HOCKEY EAST

[BUM-KNEE]

ya never know... Lowell was crap last year and got their asses handed to them with a young team... this year they were much improved.

Maine might not be a top 4 next year, but should be back in the thick of things. Ended the year on an up-note at least.

Yeah I hope they can play smarter next year LBS, if Bishop is gone it will be even tougher.

[Gainzo]

Yeah I hope they can play smarter next year LBS, if Bishop is gone it will be even tougher.

Bishop was great against Lowell on Saturday. He will be a big loss for you guys if he leaves.

Anyone know what game NESN is going to show on Friday night?

[Lil Bit Special]

Bishop was great against Lowell on Saturday. He will be a big loss for you guys if he leaves.

Anyone know what game NESN is going to show on Friday night?

BU, Jack Parker, and for a few minutes Lowell.

[Gainzo]

BU, Jack Parker, and for a few minutes Lowell.

I'm not surprised as Jack Parker is the greatest Coach in the history of College Hockey.

Seriously, do you know what the game is? I checked the NESN website and at it said was, "Hockey East Quarter Final."

I doubt they show the Providence or Vermont series. UNH/UMass or Lowell/BU.

[Lil Bit Special]

I'm not surprised as Jack Parker is the greatest Coach in the history of College Hockey.

Seriously, do you know what the game is? I checked the NESN website and at it said was, "Hockey East Quarter Final."

I doubt they show the Providence or Vermont series. UNH/UMass or Lowell/BU.

according to the Hockeyeast website it is Lowell/BU at 7:30pm on Fri on NESN

http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/men/presarch/200803/mar9tp.php

No. 2 Boston University (17-15-4, 15-9-3 HEA) faces off against No. 7 seed UMass-Lowell (15-15-4, 10-13-4 HEA) at Agganis Arena in Boston. The game will be televised live on NESN with a special 7:30 puck drop. The Terriers took the season series from the River Hawks, 2-1-0.

and now its off to the airport to fly back to Logan.... wanna pick me up at 1:30am?????

just kidding.....

[Gainzo]

according to the Hockeyeast website it is Lowell/BU at 7:30pm on Fri on NESN

http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/men/presarch/200803/mar9tp.php

No. 2 Boston University (17-15-4, 15-9-3 HEA) faces off against No. 7 seed UMass-Lowell (15-15-4, 10-13-4 HEA) at Agganis Arena in Boston. The game will be televised live on NESN with a special 7:30 puck drop. The Terriers took the season series from the River Hawks, 2-1-0.

Nice. There was no way I was going to get tickets at Agganis.

[JonEJet]

I seriouly am going to put the Beanpot, and the Hockey East tourney in my schedule next year

you guys up there shouldn't miss it

[Gainzo]

I seriouly am going to put the Beanpot, and the Hockey East tourney in my schedule next year

you guys up there shouldn't miss it

I have no love for the Beanpot as its a Boston/Cambridge thing. The Hockey East tourney is a must if your school makes it.

If by some miracle Lowell beats BU, I will be at the Garden in 2 weeks.

[oxscott]

My sister went to UNH in the late 90's. We used to go up for games, great atmosphere. Can't beat a Hockey East game!

[Gainzo]

My sister went to UNH in the late 90's. We used to go up for games, great atmosphere. Can't beat a Hockey East game!

IMHO college hockey is much better than college basketball. I'm sorry your sister went to UNH j/k.

[124]

College Hockey? College Hockey only matters in Mass, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Other than that, nobody cares.

[Gainzo]

College Hockey? College Hockey only matters in Mass, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Other than that, nobody cares.

Thanks for your input.

You forgot to mention North Dakota, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York and a bunch of other states.

[124]

Thanks for your input.

You forgot to mention North Dakota, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York and a bunch of other states.

North Dakota?

Vermont?

Maine?

Rhode Island?

New Hampshire?

So states where the population is sixteen.

Connecticut? No way. New York? Are you out of your mind.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but College Hockey is not a big thing. College Basketball is enjoyed by all states minus of course probably those five listed above.

