Weekend in review: How green was my mountain?
Lowell won its sixth and seventh consecutive games this weekend, capturing its fourth and fifth straight road wins in the process, in a weekend sweep of Vermont 4-2 and 6-3 on Friday and Saturday, respectively, up at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
The only other Hockey East team that could boast of such an accomplishment as sweeping its opponents was Providence, which took down Amherst 5-4 on the road on Friday then went home and picked up a 2-0 win the next night.
Of course, the remaining two-game series on the weekend was that of UNH and BC, in which both teams earned a split. BC humbled the Wildcats 5-2 in a meeting at Conte Forum on Friday, but then got it given right back to them in a 2-1 loss in Durham the next night.
Maine also played two league games on the weekend, though against different opponents. On Friday it drew Northeastern 1-1 at Matthews in what sounds like it must have been the dullest game of the season (which is saying something for both teams), then ventured up to Merrimack the next night and got slaughtered 6-0. This after BU humbled the Warriors the night before 4-1 at Agganis Arena.
But unfortunately for the Terriers, Agganis wasn’t a site of all sunshine and roses this week; it lost 6-5 in overtime to lowly, pathetic Harvard there on Wednesday, despite leading 5-2 with just 15 minutes left.
Our Weekly Awards
Player of the Week
Scott Wilson, Lowell (sophomore forward) — You go anywhere on the road for two and score 3-2-5 in a sweep, and you’re pretty much going to pick up this award no problem. Massive weekend for Scott Wilson, who singlehandedly revitalized the Lowell power play, was an unstoppable force in the attacking zone, and, most importantly, might have made some Vermont fans cry.
(Honorable mention: Joe Pendenza, Lowell; Chad Ruhwedel, Lowell)
Rookie of the Week
Ryan McGrath, Lowell (freshman forward) — Tough to pick against Christian Folin, who had three assists on Friday night, but McGrath’s three assists over the course of the weekend win out because his first two of the weekend were terribly important. Both were from power play shots from the top of the right circle, both were tipped out front and both gave Lowell breathing room it perhaps didn’t deserve given its play to those points in the two games.
(Honorable mention: Christian Folin, Lowell; Adam Chapie, Lowell)
Ham n Egger of the Weak
Vermont — Losers of three straight home games, all against league opponents, these are the Catamounts you thought they’d be. They’re up to 15 league games to this point and have just three wins to show for it. Now, that matches last year’s total already, and they also have four league ties upon which to draw, and buoy their otherwise joyless season, bereft of hope. But they haven’t even played BC yet and they’re already behind Lowell in the standings. This after Lowell was awful to start the year. Woe be unto the Catamounts, who would be basement dwellers in Hockey East yet again were Maine and Northeastern not so outwardly terrible.
(Honorable mention: Amherst, BU)
Noteworthy Hockey East Weekly Awards
Lowell was named the league’s Team of the Week for the second week in a row, Scott Wilson was Player of the Week, and Christian Folin, Joe Pendenza, Ryan McGrath and Chad Ruhwedel were Top Performers.
Weekend Results (Home team bolded)
Wednesday
Harvard 6, BU 5 (ot)
Friday
Lowell 4, Vermont 2
Maine 1, Northeastern 1 (ot)
Providence 5, UMass Amherst 4
BC 5, UNH 2
BU 4, Merrimack 1
Saturday
Lowell 6, Vermont 3
UNH 2, BC 1
Merrimack 6, Maine 0
Providence 2, UMass Amherst 0
Your Three Stars
For every game this season, home and , we want to know YOUR Three Stars. Please leave a comment below and we’ll be sure to tally everything up at the end of the year.
Friday
1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________
Saturday
1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________
How we voted
Here were our picks for the stars this week’s game(s).
Friday
1. Scott Wilson
2. Christian Folin
3. Connor Hellebuyck
Saturday
1. Scott Wilson
2. Chad Ruhwedel
3. Riley Wetmore
