These are the three things I think I learned this weekend.
1. New Hampshire may just be for real.
Yeah, I get it. The Wildcats’ overall record is just two games over .500, and the collective Hockey East record of the league teams they’ve beaten is an ugly 4-14-5. So we’ll see how they do when they face the iron of the league. But 5-1-1 is still a heck of a league record, I don’t care who you’ve played.
And sweeping a rival like Maine, including a game in its barn, is never easy.
One more thing. Ya know, that Tyler Kelleher kid is pretty good. (No headline news there.) His game-winner on Friday night reminded me of the classic Kris Kolanos goal in overtime of the 2001 national championship game. Just a gorgeous goal. Any time Kelleher is on the ice, he’s a threat.
2. Connecticut slays another giant.
Don’t look now, but UConn is quickly becoming another Hockey East team to be reckoned with. While the Huskies’ league record is a middle-of-the-pack 3-3-2, and they’re a game under .500 overall, you need to look at the giants they’ve toppled.
UConn split at #12 Notre Dame, split with #6 Boston University, and this past weekend took three-of-four from #4 Massachusetts-Lowell.
That’s called holding serve and then some with the big boys.
3. Massachusetts is making positive strides.
The Minutemen aren’t going to be challenging for home ice this year, and they do have only two wins out of their last 11. But one of those came on Friday against #12 Notre Dame, and the game before this weekend’s series with the Irish was a 2-2 tie with #19 St. Lawrence.
So while the best for UMass will be further down the road in future years, the signs are encouraging for this season as well.
