To wrap up the regular season, the No. 17 UConn men’s hockey team will play a home-and-home series against Boston College.
The Huskies are coming off a weekend sweep at home with statement wins against Alaska Anchorage in overtime and Hockey East opponent New Hampshire, a game where they scored six goals.
For Boston College, they will enter this series with a 14-12-6 overall record and 7-10-5 record in conference play. They are coming off of two straight losses to Maine, looking to finish the regular season in the win column.
Freshman Cutter Gauthier of Boston College was just named Hockey East Rookie of the Month. Gauthier led all Hockey East first-year players with 10 points on three goals and seven assists during the eight games over the month of February. He posted a team-best 33 shots on goal, which is ranked No. 6 among rookies. The forward is currently ranked at second in the league for both goals per game with 0.57 and power play goals with seven. Gauthier is definitely a strength for the Eagles which the Huskies should not underestimate.
UConn and Boston College met for a single match at the beginning of the season. It resulted in a thrilling win for the Huskies as they scored five goals in the third period to complete a full comeback against the Eagles. The five goals were scored by junior Ryan Tverberg (2), junior Hudson Schandor, senior Harrison Rees and Adam Dawe, who is no longer with the team. This was a very celebratory win for the Huskies and I can imagine that they want to defeat Boston College in a similar manner this time around.
Through the season, the Huskies have been led by their upperclassmen who have made a significant impact on the team’s chemistry, one specifically being Roman Kinal, who is a fifth-year player on the team.
“He’s been a dynamite leader for us this year and I would love to see him go out the right way,” said head coach Mike Cavanaugh on Kinal.
There is a large group of underclassmen who have also made their marks on the team this season and should continue that stride in future years.
“Throughout the entire year we have played pretty consistent hockey and with a group that is so young and new, that’s probably the biggest surprise,” said coach Cavanaugh on the team’s performances from this season.
Although the Huskies have been playing strong hockey in recent matches, they have to finish the regular season on a positive note to finalize their ranking in the Hockey East conference. Depending on the weekend’s outcome, they can finish anywhere from fourth place to seventh place with UMass Lowell and Northeastern being close by.
Connecticut will open the series at Kelley Rink in Boston. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. The Huskies will close out the series against the Eagles at their home rink, Toscano Family Ice Forum, on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. They will also have a senior night ceremony to honor their graduating players. The first game in Boston will be streamed on NESN and the season finale will be streamed on ESPN+.
