ORONO – Hockey East has seen an exodus of players in the off-season that left some teams scrambling to fill holes. Maine lost Jimmy Howard, Chris Bourque left Boston University and Boston College lost Patrick Eaves.
That alone renders the league a bit different this season.
“Much like last year, but more so this year, the league kind of lost their first-team all stars before the season, which is unfortunate,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “But we’ve been in this boat before.
“This is the fifth year in a row we’ve lost one of our top guys early. It’s a little more serious when it’s your goalie of course, but at the same time, when you look at the league, guys will emerge.”
The other glaring change is the addition of a 10th school, the University of Vermont.
In a recent preseason coaches poll, Maine received two first-place votes and was tied with the University of Massachusetts at Lowell for third with 71 points. Boston College also received two first place votes, and was picked to finish first, while New Hampshire got four first place votes and was second with 79 points. Boston University was fifth with the remaining two first place votes, followed by newcomer Vermont, Massachusetts, Providence, Northeastern and Merrimack.
The league will also have several new coaches. Tim Army, who coached in Portland for the Pirates for several years, takes over behind the bench in Providence, while Northeastern turns to Greg Cronin. Former BU and Maine skater Brendan Walsh will be an assistant with the Huskies. Additionally, Mark Dennehy takes over for Chris Serino at Merrimack.
“The names on the jerseys change every year, but the talent seems to stay the same,” said Maine captain Greg Moore. “I expect the same this year, and Hockey East is always a close race from the top to the bottom, and now having Vermont in there is going to add to it.”
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