 "Photo: Mike Ralph")
To say that last weekend’s back-to-back losses at Wisconsin were ugly might be an understatement.
After being outshot 95-35 in the weekend series, UNH returns home tonight to take on what may be an underachieving Boston College team.
The Eagles failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament last year after posting a modest 11-11-5 Hockey East record, just one year removed from a national title.
However, BC knocked the Wildcats out of the Hockey East tournament after coming to Durham and taking back to back games over third-seed UNH. Last year’s season series ended in the Eagles favor, 3-2.
This year’s Eagles team features a number of players who experienced breakout seasons two years ago, but struggled last season and look to get back on track with a win tonight.
Goaltender John Muse may be the prime example. Muse led the Eagles to the national title as a freshman and appeared to be on track for an outstanding career.
Last year, however, Muse struggled in the early going and never found the consistency that made him so special just two years ago.
Muse had hip surgery over the offseason and comes into tonight’s matchup sporting a .842 save percentage to go along with a 1-2 record.
Senior Ben Smith is another Eagle who will need to have a big year for BC to enjoy the success it is so used to. Smith tallied 50 points as a sophomore, but struggled to find the net last season, lighting the lamp only six times, while dishing out a relatively modest 11 assists.
Smith is off to a hot start this year, recording four points through BC’s four games.
The Eagles have spread the offense around this season, but junior Brian Gibbons leads the team with five points after a three point effort in the Eagles’ loss to Merrimack.
“BC is always talented,” said UNH head coach Dick Umile. “They are very skilled and they cause problems with their forwards.”
For UNH to have success against this team, they will need to do what Wisconsin did so well against them – keep the puck in their zone.
In Madison, UNH struggled to get anything going on offense, after taking upwards of two minutes every shift on the defensive end – and that was when both teams were at full strength.
“By the time we broke out of their zone, we had to switch lines because we were already tired,” said senior captain Peter Leblanc. “I haven’t seen a team play so aggressive since I’ve been here.”
Wisconsin featured four defenseman that were selected in the first round of the NHL draft and packed the arena with over 11,000 fans when UNH came to town.
“That was the toughest weekend since I’ve been here,” said sophomore Stevie Moses who netted UNH’s lone goal Saturday and has now recorded three in the Wildcats last three games.
Umile said in a press conference Wednesday that he has mixed up practice this week, looking to provide his team with more “game-like situations.”
“Wisconsin was a very good team who set the bar for where we need to be,” said Leblanc. “[After last weekend] we are going to be very hungry. But [BC] lost their last game too and they’re going to be hungry as well. I think it’s going to be a good game.”
The puck drops tonight at 7:05 before the Wildcats head to UMass Lowell for a Sunday evening matchup with the No. 8 River Hawks. Friday’s game will be televised on NESN and Sunday’s game can be seen on ESPNU.
UMass Lowell enters tonight’s game against Vermont with a 4-2 overall record. The River Hawks are 2-1 in Hockey East play after wins against defending champion Boston University and Northeastern.
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