While the Boston University men’s hockey team places fifth in the national rankings, its impending weekend series at the No. 12 University of Vermont has the potential to swing the 2016-17 season in a major way.
The Terriers (8-4-2, 3-1-2 Hockey East) are coming off a three-point weekend against Providence College. Meanwhile, the Catamounts (9-3-2, 4-2-1 Hockey East) are nearly two weeks removed from winning the Friendship Four, an annual Thanksgiving break tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
In light of that sort of clash, BU head coach David Quinn said he expects a highly competitive slate to unfold Friday and Saturday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
“Every team is different and every team has a different makeup,” Quinn said. “I expect them to be clicking on all cylinders. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, and we always have great games with them.”
Standing in the way of maximum points will be netminder Stefanos Lekkas, formerly a two-year starter of the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. The freshman leads the conference in goals against average (1.72) and save percentage (.940). BU’s own first-year goaltender, Jake Oettinger, the reigning Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week, narrowly trails him in both regards.
Vermont’s far more than a one-trick pony, though. Its 3.5 goals scored per game is third in the conference, and largely the product of a forward triumvirate. Senior Mario Puskarich, sophomore Craig Puffer and freshman Ross Colton all have scored 10 points or more. But it’s Colton, an NHL draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, that could cause Oettinger and his D-corps some trouble.
“He’s no different than any of the other good players we see,” Quinn said. “You have to take time and space away from him quickly, you have to make sure you get a good stick and not lunge for the puck, keep your body between he and the net. If we can do that, we’ll have a chance.”
While Quinn has a healthy respect for the Catamounts, the fact remains that BU holds a 11-3-1 advantage in the two squad’s last 15 tilts. This version of the rivalry could widen that gap even further, especially if the Terriers return to their November selves in regards to discipline.
In last Friday’s 2-1 win over the Friars (5-6-3, 1-4-2 Hockey East), sophomore forward Jordan Greenway didn’t dress for what Quinn said were disciplinary reasons. Then freshman forward Kieffer Bellows, who leads BU with 16 penalties, sat out the second and third periods of Saturday’s 2-2 tie with Providence for yet again finding himself in the box.
Quinn did say, however, that he had a conversation with Bellows on Monday and has never felt better about the first-round selection of the New York Islanders before. He said he believes the rest of the disciplinary issues will work themselves out.
“If a guy took a penalty [in practice], he went and sat down for two minutes,” Quinn said. “Pretty straightforward, but discipline had slipped a lot in the past 10 days, so the penalties were a microcosm of other things that were happening. It’s been much better this week. It’s a reflection of being so young.”
What could be the biggest storyline of the weekend, though, is the health of freshman forward Clayton Keller. He has missed the last seven contests with a lower-body injury sustained on Nov. 5 against Northeastern University, yet his nine points are still fourth-most on the team.
The 2016 first-rounder of the Arizona Coyotes skated in his first day of full-contact practice on Wednesday, but his presence is no guarantee.
“Honestly it’s day by day,” Quinn said. “It really is. I have no idea if he’s going to play.”
Outside of Keller, the Terriers are only coping with one injury. As reported earlier in the week, senior forward Tommy Kelley is still out with a lower-body injury and likely won’t play before Christmas.
What’s perhaps most important about this weekend’s trip to Burlington, Vermont, though, is what version of the Terriers show up.
“Preparation, focus away from the rink, just little things in the weight room — all that stuff adds up,” Quinn said. “You can’t pick and choose what part of your life you’re going to be disciplined in. You have to be disciplined in every aspect of your life if you’re going to be a disciplined player. I thought some of that had slipped a little bit, but it’s been a very good week on all fronts.”