The East Side: Vermont takes first, and Providence shows its depth

Start with the receipt. Last Monday I said BU would win one game in East Lansing. The Terriers won the first 6-2, lost the second 5-0, and the call holds. I'll take a right answer however it arrives.

The league weekend belonged to Vermont and Providence, though. Vermont took over first place without winning a game in regulation, and Providence delivered the most convincing result of the entire weekend.

The weekend

Providence 8, UConn 1. The Friars scored four times in the first period at Storrs and never let the Huskies back in. Logan Sawyer had three goals and an assist. It was Providence's only league game of the weekend, and it was a statement about which roster owns the depth in this conference.

Vermont 4, Boston College 4, Vermont wins the shootout. BC led 2-0 after one period and 3-2 after two, and still couldn't close it at Conte Forum. Colin Kessler scored twice for the Catamounts, the second with 1:05 left in regulation, and Vermont took the extra point in the shootout.

BC is 2-5-2 overall, and that record is a genuine problem now, not a temporary slump.

UNH 3, UMass Lowell 0 and UNH 5, UMass Lowell 4 (OT). Michael Simpson made 21 saves for the shutout on Friday. Saturday was considerably messier, and Emile Guite finally ended it 32 seconds into overtime. UNH moved into a tie for fourth. Lowell is 0-4 in the league.

UMass 2, Maine 1 and Maine 2, UMass 0. A split at the Alfond. Freshman Maxim Masse scored for UMass on Friday, and Albin Boija answered with a 16-save shutout on Saturday.

Out of conference, BU split at Michigan State, Merrimack beat Holy Cross 6-2 behind Trevor Hoskin's two goals and two assists, and Northeastern won 5-1 at Holy Cross with two goals from Dawson Sharkey.

By our count, that's a 3-1 weekend for Hockey East against the rest of the country.

The race

Vermont leads with 14 points from six league games (4-1-1). BU is second with 11, and Providence is third with nine from just four games. UNH and UConn have seven each, UMass and Merrimack six from three games apiece.

The national rankings are finally catching up. In Monday's USCHO poll, Providence is 10th, BU 13th and Merrimack 15th, and Northeastern (19th) and Vermont (20th) are both new. In the NPI, BU is eighth, Vermont 12th, Northeastern 14th, Providence 15th and Merrimack 17th.

The mover is Vermont. Last week the Catamounts weren't even in the national poll. Now they lead the league, sit 20th in the poll and 12th in the NPI. My read is that Providence's games in hand make the Friars the real favorite, but Vermont has earned the right to be chased.

Player of the weekend

Logan Sawyer, Providence. My pick. Three goals and an assist in an 8-1 road win, in the only league game his team played. When the most talented roster in the conference gets a hat trick from a forward operating at that level, everybody else is competing for second.

Meg's line

Meg Halloran: Maine visited BU and left unbeaten, a 1-1 tie on Friday and a 3-0 win on Saturday. UConn beat BC 2-1, and UNH handled Providence 3-1. The Black Bears are a team to take seriously.

Weekend slate

1. Merrimack at Providence, Friday 7 p.m., then Providence at Merrimack, Saturday 7 p.m. Two ranked teams, a home-and-home, and the Friars' chance to turn games in hand into points.

2. Maine at Vermont, Friday 7 p.m. and Saturday 5 p.m. The leader's first weekend with a target on it, at Gutterson.

3. Northeastern at UConn, Friday 7 p.m. and Saturday 3 p.m. Northeastern needs league points to match its new ranking.

4. BC at UMass, Friday 7 p.m., then UMass at BC, Saturday 7 p.m. BC can't afford another weekend like this one.

5. UNH and UMass Lowell against Union and RPI. Non-league, but Lowell badly needs a win of any kind.

Kessler's call

Providence sweeps Merrimack. The Friars just scored eight on the road, and I think the gap between them and the rest of the top half is bigger than the standings say. I'll grade it here next Monday.