Terriers Set to Clash with UVM, BC

Terriers looking to stay undefeated in pair of Hockey East tilts
by Chris Aliano

The Boston University men's ice hockey team (4-7-2, 2-6-1 HEA) will look to push its unbeaten streak to four games Friday night against No. 19 Vermont before hosting archrival No. 15 Boston College the following night in a critical weekend for the Terriers in their push to close out the first half of the 2009-10 season on a positive note.

The Terriers are looking to build on two strong-but-inconsistent performances last week against unranked Harvard and No. 7 Cornell.  Sophomore forward Chris Connolly was the hero in both of those games, scoring the game-winner in overtime against Harvard before poking in the tying goal with 51 seconds left in regulation against Cornell.  It will take a much more complete effort from everyone on the ice if the Terriers hope to come away from this weekend with four points.


Following a positive practice Wednesday, head coach Jack Parker came away feeling better about his team than he has in weeks past.

"We keep telling them attitude is everything," Parker said.  We had a great attitude last week and low-and-behold, we got two good efforts."

Parker was quick to comment that this change in attitude, something that he believes plagued the Terriers through most of the early season, was the work of his captains taking charge.

"I think they're the ones that have turned it around, they're the ones who said 'It's our team, we'll take care of it,' and they have so far."

UVM swept the Terriers at Agganis Arena last season in a weekend doubleheader, something that had not been done against Boston University since the early 1990s.  While they may lack the scoring punch that defined them last season in route to their Frozen Four appearance, the Catamounts return a strong defensive core and a stellar goalkeeper in Rob Madore.  Head coach Kevin Sneddon said before the season began that his team's offense would be more of a "scoring by committee" and that the majority of its production would come from the blue line.  It appears his squad is still having trouble making those adjustments, indicative of the second-most goals allowed in the conference (ahead of only BU).


The Terriers head into weekend tied for last place with a mere five points.  Vermont sits amidst a three-way tie for fourth place thanks to their nine points.  Boston College sits just above the Catamounts with ten points, good for a tie in second place.  Parker understands the stakes have never been higher for his team to put together two positive outings this weekend.

"These next two games are huge for us, we ahve to get points in our league," Parker said.  "We have to make a statment and show that we can compete with these teams."

As if the Frozen Four semifinal rematch wasn't enough for the Terriers, they will play host to the Eagles in the first of at least three contests this season.  Instead of the usual home-and-home series that traditionally highlights the first weekend of December for both teams, the Comm. Ave rivals will square off just once this year.  The second game in the series will be played Jan. 8, 2010 at Fenway Park.

The Eagles have garnered 33 conference goals thus far, second-most behind UNH.  They are led by junior forward Brian Gibbons (3-10-13), senior forward Ben Smith (9-3-12) and senior defenseman Carl Sneep (5-7-12).  Junior netminder John Muse has struggled to return to the form he was in during his freshman campaign, when he led the Eagles to the 2008 National Championship.  While the BC lineup is full of new faces from last season, including highly touted goalkeeping recruit Parker Milner, the upside for this squad is very high.  They seem to get better with each passing game, and have lost just once in the past seven contests. 

Notes and Notables
Junior defenseman Colby Cohen will play this weekend after receiving a shot in his hip earlier last week.  While Parker believes Cohen will be in some discomfort, he should be able to play through the pain... Sophomore netminders Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser will platoon again this weekend...Freshman forward Alex Chiasson is slated to return to top line in place of junior Joe Pereira.  Parker believes Pereira is best utilized on the third line because of his defensive ability... Parker hinted that freshman forwards Justin Courtnall and Ryan Santana, as long as junior forward Victor Saponari could see time in the lineup this weekend...