They weren’t even supposed to be among the top four teams in their conference.
But the Boston University hockey team’s road to the Worcester Centrum Centre has been a long and winding one, beginning and ending with unbeaten streaks of at least seven games, with an 8-7-1 stretch stuffed in between.
As the second season begins, however, the Terriers (25-9-3) find themselves in territory quite different from where they started in early October. Whereas then Hockey East coaches picked BU to finish fifth in the league, this time they come in as the favorites to play in next month’s Frozen Four, seeded second in the NCAA Tournament’s East Regional.
For BU to get to St. Paul, Minn., on April 4, they first need to beat either the University of Maine or Harvard University, two teams with whom BU is very familiar. With both teams being perennial Hockey East powerhouses, the rivalry between BU and Maine is storied, with the Black Bears holding a 2-1-1 advantage this year. The Terriers and Crimson have battled for the Beanpot throughout the last 50 years, and met in a non-league contest just before Thanksgiving this season. BU fell behind early but won, 8-4.
The Black Bears and Crimson face off at noon on Saturday, 24 hours before the winner will come back to face the Terriers.
“We’re all looking at having Maine pull that one off,” said senior co-captain Chris Dyment. “It’s two great teams, don’t get me wrong, but Maine is a little better than Harvard right now. Harvard’s on a good streak, so it’ll definitely be a good game between the two of them, but I think Maine will come out on top.”
However, instead of speculating and preparing for the Black Bears, the Icedogs have been focusing on improving their own game, specifically their efficiency on the power play and penalty kill. BU practices have been dedicated to those basic, but important, elements all season, regardless of whether outsiders expected greatness or mediocrity.
“We really don’t look at where we’re ranked,” Dyment said. “We’ve had the same game plan all year: Just go out there and play hard.”
The return of senior defenseman Pat Aufiero could be a huge factor for the Icedogs, especially if they face the No. 3 Black Bears. BU will be looking to stop Maine nemesis Niko Dimitrakos, who lit up the Terriers in a two-game series at Walter Brown Arena earlier this month before netting the game-winner in last weekend’s Hockey East tournament semifinals.
If BU and Harvard meet in Worcester, another offensive explosion could be in order for the Terriers, who used crisp passes to cycle in the Crimson zone at the Bright Hockey Center in November. But if the Icedogs aren’t careful, their highly acclaimed penalty kill could be victimized again by forward Tim Pettit, who scored twice with the man-advantage in this season’s earlier meeting between the two teams.
