The Boston University men’s hockey team is prepared to take on No. 4 Boston College for the third time this season in a home battle at Agganis Arena Saturday night.
The Terriers (12-11-8, 9-7-5 Hockey East) look to bounce back after a tough weekend, both home and away against the University of Connecticut, when they lost 3-4 on Friday and 6-1 the following day.
In what looks like a rebound game, BU head coach Albie O’Connell said his team needs to put last weekend behind them.
“We’re just going to have to make sure we’re in the right mindset,” O’Connell said.
The BU-BC rivalry is strong, and every game this season has been close, leading back to the first time the two teams matched up on Jan. 18. The Eagles (21-8-1, 14-6-0 Hockey East) took that game with a 4-3 victory over the Terriers. However, BU responded in the Beanpot semifinals on Feb 1. when they battled through two overtimes to eventually win 5-4, before losing in the Beanpot final to Northeastern University.
BC is the frontrunner in the Hockey East, while BU has now dropped down to the sixth slot after losing to UConn this past weekend.
The Eagles’ biggest offensive threats lie within their forwards. BC’s top point-getters are junior Logan Hutsko, senior Julius Mattila and freshman Alex Newhook. Hutsko leads the team with 18 goals, two of which were scored during the 4-3 win over BU in January. Mattila is the playmaker for the Eagles, leading the team with 28 assists while also chipping in 10 goals. Newhook trails Husko in goals with 17.
O’Connell said the Eagles have a formidable offensive front.
“They can score. They have good depth upfront and their top lines have guys that are as good as anyone,” O’Connell said.
Freshman goaltender Spencer Knight is expected to appear in between the pipes for BC. O’Connell said Knight stacks up against any of his peers in the conference.
“[Knight] is arguably the best goalie in the league,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell also added that BU has to focus on shutting down BC’s transitions.
“Their transition game is pretty quick. They’re dangerous offensively,” said O’Connell.
Game coverage and an in-game live blog can be found on the Boston Hockey Blog, and game updates will be posted on Twitter, @BOShockeyblog. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.