The Hockey East season is less than three weeks old but one thing is for certain - parity is a continuous hallmark of the conference. Especially when you consider that 12 games involving Hockey East teams so far this season have been decided by one goal.

"It's been that way ever since I've been in the league, and that was in 1990," said Maine Coach Tim Whitehead, who was a graduate assistant at Maine during the 1990-1991 season and coached at Massachusetts-Lowell before returning to Orono. "That's one of the strengths of Hockey East, that you're going to have it where everyone can compete at a high level. It's always been that way. Teams rise and fall each year but it's certainly not unusual for our league to have very tight competition."

After New Hampshire's 2-1 win over Boston University on Sunday, Wildcats Coach Dick Umile told reporters what to expect of Hockey East this season.

"That just tells you what it's going to be like in Hockey East this year," said Umile, whose team killed off consecutive 5-on-3 penalties. "It's going to be a long winter."

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Maine forward Jeff Marshall sat out Friday's season opener against Alaska-Anchorage, serving a suspension for a hit to the head of University of New Brunswick forward Kyle Bailey during an exhibition game Oct. 11 in Fredericton, N.B.
"I was glad to be out there," Marshall said. "It was tough to sit in the stands and watching the first game, especially a 3-1 loss. But I just felt that I let the guys down and I felt I really owed them, to come out and really play well (against Alaska-Fairbanks)."
Marshall was not penalized for the hit, but Whitehead explained that the suspension was to set an example.
"For us to be successful, we have to be a disciplined team," Whitehead said. "I felt that I had to send a message to our team and that (discipline) is going to be a top priority."

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Need some pop culture to go with your Hockey East? Check out Monday's episode of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central. Host Jon Stewart gave Northeastern's hockey team a shout-out after it upset defending national champion Boston College on Saturday.

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