[Gainzo]

North Dakota?

Vermont?

Maine?

Rhode Island?

New Hampshire?

So states where the population is sixteen.

Connecticut? No way. New York? Are you out of your mind.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but College Hockey is not a big thing. College Basketball is enjoyed by all states minus of course probably those five listed above.

Pull your head out of your New Jersey arse. New York State loves their college hockey. Cornell, RPI, Union, SUNY-Buffalo, etc.

Connecticut has Yale & Quinnipiac.

[124]

Pull your head out of your New Jersey arse. New York State loves their college hockey. Cornell, RPI, Union, SUNY-Buffalo, etc.

Connecticut has Yale & Quinnipiac.

Please explain the difference.

There is New York and then there is Redneck New York. Redneck New York loves their hockey, to no surprise.

[Gainzo]

Please explain the difference.

There is New York and then there is Redneck New York. Redneck New York loves their hockey, to no surprise.

Is that like redneck New Jersey? You know, where you live.

Believe it or not upstate New York actually exists.

[BUM-KNEE]

North Dakota?

Vermont?

Maine?

Rhode Island?

New Hampshire?

So states where the population is sixteen.

Connecticut? No way. New York? Are you out of your mind.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but College Hockey is not a big thing. College Basketball is enjoyed by all states minus of course probably those five listed above.

What......population 16? What in hell does a states population have to do with being big college hockey venues? Last time I checked, a ton of NHL players came from these colleges and the NHL scouts the hell out of them for future prospects. You may not follow college hockey but many many do in just about EVERY state in the country. You do realize that these so called "redneck states" build multi million dollar facilities at these colleges for hockey to be played in right?

[Gainzo]

What......population 16? What in hell does a states population have to do with being big college hockey venues? Last time I checked, a ton of NHL players came from these colleges and the NHL scouts the hell out of them for future prospects. You may not follow college hockey but many many do in just about EVERY state in the country. You do realize that these so called "redneck states" build multi million dollar facilities at these colleges for hockey to be played in right?

Don't bother with 124. He doesn't know anything about college hockey.

He has no clue where Orono, Burlington, Amherst or Durham are.

[Lil Bit Special]

College Hockey? College Hockey only matters in Mass, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Other than that, nobody cares.

so why share your input if nobody cares?

Should I only like sports that a majority of Americans like and watch?

That seems kinda dumb.

If you dont like college hockey, fine. Leave us alone then. I love it. Travel great distance to watch it... almost as much as I do for my Jets.

So in the end, shove it.

[Lil Bit Special]

Don't bother with 124. He doesn't know anything about college hockey.

He has no clue where Orono, Burlington, Amherst or Durham are.

[Lil Bit Special]

Please explain the difference.

There is New York and then there is Redneck New York. Redneck New York loves their hockey, to no surprise.

thats funny. why was Madison Square Garden sold out for Cornell/ BU last November???

Guess a lot of rednecks invaded NYC for the day....

[Lil Bit Special]

North Dakota?

Vermont?

Maine?

Rhode Island?

New Hampshire?

So states where the population is sixteen.

Connecticut? No way. New York? Are you out of your mind.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but College Hockey is not a big thing. College Basketball is enjoyed by all states minus of course probably those five listed above.

He never said college hockey was a big thing. He said it is enjoyed in a lot more places than you think. Guess there was no bubble to be burst.

So states where the population is sixteen.

and thats why we have an electoral system in the US for president so jackasses (I only mean that in the nicest of ways... ) like yourself and others from your state dont have too much more influence than the states with a population of 16.

Maybe its because you're a Jets fan. Maybe its because you're young. But real men dont run around trying to build themselves up by bashing what others like to feel better about themselves. Thats for the immature.

[Lil Bit Special]

Nice. There was no way I was going to get tickets at Agganis.

http://goterriers.cstv.com/tickets/bost-tickets.html

tickets available for friday night as of 10:00am today

I think BU is on spring break.

