BOSTON – Following an exhibition game on Friday night against Concordia University, the Boston University women's ice hockey team will host Merrimack on Saturday afternoon to open the 2017-18 regular season

Fans that come early for Saturday's game will receive a Terrier Hockey t-shirt. Women's ice hockey season ticket holders are invited to a pregame reception at T's Pub, beginning at 2 p.m. Appetizers and soft beverages will be served. Season ticket holders can register here.

Admission is free for Friday's exhibition, which will take place at 7 p.m.

Senior Rebecca Leslie will captain the 23-player squad, with senior Victoria Bach, junior Sammy Davis and senior Erin O'Neil serving as assistant captains. Fifteen returning letter winners from last year's Hockey East semifinalists will return, with six freshmen and two transfers joining the program.

NEVER TOO EARLY FOR SOME HOCKEY

• This is the earliest date that BU has ever dropped the puck on a regular season.
• Last year, BU and Providence faced off on Sept. 25 to begin the season.
• This is the second game of the year in Division I hockey, as Wisconsin and Lindenwood officially opened the 2017-18 season on Friday.

TWO POINTS UP FOR GRABS OFF THE BAT

• Saturday's opener is also the Hockey East opener for the Terriers.
• It's the third straight season that BU will open the regular season against a league foe and the third time that the Terriers will host a league foe in their season-opener.
• The Terriers bested Providence, 5-2, to begin last season.

START IT WITH A POSITIVE JAM

• BU is unbeaten (5-0-1) in its last six season openers, outscoring opponents by a score of 22-10 in those contests.
• During that stretch of six openers, the Terriers have allowed an average of just 1.67 goals per game.
• They have never allowed more than two goals in any of those six openers.

HISTORY WITH MERRIMACK

• The Terriers are 5-1-0 all-time against the Warriors, including a 2-1-0 record last year.
• BU has outscored Merrimack, 25-12, over those six meetings.
• The one Merrimack win came in the teams' last meeting, a 4-1 BU loss at Lawler Rink on Jan. 28, 2017.

BEST OF BU AGAINST THE WARRIORS

• Victoria Bach has been terrific against Merrimack, scoring at least one point in all six games against the Warriors.
• In total, she leads BU with six goals, five assists and 11 points against Merrimack.
• Rebecca Leslie has notched five points (3g, 2a) in her career against Merrimack.
• Six other Terriers have recorded a point against Merrimack in their careers, including Savannah Newton (2a),  Breanna Scarpaci (1g, 1a), Deziray De Sousa (1g), Abby Cook (1a) and Connor Galway (1a).
• Erin O'Neil is 2-0 in her career against Merrimack, allowing just two goals in each victory.
• Those two wins came during the 2015-16 campaign.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS

• Merrimack is entering its third season of Division I women's hockey.
• The Warriors qualified for the playoffs last year as the eighth seed.
• Sophomore Mikyla Grant-Mentis is coming off a rookie campaign in which she led the Warriors with 27 points and 18 assists.
• Junior Katelyn Rae finished last year with a team-best 18 goals.
• Sophomore Lea-Kristine Demers played 64% of the minutes between the pipes last season, going 8-15-1 with a 2.96  goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.