The East Side: Providence is perfect and Hockey East is deep

Hockey East went out of the league this weekend and came back looking like the deepest conference in the East. Six of its teams are in this week's USCHO top 20, and six sit in the NPI's top 20, by our count. Providence is the best of them, and it isn't close yet.

First, the grade. Last Monday I said New Hampshire would take at least one game off No. 2 Michigan State. The Wildcats won Friday, 1-0. I'll take it.

The weekend

Providence swept UMass Lowell, 3-0 and 5-2. The Friars won the shutout at Lowell on Friday, then scored five times in the first period at home on Saturday and coasted. They're 5-0-0, they jumped from seventh to fifth in the poll, and they lead the league standings.

Nobody in Hockey East has looked this complete in October.

New Hampshire beat No. 2 Michigan State, 1-0, then lost the rematch 2-1. Friday was the result of the weekend. UNH outshot the Spartans 34-14, Émile Guité scored on a third-period power play, and Michael Simpson made 14 saves for his second straight shutout.

Michigan State got its split Saturday, but the Wildcats proved they can play with anybody in the country.

Merrimack swept Notre Dame in South Bend, 2-1 in overtime and 6-3. Nick Pierre won Friday's game 4:11 into overtime. On Saturday, down 2-0, the Warriors scored three second-period power-play goals from Justin Gill, Seamus Powell and Trevor Hoskin, then pulled away. They climbed from 20th to 16th in the poll.

Maine shut out Colgate twice, 3-0 and 3-0. That's six goals for and none against, and it put the Black Bears in the poll at No. 19. They're 13th in the NPI, which is the number that matters in March.

BU and UConn split. UConn won 5-4 in overtime in Storrs on Thursday, even though BU outshot the Huskies 50-30.

The Terriers answered with a 6-3 win at Agganis on Saturday, with six different scorers and three assists from Xavier Villeneuve. BU is 14th in the poll and UConn 17th.

Boston College lost 5-2 at Denver, then tied 2-2. BC fell out of the poll and sits 46th in the NPI at 1-3-1. A tie in Denver is respectable. A 1-3-1 start isn't, and the Eagles need to start banking league points.

Elsewhere, Vermont beat Clarkson 2-1 on Friday and UMass beat Stonehill 5-3 on Saturday.

The race

Providence and BU each have six points to lead the standings, but the Friars have done it in two games. Merrimack and UMass are unbeaten in league play, and Northeastern, idle this weekend, still sits 11th in the NPI, the league's best.

The team that moved most is Maine: unranked a week ago, now in the poll and 13th in the NPI.

My read: Providence is the favorite until somebody beats them, and nobody has.

Rivalry file

Northeastern goes to Conte Forum for two games against Boston College this weekend. These are Green Line neighbors and Beanpot rivals, and the games rarely care about records. BC needs the points badly. Northeastern has a better résumé and a chance to bury the Eagles' start before November.

Player of the weekend

Linards Feldbergs, Merrimack. My pick. He made 32 saves on Friday in a game Notre Dame outshot Merrimack 33-22, then started the play that ended in Pierre's overtime winner and got the assist. A goalie who wins the game and sets up the goal deserves the weekend.

Meg's line

Meg Halloran: The UNH women went 6-0 over Stonehill and 3-0 at Harvard, and Hockey East went 10-4-2 against everybody else. I have the whole weekend.

Weekend slate

1. No. 19 Maine at No. 14 BU, Friday 7 p.m. and Saturday 6 p.m. Ranked against ranked, and both games count in the league.

2. No. 5 Providence at No. 10 Quinnipiac, Saturday at noon. The Friars' toughest test of the year, on the road.

3. No. 17 UConn at No. 16 Merrimack, Friday 7 p.m. and Saturday 4:30 p.m. Two ranked teams, two league games.

4. Northeastern at Boston College, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. The rivalry, and BC's season in a weekend.

5. New Hampshire at Vermont, Friday 7 p.m. and Saturday 4 p.m. UNH's chance to turn a big week into league points.

Also: Harvard at UMass on Friday, and UMass Lowell at Colgate on Friday and Saturday.

Kessler's call

Maine wins at least one game at Agganis. The Black Bears just went a weekend without allowing a goal, and that travels. I'll grade it here next Monday.