By Mark Fraenkel
After a thrilling overtime victory over the University of Connecticut last Friday night, the Boston University men’s hockey team (10-9-3, 6-5-3 Hockey East) is set to host the University of Vermont Catamounts (3-13-2, 2-6-2 HE) this weekend. The Terriers will play Friday at 7:00pm and then Saturday at 4:00pm; both games will be held at Agganis Arena.
Junior forward Jay O’Brien’s unassisted goal eight seconds into overtime against UConn last week gave BU its fourth win in a row. The winning streak began just before the new year on the road against Brown. The Terriers have not lost since their shootout loss against Boston College in December. BU’s last regulation loss was back in November against Cornell at Madison Square Garden.
Off the ice, junior Domenick Fensore was named Hockey East Defender of the Week. Fensore is second among defensemen in the league for assists and has blocked 25 shots this season. This is his second honor of the season, as he won the award in mid-October. The Thornwood, New York native is also a nominee for the 2022 Hobey Baker Award.
Additionally, sophomore goaltender Drew Commesso was selected to represent the United States in the upcoming Olympic Games. The second round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks will leave the Terriers in the coming weeks.
The Catamounts travel to Boston after a tough defeat in a midweek matchup with Northeastern. Losing 4-0 at home, UVM allowed two power play goals. Power play goals have been a consistent problem for Vermont all season, as opponents have scored 14 power play goals on 58 opportunities thus far.
It has been a tough season in Burlington. The Catamounts have not won a game since their December 3rd matchup with the University of Maine and since December 3rd, UVM has suffered losses to the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Holy Cross, and Northeastern.
Both BU and UVM allow on average 2.7 goals per game. However, while the Catamounts only average 1.7 goals scored per game, the Terriers average 2.9 goals scored per game.
The two game set seems like a trap game for a BU team that is starting to play well. After the win in Hartford, the Terriers moved into a three way tie with BC and Providence College for the 4th spot in the Hockey East standings.
The Terriers are five points behind the third place University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen, and one point ahead of Merrimack College and UConn in seventh place. UVM, on the other hand, is deep in the cellar, as they are currently holding the tenth of eleven spots in the standings. The Catamounts have one more point than last place Maine, and seven points fewer than ninth place University of New Hampshire.
We’ll have full coverage of the series this weekend with recaps and live-tweeting for both games. Follow along on Twitter @BOShockeyblog and Instagram @boston.hockey.blog for more updates on all things BU hockey.
6 points or bust. no excuses
And bust it is Vinnie! Absolutely pathetic.
Big weekend go terriers. Congratulations on the personal awards handed out . Dom Drew Luke and Jay O’Brien are a big reason why this team has had success of late.
Looking for the team to continue to play smart good team hockey. I’m hoping to see bu transition the puck from the defensive zone to offensive zone quickly .