2020–21 Hockey East men's season
Bobby Trivigno
« 2019–20 2021–22 »
The 2020–21 Hockey East men's season was the 37th season of play for Hockey East and took place during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The start of the regular season was delayed until on November 20, 2020 and conclude on April 10, 2021.[1] Massachusetts won its first national championship.
Season
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hockey East was forced to delay the start to its season until mid-November. Even when team's began to play games, several programs were adversely affected by the virus. Boston University was particularly hard-hit by COVID and couldn't play their first game until January. Due to the strange nature of the season, Hockey East decided to use a Power Index to determine the conference standings.[2] Additionally, all eleven members schools would be included in the conference tournament rather that the normal 8-team format.
Throughout the season, Boston College led in the standings and was in the top 3 for the national rankings. Behind the Eagles, the conference had at least 4 other teams with a national ranking. While it appeared that Hockey East could get as many as 6 bids into the tournament, several programs faded as the year progressed and only three conference teams ended up making the NCAA tournament.[3]
Boston University, who had played well in their small number of games, fell to St. Cloud State in their opening match. BC was advanced to the second round after a COVID withdrawal and opened with a match against the same team. The result was much the same as St. Cloud overcame an early BC lead to take the game by a comfortable margin. In the Eastern region, meanwhile, Hockey East champion Massachusetts ran roughshod over their opponents. The Minutemen blew the door off of Lake Superior State in the first round and then dominated Bemidji State in the quarterfinals, surrendering just 1 goal in 120 minutes.
Entering the Frozen Four, UMass received awful news when several members were placed in COVID protocols due to contact tracing. Even worse was the fact that their starting goaltender, Filip Lindberg, was one of the players and would be forced to miss the rematch with defending national champion Minnesota Duluth.[4] Massachusetts was able to keep the game close despite missing key players and managed to push the game into overtime. backup netminder Matt Murray played a masterful game, keeping UMD from scoring in the final 29 minutes of regulation and an additional 14 minutes of overtime. His stellar play enabled Garret Wait to score the winning goal for UMass and sent the team to their second straight championship match.
Prior to the final game, Lindberg ended up testing negative and drove overnight from Amherst to Pittsburgh so he could play in the title tilt. Lindberg turned in a solid performance but the entire team was responsible for Massachusetts' shutting down St. Cloud State. UMass took the game 5–0, the largest margin of victory in 11 years, and took home the program's first national championship.[5] The win was the first for the conference since 2015 and ended the reign of the NCHC, who had possessed the crown ever since.
Standings
| |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SOW | HEPI | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
#6 Boston College | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 58.61 | 82 | 46 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 91 | 58 | |
#11 Boston University | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 56.36 | 49 | 37 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 52 | 45 | |
#1 Massachusetts * | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 55.44 | 76 | 42 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 103 | 48 | |
Connecticut | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 52.01 | 69 | 63 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 70 | 69 | |
#16 Providence | 23 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.80 | 63 | 61 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 71 | 67 | |
Northeastern | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 49.94 | 68 | 60 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 69 | 64 | |
#19 Massachusetts–Lowell | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48.00 | 46 | 53 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 59 | 63 | |
Maine | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 46.66 | 41 | 61 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 68 | |
Merrimack | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45.38 | 47 | 66 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 66 | |
New Hampshire | 21 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 43.66 | 51 | 83 | 23 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 60 | 88 | |
Vermont | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.02 | 17 | 37 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 42 | |
Championship: March 20, 2021[6] No Regular Season Champion Awarded[7] * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |
Coaches
Todd Woodcroft was hired as the 5th head coach for Vermont after the resignation of Kevin Sneddon.
Records
Team | Head coach | Season at school | Record at school | Hockey East record |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boston College | Jerry York | 27 | 624–323–80 | 363–193–69 |
Boston University | Albie O'Connell | 3 | 29–31–12 | 22–18–8 |
Connecticut | Mike Cavanaugh | 8 | 93–124–31 | 36–51–14 |
Maine | Red Gendron | 8 | 100–126–31 | 62–87–20 |
Massachusetts | Greg Carvel | 5 | 74–70–6 | 43–46–5 |
Massachusetts–Lowell | Norm Bazin | 10 | 205–110–32 | 116–71–27 |
Merrimack | Scott Borek | 3 | 16–46–6 | 11–32–6 |
New Hampshire | Michael Souza | 3 | 27–30–13 | 17–22–9 |
Northeastern | Jim Madigan | 10 | 165–130–36 | 104–99–26 |
Providence | Nate Leaman | 10 | 192–113–44 | 112–72–28 |
Vermont | Todd Woodcroft | 1 | 0–0–0 | 0–0–0 |
Statistics
Leading scorers
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points[8]
Player | Class | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jonny Evans | Junior | Connecticut | 22 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
Matthew Boldy | Sophomore | Boston College | 19 | 10 | 14 | 24 |
Zach Solow | Senior | Northeastern | 20 | 11 | 13 | 24 |
Bobby Trivigno | Junior | Massachusetts | 22 | 8 | 16 | 24 |
Marc McLaughlin | Junior | Boston College | 21 | 9 | 14 | 23 |
Jackson Pierson | Junior | New Hampshire | 21 | 8 | 15 | 23 |
Tyce Thompson | Junior | Providence | 23 | 10 | 12 | 22 |
Jáchym Kondelík | Junior | Connecticut | 22 | 3 | 18 | 21 |
Aidan McDonough | Sophomore | Northeastern | 20 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
Oliver Chau | Senior | Massachusetts | 22 | 4 | 16 | 20 |
Leading goaltenders
Minimum 1/3 of team's minutes played in conference games.
