Game Day: Terriers vs. Black Bears--UPDATED

Two of Hockey East’s hottest teams, #2 BU and #20 Maine, go head-to-head for a pair of games this weekend at Agganis Arena. Tonight’s action begins a 7 p.m.

Since moving into their state-of-the-art arena, the Terriers are 7-0-2 against the Black Bears in regular season games and 9-1-2 overall; however five of those wins were by a single goal. When the teams met in Maine last month, BU won, 5-1, but Coach Jack Parker points out that the game was far closer than the score indicated.

Maine is led by seniors Brian Flynn and Spencer Abbott and junior Joey Diamond, the top three scorers in conference games. BU’s Matt Nieto (photo), Chris Connolly and Sahir Gill are the next three on the top scorers’ list.

Penalties are likely to have much to do with the games’ outcomes. BU and Maine are conference leaders in both penalties and power play efficiency.

Terrier Lineup
Wade Megan – Chris Connolly – Alex Chiasson
Matt Nieto – Sahir Gill – Evan Rodrigues
Justin Courtnall – Cason Hohmann – Yasin Cissé
Ross Gaudet – Ben Rosen – Ryan Santana
Garrett Noonan – Patrick MacGregor
Sean Escobedo – Adam Clendening
Max Nicastro – Alexx Privitera
Kieran Millan

● GoTerriers.com preview, game notes, game tracker
● Listen to WWZN radio Webcast
● Watch on BU All-Access (subscription)
● Hockey East live scoreboard
● College Hockey News’ Tale of the Tape/Top scorers and goalies
● Boston Hockey Blog live in-game blog, game preview
● USCHO Hockey East picks
● WTBU Sports Three things we learned last weekend
● Bangor Daily News preview
● Inside College Hockey Friday Four-cast
● Boston Globe feature on BU defense corps
● Boston Hockey Blog feature: Beanpot teams take stand to end violence against women

Looking ahead
2012 recruit Matt O’Connor stopped 29 of 32 shots in Youngstown’s 4-3 win against Waterloo. The 6-5 netminder’s 17 wins are second best in the USHL.

BU’s other 2012 goalie recruit, Sean Maguire has won six of his past seven starts and at 2.32, his GAA ranks third in the BCHL.

Hockey Humanitarian Award
Nominees for the 2012 Hockey Humanitarian Award have been announced by the foundation, which for 17 years has recognized those college hockey players—both men and women--whose efforts to better their communities continue to stand out. The inscription on the HHA trophy, first awarded in 1996, reads “"Presented annually to the hockey collegian who best exemplifies the qualities of character, sportsmanship, and devotion to the game, the team, and the community."

While this year’s nominees do not include any Terriers, the concept of the award, now presented by BNY Mellon Wealth Management, was born in October 1995 at BU’s Walter Brown Arena. John Greenhalgh and Jeff Millman, two fathers watching their sons’ squirt team practice at WBA were talking about one of the volunteer assistants, BU All-American goalie J.P. McKersie, who, in addition to his studies and his varsity practice commitments, had recently recovered from a life-threatening accident that had left him speechless and in a coma, and supposedly with little hope of ever walking or talking again. Noting McKersie’s selflessness and dedication, the two dads decided it was necessary to recognize college hockey players who best demonstrate those qualities now listed on the trophy.

Former BU Sports Information Director Ed Carpenter was one of the foundation’s first three board members and early on met with the co-founders at T Anthony's—BU Hockey’s unofficial (barely) off-campus eatery— to talk about the Award and to frame the organization’s goals. On Feb. 25, 1996, during a BU home game, the foundation announced McKersie as the first Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient in recognition of his volunteer work with the squirt team—frequently staying after practice to work with the goalies and providing a positive role model for the youngsters—as well as his year-long struggle to recover from his near-fatal bicycle accident and return to action for the Terriers. Daily Free Press article.