[BUM-KNEE]

F- BU

[Lil Bit Special]

F- BU

YEAH!!!

F%CK.

F%CK B.

F%CK B U

F%CK BU

Lets go Lowell!!!

Lets Go Lowell

[Gainzo]

http://goterriers.cstv.com/tickets/bost-tickets.html

tickets available for friday night as of 10:00am today

I think BU is on spring break.

Found out today that I couldn't go if I wanted to.

Hopefully the University gets a bus together for the students. They did that for the BC game at Conte last month and Lowell had a good turnout.

I hate BU!

[Lil Bit Special]

Found out today that I couldn't go if I wanted to.

Hopefully the University gets a bus together for the students. They did that for the BC game at Conte last month and Lowell had a good turnout.

I hate BU!

might be a little tough since spring break starts friday for lowell. but if the locals who dont go away can go it would be awesome.

[Lil Bit Special]

http://www.lowellsun.com/sports/ci_8545734

LOWELL -- Kory Falite has gone from a Youngstar to a shooting star.

When Falite was growing up in Billerica, he was a member of the UMass Lowell Youngstars Club, and he watched Hockey East scoring champion and Hobey Baker Award finalist Greg Bullock leading the River Hawks into the NCAA Tournament.

Now, a little more than a decade later, Falite is a River Hawk sophomore, and he's the Hockey East goal-scoring champion, netting 15 in 27 league games.

Although Bullock won the league scoring title in 1995, no UML player had ever led Hockey East outright in goals.

Ben Walter (14) tied with three others for the league lead in 2005. Meanwhile, Jeff Flaherty (22) was second in 1988, and Bullock (18) and Jeff Daw (18) tied for second in 1995.

"Maybe if I were a senior it wouldn't surprise me too much," says Falite, who finished 10th overall in the HEA scoring race with 25 points. "But, yeah, it does surprise me because there are a lot of good players in this league."

Falite is UML's leading scorer (16-13-29) and is tied for the team lead in game-winning goals with three. He's also second on the team in clutch (go-ahead or game-tying) goals with eight, one behind Mark Roebothan. He has also been named Hockey East Player of the Week once this season.

"Falite is having a great year," acknowledged Boston University coach Jack Parker, whose Terriers face the River Hawks in the first round of the Lamoriello Cup Tournament this weekend.

Falite had a strong freshman year last winter, tying senior Jason Tejchma for the team lead in goals with 10 and finishing second in points with 18. He was twice named Hockey East Rookie of the Week.

But Falite's game has taken a sharp upturn this season, especially in recent weeks as he has displayed more creativity and aggressiveness when he has the puck.

"He has definitely elevated his game," says UML coach Blaise MacDonald. "He did a lot of shooting at a hockey camp last summer, and it has paid off in his velocity, quickness, release, and accuracy."

"The game seemed to slow down for me this year," Falite says. "I've got more experience, and now I have the confidence to do things I wouldn't have done last year."

Falite also believes that fellow sophomore Ben Holmstrom, the River Hawks' second-leading scorer (6-19-25), has been instrumental in his sudden rise as an impact player in Hockey East.

"Benny and I have played together every game this year and almost every game last year. We've really started to jell," Falite says. "He has a lot to do with what goes on on the ice, and I have to give him a lot of credit."

Falite is vaguely aware that opponents are keying on him more lately.

"But I don't really pay attention to stuff like that," he says.

Falite, who attended Austin Prep and played for the Boston Junior Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League for three years, was recruited by New Hampshire, Maine, Merrimack, and Quinnipiac before settling on UMass Lowell.

"This was the best place for me, the best chance to go right into the lineup as a freshman," he says.

MacDonald admits he didn't expect Falite to develop into such a productive goal-scorer.

"We saw him as a Mark Pandolfo-type player with a powerful shot," MacDonald says. "But how it all turns out at this level, you never know."

Falite's philosophy is simple: Shoot whenever you can.

"If there's traffic in front of the net, why not shoot?" he asks rhetorically. "No shot is a bad shot. Any puck can go in. Maybe you catch a goalie by surprise and he gives up a goal or a bad rebound."

