Long time no chat, huh? It’s been just under a month since we saw the conclusion of the NCAA — and thus the Hockey East — 2025-26 season. And wow, what a season it was.
In the hopes of recapping what we bore witness to all year, I’ve decided we’re going back. And by going back, I mean really far back.
In my season preview, I asked a question for each of our 10 Hockey East squads — or a storyline that I was gonna watch throughout the course of 2025-26. In a lovely surprise to myself, the majority of the questions were spot on, and thus today we’re gonna go back and answer everything that I was asking back in September.
Buckle up, because we’ve got over six months of ground to cover here today.
Boston College:
2024-25: 21-13-2 overall record | Finished 3rd with 51 points | Eliminated by BU in semifinals
2025-26: 16-18-1 overall record | Finished 3rd with 42 points | Eliminated by UVM in quarterfinals
Storyline to Watch: Who’s Gonna Score?
Answer: Ava Thomas
Back in the fall I said I had my eyes on Sammy Taber and freshman Maxim Tremblay to come in and replace at least some of the scoring the Eagles lost last offseason. What I wasn’t expecting was for another freshman to swoop in and dominate the ice. That player of course being top scorer Ava Thomas.
The forward’s 46 points — including 19 goals, tied for most in Hockey East — were well ahead for the lead on BC. If we crunch some numbers, Thomas factored into 52% of the Eagles’ 88 total goals this season. Taber, the next closest scorer, factored into 33%.
Outside of Thomas, there were still a lot of question marks offensively. In the just seven games Thomas failed to register a point, the Eagles went 1-5-1. They failed to record a single goal in four of those games. If she’s not clicking, not much offensively was for BC. That could spell trouble if they’re unable to spread that wealth a bit more moving forward.
Overall, however, the Eagles answered my biggest question. And there’s no doubt that Thomas had an outstanding year for her team. Her productivity and skill should dominate for the next three years — something that could be immense for a BC squad looking to get back to glory.
Boston University:
2024-25: 24-12-3 overall record | Finished 2nd with 57 points | Won Hockey East tournament title, Eliminated by Clarkson in NCAA tournament
2025-26: 11-21-3 overall record | Finished 8th with 28 points | Eliminated by Northeastern in quarterfinals
Storyline to Watch: How Solid is the Defensive Side of Things?
Answer: Not Too Solid, at Least to Start
Oh BU.
After such an outstanding year in 2024-25, the drop-off to 2025-26 was stark. While not all of it can be set at the feet of their defense, their biggest regressions from last year were definitely in their own end.
First we have the penalty kill. Sure, it was still strong come the end of the year. But they had a lot of struggles to start out. Following their 89.3% efficacy rating in 2024-25, the Terriers this year dropped down to 85.2%. Not a huge gap, right?
Until you look at how they had conceded 12 power play goals before the December break this season. They allowed just 13 total throughout the entirety of last year.
Then we have the overall opponent scoring, which BU kept at a reasonable 2.0 against in 2024-25. But through their first 17 games this year, they were conceding a solid 3.0 goals per game. And in those 17 games, the Terriers went a combined 4-11-2. By the conclusion of the season they whittled it back down to a 2.5 goals against. But that original hole was too deep to climb out of.
In the fall I talked a lot about Michelle Pasiechnyk joining the team. While she was solid at times, she wasn’t the showstopping goaltender we saw two years ago. Her and Mari Pietersen ended up splitting far more of the season than I expected. Both had some moments of brilliance, no doubt, but other games weren’t as solid, and that’s when things got difficult.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that a large part of their issues stem mainly from their dip in scoring. The Terriers dropped a full 30 goals in overall productivity from one year to the next. When you’re giving up more goals on average than you have in years past, and your offensive output drops at the same time, things can spiral quickly.
Do I think the defense for BU will be better next year? Almost certainly. Especially if they have a full, healthy core to start the year — something they did not have at the end. Do I think their offensive metrics will improve? Now that I’m not as positive about.
UConn:
2024-25: 22-12-2 overall record | Finished 1st with 58 points | Eliminated by Northeastern in semifinals
2025-26: 28-9-2 overall record | Finished 2nd with 53 points | Won Hockey East tournament title | Won vs. Princeton (ECAC) in NCAA tournament | Eliminated by Penn State (AHA) in NCAA Regional Final
Storyline to Watch: Can They Hold Off The Other Squads?
