The Boston University men’s hockey team is in uncharted territory. Fresh off getting swept at home for the first time since October 2017, the No. 9 Terriers (4-3-0, 1-0-0 Hockey East) are set to face No. 17 UMass Lowell in a home-and-home series.
It’s back to Hockey East play for the Terriers, who begin a stretch of six straight conference games on Friday night.
It’s a trying time for head coach Jay Pandolfo and his team. “We have a lot of stuff that we need to work on as a team,” he said in his weekly media call.
“Our biggest focus is making sure that we’re playing the right way in all three zones,” Pandolfo said. “We’re just kind of working on our own game and making sure that we’re ready to go.”
Freshman Brandon Svoboda missed both games against the University of Michigan last weekend with an upper body injury, but the forward will be back in the lineup tomorrow, according to Pandolfo.
Puck drops at 7 p.m. on Friday at Agganis Arena, and Saturday’s contest at Tsongas Center starts at 6:05 p.m. Here’s what you need to know.
Third period struggles
BU finally played a quality opening period last Saturday against Michigan. It took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission and outshot the Wolverines 15-5. When one problem fades, another one emerges.
The Terriers entered the third period in both Friday and Saturday’s contests against Michigan with a one-goal lead. They lost both games.
Friday was particularly bad. BU gave up five straight goals in the final 20 minutes of the 5-1 loss. On Saturday, the Wolverines tied the game, but the Terriers retook the lead. Then they gave it up again.
“Disappointed. Two nights in a row, one goal lead going into the third period, and can’t find a way to close teams out,” Pandolfo said after Saturday’s loss. “You got to find a way to get it done.”
Discipline remains a focus
The Terriers have struggled to stay out of the penalty box. They lead the nation in penalty minutes per game at 17.4. By contrast, the River Hawks have been excellent on the man advantage thus far, scoring on the power play at a staggering 42.1 percent.
“We have to make sure that we stay out of the box,” Pandolfo said. “If you can stay under three penalties a game, that’s great, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Untimely trips to the box have plagued BU. It surrendered two third-period power play goals last Friday against Michigan, which at the time was a one-goal game. The following night, the Terriers only committed one penalty, but, only 11 seconds after sophomore defenseman Gavin McCarthy was called for boarding, the Wolverines tied the game.
“We have to learn from those,” Pandolfo said. “You take a penalty late in the game. You got to find a way to kill that one, whether it was a good penalty or not.”
Scouting the River Hawks
UMass Lowell (5-1-0, 1-0-0 HE) enters Friday’s game having won five in a row after losing its season opener to the University of Minnesota Duluth 4-2 on Oct. 11. The River Hawks are averaging 4.0 goals per game, which ranks tied for sixth nationally and second in the conference.
Senior forward Owen Cole has scored in four consecutive contests and leads his team in points with eight (four goals, four assists). Freshman forward Chris Delaney, just 5-foot-7 and 155 pounds, has been stellar for the River Hawks through his first six collegiate games, tallying five goals and two assists.
In net, Henry Welsch has been steady for UMass Lowell. Having picked up all five of his team’s wins, the graduate student has a .919 save percentage and is only allowing 1.85 goals against average.
Pandolfo spoke to the River Hawk’s size as a team, and their strength of “protecting the slot.”
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