"He always has this feeling that when the puck is on his stick in the offensive zone, he's going to make something happen every time," MacDonald says.

And Falite believes he should have even more goals.

"I've had a lot more opportunities to score," he says. "But that's something you learn as you go, and I'm still in the process of learning that."

"He's like a good hitter in baseball," MacDonald says. "He has a good average, doesn't strike out too much, and when he fails he thinks he's gonna get that big hit the next time up."

MacDonald expects that Falite is going to score a lot of big goals for the River Hawks during the next two years, especially after the team adds some young talented forwards next fall.

"I definitely see him as a 20-goal scorer his last two years here, and I'm sure he will be," MacDonald predicts. "And he has a chance to have a pretty good hockey career after college."

[Gainzo]

http://www.lowellsun.com/sports/ci_8545734

LOWELL -- Kory Falite has gone from a Youngstar to a shooting star.

When Falite was growing up in Billerica, he was a member of the UMass Lowell Youngstars Club, and he watched Hockey East scoring champion and Hobey Baker Award finalist Greg Bullock leading the River Hawks into the NCAA Tournament.

Now, a little more than a decade later, Falite is a River Hawk sophomore, and he's the Hockey East goal-scoring champion, netting 15 in 27 league games.

Although Bullock won the league scoring title in 1995, no UML player had ever led Hockey East outright in goals.

Ben Walter (14) tied with three others for the league lead in 2005. Meanwhile, Jeff Flaherty (22) was second in 1988, and Bullock (18) and Jeff Daw (18) tied for second in 1995.

"Maybe if I were a senior it wouldn't surprise me too much," says Falite, who finished 10th overall in the HEA scoring race with 25 points. "But, yeah, it does surprise me because there are a lot of good players in this league."

Falite is UML's leading scorer (16-13-29) and is tied for the team lead in game-winning goals with three. He's also second on the team in clutch (go-ahead or game-tying) goals with eight, one behind Mark Roebothan. He has also been named Hockey East Player of the Week once this season.

"Falite is having a great year," acknowledged Boston University coach Jack Parker, whose Terriers face the River Hawks in the first round of the Lamoriello Cup Tournament this weekend.

Falite had a strong freshman year last winter, tying senior Jason Tejchma for the team lead in goals with 10 and finishing second in points with 18. He was twice named Hockey East Rookie of the Week.

But Falite's game has taken a sharp upturn this season, especially in recent weeks as he has displayed more creativity and aggressiveness when he has the puck.

"He has definitely elevated his game," says UML coach Blaise MacDonald. "He did a lot of shooting at a hockey camp last summer, and it has paid off in his velocity, quickness, release, and accuracy."

"The game seemed to slow down for me this year," Falite says. "I've got more experience, and now I have the confidence to do things I wouldn't have done last year."

Falite also believes that fellow sophomore Ben Holmstrom, the River Hawks' second-leading scorer (6-19-25), has been instrumental in his sudden rise as an impact player in Hockey East.

"Benny and I have played together every game this year and almost every game last year. We've really started to jell," Falite says. "He has a lot to do with what goes on on the ice, and I have to give him a lot of credit."

Falite is vaguely aware that opponents are keying on him more lately.

"But I don't really pay attention to stuff like that," he says.

Falite, who attended Austin Prep and played for the Boston Junior Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League for three years, was recruited by New Hampshire, Maine, Merrimack, and Quinnipiac before settling on UMass Lowell.

"This was the best place for me, the best chance to go right into the lineup as a freshman," he says.

MacDonald admits he didn't expect Falite to develop into such a productive goal-scorer.

"We saw him as a Mark Pandolfo-type player with a powerful shot," MacDonald says. "But how it all turns out at this level, you never know."

Falite's philosophy is simple: Shoot whenever you can.

"If there's traffic in front of the net, why not shoot?" he asks rhetorically. "No shot is a bad shot. Any puck can go in. Maybe you catch a goalie by surprise and he gives up a goal or a bad rebound."