Answer: Yes, They Can
It was, frankly, a fantastic year for the Huskies. After a disappointing finish last season in the Hockey East semis, UConn bounced back fantastically. With a second tournament title in three years, the first ever NCAA tournament win in program history, and a sixth-place finish overall in the NPI, 2025-26 was kind to Connecticut.
What made UConn so strong is their ability to stick to their game plan. A game plan that has worked for well over half a decade now. The best goaltender in the nation doesn’t hurt either.
Tia Chan was superb across the entire season. With 1,122 saves, 27 wins, a goals against average of 1.54, and a save percentage of .951, Chan cemented herself in the record books over and over again. Without her prowess, I don’t think we see UConn succeed nearly as much as they did.
Jessie Pellerin continued to produce, this season with 30 points as a junior. Claire Murdoch, following her Rookie of the Year performance, smashed her freshman year point total, scoring 39 points. And it was the surprise jump from senior Kyla Josifovic, who had a career year with 40 points in 39 games, that really made all the difference.
UConn knows how to win. And they’ve done it more than anyone the last three years. Things next year are going to look vastly different, but there’s time to think about that in the future. For now, I think they’re enjoying having the Bertagna trophy back in their display case.
Holy Cross:
2024-25: 10-20-4 overall record | Finished 9th with 25 points | Eliminated by UVM in opening round
2025-26: 19-13-3 overall record | Finished 4th with 37 points | Eliminated by UConn in semifinals
Storyline to Watch: Is This the Year for the Step Forward?
Answer: Yes It Was
I guess I underestimated the Crusaders? Didn’t think I’d say that so soon, but here we are.
With their most successful season in program history, Holy Cross was a solid team throughout the year. Led by an outstanding season from Abby Hornung, HC didn’t just jump a spot in the standings. They jumped five spots from Spring 2025 to Spring 2026.
I said in the fall that keeping steady defensively was going to be critical: Holy Cross was better defensively this year than last. More importantly, they needed to take a step offensively, which they most certainly did, from 54 goals in 2024-25, to 83 goals in 2025-26.
Which brings us to their young talent, led by rookies Violet Carroll and Naemi Herzig. Even though Carroll went a tad quiet while Herzig was away winning a Bronze Medal with Switzerland at the Olympics (no big deal), these two showed how they’re the future for the Crusaders. At least offensively. With 26 points in 35 games for Carroll, and 22 points in just 26 games for Herzig, the pair produced when needed more times than not. And it made the team around them better, as evidenced by the uptick in production across the roster.
Without Hornung back next season, and with the departure of some key seniors, things get a bit scarier for 2026-27. That’s not a concern today, however. When the team had the chance to take a step forward, they did. And that I think speaks highly of the system coach Katie Lachapelle is building in Worcester.
Maine:
2024-25: 11-21-3 overall record | Finished 6th with 38 points | Eliminated by BC in quarterfinals
2025-26: 13-19-3 overall record | Finished 7th with 30 points | Eliminated by UConn in quarterfinals
Storyline to Watch: I Don’t Know What to Make of Them
Answer: I At Least Have a Better Idea of What to Make of Them
Did the Black Bears take a step forward this year? Yes they did. Did they take enough of a step forward to improve? No, they unfortunately did not.
Kiia Lahtinen was the biggest part of that step forward. The sophomore improved her totals to the tune of a .923 SV% with four shutouts, tied for second most in Hockey East. Her 931 total saves is remarkably higher than her 620 from a season before. And she doubled her total wins from six to 12 from one season to the next.
Personally, what I like most for Maine is how well their newest additions slotted into their lineup. Of their top five scorers, four of those players were freshmen. This includes Isabelle Michaud, who led the way with 19 points in 36 games. And the other name in the top-five was Stephanie Jacob, who was just a sophomore.
There’s definitely still some room for improvement, as there is with most teams in the conference. But overall, I think Maine finally has a sense of direction moving forward, and that appears to be upwards. Hopefully things continue to pan out the way they started to this year, especially with the young group of talent leading the way.
The Black Bear penalty kill does still give me the greatest cause for concern. While they were back above a 80% success rate, it wasn’t by much. For a team penalized this much, that’s definitely where I think focus will be come fall.
Merrimack:
2024-25: 9-23-4 overall record | Finished 10th with 20 points | Eliminated by UConn in quarterfinals
2025-26: 7-24-4 overall record | Finished 10th with 15 points | Eliminated by Maine in the opening round
Storyline to Watch: Can This Team Gel Together and Fast?