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Player | Class | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Filip Lindberg | Junior | Massachusetts | 9 | 558 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 2 | .937 | 1.61 |
Spencer Knight | Sophomore | Boston College | 18 | 1087 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 3 | .937 | 1.99 |
Matt Murray | Senior | Massachusetts | 13 | 776 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 3 | .913 | 2.01 |
Jaxson Stauber | Sophomore | Providence | 21 | 1274 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 47 | 4 | .915 | 2.21 |
Connor Murphy | Sophomore | Northeastern | 20 | 1195 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 53 | 2 | .912 | 2.66 |
Conference tournament
Teams are reseeded after the Opening Round and Quarterfinals
Opening Round March 10[9] | Quarterfinals March 14 | Semifinals March 17 | Championship March 20 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Boston College | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Massachusetts–Lowell | 5 | 9 | New Hampshire | 2 | ||||||||||||||
10 | Vermont | 3 | 1 | Boston College | 5 | ||||||||||||||
7 | Massachusetts–Lowell | 6** | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Boston University | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Massachusetts–Lowell | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Massachusetts–Lowell | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Massachusetts | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Massachusetts | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Maine | 2 | 6 | Northeastern | 1 | ||||||||||||||
9 | New Hampshire | 7 | 3 | Massachusetts | 5 | ||||||||||||||
5 | Providence | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Connecticut | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Providence | 6 |
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
NCAA tournament
Northeast Region
Regional semifinal
After seeding, Notre Dame, Boston College's opponent in the first round, was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 positive tests. BC was automatically advanced to the second round by a no-contest decision.
March 27, 2021 1:00 PM | (2) St. Cloud State | 6 – 2 (0–0, 3–2, 3–0) | (3) Boston University | Times Union Center, Albany, New York Attendance: 1,136 |
Game reference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dávid Hrenák | Goalies | Drew Commesso | Referees: Colin Kronfrost Brett DesRosiers Linesmen: Sam Shikowsky Nick Bradshaw | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 min | Penalties | 21 min | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
38 | Shots | 36 |
Regional final
March 28, 2021 5:30 | (1) Boston College | 1 – 4 (1–0, 0–3, 0–1) | (2) St. Cloud State | Times Union Center, Albany, New York Attendance: 1,136 |
Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spencer Knight | Goalies | Dávid Hrenák | Referees: Ryan Sweeney Mike Schubert Linesmen: Joe Sherman Anthony Valley | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
2 min | Penalties | 4 min | |||||||||||||||
27 | Shots | 36 |
East Region
Regional semifinals
March 26, 2021 6:30 PM | (2) Massachusetts | 5 – 1 (1–1, 2–0, 2–0) | (3) Lake Superior State | Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut Attendance: 100 |
Game reference | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Filip Lindberg | Goalies | Mareks Mitens | Referees: Dan Dreger Joseph Sullivan Linesmen: Tony Anderson Dana Penkivech | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
12 min | Penalties | 8 min | ||||||||||||||||||
37 | Shots | 31 |
Regional final
March 27, 2021 4:00 PM | (2) Massachusetts | 4 – 0 (2–0, 1–0, 1–0) | (4) Bemidji State | Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut Attendance: 0 |
Game reference | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Filip Lindberg | Goalies | Zach Driscoll | Referees: Nick Krebsbach Ryan Hersey Linesmen: Tyler Liffrig Justin Hills | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
23 min | Penalties | 6 min | ||||||||||||
28 | Shots | 18 |
Frozen Four
National semifinal
April 8, 2021 9:00 PM | (E2) Massachusetts | 3 – 2 (OT) (1–1, 0–1, 1–0, 1–0) | (MW3) Minnesota Duluth | PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Attendance: 3,660 |
Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matt Murray | Goalies | Zach Stejskal | Referees: Brett DesRosiers Brett Sheva Linesmen: Justin Cornell Pat Richardson | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
2 min | Penalties | 4 min | |||||||||||||||
28 | Shots | 38 |
National Championship
April 10, 2021 7:00 PM | (E2) Massachusetts | 5 – 0 | (NE2) St. Cloud State | PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Attendance: 3,963 |
Game reference |
---|
Scoring summary | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
1st | UMA | Aaron Bohlinger (1) – GW | Sullivan and Farmer | 7:26 | 1–0 UMA |
UMA | Reed Lebster (2) | Kiefiuk | 18:56 | 2–0 UMA | |
2nd | UMA | Philip Lagunov (6) – SH | unassisted | 25:10 | 3–0 UMA |
UMA | Matthew Kessel (10) – PP | Chau and Gaudet | 33:45 | 4–0 UMA | |
3rd | UMA | Bobby Trivigno (11) | Lebster | 46:00 | 5–0 UMA |
Penalty summary | |||||
Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
1st | UMA | Anthony Del Gaizo | Slashing | 15:27 | 2:00 |
2nd | STC | Seamus Donohue | Tripping | 20:24 | 2:00 |
UMA | Ryan Sullivan | Tripping | 23:57 | 2:00 | |
