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2025-2026 Little East

***JCB*** said:
Come on over to Kreitzberg! There's been plenty of seats available unfortunately. Although I did see signs for a whiteout for the Babson game.
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Definitely thinking about it... also depends on what I end up doing for the Super Bowl so we'll see. Did see they announced it as a white out night so should be a good atmosphere.
 
Biggest weekend of hockey for the LEC is over and we have a lot of shakeups.

At the top, Norwich gets everything they could’ve asked for with wins over USM and Babson. Against USM, Norwich controls the scoring early and takes advantage of the PP to come out with a 6-3 win against the LEC’s #3 team. With the 1-seed on the line Saturday, Norwich comes out on top against Babson to take the lead. Defense stands strong and Cadets take advantage of their only two PP chances to build a 3-1 lead for the eventual win. Norwich now sits in a comfortable 1st place with a 5 point gap.

Babson on Friday managed to still come out of the weekend with a win against a tough Castleton squad. Spartans score 2 in the 1st and force Babson to play catchup, but the Beavers tie it up in the 2nd before pulling ahead late in the 3rd. Babson still stays ahead of the middle of the pack in the 2-seed.

In the middle of the standings, the #3 through #6 are all divided by a point each. Castleton recovered Saturday with a major win against USM and closes in on the #3 spot. The Spartans dominate on the way to an 8-1, with an early goalie change for USM doing little to change the outcome. Castleton closes the gap while USM leaves the weekend on the backfoot.

UMB works their way up the standings with two big wins against Plymouth and NEC. Hosting an early season rematch, UMB dismantles Plymouth’s defense and goalies on the way to an 8-5 win. Plymouth manages to catch up and tie it in the 2nd, but UMB took advantage of PP goals to clinch the win. Against NEC, UMB’s penalty kill keeps the Pilgrims from converting, helping secure a 3-1 win for the Beacons. UMB now sits a point behind Plymouth with a game on hand.

Plymouth recovers during their 2nd matchup, taking down former MASCAC foes UMD. In a high penalty match, UMD holds level in the 2nd until PSU breaks away for a 6-3 win. Plymouth jumps to #3 taking advantage of USM’s collapse.

And down outside of the playoffs, in the LEC’s sicko match of the week sees Keene beat West Conn. Barring any miracles, I’d say the #9 and #10 are locked in.
 
Great weekend of hockey. I think that LEC first year has been excellent. When there is interest in the #9, #10 seeded game, it’s been a good year. Norwich going to be tough to beat, especially at home, Stretch run for seeds and home ice. Most games this weekend are a pick em. Home ice is going to be vitals for playoffs. Key games this weekend are a pick em: UMB vs Babson on Friday, UMB vs USM and NEC travels to Plymouth. Predictions: for the top four are : Norwich Babson Castleton UMass Boston Plymouth
 
Irish Eamon said:
Great weekend of hockey. I think that LEC first year has been excellent. When there is interest in the #9, #10 seeded game, it’s been a good year. Norwich going to be tough to beat, especially at home, Stretch run for seeds and home ice. Most games this weekend are a pick em. Home ice is going to be vitals for playoffs. Key games this weekend are a pick em: UMB vs Babson on Friday, UMB vs USM and NEC travels to Plymouth. Predictions: for the top four are : Norwich Babson Castleton UMass Boston Plymouth
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It's definitely been a good year starting out. I'd say the LEC has defied expectations with how competitive teams have been. Almost every game could've gone either way or had upset potential. Should be an exciting playoffs and will be an interesting off season to see how recruiting pans out.

Norwich has a long weekend trip coming up. Trip down to West Conn and Keene on the way back, with Castleton to end the season. Fully expect Norwich to win out, but will be watching the margins this weekend and would not sleep on the in-state rivalry to end the season. UMB is on a roll and could hold Babson at the #2 seed if they force OT/upset. NEC will want the season sweep at Hannaway, but expecting an ugly matchup with Plymouth's position on the line.
 
Castleton losing to Keene St in OT on Friday. Either looking ahead or Keene St is improving. (Probably a little of both). Did bounce back vs West Conn on Sat. Umass Boston took the weekend on the chin with two defeats. Plymouth took care of a pesky NEC squad on Sat. Babson, Norwich took care of business and USM big win over UMB. Still a weekend left of hockey and home ice up for grabs. Playoff bad match-ups: USM does not want to play Plymouth, Plymouth does not want to play UMB. Castleton does not want to play USM. A lot riding on the results of this weekend.
 
Final weekend is now on tap with the regular season title and playoff positions still up in the air.

Clearing up the picture up top, Norwich comes out of a long weekend trip with wins against West Conn and Keene. West Conn has been improving each week and led into the 3rd, but can't do enough against a dominant Norwich team that scores 4 for the win. On the return trip, Norwich takes down Keene and maintains their lead at the top.

