2026 Hockey East men's tournament
College ice hockey tournament
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The 2026 Hockey East men's ice hockey tournament was the 41st tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 11 and March 21, 2026. The Merrimack Warriors won their first ever Hockey East championship after beating UMass Lowell, Providence College and UMass. The championship game was played between Merrimack and Connecticut, with Merrimack winning 2-1 and becoming the first 8 seed to ever win the Hockey East tournament.[1]
Boston, Massachusetts
| 2026 Hockey East men's ice hockey tournament | |
|---|---|
| |
| Dates | March 11–21, 2026 |
| Teams | 11 |
| Finals site | TD Garden Boston, Massachusetts |
| Champions | Merrimack (1st title) |
| Winning coach | Scott Borek (1st title) |
| MVP | Max Lundgren (Merrimack) |
Hockey East men's Ice Hockey Tournaments 2027 → | |
Merrimack goalie Max Ludgren was named tournament MVP after having a shutout in the semifinals vs. UMass and making 49 saves on 50 shots in the championship game.[2]
Format
The tournament includes all eleven teams in the conference, with teams ranked according to their finish in the conference standings. Seeds 1–5 earn a bye into the quarterfinal round, while seeds 6–11 play to determine the remaining quarterfinalists. Winners in the opening round are reseeded and advanced to play top three seeds in reverse order. Winners of the quarterfinal matches are again reseeded for the semifinal, and the winners of those two games face off in the championship.
All series are single-elimination with opening round and quarterfinal matches occurring at home team sites. The two semifinal games and championship match are held at the TD Garden. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament.[3]
Standings
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #9 Providence † | 24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 86 | 46 | 36 | 23 | 11 | 2 | 120 | 82 | |
| #16 Massachusetts | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 63 | 53 | 36 | 22 | 13 | 1 | 101 | 83 | |
| #13 Connecticut | 24 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 73 | 59 | 38 | 20 | 13 | 5 | 116 | 90 | |
| #19 Boston College | 24 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 39 | 69 | 59 | 36 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 116 | 92 | |
| Maine | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 76 | 79 | 35 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 116 | 96 | |
| Boston University | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 69 | 74 | 36 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 105 | 110 | |
| Northeastern | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 67 | 62 | 36 | 17 | 18 | 1 | 98 | 91 | |
| #15 Merrimack * | 24 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 68 | 75 | 39 | 21 | 16 | 2 | 121 | 110 | |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 66 | 80 | 35 | 13 | 22 | 0 | 91 | 114 | |
| New Hampshire | 24 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 41 | 73 | 35 | 14 | 20 | 1 | 68 | 105 | |
| Vermont | 24 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 55 | 83 | 35 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 73 | 115 | |
| Championship: March 21, 2026 † indicates regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll; updated April 15, 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
Bracket
Note: Teams are reseeded after the Opening Round and Quarterfinals
| Opening Round March 11 | Quarterfinals March 13–14 | Semifinals March 20 | Championship March 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Maine | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Vermont | 1 | 4 | Boston College | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Boston University | 4 | 3 | Connecticut | 4* | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Boston College | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Boston University | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Merrimack | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Northeastern | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | New Hampshire | 3 | 2 | Massachusetts | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | Northeastern | 7 | 2 | Massachusetts | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Merrimack | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Merrimack | 3* | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Massachusetts Lowell | 3 | 1 | Providence | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Merrimack | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Results
Note: All game times are local.
