The Boston University men's ice hockey team heads to Hartford to face UConn in the opener of a weekend home-and-home series on Friday (Feb. 21). Game time at XL Center is set for 7 p.m.

The Terriers are 8-3-3 since the start of December and have just one loss in their past eight games (4-1-3). 

BU is currently in third place in the Hockey East standings with 21 points, just a point out of second place but only two points ahead of a two-way tie for sixth. Five games remain in the regular season and the Terriers can still finish anywhere between first and ninth. The Huskies' recent success in league play has them back in the playoff chase as they sit in eighth with 20 points, just two points out of fourth place.  

The Terriers and Huskies have had 15 prior meetings and BU is 9-4-2 (.667) in them. The teams are an even 3-3-0 in the six meetings that have taken place at XL Center. After splitting their league series in three straight seasons (2015-16 to 2017-18) the Terriers took the series last year with a 2-1-0 record. The three games last season took place in three different cities (Boston, Hartford and Belfast, Northern Ireland).

UConn had a five-game league win streak snapped on Saturday in a 1-0 overtime loss at Maine. On the previous night, the Huskies handed the Black Bears their first home loss of the season, 3-2. The Huskies are an even 6-6-2 at home this season. 

UConn boasts one of the most balanced scoring attacks in the country with eight players between 16 and 22 points on the year. Freshman Vladislav Firstov leads the squad in both goals (22) and points (11) while sophomores Rusian Iskhakov (9g, 11a) and Jáchym Kondelík (8g, 12a) have 20 points apiece. Senior defenseman Wyatt Newpower ranks fifth in the conference in plus-minus at +19.

Sophomore netminder Tomáš Vomácka has 28 starts in goal and boasts a 3.26 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage.

BU completed its first home-and-home weekend sweep in over two years with 4-1 and 3-1 win victories over New Hampshire last weekend.

Freshman Trevor Zegras recorded a goal and and two assists in the opener at Whittemore Center. Senior Patrick Harper and junior David Farrance each had a goal and an assist and graduate student Sam Tucker made 26 saves to earn the win in his first start in four weeks.

On Saturday, BU completed the season sweep with a 3-1 victory at Agganis Arena. The Terriers overcame an early UNH goal by scoring once in each period to come away with their eighth straight victory over the Wildcats dating back to 2017.

The Terriers are one of only four teams (Arizona State, Boston College, Penn State)  in the country to have three players with 32 or more points this season (Farrance – 37; Harper – 35; Zegras – 32). 

Tucker stopped 69 of 71 shots in goal last week and his first career win was against UConn back on Jan. 7, 2017.