Boston University
Minnesota Duluth
No. 6 Terriers, No. 3 Bulldogs Meet Again for Frozen Four Berth on ESPNU
March 25, 2017 | Men's Ice Hockey
| #6 Men's Ice Hockey (24-11-3) - Regional #2 Seed vs. #3 Minnesota Duluth (26-6-7) - Regional #1 Seed |
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| Date & Time | Saturday, March 25 - 6 p.m. ET |
| Venue | Scheels Arena | Fargo, N.D. |
| TV | ESPNU |
| Streaming | WatchESPN |
| Listen | TSRN |
| Live Stats | NCAA GameCenter |
| Game Notes | BU | UMD |
| @BUGameDay | @TerrierHockey | |
WE MEET AGAIN
• For the second time in three years, Boston University meets Minnesota Duluth in an NCAA Regional final.
• In the 2015 Northeast Regional in Manchester, a late goal by Evan Rodrigues gave the Terriers a 3-2 victory over the Bullodgs and a spot in the Frozen Four.
• Both teams needed extra time on Friday to advance as BU topped defending national champion North Dakota, 4-3, in double overtime before the Bulldogs survived a scare from Ohio State and came away with a 3-2 overtime triumph.
• Saturday's tilt features two members of an impressive class of freshman goaltenders across the country in BU's Jake Oettinger (21-10-3, 2.09, .929) and UMD's Hunter Miska (25-4-5, 2.21, .909)
• BU is aiming for its 23rd Frozen Four appearance while Minnesota Duluth is trying for its fifth.
• The Terriers will attempt to follow a similar path to the one they did in 2015, when they reached the Frozen Four by defeating Minnesota Duluth before earning a 5-3 triumph over North Dakota to advance to the national title game.
SERIES HISTORY
• This marks the 22nd contest and second NCAA tournament meeting between Boston University and Minnesota Duluth.
• The Terriers hold an 11-7-3 (.575) advantage in the series, but their win in the 1972-73 season was later forfeited.
• Prior to the tilt in 2015, the teams had last met on Dec. 28, 1999, in the consolation game of Duluth's Silverado Shootout. The Bulldogs posted an 8-5 win.
• The teams first met during the 1968-69 season in Duluth, ringing in the new year with a split. The Terriers won the opener, 10-4, on New Year's Eve before the Bulldogs responded with a 5-2 win on New Year's Day.
• The two teams have played five overtime games and the Terriers are an undefeated 2-0-3.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• A national-title contender since the beginning of the season, Minnesota Duluth claimed its first NCHC tournament title last weekend with a 4-3 win over North Dakota in the championship game.
• The Bulldogs bring a six-game win streak into Saturday's game. That win streak is the second-best current run in the nation, trailing only Harvard (15).
• Duluth and Harvard are the only two teams in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both scoring offense and defense.
• Senior Alex Iafallo leads the Bulldogs in both goals (18) and assists (29) for 47 points, which ranks tied for 13th in the nation.
• Sophomore Adam Johnson has 36 points (17g, 19a) while freshman Joey Anderson (10g, 22a) and sophomore d-man Neil Pionk (7g, 25a) have contributed 32 points apiece.
• Hunter Miska ranks second nationally in goaltender win percentage (.809) and tied for third in wins (25).
HOCKEY EAST VS. NCHC
• Since the NCHC began play in October 2013, Hockey East has a 48-32-17 record against the eight member schools.
• Boston University is 5-3-0 in eight games against the NCHC.
• This season, Hockey East is 12-10-5 versus the NCHC.
McAVOY ENDS FRIDAY'S INSTANT CLASSIC
• Freshman Clayton Keller found sophomore Charlie McAvoy at the foot of the right circle in the 12th minute of double overtime to lead the Boston University to a thrilling 4-3 victory over North Dakota in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional on Friday.
• Freshman Jake Oettinger recorded 56 saves, including 21 in the third period alone, to keep the Terriers in the game.
• BU broke a 1-1 tie with goals from sophomores Bobo Carpenter and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson in the first five minutes of the third period but the Fighting Hawks battled back with goals just over three minutes apart to send the game to overtime.
• A North Dakota goal 3:48 into overtime was overturned due to the play being offsides.
• The Fighting Hawks went 66 minutes without taking a penalty until Gage Ausmus hooked Keller on a breakaway 51 seconds into the second overtime.
• The ensuing power play only lasted 45 seconds before BU's Jordan Greenway was sent off for goaltender interference but the Terriers were able to get back to full strength thanks to their penalty kill finishing off a perfect 6-for-6 performance for the game.
• At 8:12 of the second overtime, Keller skated along the outer edge of the left circle and spotted McAvoy before flinging a cross-ice pass right to the defenseman's stick. McAvoy buried the chance and ended the game, lifting BU to the thrilling victory.
• UND's Rhett Gardner opened the scoring with 2:56 remaining in the first period.
• With his first goal of the season, senior captain Doyle Somerby knotted the game at 1-all just 2:05 into the middle stanza.
• The Terriers blocked 51 UND shots and junior Brandon Hickey recorded 17 of them, which is the most by a BU player since individual blocks became an official statistic.
• Keller earned two assists and extended his point streak to nine games (6g, 8a).
• Freshman Patrick Harper also picked up a pair of assists while senior Nick Roberto, sophomore Jordan Greenway and freshman Patrick Curry each earned one helper.
• BU went 0-for-2 on the power play but killed off all six of UND's chances with the man advantage.
• Cam Johnson recorded 25 saves for the Fighting Hawks, who held a 59-29 advantage in shots.w
• The game lasted 91:48, marking BU's longest contest since a season-ending loss to Providence in the third and decisive game of the 2001 Hockey East quarterfinals on March 11, 2001.
• This was the first time the Terriers allowed over 50 shots since a 3-3 draw with North Dakota at Agganis Arena on Nov. 23, 2013.
