It is the calm before the storm.
The No. 1 Terriers (14-4-1, 9-1-1 Hockey East) are headed north to Burlington, Vt. for a pair of road games against the University of Vermont Catamounts (10-9-1, 4-5-1 HE) this weekend. This will mark the first two-game series and full roadtrip of the second half.
“At this time of the year, to get everyone together on the road, it’s fun,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said during his weekly media availability Wednesday. “Vermont should have a good crowd up there, it’s a fun place to play, so it’s a good road trip for us.”
Following this series, six of BU’s next 10 games are against ranked conference opponents. Although the Catamounts have yet to see the polls this season, every night in Hockey East – including this weekend – is sure to be a dog fight.
“It’s tough to win,” Pandolfo said on conference play. “There’s no question, it’s going to be tough down the stretch here…teams lock it down a little better defensively as the games go on.”
Facing UVM will by no means be a walk in the park, but given the Terriers’ strength in skill, taking home a full six points this weekend is expected.
“Vermont’s played very well,” Pandolfo said. “They look like a really good team, looks like they’re playing pretty well in all three zones, so we got to make sure we’re on top of our game.”
This week marks the first time the Terriers have been ranked No. 1 in a non-preseason poll since Dec. 15, 2014, per @BUHockeyStats. BU is no stranger to the first-place ranking, after being the consensus top preseason pick, but earning this accolade during the second half is a credit to the team’s high level of play.
However, the rankings do not mean much unless you back it up, and Pandolfo has made that clear.
“We try not to look too far ahead. The polls are what they are,” Pandolfo said. “We feel like we’re playing some decent hockey, but we still feel as a group that we have room to grow as a team.”
A big part of that needed growth, as emphasized by Pandolfo on a weekly basis, has been consistency. If The Terriers want to be successful this weekend, they need to come ready to compete on time and continue that caliber of play through a full 60 minutes. His team is coming off a 3-0 shutout against the No. 13 UNH, but if it were not for junior goaltender Mathieu Caron, it could be an entirely different scoreline.
Although Caron has been the go-to-guy in net all season long, the Terriers accelerated freshman Max Lacroix’s on-campus arrival to give the team more back-up options. But for now, the plan is to “stick with Caron.”
“We’re really just taking it one game at a time,” Pandolfo said. “[Caron’s] playing some pretty good hockey, so we’re gonna continue to go with him.”
Pandolfo said that all the BU players will be healthy and available to play this weekend, except for freshman defenseman Mick Frechette who got “minor surgery” and will be out for about three weeks.
Five things to know about UVM ahead of Friday’s game:
- UVM is coming off a split series against Northeastern – securing Friday’s 5-4 win after netting three goals over a 1:08 span in the third period.
- The Catamounts are 2-2-1 against ranked teams this season with two wins over UMass and a shootout win against Providence.
- Graduate forward Ryan Miotto leads his team in scoring with seven goals through 19 games, including three of the team’s 10 game-winners.
- Senior goaltender Gabe Carriere has started all 19 games so far this season, posting a .919 save percentage and 2.37 goals-against average.
- This season, UVM holds a 5-3-0 record at its historic home rink nicknamed “The Gut.”
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The Boston Hockey Blog will have full, on-the-ground coverage so be sure to follow along on Twitter (X) @BOShockeyblog and Instagram @boston.hockey.blog.
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