Game Day: Terriers host Maine

Terriers will look to build on their three-game winning streak when they host Maine for a pair of games at Walter Brown Arena. Today’s contest, which airs on NESN and will be live-streamed outside of New England, is set for 3:30 p.m.

The Black Bears, despite a 2-5-1 record, have won two of their last three, including a 4-3 win at Providence. Their offense is led by names familiar to BU fans, forwards Jacob Schmidt-Svjstrup (9 points), Eduards Tramaks (8) and Adam Dawe (7), along with freshman Lynden Breen (7). 6’4” freshman Victor Ostman has been in goal three of the last four games. Maine leads the conference in power play percentage with 25.7, as well as penalty minutes per game with 16.2.

Last season, Maine beat and tied the Terriers in Orono.

For BU, senior assistant captain David Farrance, who scored the overtime game-winner on Monday, leads the way with 8 points (3G,5A). He’s the only D1 player averaging two points a game. Sophomore  Domenick Fensore has five points (1G,4A), and transfer sophomore Jay O’Brien has four points (2G,2A). Captain Logan Cockerill also has four points—all goals—but is questionable after taking a hit to the head early in the third period of Monday’s win. Coach Albie O’Connell has said he is “day-to-day.”

After a shaky first game, freshman goalie Drew Commesso has backstopped the three wins, turning aside 77 of 82 shots in the wins against UMass and not yielding a third-period tally in either game.

Reporting on the status of red-shirt junior Ty Amonte, O’Connell said ““Ty, unfortunately, won’t be with us for a while. Could be the entire season.” The center from Norwell, Mass., had missed all of last season with a shoulder injury.

O’Connell expects a strong challenge from a “highly competitive” Maine team that “won’t beat themselves. It’s going to hard, it’s going to be physical. We’ll need to make sure we have our ‘A’ game.”

While pleased with the team’s progress from the first weekend to the second, O’Connell sees several areas for improvement: “Our ability to break the puck out a little cleaner and having better puck support going back on it. And always defense. How we’re coming into our zone, our rush defense, defense on faceoffs and being hard [to play] all the time.”

TODAY'S BU LINE-UP

Quercia -O'Brien-Kaufman

Tuch-Skoog-Mastrosimone

Armstrong-Zabaneh-Peterson

Witkowski-Stevens-Boguslavsky

Farrance Jarman

Fensore Webber

Vlasic Campolieto

McCarthy

Commesso 

 

● GoTerriers.com preview, Game Notes, Live Stats, Terrier Sports Radio Network, BU GameDay

● Coach O’Connell’s Media Call

● College Sports Live (outside New England)

● Boston Hockey Blog preview

● The BU Hockey Show (recaps UMass series and previews Maine)

●Terrier Talk interview with Coach O'Connell

● USCHO Picks & Predictions

 Looking ahead

Defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault is the second 2021 recruit to switch from the BCHL to the USHL with the Canadian junior league remaining on pause. A 6’3” right-shot defenseman, he had played 10 games in a pre-season tournament for the West Kelowna Warriors, scoring three points, before joining the USHL Lincoln Stars. In his first three games, Legault has two assists. His father, Alex Legault, was a defenseman on BU’s 1990 and 1991 Frozen Four teams. Previously forward Quinn Hutson left BCHL Penticton to play for USHL Muskegon.

2022 or 2023 recruit Shane Lachance has also changed his hockey venue due to the delay in the prep season. The 6’4” left wing who scored 22 points in 29 games for Tabor Academy is now skating for the NCDC Junior Bruins and has 11 points in 19 games.

Looking back

tw-align-center

Bonino with his first goal as a member of the @mnwild!#GoBU https://t.co/kZS65mOCVd

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) January 21, 2021

Nick Bonino scored his first goal, firing the puck home off a faceoff, and Jordan Greenway assisted on the game-winner as the Wild defeated the Ducks, 3-2.

● NHL.com recap and video highlights

Charlie Coyle scored his first goal of the season in the Bruins' come-from-behind 5-4 shootout win against the Flyers. Matt Grzelcyk, who had played his 200^th NHL game on Monday, assisted on Boston's fourth goal.  

● NHL.com recap and video highlights

 

Kieffer Bellows, who began the season on the Isles’ taxi squad, has played in all four of New York’s game to date.

Women’s Team

Terriers return to the ice Saturday after five weeks to begin a two-game series against Maine. Saturday's game at 6:30 p.m. will be part of the first-ever double-header at Walter Brown Arena.

Nine former Terriers are on NWHL rosters as the league's season begins. Boston Pride: Sammy Davis, Kaleigh Fratkin, Victoria Hanson and Mary Parker; Metropolitan Riveters: Rebecca Russo; Buffalo Beauts: Jordan Huron; Connecticut Whale: Shannon Doyle; Minnesota Whitecaps: Nina Rodgers; and Toronto Six: Sarah Steele.

● GoTerriers.com report