With six games remaining in the regular season, #3 Terriers begin a home-and-home against #10/11 Providence on the road at Schneider Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. for the contest that will stream on ESPN+. The teams will meet for a third time on the season’s final weekend.
BU is clinging to a one-point lead in the Hockey East standings over BC, who has a game in hand. The Friars, who trail the Terriers by 13 points, are tied for fourth place and also have a game in hand.
BU and Providence last met in the 2023 Hockey East playoffs semifinals with the Terriers winning, 2-1, in overtime.
The always-rugged and defensively-stingy Friars have a 16-9-2 record overall and are 7-4-0 since January 1, including a pair of recent weekend splits with UConn and Maine. Senior Nick Poisson leads their offense with 21 points, followed by freshman Tanner Adams with 17, Chase Yoder with 16 (and a team-best 9 goals), and sophomore Bennett Schimek with 15. Junior blueliner Richard Guillaume has 15 points while grad transfer Luke Krys has 14. Sophomore goalie Philip Svedeback has started all 27 games, fashioning a 2.19 GAA and a .901 save percentage.
In his Thursday media call, head coach Jay Pandolfo, pointed
out that, “As these games get tighter and tighter when you get into the
playoffs, you have to find a way to score maybe grittier goals. That’s
something that was a focus the last couple days.
“Against Providence who's one of the better defensive teams in the country, it’s not easy to get to their net or get inside, especially in that building," he continued. “It’s going to be a good test for us tomorrow night and a good way for our group to respond.
“It’s not easy to play against them, and we have to make sure that we are willing to battle, win our puck battles, be willing to get to the net. It’s actually a great team to be playing coming off a tough loss – you have to be ready to play against this team.
"I believe in this group. I’m proud of them just the way they come to work every day and look to improve every day,” Pandolfo added. “When we don’t do something well, they’re always looking to respond…That’s the thing I’m really happy about – they’re resilient."
Dylan Peterson who briefly left Monday’s game after a leg-on-leg collision has practiced the past two days and is cleared to play, according to Pandolfo.
TONIGHT’S TERRIER LINEUP--No changes from last game.
● GoTerriers.com preview, Live Stats, BU All-Access (audio), BU Men’s Hockey Twitter
● Live Stream ESPN+, International Stream
● College Hockey News Tale of the Tape
● Boston Hockey Blog Terriers face Providence in Top-10 Hockey East Matchup
► For the fifth time this season, Macklin Celebrini is Hockey East’s Rookie of the Week. The freshman center from Vancouver, projected to be the top pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft, scored twice in BU’s 4-3 win against BC in the Beanpot opener, then added a goal and an assist in the 7-1 win over Merrimack.
tw-align-centerlaser show, relax.
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) February 10, 2024
Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/AqvegGn0bx@hockey_east | @NESN | @espn pic.twitter.com/aJjEb6tYXY
He has claimed conference R-O-W honors in four of the past five weeks, including last week. His 23 goals are tied for the Hockey East lead and he is second in the conference in points with 42 and points per game with 1.62. Nationally. Macklin also is the goals leader among freshmen and second in points.
● GoTerriers.com report
► College Hockey News Celebrini leading tight Hobey race
BHB's Terrier Hockey Talk podcast recaps Monday's loss in the Beanpot final.
► Flohockey.tv’s Chris Peters announced his top 50 picks for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft with four Terriers—one current and three 2024 recruits—on his list with profiles. Peters has Celebrini at #1, Cole Eiserman at #8, Cole Hutson at #28 and Kamil Bednarik at #47. (Videos of Eiserman and Hutson included).
Looking ahead to next season
A letter to BU season ticket holders reveals that Agganis Arena will undergo important enhancements over the summer in preparation for the facility’s 20th season. These include a new video board and new sound system along with upgrades to Terrier lore displays and concessions.
It also notes that the 19-game home schedule will feature a two-game visit by the University of Michigan (Oct. 25 & 26). Also on the 2023-24 out-of-conference schedule: two games against North Dakota in Grand Forks and a trip to Belfast for the Friendship Four Tournament (featuring Merrimack, Harvard and Notre Dame).
Women’s Team
Terriers look to get back on the winning side of the ledger with a road game at Vermont this afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m.
● GoTerriers.com preview, Live Stats, BU Women’s Hockey Twitter
● Live Stream ESPN+, International Stream
● Boston Hockey Blog preview
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