"He always has this feeling that when the puck is on his stick in the offensive zone, he's going to make something happen every time," MacDonald says.

And Falite believes he should have even more goals.

"I've had a lot more opportunities to score," he says. "But that's something you learn as you go, and I'm still in the process of learning that."

"He's like a good hitter in baseball," MacDonald says. "He has a good average, doesn't strike out too much, and when he fails he thinks he's gonna get that big hit the next time up."

MacDonald expects that Falite is going to score a lot of big goals for the River Hawks during the next two years, especially after the team adds some young talented forwards next fall.

"I definitely see him as a 20-goal scorer his last two years here, and I'm sure he will be," MacDonald predicts. "And he has a chance to have a pretty good hockey career after college."

Falite is going to be very good, probably better the Walter.

I like that he picked Lowell over more successful programs. I guess Billerica isn't that bad of a place

Bullock was great at Lowell. Where is he now?

I have a really good vibe about Friday. According to a couple of posts I read on the USCHO forums, Lowell has a bus arranged for the students and the Athletic Office ran out of tickets.

There should be a good number of Lowell fans at the game.

[Lil Bit Special]

Sorry Bum-Knee....

Maine's Bishop Signs With St. Louis

March 11

[Gainzo]

Sorry Bum-Knee....

Maine's Bishop Signs With St. Louis

March 11

[Lil Bit Special]

Big Dogs

http://www.hockeyjournal.com/Article.php?ArtID=292460

By Andy Merritt Mar 12 2008 5:28 PM

Just 2

[Lil Bit Special]

Boston University hosts seventh-seeded UMass Lowell

http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2008/03/12/Sports/Boston.University.Hosts.SeventhSeeded.Umass.Lowell-3264110.shtml

By: Ryan Fleming, Collegian Staff

Posted: 3/12/08

The Hockey East Tournament is set.

Boston University (17-15-4, 15-9-3 Hockey East) claimed the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and will host No. 7 UMass Lowell (15-15-4, 10-13-4 Hockey East) in a best-of-three series beginning Friday night at the Agganis Arena.

In a teleconference Tuesday morning, BU coach Jack Parker commented on his team's season so far.

"In the middle of January I wasn't even thinking about the playoffs," he said. "Home ice was probably out of the question in the playoffs, so we've had a pretty good run. We had some opportunities to beat some teams that were ahead of us so we had to take advantage of that."

In the second half of the season BU went 12-3-2, with two of those games coming against conference regular-season champion New Hampshire.

BU forward Pete MacArthur was awarded the CCM/RBK Player of the Week for his hat trick last weekend against Providence. He also reached the 40-point plateau for the first time in his career, with 17 goals and 23 assists.

Sophomore goaltender Brett Bennett will start for the Terriers. Bennett's performance in the second-half of the season stabilized the Terrier defense.

"Bennett had to be the No. 1 goalie, and he had more confidence because he knew he had the job for a while," Parker said. "We've played much better in front of him. We've played a little more tenacious in front of him and not leaving him out to dry. By semester's break we were the worst team defensively in the league, now we're the fifth best team in the league, so we've had quite a jump in the second semester."

Poor goaltending and a lack of scoring led to a dismal first half for the Terriers. They lost 10 out of their first 16 games, including four home losses. The second half was a different story for BU. At one point, the Terriers won seven consecutive games, scoring at least five goals in three of those games.

"I think senior leadership, I think confidence and goaltending," Parker said of his team's second-half performance. "When you make a mistake and it doesn't wind up in the net it doesn't look that bad. Our goalies have bailed us out at times and we played with a lot more confidence because of that."

When talking about UMass Lowell, Parker praised its quickness and ability to consistently apply pressure throughout a game.

The River Hawks were inconsistent at times in 2007-08, and much of that can be blamed on their lack of experience.

"I think our team has been a little bit up and down as of late in terms of the results, but not so much in terms of our effort," MacDonald said. "A measuring tool for our young team is our effort, our execution and our ability to carry the play."

