Boston University
Massachusetts
Terriers Head to Amherst to Take on No. 2 UMass Friday on NESNplus
February 7, 2019 | Men's Ice Hockey
The Boston University men's ice hockey team will look to end a three-game skid when it heads across the state to take on No. 2 Massachusetts on Friday (Feb. 8). The game, which starts at 7 p.m. will be televised on NESNplus.
| Boston University (10-12-3, 8-6-2 HEA) at #2 Massachusetts (20-5-0, 12-3-0 HEA) | |
|---|---|
| Date & Time | Friday, Feb. 8 | 7 p.m. |
| Venue | Mullins Center | Amherst, Mass. |
| Tickets | SOLD OUT |
| TV | NESNplus |
| Watch | New England - NESNgo Outside New England - UMass Sports Network ($) Canada - TSN Direct |
| Listen | TSRN |
| Live Stats | UMassAthletics.com |
| Game Notes | BU | UMass |
| @BUGameDay | @TerrierHockey | |
The Terriers had a 12-game unbeaten streak (10-0-2) against UMass snapped in a 7-5 loss last Friday (Feb. 1) at Agganis Arena. BU has won four of its past five Hockey East contests with the only loss coming against UMass.
Beginning Friday, five of BU's next six Hockey East games are on the road. Only two of BU's final 10 regular-season games are at home.
Since they first met on Jan. 16, 1920, the Terriers and Minutemen have played 81 times. BU holds an impressive 62-12-7 (.809) record in the series. The Terriers are 17-3-4 against the Minutemen since the beginning of 2010 and are 22-7-4 (.727) in the 33 meetings that have taken place at Mullins Center. BU has never come out on the losing end in a season series with the Minutemen.
UMass has not played since the meeting at Agganis a week ago and is 11-1-0 at home this season. The Minutemen have been in the top two of the national rankings since the first week of December, including their first No. 1-ranking in school history.
The Minutemen rank second in the country in both scoring offense (3.92) and power play (30.5%).
A glance at the top point scorers among Hockey East players reveals four UMass players. Senior Jacob Pritchard leads the way with 32 (13g, 19a), sophomore defenseman Cale Makar is second with 30 (9g, 21a) and sophomore Mitchell Chaffee has 29 points and is tied with Boston College's David Cotton for first in goals with 15. Fellow sophomore John Leonard is tied for fourth among Hockey East players with 28 points (9g, 19a).
Sophomore Matt Murray has started 19 games in goal this season and ranks 10th nationally in goals-against average (1.97) and 13th in save percentage (.925).
BU erased deficits of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3 but never took the lead in the high-scoring affair last week at Agganis. It marked BU's first loss when scoring five goals since Feb. 27, 2015, when they dropped a 6-5 home contest to Northeastern. The Terriers got two goals from junior Patrick Curry and a three-point night (1g, 2a) from freshman Joel Farabee.
The Terriers had their run of four straight Beanpot title game appearances come to an end on Monday as No. 13 Northeastern scored 51 seconds into overtime to take a 2-1 semifinal victory at TD Garden. Junior Jake Oettinger was phenomenal in goal for the Terriers, making 47 saves – all in succession – as the Huskies scored on their first and last shots of the night. Farabee scored BU's lone goal, tying the game late in the opening period.
BU's penalty kill has successfully killed off 25 straight opponent power plays, its longest such streak since a string of 27 straight that ended on March 24, 2017. The run of 25 straight is the second-longest current run in the nation, trailing only Bemidji State (29). The Terriers' power play has struggled as of late, however, converting on just one of its past 14 chances.
Farabee has 14 points (7g, 7a) over the past 10 games while senior Ryan Cloonan has a point in six of the past nine games. Curry (4g, 2a) and sophomore Ty Amonte (1g, 4a) are on the best runs of their BU career over the past six games with six and five points, respectively.
