After 32 games, it all comes down to two.
The UNH men’s hockey team squares off with Boston College for a home-and-home series that will decide the top spot in the Hockey East starting tonight at the Whittemore Center.
The Wildcats have the edge, though, needing only one point – a tie – to add 2010 to the banner listing Hockey East regular season championships across from the student section – and they can do it tonight in the place they’ve had so much success.
“It’d be great (to win it here),” said Mike Broisenok. “To be able to win it in front of our home fans would be great and very rewarding.”
The No. 10 Wildcats, in turn, have been rewarded from their home ice and haven’t lost a game against a Hockey East opponent in Durham in over 13 months.
“It’s very, very difficult to come in first place in this league, so anytime you have a chance to win a championship, there’s nothing better than that,” said UNH head coach Dick Umile.
The Eagles enter tonight’s game ranked fifth in both major polls and boast an impressive, deep offensive unit that will likely keep UNH’s group of blueliners on its heels.
Brian Gibbons leads the team in scoring with 42 points, 27 by way of assist, while Cam Atkinson leads the team in goals at 21.
“They’re very hot offensively,” said Borisenok. “They put up a lot of goals and we’re just preparing the best we can.”
He wasn’t kidding.
The Eagles offense ranks third in the nation and has outscored opponents in its last three games, 16-2. The forwards have helped propel BC to wins in four of its last five games and seven of its last nine.
The same offense showcased its talents last time it visited Durham, but wasn’t able to hold to the victory.
The Eagles built 3-0 and 4-1 leads before the Wildcats mounted a late comeback completed when Bobby Butler sent home the game-tying goal with under a minute remaining in regulation and the teams settled for a 4-4 tie. Boston College left the Whitt after going 4-for-5 on the power play.
The Wildcats, though, have experienced their own bit of offensive success and the recent resurgence of the second line has been a big contributor.
Just when all of the conference began focusing on the vaunted first-line of Bobby Butler, Phil DeSimone and Paul Thompson, the second group, led by senior captain Peter LeBlanc stepped in.
LeBlanc and company have recorded 31 points in the last eight games good for a 3.875 average.
“I thought that line was a very good line for us last weekend,” Umile said. “We would have been in trouble if they didn’t play well. People are going to pay attention more to the Thompson, Butler and DeSimone line and they have to be ready to fight through the attention they are going to get so it’s good that Peter’s line is being productive.”
Butler, though, is still finding ways to be productive despite all the attention and ranks second in the nation in goals per game and fifth in points per game, totaling 24-21 – 45.
“It’s nice to be fighting for No. 1 or No. 2,” Umile said. “This is exciting. We talked at the beginning of the season and it was a goal of ours to have home ice, so the fact that we’re here playing for the regular season championship is exciting.”
The Wildcats will honor its four seniors (Butler, LeBlanc, Brian Foster and Nick Krates) before the game who will be playing in their last regular season game at the Whitt.
The puck is slated to drop at 7:30 tonight and again, all the Wildcats need is a tie to seal the top seed in the Hockey East Tournament.
Be the first to comment on this article!