Babson plays host to the UMass schools and comes out with 6 key points. In a early season rematch against a tough UMB squad, Babson comes out with a narrow 2-1 win. In the 1st, UMB scores first with Babson evening up soon after and scoring the game winning goal late in the 2nd. Saturday, Babson scores 7 vs UMD with a Jimmy Fallon hattrick to seal the season sweep of Massachusetts and to stay in contention for the 1-seed.

USM returns to the 3-seed mirroring Babson's UMass weekend. Huskies come out of a high scoring matchup vs UMD with a 8-5 win. USM takes the lead late in the 2nd and takes the win despite allowing 2 PPG against and having no PP chances. Saturday, USM gets revenge on UMB with a critical 4-3 win. UMB scores first but USM manages to take the lead and maintain it for the win - scoring a very important insurance goal with a minute to go before UMB scores with 13 secs on the clock. UMB now sits at the bottom of the playoff field in 6th as USM is back in 3rd with a point gap over Plymouth.

Plymouth gets revenge on NEC, taking a 4-2 win to stay in contention. Both teams play close with only a handfull of penalties, but the Panthers pull away with more shots on the way to a win. Plymouth sits in 4th as the last team in for a home matchup in the playoffs.

Castleton slips up to Keene and recovers against a pesky West Conn squad. In a low scoring matchup, neither team manages to score until the 3rd with the Spartans going 0-4 on the PP. Keene opens the scoring past the halfway mark in the 3rd, with Castleton managing to tie with just under a minute to go. In OT, Spartans fail to get a shot on goal while Keene puts one past for an upset win. Saturday, West Conn plays close but Castleton maintains the lead and get an insurance goal with under a minute to play to secure the win. Castleton drops 2 key points and sits in 5th.

...and just like that the regular season is almost over. Norwich needs at least an OT L to lock the 1-seed as Castleton is fighting for a home playoff game. Babson is facing a rematch against a NEC team that upset them at home and a tough Plymouth squad. The #3 - #6 spots are still undecided with some head to head games against contenders. Should be a fun final week.
 
Final weekend of the regular season is here. Norwich still needs to clinch 1st and the 3rd - 6th seed are still undecided. Final seeding will likely be decided in New Hampshire, Castleton has one more chance to move up the standings, and UMB is looking at a final homestand to claim home ice.

Friday:
- Norwich #1 @ Castleton #5 - Battle of Vermont with Norwich hoping to clinch the first LEC regular season title. Castleton is on the cusp of a home playoff game but needs losses from everyone around them in the standings. Expecting Norwich to win against a familiar opponent but keeping an eye out for a trap game upset.
- USM #3 @ Plymouth #4 - Battle of potential hosts in the first round. Huskies have been shaky but notched a big win vs UMB last week - Panthers have had good form minus a loss to UMB. Last meetup saw a very close match end with USM winning 5-4 despite Plymouth having more shots on goal in all periods. Expecting to see another close finish.
- Babson #2 @ NEC #7 - NEC is out of contention but stands in the way of Babson's hopes of the 1-seed. Babson needs two wins to have a chance at the title and faces an NEC team away that upset them in January.

Saturday:
- Babson #2 @ Plymouth #4 - Babson visits Plymouth with their last shot at the regular season title. Plymouth still fighting for position and is ending the season on home ice. Babson had a solid win vs Plymouth early in the season but both have played close in the last few years. Depending on Friday's results, maybe we'll see Babson rest some starters while the Panthers still have everything to play for.
- USM #3 @ NEC #7 - Huskies visit NEC to round out the season. Even with a loss, the Huskies still could take the 3-seed while the Pilgrims will try to shake things up. Another rematch of a game that saw the final score decided by one goal.
 
Inaugural LEC playoff is set. Norwich locks up the first LEC regular season title with a SO W over Castleton, as Babson is season swept by NEC. Plymouth gets a major win against USM, which is enough to secure the #3 seed as the Huskies also fall to NEC. USM still holds on to host over UMB (both split with 4-3 home wins - USM gets the break with a 10-7-1 LEC record to UMB's 9-7-2), both line up to face each other in Gorham for the first round. Castleton's one game weekend and loss to Norwich leaves them down as the #6 and lined up for a trip to Plymouth.

Semifinal Round (1st Rd Bye)
1. Norwich - 46 pts
2. Babson - 42 pts

First Round
3. Plymouth - 33 pts (Host)
4. USM - 31 pts (Host)
5. UMB - 31 pts
6. Castleton - 29 pts

Castleton @ Plymouth ---> #3/#6 winner @ Babson
UMB @ USM ---> #4/#5 winner @ Norwich

With how tight games have been all season, anyone has a chance to make a run for the title. Clear favorites are still Norwich and Babson but there will be some intriguing matchups for the semifinals.

For Norwich, the Cadets have a clear advantage but face a tough potential matchup if UMB advances. The Huskies and Beacons have split the season by the same score, with UMB now having to travel to Gorham. The Cadets have some time to rest while USM and UMB are prepping for what should be a close midweek matchup. If I’m Norwich, definitely would be a bit nervous about a rematch if the Beacons make it to the semifinal.

