In a final tune-up before the first round of the Beanpot, the Boston University men’s hockey team will visit the University of Vermont Friday night for a one-game weekend at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
The Terriers (9-8-6, 6-4-5 Hockey East) have been on the upswing in recent weeks; they have been victorious in five of their last eight games and their two losses have come by only a single goal.
Last Friday, BU beat then-No. 12 University of Massachusetts Lowell 5-0 at home, before tying the River Hawks 2-2 in Lowell the next night. Through 15 games, BU sits fifth in Hockey East, just three points shy of league-leading UMass Amherst.
At the other end of the standings, the Catamounts (3-16-4, 0-12-2 Hockey East) are currently last in the conference with just two points, nine points below 10th place Merrimack College. Vermont earned one of its two points in a 3-3 tie against BU in November, having lost the series opener 3-0. The last time the Terriers visited Burlington, Vermont, they won both games and sunk the Catamounts’ 2019 playoff hopes.
Vermont senior goaltender Stefanos Lekkas has been tested as much as any other goalie in Hockey East throughout his career, but the workload has come with a cost this season as the veteran has a league-worst 3.71 goals-against average in conference play. Amidst offensive inconsistencies, junior forward Ace Cowans has a team-leading six goals, while freshman forward Jacques Buoquot leads the Catamounts with nine assists and 12 points.
The Terriers will look to capitalize on the Catamounts and gain critical momentum going into the Beanpot, which begins on Monday. Puck drop at Gutterson Fieldhouse is slated for 7:05 p.m on Friday.
