8th ANNUAL HOCKEY EAST TOURNAMENT
The winner of the HOCKEY EAST Championship receives the Lamoriello Cup,
named after the founder of Hockey East, Lou Lamoriello.  Lamoriello was
coach and AD at Providence and HE's first commissioner, and he is now
President/GM of the New Jersey Devils.  He was the driving force behind the
interlocking scheduling agreement with the WCHA that lasted from 1984-89
and the first-ever college hockey television package with NESN that is in
its eighth season.
 
1992 HOCKEY EAST Quarterfinals
3/6/92  UMass-Lowell (11-19-4)    0 at Providence (21-12-2)        7
3/7/92  Boston College (14-17-3)  5 at Boston University (22-8-4)  2
3/8/92  Northeastern (15-20-0)    2 at New Hampshire (21-11-2)     4
        Merrimack (13-21-0)       0 at Maine (29-3-2)              7
 
1992 HOCKEY EAST Final Four at Boston Garden (all games live on NESN)
3/12/92 Boston College (14-17-3)    vs Maine (29-3-2)             5:00 pm
        Providence (21-12-2)        vs New Hampshire (21-11-2)    8:00 pm
3/14/92 Championship  8:00 pm
 
SEMIFINAL NUMBERS (some info from team media guides, errors may exist)
#5 Boston College vs #1 Maine
1991-92 Results: Maine 3-0-0 (12 GF, 3 GA)
  11/10/91 Maine 4 @ BC 0
  2/14/92  BC 1 @ Maine 4
  2/15/92  BC 2 @ Maine 4
All-Time: BC 26-12-0
HE Final Four Finishes (1st-2nd-3rd-4th)
  BC 2-3-0-0
  Maine 1-4-0-0
Last HE Championship
  BC 1990
  Maine 1989
Head-to-Head in HE Tourney Play
  BC 2-1-0 (12 GF, 10 GA), all in HE Championship Games
Last Meeting in HE Tourney Play
  at BC 4, Maine 3 (1990 HE Championship Game)
All-Time Playoff Records
  BC 46-54-1
  Maine 22-18-1
All-Time Boston Garden Records
  BC 86-54-1
  Maine 3-3-0
Head-to-Head in Garden
  BC 1-0-0 (4 GF, 2 GA)
Last Garden Game
  BC 5, Northeastern 3 (1992 Beanpot Consolation)
  BU 4, Maine 3 (ot - 1991 HE Championship Game)
Last Garden Meeting
  BC 4, Maine 2 (1987 HE Championship Game)
 
#3 Providence vs #2 New Hampshire
1991-92 Results: PC 3-0-0 (15 GF, 7 GA)
  1/24/92  UNH 2 @ PC 5
  2/8/92   UNH 3 @ PC 7
  2/15/92  PC 3 @ UNH 2
All-Time: PC 34-32-8
HE Final Four Finishes (1st-2nd-3rd-4th)
  PC 1-0-4-0
  UNH 0-0-1-0
Last HE Championship
  PC 1985
  UNH none
Head-to-Head in HE Tourney Play
  2-2-0 (PC 13 GF, 11 GA), all in HE q-finals
Last Meeting in HE Tourney Play
  at PC 4, UNH 1 (1991 HE quarterfinal)
All-Time Playoff Records
  PC 35-33-0
  UNH 19-26-2
All-Time Boston Garden Records
  PC 8-5-0
  UNH 9-5-0
Head-to-Head in Garden
  UNH 1-0-0 (4 GF, 2 GA)
Last Garden Game
  BU 7, PC 5 (1991 HE semifinal)
  UNH 5, SLU 2 (1983 ECAC consolation)
Last Garden Meeting
  UNH 4, PC 2 (1982 ECACs)
 
SEMIFINAL PREVIEWS
BOSTON COLLEGE vs MAINE
Why BC Could Win:
  * LaGrand playing as well as any goalie in the nation lately, seeing
    many shots but D lets him see all of them.
  * Eagles' special teams playing extremely well.
  * Physical play working to BC's advantage, especially in Garden.
  * Franzosa scoring big goals.
  * "Win it for Lenny."
  * Smaller Garden ice has proven to contain Maine skating game in past.
Why Maine Could Win:
  * Opponents' concentration on big guns allows lesser-known players to
    break free and score.  Too much power to control for 60 minutes.
  * All four lines playing solid two-way game.
  * Dangerous power play, relentless shorthanded forecheck.
  * Two superb netminders in Dunham and Snow.
  * Four losses in five HE title games gives incentive to win it now.
Mike's Line: Maine by 2.  Likely to be another game where Maine dominates
  on the shot chart but may not be decided till late in game.  LaGrand
  has potential to be red-hot which could carry Eagles to upset, but
  Maine won't make the kind of mistakes that allowed BC to beat BU.
 
PROVIDENCE vs NEW HAMPSHIRE
Why PC Could Win:
  * Boback and Gaudreau give PC rarity of TWO 200-pt career scorers.
  * Mullahy playing well lately in net.
  * Defensemen much better offensively, not afraid to get involved in
    play.
  * Cowan and Darby provide additional offense if Boback and Gaudreau
    are watched too closely.
  * Nation's best power play vs HE's worst penalty killing (UNH); PC among
    nation's best penalty-killing.
  * UNH's defense vulnerable.
Why UNH Could Win:
  * Four high-scoring senior forwards in Morrow, Mitrovic, Flanagan,
    Amodeo.
  * Stewart and Thomson also dangerous with puck.
  * Goalie Jeff Levy has been hot.
  * Forwards coming back to help out in own end.
  * PC defense vulnerable when Gaudreau steps up, which is often.
  * Loss to PC could seal UNH's NC$$ fate.
Mike's Line: Even to 1/2 for PC.  As the nightcap, this should be a great
  one.  Special teams could be the difference if PC is allowed to run
  amuck on the man advantage.  Both goalies can be hot or cold.  Both
  teams have superb scoring.  PC may have psychological advantage with
  3-0-0 season record and win in 1991 HE quarterfinals in addition to
  NC$$ playoff experience.
 
Without going heavily into predictions, I don't think Maine is stoppable.
The elimination of BU and NU in the quarterfinals could be the biggest
thing to propel Maine onto a championship. :-)  BC is the only other
team ever to beat Maine in the Garden, and the Eagles are nowhere near
the caliber of the team that won that 1987 championship over the Black
Bears (Leetch, Janney, Brown, Stevens, Littman, Hodge, Shea, Tim
Sweeney, etc.).