Back to the Garden--UPDATED

The #1 ranked Terriers will seek to take the first step toward a 30th Beanpot title when they take on Harvard tonight in the first game (5:00 p.m.) of the Beanpot semis at TD Garden. The 60th renewal of college hockey’s iconic in-season tournament will air on NESN.

BU’s all-time record in Beanpot games is 84-34 (.712). The Terrier’s last Beanpot title came in 2009 when they beat Northeastern, 5-2, on the strength of a goal by MVP Nick Bonino and two shorthanded goals on the same penalty.

In last month’s meeting between BU and the Crimson, the Terriers registered a come-from-behind win, capped by Garrett Noonan’s overtime winner.

Captain Chris Connolly, and juniors Alex Chiasson and Wade Megan (photo) lead BU in scoring with 26 points apiece. Alex Killorn is the top Crimson scorer with 29.

Defenseman Max Nicastro, injured during the Maine series, returns to the BU blueline tonight.

Connolly told BU Today:

You want the team to have the same outlook game-in and game-out and create consistency, but it’s hard not to have a little more excitement for a tournament like that. You’re playing on national TV and in front of very big crowds that you’re not used to, so I think all the teams are pretty jacked up to play.

BU'S LINEUP
Nieto-Connolly-Chiasson
Megan-Gill-Hohmann
Courtnall-Rosen-Rodrigues
Gaudet-Santana-Gilroy
Noonan-MacGregor
Escobedo-Clendening
Nicastro-Ruikka
Millan

● GoTerriers.com preview, game notes, Gametracker
● Listen to WWZN radio Webcast
● Hockey East live scoreboard
Boston Hockey Blog in-game blog and Beanpot luncheon videos
● Daily Free Press preview
● BU Today preview
● Beanpot Web site
● Patriot Ledger preview
● Boston Globe feature on Connolly/leadership
● Boston Herald preview and Travis Roy feature
● USCHO Hockey East Blog
● College Hockey News preview and feature

Terriers took over the top spot in USCHO's weekly poll, just ahead of Minnesota, although the Gophers have more first-place votes. They are second in the USA Today poll. BU, which is now third in INCH’s power rankings, has regained the top spot in the Pairwise rankings, too.

Four Terriers were named to HockeyEast's top performers list for the week: Connolly, Chiasson, Matt Nieto and Kieran Millan.

Broadcast Schedule update
Hockey East announced that the Feb. 18 BU home game against Lowell has been added to the NESN broadcast schedule. The matchup between the teams now first and second in Hockey East standings begins at 7 p.m.

Looking ahead
2012 recruit Mike Moran scored a goal and an assist for the Bay State Breakers in an 8-4 loss to Boston in EJHL action. It’s been a Long and Winding Road this season for the former Taft School captain. After attending an Indiana Ice tryout camp this past summer, Moran spent four-and-a-half months in the BCHL, briefly with Penticton, then with Victoria where he became a top scorer, often skating on the top lineline with 2012 recruit Wes Myron. Moran rang up an 18-28-46 line in the BCHL, but his Canadian Jr. A rights were traded to AJHL Spruce Grove in the Grizzlies’ fire sale last month. The Marshfield, Mass., native instead returned home and joined the Breakers and has four points in seven games.

2012 recruit Robert Polesello scored his ninth goal of the seaon, but it was the only Indiana score as the Ice fell, 6-1, to Dubuque.

2012 recruit Matt O’Connor stopped 35 of 28 shots in Youngstown’s 4-3 win against Cedar Rapids, with his fifth win in his past six starts, O’Connor is tied for the USHL lead in wins with 20.

2012 recruit Marc Hetnik, Jr., picked up his 10th assist of the season as Vernon thumped Alberni Valley, 5-2.

Powell River Kings goalie coach Jeff Battah tweeted that “Since Jan 10, [2012 recruit] Sean Maguire @PRKingsBCHL / Boston Univ. NCAA has posted a 7-0 record with a 1.39 GAA and a .947 Save %.”

BU Recruiting Class stats : Maguire (2.34/.912) Myron (17g-25a) Polesello (9g-12a) Matthew Lane (9g-8a) Jarrid Privitera (15g-15a) O'Connor (2.68/.911)

Women’s team
Behind a goal and four assists from junior Isabel Menard, the streaking Terriers headed North to the Whittemore Center Saturday night and came home with a 5-1 win against New Hampshire.

BU also received goals from captain Jenn Wakefield –her 19th—Kayla Tuttino, Tara Watchorn and Louis Warren. Kerrin Sperry stopped 22 Wildcat shots. Terriers are now tied for third in the conference, four points behind second-place BC, and six points behind Northeastern, whom BU will face on Wednesday in the Women's Beanpot championship game at Walter Brown Arena.
● GoTerriers.com recap
● Comprehensive box score
● HockeyEastOnline recap
● Daily Free Press recap