Boston College and Boston University combined to win three straight national titles from 2008-10, with the Terriers' 2009 championship sandwiched between two wins by the Eagles. Each of these squads began its march to Frozen Four glory by claiming the Hockey East championship along the way.
Since its founding in 1984, Hockey East has been the home of seven national title winning teams and 13 national runners-up. The majority of these teams made their mark by winning the league title first, proving that national success typically begins by reigning supreme in Hockey East.
Like most years, Comm. Ave. rivals BC and BU are the top two favorites to win the league. Boston College is the two-time defending league champion and has made the NCAA Tournament 12 times under head coach Jerry York. Though BC loses top scorers such as Brian Gibbons and Cam Atkinson, defenseman Brian Dumoulin leads a group of 18 returning players gunning for a Hockey East "threepeat."
The Terriers are looking to rebound from a shocking loss to Northeastern in last season's tournament quarterfinal, and a year of maturity might just do the trick. Last year's team was the youngest squad Jack Parker had ever coached since he took over at BU in 1973. With an extra season of experience under the belt of young scorers Alex Chiasson and Charlie Coyle, Boston University could again rise to the top.
Border rivals New Hampshire and Maine will once again expected to be in the mix, with goaltender Matt Di Girolamo between the pipes for the Wildcats and the Black Bears' Brian Flynn back as the leading returning point scorer in the league. UNH and Maine were projected to finish third and fourth, respectively.