Opening Round: March 11, 2026
(11) Vermont vs. (6) Boston University
Source:[4]
Boston, MA - Agganis Arena - 6:30 PM - Attendance: 1,931
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | BU | Cole Eiserman - PPG | Hutson, McCarthy | 17:16 | 1–0 BU |
| 2nd | UVM | Jens Richards | Aegerter, Michels | 22:51 | 1–1 |
| 3rd | BU | Cole Eiserman - GWG | Lawrence | 46:51 | 2–1 BU |
| BU | Cole Hutson - PPG | McCarthy, Eiserman | 52:36 | 3–1 BU | |
| BU | Jack Harvey - ENG | Bednarik | 57:15 | 4–1 BU | |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| UVM | Aiden Wright | 24 | 3 | 55:47 |
| BU | Mikhail Yegorov | 25 | 1 | 60:00 |
(10) New Hampshire vs. (7) Northeastern
Source:[5]
Chestnut Hill, MA - Conte Forum - 7:00 PM - Attendance: 452
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | NU | Jacob Mathieu | Compton, Hajibi | 2:10 | 1–0 NU |
| 2nd | UNH | Alex Carr - SHG | Skrastins, Lavins | 22:00 | 1–1 |
| NU | Tyler Fukakusa | Hryckowian, Martino | 27:41 | 2–1 NU | |
| NU | Amine Hajibi | Perkins, Connor | 30:06 | 3–1 NU | |
| UNH | Cam McDonald | Skrastins, Fitzgerald | 32:09 | 3–2 NU | |
| NU | Joe Connor - PPG GWG | Mathieu, Pechar | 37:04 | 4–2 NU | |
| NU | Dylan Compton | Mathieu, Hajibi | 39:29 | 5–2 NU | |
| 3rd | UNH | Nick Ring - PPG | McDonald, LeClerc | 44:36 | 5–3 NU |
| NU | Matthew Perkins - SHG ENG | Unassisted | 56:51 | 6–3 NU | |
| NU | Noah Jones - ENG | Unassisted | 57:39 | 7–3 NU | |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| UNH | Kyle Chauvette | 17 | 5 | 58:55 |
| NU | Lawton Zacher | 24 | 3 | 60:00 |
(9) Massachusetts Lowell vs. (8) Merrimack
Source:[6]
North Andover, MA - Lawler Rink - 7:00 PM - Attendance: 1,992
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MC | Trevor Hoskin | Pierre, Gill | 1:12 | 1–0 MC |
| UML | Jack Collins | Delaney, Misskey | 17:33 | 1–1 | |
| MC | Nolan Flamand | Oravetz | 18:51 | 2–1 MC | |
| 2nd | MC | Nick Pierre - PPG | Powell | 26:51 | 3–1 MC |
| MC | Trevor Hoskin - GWG | Pierre, Gill | 35:30 | 4–1 MC | |
| 3rd | UML | Dillan Bentley | Misskey | 53:43 | 4–2 MC |
| UML | Dominic Payne | Delaney, Adaszynski | 56:43 | 4–3 MC | |
| MC | Parker Lalonde - ENG | Fitzpatrick, Cranston | 58:57 | 5–3 MC | |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| UML | Samuel Richard | 25 | 4 | 58:31 |
| MC | Max Lundgren | 23 | 3 | 59:47 |
Quarterfinals: March 13–14, 2026
(5) Maine vs (4) Boston College
Source:[7]
Chestnut Hill, MA - Conte Forum - 7:00 PM - Attendance: 5,695
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | BC | Teddy Stiga – GWG | Radivojevic, Fortescue | 4:49 | 1–0 BC |
| BC | James Hagens | Gustafsson | 5:28 | 2–0 BC | |
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | BC | Oskar Jellvik | Conmy | 41:34 | 3–0 BC |
| BC | Dean Letourneau – ENG | Hagens | 55:25 | 4–0 BC | |
| BC | James Hagens – ENG | Letourneau, Kostadinski | 4:49 | 5–0 BC | |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| MAINE | Mathis Rousseau | 21 | 3 | 59:28 |
| BC | Louka Cloutier | 18 | 0 | 60:00 |
(6) Boston University vs (3) Connecticut
Source:[8]
Storrs, CT - Toscano Family Ice Forum - 1:00 PM - Attendance: 2,513
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | CONN | Jake Percival | Fraser, Heaslip | 6:44 | 1–0 CONN |
| 2nd | BU | Tynan Lawrence | Unassisted | 21:11 | 1–1 |
| CONN | Jake Richard – PPG | Muldowney, Janviriya | 23:33 | 2–1 CONN | |
| BU | Jack Murtagh | Lawrence, Ritchie | 32:35 | 2–2 | |
