To call tonight’s game a big one would be quite the understatement. I think colossal is a better word to describe it.
The first-place UNH Wildcats and the second-place Eagles of Boston College will take the ice at the Whittemore Center tonight in the marquee game of the Hockey East regular season.
For the Wildcats, the goal is simple: win or tie at least one game of the two-game home-and-home series and clinch the number one seed in the conference tournament. For BC, the task is quite a bit harder, as they will have to sweep the Wildcats to jump into first, thus taking the regular season title.
And that’s just where the storylines start. If the history between these two teams is any indication, we’re in for an all-out war tonight. When the ‘Cats and Eagles last faced off in early November, BC held a 4-1 lead heading into the third period before UNH mounted a ferocious comeback, culminating in Bobby Butler’s goal with 53 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and allow the Wildcats to escape with a point.
And let’s not forget last year, when UNH’s Hockey East Tournament hopes were crushed in the quarterfinals by these same Eagles. The Wildcat faithful would love to see a return to the form of two years ago, when the Kevin Regan-led ‘Cats clinched their second-straight regular season title with a 5-1 win over, you guessed it, BC.
This weekend will feature a matchup of two Hobey Baker front-runners in UNH’s senior captain Bobby Butler and BC’s junior Brian Gibbons.
Butler, with his league-leading 24 goals, is currently third in fan voting for the Hobey, one spot behind Gibbons (42 points on 15 goals and 27 assists).
The Eagles also have an answer for UNH’s so-called “TBD” line of Paul Thompson, Butler, and Phil DeSimone that has been giving goalies nightmares for the past two months. The boys from Chestnut Hill will counter with a top line of three 30-point scorers: Gibbons, sophomore Cam Atkinson (39 points), and junior Joe Whitney (30 points). And speaking of scoring, BC and UNH are tied for the conference lead in goals with 93 each.
The two goalies, Brian Foster and John Muse, will have their hands full tonight as this one has all the makings of a barnburner.
So needless to say, the atmosphere in the Whitt is going to be absolutely electric tonight.
Tickets have been sold out since Monday, and I can guarantee the line to get in will form well before the doors open at 6:30.
UNH leads the Hockey East in attendance this year, averaging 6,238 fans per conference game, more than 600 fans ahead of second-place UMass. The crowds have been great, but for this game we need to take it to another level.
I want chanting, I want screaming, I want it to be so loud that I can’t hear the person next to me. I want BC to be scared to come play here again.
After all, it isn’t every day that you have the chance to see your team win a championship, so make sure you make the most of it.
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