Boston College shuts out Maine 5-0 in Hockey East quarterfinal, advancing to TD Garden semifinals

A decisive quarterfinal at Conte Forum

Boston College advanced in the Hockey East men’s tournament on Friday, March 13, 2026, defeating Maine, 5-0, in a quarterfinal played at Kelley Rink inside Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill. The result moved the Eagles into the league’s championship weekend at TD Garden, where the semifinals and final are scheduled for March 20 and March 21.

The quarterfinal was a single-elimination game between the No. 4 seed (Boston College) and No. 5 seed (Maine). Both teams entered the postseason after uneven late-season stretches, with Maine closing the regular season with a 5-3 loss at Vermont and Boston College jockeying for position in a tightly packed middle of the conference standings.

What the 5-0 scoreline indicates

In tournament hockey, five-goal margins are uncommon, and a shutout typically reflects control across multiple areas: limiting high-danger chances, staying structured through special teams sequences, and protecting the slot area in front of the goaltender. Boston College’s win combined those elements in a game that ended without Maine finding a breakthrough.

For Maine, the loss closed its Hockey East postseason immediately after earning a top-five seed and a direct path into the quarterfinal round. The Black Bears’ quarterfinal opponent was set after the opening round earlier in the week, which determined the final quarterfinal matchups.

Bracket implications and what comes next

Hockey East reseeds teams after the quarterfinals. With Boston College advancing, the Eagles will be placed into the semifinal field based on the remaining seeds still alive, a process that determines each matchup at TD Garden. The tournament champion earns the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.

• Quarterfinal result: Boston College 5, Maine 0 (March 13, 2026; Chestnut Hill)
• Next round: Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden (March 20, 2026)
• Championship game: TD Garden (March 21, 2026)

Season context for the two programs

The quarterfinal pairing matched two programs with long Hockey East histories and recent regular-season meetings that underscored how thin the margins can be in league play. Maine finished the regular season positioned for a bye into the quarterfinals, while Boston College hosted as the higher seed. Friday’s outcome, however, was not decided by late-game swings; the shutout and the five-goal total made it one of the more emphatic results of this year’s quarterfinal round.

The Hockey East tournament is decided across a single-elimination quarterfinal and a two-day championship weekend in Boston, making every postseason game determinative.

Boston College now turns to the TD Garden weekend with a quarterfinal performance that eliminated Maine and kept the Eagles’ path to a conference title intact.