It has been a long and eventful season for the No. 4 Boston University men’s hockey team, but the regular season finish line is finally in sight, as the Terriers have one last weekend to situate themselves in as high a position as possible before the Hockey East playoffs begin.
BU (20-11-1, 16-8-1 Hockey East) currently sits in second place in the league standings behind first-place Boston College. Since BU holds the tiebreaker over BC, BU will need to earn at least two points more than BC this weekend to finish the season in first place in the league.
The Terriers will look to complete that task in a home-and-home series against Northeastern University, who is fighting for its playoff lives. The Huskies (12-15-5, 8-13-4 Hockey East) enter the weekend tied with the University of Massachusetts for eighth place in the league. If the season ended before this weekend, Northeastern would be the last team out of the playoffs since UMass holds the tiebreaker over the Huskies.
“We’re fighting a team whose backs are against the wall,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “[Northeastern is] a desperate team and they need points.”
The Huskies are 1-4-2 in their last seven games dating back to the first round of the Beanpot. While the five games in the middle of that stretch were all close games, Northeastern sandwiched the run with two 7-1 losses.
In last weekend’s 7-1 loss to the University of Maine, the Huskies were forced to use all three of their goalies. Starting goaltender Chris Rawlings stopped just one of four shots before he was pulled at 9:52 in the first period.
“They lost some heartbreaking games,” Parker said. “I think the Beanpot game was something that was a struggle to get over because they didn’t play well in that game in front of that crowd. They had played so well against BC in previous games this year and last year and I think that was something that – I think we have a bad time when we have a bad BC game because it’s such a rivalry for us and to shake that – you’re supposed to be able to park that and move onto the next thing but the way that happened in the Beanpot was probably hard to park and get onto the next thing.”
While Northeastern is desperate for a win anywhere it can get one, BU is desperate for a win at home.
BU has the best road record in the league and has won seven consecutive games on the road. In contrast, however, BU is currently riding a four-game home losing streak. That run marks the worst home losing streak in one season for the Terriers since BU dropped four consecutive home games in the 1979-80 season.
The situation is more dire because of the playoff situation. Since BU clinched home-ice for the playoffs, all games necessary in the Terriers’ best-of-three quarterfinal series will be played at Agganis Arena.
“We don’t want to lose our fifth game at home and then say, ‘We got home ice, but we’d rather go to your rink and play,’” Parker said. “Playing well in your own building is important no matter what year it is, no matter what time of the season, and in this moment, it’s really important.”
BU will attempt to set a good tone for the playoffs Friday night when it hosts the Huskies, who have won three of their last four at Agganis. Friday will also mark former Terrier Vinny Saponari’s first return to Agganis ice since he was dismissed from the team in the spring of 2010. His return coincides with a BU senior night that will honor six of his former classmates in a post-game ceremony.
BU will graduate at least five seniors: defenseman Ryan Ruikka, captain Chris Connolly, forward Kevin Gilroy and goalies Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser. Redshirt junior Ross Gaudet will be honored in the post-game ceremony and will receive his bachelor’s degree at the end of the year, but he has yet to decide whether he will return next season to complete his four years of eligibility.
Every senior except Rollheiser is expected to be in the lineup Friday night. Rollheiser is expected to get the start in net at Matthews Arena on Saturday night instead.
Junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson said he does not expect the game to feel any different with Saponari as an opposing player at Agganis, but he did reflect on what Saponari’s former classmates have meant to BU throughout their careers.
“If you look at a guy like Connolly that’s been here for four years, he’s been a tremendous player for this school and he’s been the guy that I know I personally and a lot of guys in my class look up to him,” Chiasson said. “He shows us the ropes of how to be successful. He’s a typical BU hockey player. He always does the right thing and he always gives 100 percent in the gym and practice. He’s been a good friend of mine. It’s obviously going to be a good night for him.
“Kieran, his record speaks for itself. He’s probably one of the best goalies that is going to go through this program. Grant’s just been a great goalie too. Every game he’s been in, he’s been great and just an awesome teammate. Just like Kevin, Ross and Ruikka, they each battle through their own stuff.
“It’s the end of their four-year career for BU. I know myself, I’m a junior already. It’s almost over and I feel like I just got here. I’m sure we’ll play this weekend for each other, but also for the seniors too.”
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