Heading up to the hostile environment at Gutterson Field House, the Boston University men’s hockey team (2-5-2, 2-2-1 Hockey East) may find an eerily similar team staring back at it from the opposing bench.
The Catamounts (1-4-1, 1-1-1) have not only struggled out of the gate like BU, but, in addition to a young defense, Vermont has had two goal-scorers racking up the majority of the points – similar to the Terriers’ Red Line, which notched 11 points last weekend.
“I think, historically, we play very similar type of games,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “I know they’ve struggled win-loss wise this season, but I think they’ve played well at times.”
The difference, however, is in the graduating class. The Catamounts took heavy losses to their offensive corps while the Terriers returned most of their scorers.
And while the Terriers are inexperienced in net, Vermont returned arguably the best goalie in the conference in Joe Fallon.
Fallon, the best goalie in UVM history – and the best since current Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas suited up for the Catamounts – provides a solid backstop for Vermont every time he takes the ice.
“He’s their John Curry,” Parker said. “He’s played extremely well for them. He’s played great in big games for them, and he’s played very well against us in big games. He’s probably the best returning goalie in the league, no question about it.
“That being said, we’ve solved him in the past as well, and we have to make sure that we’re ready to go,” he added.
In order to solve Fallon and the Catamounts this weekend, the Terriers will need to shake off the inconsistency that has plagued them through their first nine games.
And although it looked as though stability in net was materializing in the form of sophomore goaltender Brett Bennett, this weekend’s two-game set may see the return of the rotation of Bennett and senior Karson Gillespie.
Bennett, who will start tonight, has been the only one between the pipes since the Terriers’ come-from-behind win against the University Massachusetts-Lowell on Nov. 3, going 1-1-1 since.
Gillespie was pulled during the Lowell game after the Terriers fell into a 3-0 hole in the second period. But the senior netminder could get another shot tomorrow.
“Bennett will play Friday night, but there’s no decision on Saturday yet,” Parker said.
“[This weekend] is huge,” said junior forward Chris Higgins. “We’re not even close to where we want to be right now. Being 2-5-2 overall right now, that’s just not acceptable. If we could get two big wins against Vermont on the road . . . [it’d] get our confidence level up going into the next few weeks.”
That sense of urgency and energy will be important for the Terriers to take four points, especially in a place like “The Gutt,” where the atmosphere almost always pumps the Catamounts up to play before their home crowd.
“It’s a tough place for anybody to play,” Parker said. “We’ve had some success up there, and it’s a great crowd to play in front of. It’s the exact same size rink as ours, as far as being 200 [feet] by 90 [feet] so it’s a little bit more comfortable for us that way.
“But it’s not so much that it’s tough for us, but that they really get their team going,” he added. “They play much better at home then they have on the road.”