For Babson, the Beavers are facing down a matchup with either Plymouth or Castleton. The Panthers have been competitive down the stretch as the Spartans had a shaky ending and dropped to the #6 spot. A trip to Hanaway won’t be an easy trip for the first round as the Panthers look to carry their season sweep of Castleton into the playoffs. Babson played both teams in the last month and faired well, and will be taking full advantage of hosting the winner.

Edit: Mixed up who the winners play after the first round so fixed the matchups
 
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Agree on UMB 4-3 over USM. Wouldn’t be surprised about an OT finish.

Thinking Plymouth 6-3 over Castleton with Plymouth needing an ENG to seal the deal. Seems to be a decent Spartans crowd in Plymouth tonight so should be a good one.
 
Good games coming up tomorrow. Plymouth vs Babson. Babson has a flaw in their system, that Plymouth (or anyone else playing them) can exploit and beat them. NEC has figured it out and took care of Babson with a sweep this year and a knockout of the playoffs last year. Plymouth has to wait for a ruling to see if a player was DQ’d from the Babson game as.a result of the fight at the end of the Castleton game. If he plays then Plymouth will beat Babson. Waiting to see what the league says.
 
Irish Eamon said:
Good games coming up tomorrow. Plymouth vs Babson. Babson has a flaw in their system, that Plymouth (or anyone else playing them) can exploit and beat them. NEC has figured it out and took care of Babson with a sweep this year and a knockout of the playoffs last year. Plymouth has to wait for a ruling to see if a player was DQ’d from the Babson game as.a result of the fight at the end of the Castleton game. If he plays then Plymouth will beat Babson. Waiting to see what the league says.
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Despite the loss to Babson, Plymouth seems to be playing well at the right time. Hopefully some familiarity, a midweek win, and changing up the gameplan can make for a close game. Worried about what the call is on Hilmersson for any conduct. Looking at the recap, it was a 2+2 roughing and a misconduct after the inciting penalty on both sides. Castleton instigated, Plymouth retaliated and got an added unsportsmanlike call, both players were sent off but with no DSQ called on the ice hopefully there's no suspension. Hilmersson's been a bright spot for the team all season as a rookie -- kid can score and throw down on both sides of the ice and won't make it easy for Babson hopefully.
 
First games of playoff hockey are done and the semifinal is on tap.

#3 Plymouth vs #6 Castleton - 5-2

While Plymouth has struggled to meet expectations, the Panthers looked like their old selves in a 5-2 win over Castleton. Plymouth carries the season sweep into the playoffs as goaltender Strobel makes his mark with 32 saves. Plymouth closed out the 1st period with with two goals and some power play chances to take off with the lead. In the 2nd, Castleton gets on the board to make it a one point game, but Plymouth scores shortly after the puck comes loose behind the goalie as the Spartans fail to capitalize on back to back power plays. In a penalty heavy 3rd period, Plymouth gets a PPG early and seals the game with rookie Hilmersson scoring on an odd man rush. Castleton fails to score during a nearly two minute 5-on-3, only managing to get their 2nd goal off a PP opportunity with time running out. A small scuffle broke out with a minute left that sees some punches thrown and an amped up Plymouth crowd waving the visitors out.

#5 UMB vs #4 USM - 3-2

After playing close this season, UMB comes out on top in Gorham as the "underdog" after missing the playoffs in the NEHC's final year. USM outshoots UMB, but D1 transfer Connor McDonough makes 38 saves to help the Beacons advance. While the Huskies outshoot the Beacons 20 to 8 in the 1st period, the scoreboard stayed empty until UMB's Jude Kurtas finds the net to open the scoring. In the 2nd, USM quickly responds with two goals in the first few minutes, taking the lead on a PPG. In the back half of the 2nd, the Huskies begin to slip, giving UMB three power play chances, and seeing Kurtas tying the score. In the 3rd period, the score stays deadlocked as the Beacons finally get a slight edge on the shot count. After a couple more penalties by the Huskies, UMB breaks the tie with under 5 minutes to play and holds on for the win. The Beacons get their first playoff win since 2019 (where they beat... USM) and advance.

Semifinal Round
#3 Plymouth @ #2 Babson
- Plymouth gets a tough rematch against a Babson team that swept them this season. Nationally ranked Babson looks for redemption after missing out on the 1-seed. The Panthers have momentum behind them with their first round win and are facing an uphill battle playing on the road. Babson are better on paper but have some question marks around their struggles to teams like NEC that Plymouth will hope to answer. Unfortunately, going to predict Babson wins 4-2 (with a closer matchup than before).

#5 UMB @ #1 Norwich
- Norwich has home advantage and is ready to play after a dominant first season in the LEC. UMB comes in as the underdog that is primed for a cinderella run. UMB is the only team that has shaken up Norwich this season, and will be eager to get an upset in the playoffs. If I'm Norwich, I'd be worrying about this matchup since seeding was set, even if better on paper. Should be close to the very end, but predicting Norwich 3-2 in OT.
 
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