UMass Lowell is 3-7 in its last 10 games, which includes being swept this past weekend at Maine. In those 10 games, UML has been outscored 31-21.

No. 3 Vermont hosts No. 6 Northeastern

Going into this weekend's conference quarterfinal, Vermont boasts an impressive 7-3 record, where it has outscored its opponents 22-18. With a 4-3 win over UNH last Saturday, UVM halted New Hampshire's unbeaten streak at 12. The loss also marked the first for the Wildcats since dropping a 4-1 decision at Massachusetts on Dec. 8.

Coach Kevin Sneddon of No. 3 Vermont (14-13-7, 13-9-5 Hockey East), whose team hosts No. 6 Northeastern (15-16-3, 12-13-2 Hockey East) this weekend, feels that his team is at its best right now coming off the win over UNH.

"First and foremost we're excited about getting involved in the Hockey East playoffs," Sneddon said.

"Obviously a very difficult year, as all of the teams learned. For our young team to be a No. 3 seed I'm very proud of our efforts. Ending our regular season with a win is a huge confidence boost. We're getting contributions at every position."

The UVM/NU series this season stands currently at 1-1-1. The aggressive Huskies pose a difficult challenge for a defense-first UVM team.

"They're very well coached. If you look at their system, they're very disciplined in their fore-checking," Sneddon said.

"They wait for other teams to make mistakes. Offensively they are very gifted. Most of our games have been very tight-checking, close games. We're excited to be involved in the Championship playoffs."

The Huskies have played some close hockey games of late. NU has generated more chances and played with more grit, like earlier in the season when it sat atop the Hockey East Standings.

"We actually played very similar the last six away games as we did earlier in the year," said Northeastern coach Greg Cronin. "They were all one-goal games that we didn't win. I actually like the way we were playing. I like the fact that we seem to generate an identity that we enjoyed a lot earlier in the year."

No. 4 Boston College hosts No. 5 Providence College

Going into the playoff stretch, Boston College holds a record of 4-5-1 in its last 10 games. However, the Eagles have outscored their opponents 27-26 in those games. No. 4 Boston College's (17-11-8, 11-9-7 Hockey East) coach Jerry York has faith in his club and is confident that his players will do their job against No. 5 Providence College (14-15-5, 11-11-5 Hockey East).

"We've played 36 games, so we have a pretty good feel for our club," York said.

"I feel pretty good about our attitude and our work habits that we've accumulated during the course of the year. We're looking forward to the challenge. It should be a very, very good series."

The Eagles are 0-2-1 against the Friars this year, as they have faced solid goaltending, constant defensive pressure and have been outscored 8-6.

"They've had good goaltending against us," York said. "We haven't created many grade-A chances; we have to create more of those chances and try to score some goals. That 4-5 matchup is the most tenuous of all the match-ups in a 1-8 playoff."

BC freshman goaltender John Muse is the only net minder to start all of his team's games.

PC coach Tim Army talked about his team's emotions going into this weekend's series. Coming off a tough weekend against BU, the Friars know they have a formidable opponent in BC. They will try and stay positive and feed off the playoff energy this weekend.

"We're excited about this coming weekend," Army said. "I think our players feel good, feel positive and are looking forward to the challenge that awaits us. Their team has had a lot of success in the last 15 years.

"I think for us as a group we have struggled on our special teams as of late. It's going to be very, very important. Over the last four weekends neither team has been as good as it has. Boston College's defense closes in on the puck very, very fast; they're very aggressive on the puck. We have to be disciplined. Our special teams has to raise its level for the weekend."

This weekend's series marks the first time since 1998 and the fourth time the Friars will play the Eagles in the conference quarterfinals.

Ryan Fleming can be reached at rfleming@student.umass.edu

[Lil Bit Special]

Wildcats are hoping to be healthier healthy favorites

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff | March 13, 2008

The regular season is a memory, and this weekend the next chapter begins with the Hockey East quarterfinals. Regular-season champion New Hampshire will attempt to parlay its strong campaign into something more significant - its first Frozen Four appearance since 2003.