UMA | Jake Gaudet | Elbowing | 30:31 | 2:00 | |
STC | Bench (served by Zach Okabe) | Too Many Men | 32:35 | 2:00 | |
3rd | None |
|
|
Ranking
USCHO
Team | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston College | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | N/A | 6 |
Boston University | NR | 20 | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | N/A | 11 |
Connecticut | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | N/A | NR |
Maine | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | N/A | NR |
Massachusetts | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | N/A | 1 |
Massachusetts–Lowell | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 19 | N/A | 19 |
Merrimack | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | N/A | NR |
New Hampshire | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | N/A | NR |
Northeastern | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | NR | NR | N/A | NR |
Providence | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 16 | N/A | 16 |
Vermont | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | N/A | NR |
[10]
USA Today
Team | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston College | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
Boston University | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
Connecticut | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 15 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Maine | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Massachusetts | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Massachusetts–Lowell | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 15 | NR | NR | 13 | 15 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Merrimack | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
New Hampshire | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Northeastern | NR | NR | NR | 15 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Providence | NR | 15 | 13 | 12 | NR | NR | 13 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 14 | NR | NR | NR |
Vermont | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
[11]
Awards
NCAA
AHCA All-American Teams[12] | ||
---|---|---|
East First Team | Pos | Team |
Spencer Knight | G | Boston College |
David Farrance | D | Boston University |
Matthew Boldy | F | Boston College |
Bobby Trivigno | F | Massachusetts |
East Second Team | Pos | Team |
Drew Helleson | D | Boston College |
Zac Jones | D | Massachusetts |
Jonny Evans | F | Connecticut |
Hockey East
Conference tournament
William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player | ||
---|---|---|
Bobby Trivigno | Massachusetts | |
All-Tournament team | ||
Player | Pos | Team |
Filip Lindberg | G | Massachusetts |
Anthony Baxter | D | UMass Lowell |
Zac Jones | D | Massachusetts |
Matt Brown | F | UMass Lowell |
Jake Gaudet | F | Massachusetts |
Bobby Trivigno | F | Massachusetts |
NCAA tournament
Most Outstanding Player | ||
---|---|---|
Bobby Trivigno | Massachusetts | |
All-Tournament team | ||
Player | Pos | Team |
Filip Lindberg | G | Massachusetts |
Zac Jones | D | Massachusetts |
Matthew Kessel | D | Massachusetts |
Bobby Trivigno | F | Massachusetts |
2021 NHL Entry Draft
Round | Pick | Player | College | NHL team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | Tyler Boucher† | Boston University | Ottawa Senators |
2 | 40 | Scott Morrow† | Massachusetts | Carolina Hurricanes |
3 | 88 | Stiven Sardarian† | New Hampshire | Buffalo Sabres |
3 | 91 | Taige Harding† | Providence | Chicago Blackhawks |
3 | 92 | Andrei Buyalsky† | Vermont | Colorado Avalanche |
3 | 94 | Aidan Hreschuk† | Boston College | Carolina Hurricanes |
4 | 98 | Josh Lopina | Massachusetts | Anaheim Ducks |
4 | 101 | Guillaume Richard† | Providence | Washington Capitals |
4 | 115 | Ryan Ufko† | Massachusetts | Nashville Predators |
6 | 171 | Cal Thomas† | Vermont | Arizona Coyotes |
6 | 186 | Shane Lachance† | Boston University | Edmonton Oilers |
6 | 192 | Alex Gagne† | New Hampshire | Tampa Bay Lightning |
7 | 205 | Arsenii Sergeev† | Connecticut | Calgary Flames |
7 | 213 | Andre Gasseau† | Boston College | Boston Bruins |
7 | 217 | Ty Gallagher† | Boston University | Boston Bruins |
7 | 220 | Taylor Makar† | Massachusetts | Colorado Avalanche |
† incoming freshman [16]
References
- ^ "2020-21 Hockey East Men's Composite Schedule". Hockey East. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format" (PDF). Hockey East. February 10, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ "2021 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey championship selections announced". NCAA.com. March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ "Fanti Out for UMD Due to COVID Protocols". College Hockey News. April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "St. Cloud State vs UMass Ice Hockey Game Highlights, 2021 NCAA national championship". YouTube.com. NCAA. April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ "2020-21 Hockey East Conference-Only Category Leaders". Hockey East. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Hockey East Men's Tournament Field Set - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ "USA Today Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ "Spencer Knight Named Hockey East Player of the Year - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Hockey East Names Men's Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
External links
- Official website