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BOSTON --- It will be the first Hockey East Tournament semifinals without a Boston team in the 30 year history of the league. The first semifinal will feature defending champion UMass Lowell taking on league newcomer Notre Dame.
The nightcap will be a battle between Providence and New Hampshire, two teams that clashed in last year's tournament quarterfinals. The Friars won that series in three games, and this marks the third season in a row that Providence has advanced to the TD Garden, a program first.
New Hampshire is the only team out of the four that likely needs to win two games this weekend to extend its season. The other three teams are a mere lock to make the NCAA Tournament.
TEAM CAPSULES
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No. 2 UMass Lowell
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No. 3 Providence
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No. 4 New Hampshire
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No. 8 Notre Dame
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| Location | Lowell, Mass. | Providence, RI | Durham, NH | South Bend, Ind. |
| Record | 23-10-4 (11-6-3) | 21-9-6 (11-7-2) | 21-17-1 (11-9-0) | 23-13-2 (9-9-2) |
| Past Hockey East tournament titles | 2013 | 1985, 1996 | 2002, 2003 | |
| Season Series | W 1-0, W 3-1 vs. ND | L 2-3 (OT), W 4-2 vs. UNH | W 3-2 (OT), L 2-4 vs. PC | L 0-1, L 1-3 vs. UML |
| Head coach | Norm Bazin (UMass Lowell '94) | Nate Leaman (Cortland '97) | Dick Umile (UNH '72) | Jeff Jackson (Michigan State '78) |
| Captain | Josh Holmstrom | Shamanski/Hart | Eric Knodel | Jeff Costello |
| Leading scorer | Joe Pendenza (25) | Ross Mauermann (34) | Kevin Goumas (50) | T.J. Tynan (37) |
| Top goal scorer | Joe Pendenza (13) | Ross Mauermann (19) | Nick Sorkin (20) | Rust/Lucia (16) |
| Assists leader | Zack Kamrass (15) | Nick Saracino (17) | Kevin Goumas (33) | T.J. Tynan (29) |
| Starting goalie | Connor Hellebuyck (1.87/.938) | Jon Gillies (2.17/.930) | Casey DeSmith (2.39/.920) | Steven Summerhays (1.95/.928) |
| Goals per game | 2.70 (4th) | 2.50 (6th) | 3.20 (2nd) | 2.15 (T-8th) |
| Goals against | 2.15 (3rd) | 2.45 (6th) | 2.55 (7th) | 2.00 (T-1st) |
| Power play pct. | 21.3 (3rd) | 8.9 (11th) | 24.0 (2nd) | 12.4 (7th) |
| Penalty kill pct. | 81.0 (10th) | 84.3 (4th) | 82.8 (6th) | 83.5 (5th) |
| NHL Draft picks | 3 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.