This season is looking eerily similar to the 2017-18 campaign for the Boston University men’s hockey team.
Last year, the Terriers were underwhelming before the holiday break after receiving a top ten ranking in the preseason polls. BU then picked up steam at the beginning of the new year with sound performances in games against New Hampshire and Providence before rattling off six straight wins and eventually winning the Hockey East Tournament.
2018-19’s version of the Terriers is following a similar path. BU was subpar in the first half of the season as new head coach Albie O’Connell got accustomed to his fresh role.
On the morning of December 8, BU was just 4-8-2 and fans were wondering if O’Connell’s tenure would begin with a losing season. Since, the Terriers are 4-0-1 and they are heading into the second semester with consecutive wins against the aforementioned Wildcats and Friars.
See for yourself… ✌️goals for Shane tonight. #GoBU pic.twitter.com/dlYYTqP92F
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) January 13, 2019
BU will kick off a five-game homestand this Saturday night against sixth-ranked Quinnipiac. The Bobcats have already matched last year’s win total as they have soared to the top ten of the USCHO.com rankings. However, Quinnipiac has won just once in their last four games despite this stretch including just one ranked opponent.
The Bobcats split their ECAC back-to-back this past weekend, handling Dartmouth 5-1 before losing 2-1 to Harvard. Quinnipiac fell behind the Big Green by a goal at the end of the first period before throttling the visitors over the final two frames.
Five different players scored goals for the victors including senior defenseman Chase Priskie, who leads the team with 13 goals. Sophomore forward Odeen Tufto registered an assist, pushing his team-best point total to 29.
Before you come out for tonight's game against Harvard, check out the full highlights from last night's win over Dartmouth! #BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/hHrk0Mykcb
— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) January 12, 2019
The following night, the Crimson did a good job of holding the Bobcats to just one score despite facing an onslaught of shots. Quinnipiac recorded 47 shots, including five from Tufto and four from Priskie. Somehow, the Bobcats failed to score until the final minute of the game and by that point it was too late.
Terriers junior goalie Jake Oettinger needs to be prepared for a busy night at Agganis Arena on Saturday. The Bobcats take 31.0 shots per game and are outscoring opponents by an average of 1.9 goals per night.
Notes: BU received good news on Monday morning as freshman forward Joel Farabee was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Week. The Flyers prospect scored twice and notched three assists in the first week of 2019…This is the Terriers lone matchup against the Bobcats this season…BU beat Quinnipiac 3-2 on the road in overtime in their only meeting in 2017-18. Junior forward Patrick Harper had two goals and a helper and sophomore forward Shane Bowers netted the game-winner…You can watch or listen to this game via GoTerriers.com.
Can BU win their third game in a row? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Why not Liam . Let’s play our game and I like our chances 🐾
Lets go BU goos start to 2nd half half keep it going …
Folks let’s make sure we vote for Dante Fabro for the Hobey Baker award go to Hobey Baker.com vote and cast your vote for a great terrier and a great kid thank you. You can vote once every day.
where do you vote?
Hi Vinnie. Go to Hobeybaker.com and you can look at the headers on top of the screen. You’ll find a way to see the many candidates. Click on Dante, then scroll down and hit submit.
thank you Glenn
You’re quite welcome Vinnie!