Answer: No.
It started out somewhat promising for the Warriors. Although that hope died a swift and fiery death before Halloween.
Adding 19 new players to one roster was never going to be easy, and it certainly showed quickly. Of their seven wins this season, four came in the second half. And the team overall went a stretch of 12 conference games without a single victory, notching their first in mid-January.
The toughest part of this is that things stayed mostly the same by the metrics. Their power play was solid, though their penalty kill was not so much — the same story as 2024-25. While they had some of the worst offensive numbers in the conference, it was almost on par with the year before. Defensively the team also got marginally better. However, things still unfortunately stayed the same.
Only five players are in the portal this summer, which is certainly down from a year ago when that number was 10. And I’m very hopeful with the direction new head coach Courtney Kennedy is going to take the program in the years to come. It might take more than just an off season, though, even if things have begun trending in the right direction.
New Hampshire:
2024-25: 15-17-3 overall record | Finished 7th with 34 points | Eliminated by Merrimack in the opening round
2025-26: 16-16-3 overall record | Finished 5th with 33 points | Eliminated by Holy Cross in quarterfinals
Storyline to Watch: Where is the Offense Coming From?
Answer: Where Was it Not?
Guess I underestimated the Wildcats offensive abilities, huh?
It’s a push and pull world for UNH. Their offense got better, while their defense took a step back. And while it improved their standings spot from a year ago, it didn’t drastically change their record.
Goaltender Sedona Blair it seems didn’t take a large step back, even though her minutes were severely reduced this year. Instead, Noemi Martinez, who made five starts in 2024-25, jumped to 15 appearances this season. The junior also was solid, with a .927 SV% in those starts.
However, neither goaltender was ever unbeatable, and that’s part of the reason things weren’t all that different. Even as the top end of their lineup was scoring, the dip in PK productivity didn’t help. Overall there just wasn’t enough to power UNH forward.
Nina Rossi did turn out to be a bountiful addition, as she led the team in scoring with 34 points. That total was good for sixth-most in the conference, and I’m excited to see her production continue moving forward.
Their best story, though, was the return of Danika Botterill, by far. The junior missed the entirety of 2024-25 with an injury, but returned to the lineup and was immediately productive. Her 28 points was second most on the team, with three game winning goals to boot. Both her and Rossi are expected back next year. Which leads me to hope that things are going to continue to trend upward for UNH.
Northeastern:
2024-25: 22-14-1 overall record | Finished 5th with 46 points | Eliminated by BU in Hockey East Championship game
2025-26: 29-9-1 overall record | Finished 1st with 65 points | Lost to UConn in Hockey East championship game | Won vs. Minnesota (WCHA) in NCAA Regional Final | Eliminated by Ohio State (WCHA) in NCAA semifinal
Storyline to Watch: Will they Return to the Top of the Table?
Answer: Yes.
I warned everyone that Northeastern was gonna be back near the top this year after a down season. And I just want it noted that I was 100% correct.
Stryker Zablocki, as predicted, came in and was a massive difference maker. The freshman not only led her team in scoring, but became the first NU rookie to win Hockey East Player of the Year. Lisa Jönsson also took another step, finishing with a .939 SV% and a goals against average of 1.73. Then you have the Hockey East Defender of the Year in Jules Constantinople, who multiple times throughout the season changed the course of games, frankly.
Walking into 2025-26 though, I don’t think anyone expected a season like this. Northeastern not only decimated the regular season in conference play (the Huskies never lost in regulation to another Hockey East team), but they rebounded following a devastating tournament championship loss to take down a perennial powerhouse in Minnesota en route to a Frozen Four bid. You know, no big deal.
But it was Lily Shannon, who led her squad both on and off the ice, that I think was truly the difference this season. The senior was formidable, with 43 points in 39 games to close out her career. This includes more than one memorable goal throughout the year, as she captained the team back to the top.
This is a team that didn’t have a home rink after December. And they still managed to exceed almost everyone’s expectations for them. The Huskies are scary when they want to be, and do they ever want to be moving forward.
Providence:
2024-25: 20-12-3 overall record | Finished 4th with 49 points | Eliminated by Northeastern in quarterfinals
2025-26: 11-22-2 overall record | Finished 9th with 25 points | Eliminated by BU in the opening round
Storyline to Watch: Was Last Year a One-Off, or is the Offense For Real?
