#5 Boston University (20-8-0, 14-4-0 Hockey East) at/vs. #20 Merrimack (16-12-1, 11-8-0 Hockey East)
Date & Time: Friday, Feb. 17 - 7 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 18 - 6 p.m.
Venue: Lawler Rink - North Andover, Mass. | Agganis Arena - Boston, Mass.
Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierHockey

The No. 5 Boston University men's ice hockey team will return to Hockey East play this weekend when the Terriers face No. 20 Merrimack in a home-and-home series that begins Friday night in North Andover. Puck drop at Merrimack is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the teams skating at Agganis Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Both games will be streamed on ESPN+, with an audio-only broadcast of both contests located here. Fans can purchase tickets to Saturday's game by clicking here.

TERRIER TIDBITS

• Only five points separate first-place BU and third-place Merrimack in the Hockey East standings, though the Terriers have a game in hand.
• The Terriers need just two points to guarantee they will finish no lower than fifth and avoid the opening round of the Hockey East Tournament.
• While BU enters the weekend on its first two-game losing streak of the season after a pair of Beanpot defeats, the Terriers have won seven straight league contests.
• Senior captain Domenick Fensore assisted on both of the Terriers' goals in Monday's loss to Boston College, with freshman Ryan Greene and senior Jay O'Brien each lighting the lamp.
• Senior Matt Brown leads BU in goals (13) and his 1.36 points per game is good for fifth nationally and first in Hockey East.
• Freshman Lane Hutson is tied for first among all NCAA defensemen in both assists (27) and points (36).
• Hutson leads the league in assists and is second behind only Brown in points.
• This weekend's series will feature the top four assist producers in Hockey East - Hutson, Brown, Merrimack junior Alex Jefferies (22 assists) and O'Brien (19 assists).
• Brown, Hutson and Jefferies (34 points) are 1-2-3 in points among league skaters.
• BU boasts the third-ranked offense in the nation at 4.04 goals per game, which is also tops in Hockey East.

SERIES HISTORY

• BU and Merrimack have played 123 times since first meeting on Dec. 11, 1964, and the Terriers hold a commanding 92-23-8 (.780) advantage.
• The Terriers are 30-13-5 (.677) at Lawler Rink.
• BU is 23-4-2 (.828) in the 29 meetings that have taken place at Agganis Arena, including an 8-6 win last season.
• The teams have battled it out in overtime just 10 times and the Terriers are 0-2-8 in those contests.
• 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.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS

• No. 20 Merrimack went 10-2-0 in November and December and reached No. 6 in the polls, but the Warriors are just 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.
• That includes 3-2 overtime losses at New Hampshire and at Maine on Feb. 3 and Feb. 5, the Warriors' last two tilts.
• Jefferies leads Merrimack in goals (12), assists (22) and points (34), with sophomore Matt Copponi (10g, 11a) and senior Ben Brar (10g, 11a) tied for second with 21 points.
• Sophomore Hugo Ollas and junior Zachary Borgiel have split time between the pipes for the Warriors.
• Borgiel is 9-4-1 in 15 games played, recording a .910 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average.
• Ollas is 7-8-0 in 17 appearances, posting a .901 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average.