Boston College is looking to reach its third straight NCAA title game and Boston University is hoping its rise from oblivion will translate into success in the postseason.

Vermont is a contender, facing off against banged-up Northeastern, UMass and UMass-Lowell will try for upsets, and Providence is looking to take down the Eagles. A look at the upcoming series:

No. 1 UNH vs. No. 8 UMass - One of the candidates for Hockey East Player of the Year honors is UNH senior goaltender Kevin Regan (21-6-1). He is one reason the Wildcats have lost back-to-back games only once, and that came in early December. "There's no question Kevin has been the backbone of the team," said coach Dick Umile. "He's just had a tremendous season, he's played consistently well."

Regan isn't the only senior who made an impact. Forwards Matt Fornataro and Mike Radja have combined for 81 points, with 12 of their 33 goals coming on the power play. The Wildcats have a balanced lineup, which is one reason they were at the top of the standings throughout the season.

"We knew we had a very strong senior class," said Umile. "Defensively, we have five of our six defensemen returning and we have a couple of key forwards in Radja and Fornataro and they've had a fabulous senior year. Offensively, we knew we were capable of scoring some goals, and defensively we knew we were going to be strong. And our younger guys came in and helped us out."

If there is any vulnerability heading into tomorrow night, it's illness, not injury.

"Everybody's got bumps and bruises right now, but we got hit with the flu a little bit this last week or so," said Umile. "Hopefully, everybody gets through it and we can get healthy as we head into the playoffs."

For UMass and coach Don Cahoon, UNH poses a monumental obstacle.

"It's been an interesting season, to say the least," said Cahoon. "We shot out of the gate pretty strong and I think the expectation was really too high as to what we might really be. We struggled in January (0-5-1) and had a very difficult time resurrecting our game as we knew it, but to our kids' credit they stayed with it. It's going to be a real challenge for our guys. We're really happy to be a part of it. We're happy to get this opportunity."

Prediction: UNH

No. 2 BU vs. No. 7 UMass-Lowell - For a while it appeared the Terriers were going to end the season at the bottom of the standings, but BU caught fire and went down the stretch as the hottest team in the conference.

Since losing to BC in the first round of the Beanpot, the Terriers have won nine of 10. The scoring has been more than adequate, and the defense - in part because the goaltending improved - has settled down.

After a run of 9-5 from Nov. 20-Jan. 26, the River Hawks are 4-7.

Prediction: BU

No. 3 Vermont vs. No. 6 Northeastern - Vermont turned its season around with a tie and win against Northeastern Jan. 18 and 19. Look for the Catamounts to ride senior netminder Joe Fallon to a spot in the semifinals.

The Huskies had a great run up to Jan. 4, but since then it has been a struggle (5-12-1 in their last 18 games). Coach Greg Cronin would never admit it and never use it as an excuse, but his team has had more than its share of injuries. If the Huskies have a prayer against the Catamounts, they need to stay out of the penalty box. This means you, Randy Guzior and Steve Silva.

Prediction: Vermont

No. 4 Boston College vs. No. 5 Providence - The Eagles have been one of the tougher teams to figure out. At times, BC looked miserably out of synch, the scoring - despite the talented roster - has been deficient, and it didn't equal the sum of its parts. Freshman goaltender John Muse had an excellent two games against Northeastern last weekend, and BC has picked up the pace.

Providence stumbled out of the gate, went on an impressive run, and lurched into the final weeks. The Friars are 2-6-3 in the last 11 and dropped a pair to BU last weekend. Senior goalie Tyler Sims and senior forward Jon Rheault are the lynchpins of a decent roster. An upset isn't out of the question.

Prediction: BC

Maine goaltender Ben Bishop decided to forgo his senior season and sign with the St. Louis Blues. The Missouri native, who was drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft, has been assigned to the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League. Bishop was 55-35-7 over his career with the Black Bears with a 2.29 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at marrapese@globe.com

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