| 3rd | CONN | Ethan Whitcomb | Murtagh | 42:39 | 3–2 CONN |
| CONN | Anthony Allain Samake – GWG | Percival, Gustafsson Nyberg | 43:47 | 4–2 CONN | |
| BU | Ben Merrill | Unassisted | 49:54 | 4–3 CONN | |
| CONN | Joey Muldowney – ENG | Tattle | 59:05 | 5–3 CONN | |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| BU | Mikhail Yegorov | 33 | 4 | 58:31 |
| CONN | Tyler Muszelik | 29 | 3 | 60:00 |
(7) Northeastern University vs (2) Massachusetts
Source:[9]
Amherst, MA - Mullins Center - 4:00 PM - Attendance: 4,537
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MASS | Larry Keenan | Musa, Nestrašil | 3:37 | 1–0 MASS |
| NU | Griffin Erdman | Connor, May | 18:39 | 1–1 | |
| 2nd | MASS | Jack Musa – GWG | Nestrašil, Galanek | 39:36 | 2–1 MASS |
| 3rd | MASS | Václav Nestrašil | Musa, Galanek | 44:08 | 3–1 MASS |
| MASS | Cam O'Neill – ENG | Klečka, Kerr | 59:32 | 4–1 MASS | |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| NU | Lawton Zacher | 23 | 3 | 57:51 |
| MASS | Michael Hrabel | 30 | 1 | 59:55 |
(8) Merrimack vs. (1) Providence
Source:[10]
Providence, RI - Schneider Arena - 7:00 PM - Attendance: 2,798
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | PC | Graham Gamache | Mustard | 13:49 | 1–0 PC |
| MC | Nathan King – PPG | Lalonde, Beyer | 18:45 | 1–1 | |
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | MC | Nolan Flamand – PPG | Fitzpatrick, King | 40:49 | 2–1 MC |
| PC | John Mustard | Mantei, McQueen | 56:44 | 2–2 | |
| OT | MC | Trevor Hoskin – GWG | Gill, Beyer | 63:50 | 3–2 MC |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| MC | Max Lundgren | 34 | 2 | 63:49 |
| PC | Jack Parsons | 27 | 3 | 63:46 |
Semifinals: March 20, 2026
(3) Connecticut vs (4) Boston College
Source:[11]
Boston, MA - TD Garden - 7:00 PM - Attendance: 15,573
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | BC | Dean Letourneau – PPG | Gasseau, Hagens | 20:39 | 1–0 BC |
| CONN | Trey Scott | Muldowney, Tattle | 21:32 | 1–1 | |
| BC | Dean Letourneau – PPG | Hagens, Gustafsson | 25:09 | 2–1 BC | |
| CONN | Ethan Whitcomb | Murtagh, Gardula | 28:28 | 2–2 | |
| 3rd | CONN | Mike Murtagh | Whitcomb, Gustafsson Nyberg | 52:28 | 3–2 CONN |
| BC | Ryan Conmy | Stiga, Fortescue | 54:13 | 3–3 | |
| OT | CONN | Tristan Fraser – GWG | Heaslip, Percival | 61:18 | 4–3 CONN |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| CONN | Tyler Muszelik | 22 | 3 | 61:17 |
| BC | Louka Cloutier | 28 | 4 | 61:15 |
(2) Massachusetts vs (8) Merrimack
Source:[12]
Boston, MA - TD Garden - 4:00 PM - Attendance:
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | MC | Ryan O'Connell – GWG | Daneault | 43:00 | 1–0 MC |
| MC | Caden Cranston – ENG | Lalonde, Oravetz | 58:21 | 2–0 MC | |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| MASS | Michael Hrabal | 27 | 1 | 58:01 |
| MC | Max Lundgren | 24 | 0 | 60:00 |
Championship: March 21, 2026
(3) Connecticut vs (8) Merrimack
Source:[13]
Boston, MA - TD Garden - 7:00 PM - Attendance: 15,759
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | MC | Ryan O'Connell | Hoskin, Kungle | 22:29 | 1–0 MC |
| CONN | Ethan Whitcomb | Allain Samake | 37:22 | 1–1 | |
| 3rd | MC | Caelan Fitzpatrick – GWG | Lalonde | 40:26 | 2–1 MC |
| Goaltenders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| CONN | Tyler Muszelik | 23 | 2 | 58:25 |
| MC | Max Lundgren | 49 | 1 | 60:00 |
Tournament Awards
All-Tournament Team
Source:[14]