#2 Terriers are one game away from
a second Frozen Four berth, but standing in their way is the team that ended
last season for the Scarlet & White. BU and #7 Minnesota will meet for the Sioux Falls Regional championship this evening with puck drop set for 6:30 p.m. ESPNU will televise the game, which also will be live-streamed by ESPN+ and will be available in Canada in TSN+
A year ago, the Gophers defeated the Terriers, 6-2, in the Frozen Four semifinal, a contest that was much closer than the score would indicate—Minnesota scored two empty-net goals.
Power play goals, the dagger to BU in last week’s Hockey East title game, also were decisive in Tampa last April.
After Sam Stevens opened the scoring, back-to-back Terrier penalties late in the first period led to a pair of Minnesota power-play goals within 50 seconds, the second by Rhett Pitlick. Jay O’Brien’s game-tying PPG was the only tally in the second period, but a third man-advantage goal for the Gophers early in the third by Luke Mittlestadt followed quickly by another Mittlestadt score put Minnesota ahead for good.
The current Gophers have won four of their last six games and are 8-3-1 in the last dozen. Minnesota was edged in the Big Ten Conference semifinal by Michigan, 2-1.
They have six skaters with 12 or more goals. Pitlick is back and leads Minnesota with a 19-16-35 line, followed by Bryce Brodzinski (13-21-34), Jimmy Snuggerud (21-13-34) and Oliver Moore (9-24-33). Mittlestadt returns as well to anchor the defense, along with freshman Sam Rinzel (27 points).
In goal, grad student Justen Close, who backstopped Minnesota to the 2024 championship game, has a 2.32 GAA and a .924 save percentage to go with a 22-9-5 record.
Photo credit Matt Woolverton
BU and Minnesota have faced off 27 times--nine times in NCAA tournaments-- since the series began 60 seasons ago with Minnesota holding a 13-12-2 edge. BU defeated the Gophers twice in 1971-72, the second coming in the NCAA championship game. Minnesota stung BU with loses in two hard-fought Frozen Four semifinals in 1974 and 1976.
Head coach Jay Pandolfo played against Minnesota twice in the NCAA semifinals, earning a 4-1 victory in 1994 and then securing a 7-3 win in 1995 en route to the school’s fourth national title. (See THIS DATE… below)
Pandolfo was joined by seniors Dylan Peterson and Nick Zabaneh at Friday’s Press Conference (audio) to discuss the challenge ahead.
“I think we understand that it’s going to take everybody for a full 60. I’m really not worried…It’s do or die at this time of the year,” Peterson told the media. “I think up and down the lineup – young guys and old guys – we all understand that.”
While the Terriers scored all six goal against RIT at even strength, they'll seek to ratchet up their special teams--which struggled the past two games--to the way they performed against Maine a week ago, scoring twice and shutting down the Black Bears' power play.
As for what he expects from Minnesota, Pandolfo explained,“They play the same way they played last year. Most teams are going to stick to their structure,” “
"They’re a patient team. They’re opportunistic," he added. "They have good sticks. Last night, they scored a few goals being opportunistic…getting to the slot and finishing plays off. We have to be aware of that.
"Managing the game, managing the puck.
This time of year, every little detail matters if you want to win hockey games
and events."
Pandolfo indicated he expected to go with the same lines and pairs as in the semifinal, but he hasn't made final decisions.
TONIGHT'S TERRIER LINE-UP
● Go Terriers.com, Preview, Game Notes, Live Stats, BU All-Access (audio) BU Men’s Hockey Twitter, Friday Photo Gallery
● College Hockey News Tale of the Tape, Regional Preview
● Boston Hockey Blog Terriers to rematch Minnesota in NCAA regional final
● SB Nation game preview
► BU fans attending the game in Sioux Falls are invited to gather at Water's Edge Lounge (inside the Sheraton Sioux Falls hotel) prior to puck drop. For fans in Boston, BU Athletics will host a watch party at Game On! on Landsdowne Street - please RSVP at this link.
This Date in BU Hockey: March 30
1995: Terriers defeated Minnesota 7-3 in the Frozen Four semifinal in Providence. BU broke a 3-3 tie with four goals in the final period. Shane Lachance’s uncle, Bob Lachance, scored the game-winner.
No comments:
Post a Comment