UNH Wildcats' Playoff Run Ends in 7-3 Loss to Northeastern

DURHAM, N.H. — The UNH Wildcats entered the Hockey East playoffs as the No. 10 seed after a 4-2 regular-season finale loss to No. 17 UMass on March 7 at the Whittemore Center in Durham. Goals from Kristaps Skrastins and another Wildcat weren't enough, as UNH finished 14-19-1 overall (8-15-1 Hockey East), setting up a best-of-three opening-round matchup against No. 7 Northeastern. Senior goalie Kyle Chauvette of Goffstown posted 19 saves against UMass, but the Wildcats managed just a 1-for-4 power play.

On March 11 at Boston's Conte Forum, Northeastern dominated with a 7-3 victory, eliminating UNH and concluding their season at 14-20-1. The Huskies pulled away with empty-net goals from Giacomo Martino at 16:51 and Noah Jones at 17:39 of the third period. UNH outshot Northeastern 27-24 and went 1-for-3 on the power play, but Chauvette recorded only 17 saves in the loss, while Huskies' Lawton Zacher stopped 24 shots.

The playoff exit followed a tough regular season, including a 5-3 loss to Boston University in February where BU's Cole Hutson and Jack Harvey starred. UNH hockey, a staple in Durham's sports scene at the Key Auto Group Complex, drew strong local support but couldn't advance beyond the opening round for the second straight year.