Game Day: BU hosts UMass in opening round of HE Playoffs

#9 Terriers begin the defense of their Hockey East championship tonight with a best-of-three series against UMass. Game time at Agganis Arena is 7:30 p.m. ET.  The Pack Network will live stream first round and quarterfinal round games. (Subscription details)

BU swept the season series against the Minutemen with 7-2 and 6-3 wins. In 18 meetings between the teams at Agganis Arena, BU has a14-2-2 record.

UMass's offense is led by senior Shane Walsh and sophomore Ray Pigozzi with 28 points each, while sophomore Dennis Kravchenko has 26. Walsh is the top goal scorer with 17, third best among Hockey East players.

Senior Danny O’Regan (photo) tops the Terrier scorers with 38 points and his 148 career points is second among all active Division 1 players. Classmates Ahti Oksanen and Matt Lane have 34 and 26 points respectively. O'Regan and senior captain Matt Grzelcyk are BU's top career Hockey East tournament scorers with eight points each. Senior goalie Sean Maguire brings a 2.17 GAA and a .928 save percentage into the game. (BU stats)

A win on Friday would allow BU to secure a 20-win season for the fourth time in the past five years and the 20th time in the past 27 years. 

Tonight's line-up 
Greenway-JFK-O'Regan
Oksanen-Carpenter-Lane
Cloonan-Baillargeon-Andren
Phelps-Moran-Kelley
Grzelcyk-McAvoy
Hickey-Fortunato
Somerby-Diffley
Maguire

● GoTerriers.com preview, Game Notes, GameTracker, Terrier Sports Radio Network Webcast, @BUGameDay   

● HockeyEast live stream (subscription)

● Boston Hockey Blog live in-game blog 

● Daily Free Press preview         

● WTBU Sports game preview and podcast 

● UMass Game Notes 
● College Hockey News Tale of the Tape  

● USCHO: This Week in Hockey East; Picks and Predictions

● HockeyEastOnline weekend preview

The Boston Globe's Kevin Paul Dupont talked with freshman standout Jordan Greenway about his path from Potsdam, N.Y., to Comm. Ave, via stops in Minnesota and Michigan.

Looking back

#EichEichBaby! Picked the corner perfectly. pic.twitter.com/ZNr0h6XVG7

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 4, 2016

Jack Eichel scored his 18^th goal of the season on a hard wrist shot from the center point in Buffalo’s 6-3 win against Calgary.

● NHL.com recap and video

Cason Hohmann, named ECHL Player of the Week for Feb. 22-28, talks about the “best four years” of his life and how close a squad the 2014-15 Terriers were. With 45 points, Hohmann is the Elmira Jackals' top scorer.

● ECHL.com interview

With 24 goals and 37 assists, Hershey’s Chris Bourque leads the AHL in scoring.

Women’s Team

BU is preparing to defend its Hockey East championship this weekend, first taking on Northeastern in the semifinals at Merrimack’s Lawler Rink Saturday at 4:30. The championship game on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. will be lived-stream for free on AmericanSportsNetwork.com.

● Daily Free Press preview