One month ago, the Boston University men’s ice hockey team (then 4-9-3, 2-7-2 Hockey East) looked to rejuvenate its 2009-10 campaign with a win against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst ‘- a team then ranked No. 15. A convincing 7-3 victory that night set the stage for a much-needed 4-2-0 run that had BU right back in the thick of things in the Hockey East.

Friday night, the Terriers played host to the Minutemen (13-8-2, 10-6-2) once again ‘- this time on the heels of a disappointing 4-1 loss to the conference-leading Wildcats of the University of New Hampshire.

And, once again, sophomore netminder Kieran Millan and the Terriers answered the bell, posting a 6-2 victory against a very solid UMass team (tied for second in the Hockey East with 22 points).

Friday’s win means more than just two points in the standings, though. Here are some things to keep an eye out for as the Terriers move forward:

1) BU’s attitude.

‘Attitude is everything,’ Parker said after the game, ‘and it sure was great this week.’ The Terriers’ high intensity manifested itself in several key blocked shots, a relentless flurry of shots on goal and 60 minutes of smart, physical hockey.

Perhaps for the first time since BU hosted UMass on Jan. 2, the Terriers did not let up after taking an early lead. When UMass junior forward Brian Keane scored at the 17:15 mark of the second period ‘- cutting the BU lead to 3-1 ‘- Vinny Saponari responded a minute later with a power-play tally that pushed the lead back to three. And, when Minutemen defenseman Martin Nolet scored a (questionable) goal with more than 10 minutes remaining in the third, Max Nicastro and Luke Popko potted goals to secure a BU victory.

And that’s what great teams do ‘- apply constant, relentless pressure.

When UMass visited Agganis Arena on Jan. 2, the Terriers surrendered three power-play goals on 13 UMass man advantages. Last Friday, the Terriers asserted themselves along the boards while committing only seven penalties (yielding one power play tally and notching a shorthanded goal). In short, the Terriers can establish their physical, hard-hitting game plan without spending too much time in the sin bin ‘- in fact, as Friday’s results revealed, that’s often when BU plays to its full potential.

2) The re-emergence of Kieran Millan.

Much had been made of Millan’s early season struggles (he fell to 3-9-0 after a Dec. 11 loss to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), but Millan has been solid as of late, posting a 4-1-0 mark since Jan. 2.

The former Hockey East Rookie of the Year’s late-season improvement culminated in Friday night’s 39-save effort (second only to his 42-save performance against BC). Millan looks much more confident and comfortable between the pipes, and that’s excellent news for BU ‘- a team that rode his phenomenal freshman season to a national championship.

3) A full 60.

All too often, the Terriers have strung together strong sequences without sustaining this energy for a full 60 minutes ‘- see BU’s losses to BC (4-1) and RPI (5-3).

However, with the exception of a bad loss to UNH, BU’s effort, intensity and determination has been much improved down the stretch ‘- especially in Friday’s contest against UMass. In fact, when the Terriers took to this ice this weekend, they had the energy, focus and confidence of a team vying for a position in the post-season.

And, with a roster as talented as the Terriers’ ‘- in a conference as deep as the Hockey East ‘- that energy can mean the difference between a win and a loss.

So, what does it all mean for BU?

At 16 points, the Terriers find themselves just two points behind fifth-place University of Massachusetts-Lowell and four points behind fourth-place University of Maine in the HE standings. While it is unlikely that BU will challenge UNH (27 points) for the HE regular season crown, the Terriers are certainly capable of stringing together enough wins to establish themselves as legitimate contender in the HE tournament.

The Terriers have nine regular season games remaining, all against HE foes. If the Terriers continue playing smart, emotional, physical team hockey, their play will turn some heads and make some noise going into crunch-time.

Jack Parker told the media last Friday that he had ‘a feeling that [BU] could go on a run here now.’

He’s not the only one.’