played. 

Sure, you can look at the strength of schedule and admit that the opponents aren’t the most challenging right out of the gate. However, at the beginning of the year, I said a 10-win season was a very feasible thought for the Crusaders, and they’re already at seven victories before the end of October. 

A lot of that is because of their goaltenders, who’ve combined for 147 saves in 540 minutes played (one of those saves belongs to Campbell Krotee after the freshman played in five minutes against Post). 

I like a lot of the Crusaders' work so far, and I’m interested to see how that plays out against conference opponents. One of their two losses came against Boston College a few weeks ago, and they’ll start off November with a set of two against UConn. I doubt HC's defensive numbers will hold up as well following the weekend, but if Loranger and Hornung continue to play like this, there’s still very much a chance that HC can surprise us all. 

Maine: Their record doesn’t tell the whole story 

Throughout 2024-25, the Black Bears played non conference matchups against Quinnipiac, Colgate, and Wisconsin. In those games, Maine went a combined 0-6, were outscored 38-5, and overall, just couldn’t get a lot going in those games. 

This season, against the same opponents, the Black Bears went 1-5. Which, yes, is still not good. However, they allowed 15 less goals, scored nine, and even managed to sneak a win out against the then-ranked No. 8 Colgate — their first win over the Raiders in over 21 years.

This leads me to believe that while Maine still has some holes, they’re in a far better position this year than maybe they were last year. Offensively things are still a struggle, especially with a 0-for-19 power play, but defensively it seems as though the team is taking a step in the right direction. 

Sophomore Kiia Lahtinen is a huge part of that, as the goaltender has settled into more of a rhythm this year than she did to start her rookie season. With a .922 save percentage, and 260 saves so far, not only is Lahtinen one of the top performing netminders in the conference, she also is proving to be the most reliable. If this continues, I think Maine will be able to cause more trouble in conference play than I expected at the beginning of the season. 

The league slate will truly get underway starting later this week, starting with Boston College taking on Vermont at 11 AM on Friday. All games are available to stream on ESPN+.