#4/5 Boston University (9-4-1, 5-1-1 HE) at/vs. Merrimack (6-6-1, 2-4-1 HE)
Date & Time: Friday, Dec. 1 - 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 2 - 6 p.m.
Venue: Lawler Arena - North Andover, Mass. | Agganis Arena - Boston, Mass.
X/Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierHockey

The No. 4/5 Boston University men's ice hockey team will close the first semester this weekend when the Terriers face Merrimack in a home-and-home series that begins Friday night at Lawler Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday at Agganis Arena. Tickets for Saturday can be purchased by clicking here, with both contests streamed live on ESPN+. Friday's matchup will also air on TSN+ in Canada.

This will be a rematch of the 2023 Hockey East title game, which BU won in overtime, 3-2, off Lane Hutson's second goal of the night just 1:57 into the extra period.
 
TERRIER TIDBITS

• BU enters Friday on top of the Hockey East standings after a 4-0-0 record in league play during November.
• Sophomore Lane Hutson was named Hockey East Defender of the Month on Thursday after he led all Hockey East blue liners with six goals and added five assists to finish November with 11 points, good for second among all league defensemen.
• He leads all NCAA defensemen with eight goals and he has also notched eight assists for a total of 16 points, which is tied for fourth among NCAA blue liners.
• Freshman Macklin Celebrini leads Hockey East with 22 points, a mark that is tied for third in the NCAA and is first among NCAA freshmen.
• He ranks fourth in the country with an average of 1.69 points per game.
• Celebrini is also tied for eighth in the nation (third among freshmen) with 13 assists and is tied for first among all rookies with nine goals.
• BU is fifth in the nation and first in Hockey East with 211 blocked shots.
• Graduate student Cade Webber ranks second in the country with 37 blocked shots while his classmate, captain Case McCarthy, is tied for sixth in the NCAA with 32 blocks.

SERIES HISTORY

• BU and Merrimack have played 126 times since first meeting on Dec. 11, 1964, and the Terriers hold a commanding 93-25-8 (.770) advantage.
• The Terriers are 1-2-8 in 10 overtime contests against Merrimack, including a 1-1 record last season.
• BU recorded the first 14 shutouts in the series until the Warriors blanked the Terriers for the first time ever during the 2018-19 season.
• The Warriors swept the regular-season series last season, including a 4-3 overtime win at Agganis that marked the first time under head coach Jay Pandolfo that BU lost when leading after two periods.
• The Terriers have not lost in regulation to Merrimack at Agganis since Jan. 27, 2017.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS

• Merrimack is winless in its last three league games but won a pair of home non-conference games this past weekend, defeating Army West Point, 7-3, on Friday before securing a 4-3 victory over Bentley on Saturday.
• Five of the Warriors' six losses this season have been by one goal, with the other defeat being a 4-2 road loss at Arizona State on Oct. 14.
• Sophomore defenseman Zach Bookman leads Merrimack with 14 assists and is tied with junior Matt Copponi (3g, 13a) for the team lead in points with 16.
• Bookman is also tied with Terrier sophomore Lane Hutson for the league lead in points by defensemen.
• Reigning Hockey East Player of the Month Alex Jefferies (7g, 6a) has tallied a team-high seven goals and is behind only Terrier rookie Macklin Celebrini (1.69 ppg) with 1.63 points per game.
• Like last season, senior Zachary Borgiel and junior Hugo Ollas are splitting time between the pipes for Merrimack. 
• Both netminders have made seven appearances this year, with Borgiel starting seven times and Ollas making six starts.
• Borgiel is 3-3-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.
• Ollas is 3-3-0 with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.