Boston University
Denver
No. 2 Terriers Head West for Weekend Series at No. 10 Denver
October 13, 2016 | Men's Ice Hockey
| #2 Men's Ice Hockey (1-0-0) at #10 Denver (0-2-0) | |
|---|---|
| Date & Time | Friday (Oct. 14) - 9:30 p.m. ET / Saturday (Oct. 15) - 9 p.m. ET |
| Venue | Magness Arena | Denver, Colo. |
| TV | Friday: Altitude (DirecTV 681, Dish 413), Saturday: Altitude 2 (DirecTV 681-1, Dish 453) |
| Listen | TSRN |
| Game Notes | BU | Denver |
| Live Stats | Friday | Saturday |
| @BUGameDay | @TerrierHockey | |
Two of the nation's top programs will face off in a marquee early-season series as the No. 2 Boston University men's ice hockey team (1-0-0) heads west to take on No. 10 Denver (0-2-0) for games on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 14-15).
Friday's contest (9:30 p.m. ET) will be televised on Altitude (DirecTV 681, Dish 413) while Altitude 2 (DirecTV 681-1, Dish 453) will show Saturday's game (9 p.m. ET).
This will be a rematch of last season's NCAA West Regional match-up, which was won by the Pioneers. BU earned an overtime win against Denver at Agganis Arena last Halloween. The Terriers and Pioneers have played 31 times since first meeting in the 1923-24 season, and BU holds a slim 15-14-2 edge (.516) thanks to wins in four of the past six meetings. The Terriers are 1-3-0 in the four meetings at Magness Arena with the win coming in the championship game of the 2009 Denver Cup.
Denver, which reached the Frozen Four last season, hosted the season-opening Ice Breaker Tournament last weekend and dropped both of its contests. After 3-2 loss to Ohio State on Friday, the Pioneers were downed by Boston College, 3-1, the following night.
Senior Will Butcher, sophomore Jarid Lukosevicus and freshman Tyson McLellan each scored a goal during the tournament and Butcher, a 2016 Second Team All-American, was named to the all-tournament team.
Sophomore Dylan Gambrell is the team's leading returning scorer after putting together a 17-30--47 line as a rookie. However, he is injured and will not play this weekend. Butcher put up 32 points on nine goals and 23 assists last season. Sophomore Troy Terry (9g, 13a) is the only other returner who scored over 20 points last year.
The Pioneers return all three of their goaltenders from last season. Junior Tanner Jaillet (17-5-5, .922, 2.27) and senior Evan Cowley (8-5-1, .929, 2.07) are again expected to share the netminding duties.
Former Maine standout Jim Montgomery is in his fourth season as head coach of the Pioneers and has a 69-42-14 career record.
Ahti Oksanen scored two goals, including the overtime winner, to lead BU to a 5-4 home victory over Denver last Halloween. The Pioneers erased a 4-2 third-period deficit before Oksanen's heroics in the extra session.
The teams were then matched up in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional, held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Pioneers jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the opening minute of the second period and never looked back, rolling to a 7-2 victory. Since taking the BU helm in 2013, head coach David Quinn is 4-1-0 against NCHC teams will that being the lone loss.
The Terriers will try to build off of a convincing 6-1 victory at Colgate in their season opener last Saturday. Freshman Patrick Harper scored two goals in the win and, including the Terriers' two exhibition contets, has combined for 10 goals on just 13 shots thus far. Classmate Clayton Keller put up a goal and an assist against the Raiders and another freshman, Jake Oettinger, turned in an impressive 29-save performance in goal.