Answer: Uhhhhh, I’d Say Probably Not For Real
Much like BU, honestly, Providence felt the repercussions of a large chunk of their defensive core graduating between last year and this.
That combined with their offense dropping off the side of the cliff and, well, things were bad, nearly immediately.
After scoring 100 goals in 2024-25, the Friars cobbled together just 63 across their season. Reichen Kirchmair, who led Hockey East with 37 points as a junior, dropped to just 25 as a senior. And after having seven players with more than 15 points a year ago, that dropped to just four this season.
What’s surprising is their power play productivity didn’t change all that much. In fact, it even took a small step forward. However, it wasn’t enough, and we saw that time and time again throughout the course of the year.
Clearly the loss of Hannah Johnson was felt more than even I expected. Kirchmair and Audrey Knapp were still productive, sure. But they weren’t unbeatable in the same way as they were when the trio was on the ice in 2024-25.
It also doesn’t look like things are going to get that much better, at least on the returners side. Kirchmair’s now graduated, and though Knapp is set to return for her senior season, third-highest scorer Jessie Pellerin hit the transfer portal earlier this spring.
For a second year in a row, four of Providence’s top scorers are departing the team. Which, I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem too great to me.
Vermont:
2024-25: 9-25-2 overall record | Finished 8th with 26 points | Eliminated by BU in quarterfinals
2025-26: 16-17-5 overall record | Finished 6th with 32 points | Eliminated by Northeastern in semifinals
Storyline to Watch: Genuinely, What’s Happened Here?
Answer: Trust the Process
In September I wondered if UVM would prove me wrong and get back to being a more productive team. I’m happy to report that they did, jumping to sixth in the standings after a better year.
Defensively, things improved a fair amount. I cautioned that the penalty kill was where the team needed to improve the most. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen early on, though in their final 14 games UVM allowed just two goals on the advantage. In that frame, Vermont recorded seven of their 16 victories. Including a quarterfinals upset of Boston College to advance to the Hockey East semifinals.
The biggest difference, though, was their offensive productivity. After finishing with a 1.4 goals per game average in 2024-25, that jumped all the way to a 2.2 G/GM in 2025-26. That’s a difference of 31 goals from one season to the next, and it shows most in the win column.
Adding Stella Retrum did turn out to be a major boon, as the junior led the way with 28 points this season. All five of Vermont’s top scorers — who combined for 117 points — are expected to return next year, and that might be the best news of all.
I regret doubting the Catamounts as much as I did last season. They seem to be putting things together quite well, especially down the stretch. That’s more than I expected from them overall. I’m excited to see what they can do again next year. Especially with an older, more experienced team competing against some of the young rosters from other programs.
Standings
| 2024-25 Final HEA Standings | My Predicted 2025-26 Standings | 2025-26 Final HEA Standings |
| 1. UConn | 1. UConn | 1. Northeastern |
| 2. Boston University | 2. Northeastern | 2. UConn |
| 3. Boston College | 3. Boston University | 3. Boston College |
| 4. Providence | 4. Providence | 4. Holy Cross |
| 5. Northeastern | 5. Boston College | 5. New Hampshire |
| 6. Maine | 6. New Hampshire | 6. Vermont |
| 7. New Hampshire | 7. Maine | 7. Maine |
| 8. Vermont | 8. Holy Cross | 8. Boston University |
| 9. Holy Cross | 9. Vermont | 9. Providence |
| 10. Merrimack | 10. Merrimack | 10. Merrimack |
The fact that I got two of these correct is a feat in itself, so I’ll take those wins. We all know how my predictions have gone in the past.
Otherwise… I was pretty far off on a lot of these, but pretty close on some others. I certainly didn’t predict the tumbles for both BU and Providence, or the meteoric rise for Holy Cross. However I am pretty proud of the Maine prediction, as well as the marginal improvement for UNH.
Vermont is just making me look silly, and I’ll own that. Although both Huskies made me look pretty smart.
Overall, it was another fun year of contests in Hockey East. From major out of conference wins in the fall, to some insanely impressive game-winners, to a double overtime tournament championship — which took multiple years off of my life — this season was jam packed.
I already can’t wait to do it all again in the fall.
Not too fast though: we’ve got the draft coming up here shortly. And that means we’ve got plenty of coverage to come. Check out our first piece of draft content, courtesy of the lovely Katrina Liu, to get into the swing of things for the offseason now.