From the FreeP: Hockey East Power Rankings 1/20/11

By Scott McLaughlin/DFP Staff

1) No. 3 Boston College (15-6-0, 11-5-0 HE)
The Eagles saw Maine snap their seven-game winning streak Sunday, but they are still the team to beat in Hockey East. BC leads the conference in offense (3.71 goals per game) and special teams (+15 net) and ranks second in defense (2.19 goals-against average). Junior forward Cam Atkinson leads the league in goals (17) and senior goalie John Muse is tops in save percentage (.930).

2) No. 7 University of New Hampshire (12-4-4, 10-1-2 HE)
After winning four straight to close out the first semester, the Wildcats have started the second half with a mediocre 2-2-0 stretch, most recently losing to No. 18 Dartmouth 5-4 on Saturday. They still rank second in HE in offense (3.50 GPG), fourth in defense (2.45 GAA) and third in special teams (+6 net). Senior forward Paul Thompson has emerged as a legitimate Hobey Baker candidate with a league-leading 33 points.

3) No. 13 Merrimack College (13-4-4, 7-4-3 HE)
The Warriors own the longest winning streak in the country right now, having won six straight. They beat BU 3-2 on Tuesday and smoked Maine 7-1 two Saturdays ago. They have the stingiest defense in the conference (2.05 GAA) and place third in offense (3.38 GPG) and second in special teams (+9 net). Junior goalie Joe Cannata is the backbone of the team, as he ranks third in save percentage at .925.

4) No. 10 University of Maine (11-6-4, 8-4-2 HE)
The Black Bears rebounded from that embarrassing 7-1 loss at Merrimack by beating Providence and BC this past weekend. They’re still just 4-3-0 since Dec. 10, though. The fact that they’re fourth in offense (3.33 GPG), fifth in defense (2.76 GAA) and fourth in special teams (0 net) suggests this is right where they belong. Maine still hasn’t settled on a starting goaltender, so it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on that down the stretch.

5) No. 15 Boston University (10-6-6, 7-4-4 HE)
The Terriers have been playing a little better of late, going 2-1-1 in their last four with the one loss coming in a near-comeback at Merrimack and the one tie coming against No. 8 Notre Dame, but the fact remains that they are just 3-5-1 since the start of December. The defense ranks just seventh in the league with a 3.18 GAA, while the power play sits ninth at 11.8 percent. Freshman forward Charlie Coyle leads HE rookies with 18 points.

6) Northeastern University (7-10-4, 6-7-3 HE)
After a horrendous 1-7-3 start to the season, the Huskies have really turned things around, going 6-3-1 since Nov. 20. Leading the turnaround has been sophomore goalie Chris Rawlings, who ranks second in the conference with a .929 save percentage, and a maturing young defense that features three freshmen. Northeastern now ranks third in team defense with a 2.29 GAA.

7) University of Massachusetts (5-11-3, 4-6-3 HE)
Like the Huskies, the Minutemen have also picked it up after an abysmal start. They went 0-6-3 out of the gates, but have gone 5-5-0 since Nov. 23. Paced by Michael Pereira’s freshmen-leading eight goals, UMass ranks a respectable sixth in offense with 2.79 GPG. At the other end of the ice, senior goalie Paul Dainton is fifth in the conference with a .914 save percentage.

8) Providence College (7-9-5, 3-7-4 HE)
While Northeastern and UMass are climbing, the Friars are falling. They opened some eyes by starting the season 6-5-4, but have gone just 1-4-1 since Dec. 4. Their biggest problem has been their conference-worst power play, which is floundering along at an abominable 8.2 percent. Senior forward Kyle MacKinnon has been a bright spot, though, as he ranks sixth in HE with 11 goals.

9) University of Vermont (4-12-4, 2-8-3 HE)
The Catamounts have been playing better lately, as they’ve gone 2-2-0 in their last four. Included in that stretch was a weekend split at Northeastern and a 4-2 loss to BU in which they controlled most of the game despite the score. Still, they rank ninth in offense (2.10 GPG), eighth in defense (3.25 GAA) and last in special teams (-11 net). To make matters worse, the Burlington Free Press reported leading scorer Wahsontiio Stacey quit the team Tuesday, leaving Vermont with just two double-digit scorers.

10) University of Massachusetts-Lowell (2-18-2, 2-14-0)
The River Hawks could very well be one of the worst teams in HE history. For starters, they’ve lost 13 games in a row. Just let that sink in for a minute. OK, moving on. They rank last in both offense (2.09 GPG) and defense (4.14 GAA). They have lost an incredible 10 games by three goals or more, by far the most blowout losses in the league. And they have given up five or more goals nine times, giving them first place there, too.