Nearly two weeks after their last matchup, the University of Connecticut men’s ice hockey team will return to the rink this weekend when they take on highly-coveted No. 3 Boston University for two games.
The Ice Bus was swept in their two game series against No. 11 UMass two weeks ago. They dropped the first game of the set 2-0 on their home ice at the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs before action turned to Massachusetts for game two. The Huskies lost that one via a 3-1 score with sophomore Ryan Tattle being responsible for UConn’s lone goal in the series. The loss to begin the series marked their third-consecutive scoreless showing in front of the Toscano crowd.
The losses dropped the Huskies to 12-15-2 overall this season. Surprisingly, their record has been more favorable in away matches than home, as they are 7-6-2 when on the road compared to 5-9-0 when acting as the host. When playing opponents within the Hockey East conference, the Ice Bus has gone 7-11-1, garnering 23 conference points and placing them in a three-way tie for seventh place in the conference alongside Northeastern and Vermont.
“We certainly [took the week off] to work on our power play and some defensive concepts that I thought were starting to slip from our game,” UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh said prior to the matchup. “We [also] worked on having a net presence in the offensive zone… our focus is to make sure that we are hitting the net; it’s always concerning when you get grade-A opportunities and don’t put them on net.”
The No. 3 Terriers were able to pick up four points in the Hockey East conference standings last weekend against No. 11 Providence following 2-2 shootout loss and a 5-2 victory. Senior Nick Zabaneh and freshman Shane Lachance each scored two goals for BU on the weekend while junior Jack Hughes (three) and sophomore Jeremy Wilmer (two) each dished out multiple assists.
Boston University has amassed a 20-8-2 overall record on the campaign. They’ve performed well both at home and on the road: the Terriers are 11-2-0 at the Agganis Arena in Boston, compared to 8-4-2 when playing at the away team. With 45 points in conference play this season, the Terriers find themselves just one point behind the No. 1 Hockey East team. Boston College, respectively. They have a healthy lead over third-place Maine and have all but secured a top-two seed in the conference come the Hockey East Tournament.
“I think that [the Terriers] are, from top to bottom, a very well-built team,” Cavanaugh said. “They are very deep [at the defensive position] and up front, they have a great mix… They are very deep all the way around and they will be a vulnerable opponent for us.”
Connecticut sophomore Matthew Wood is a candidate to turn things around after he’s scored just one goal in his last 13 games. The 15th overall selection in last year’s NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators, Wood is second on the Huskies with eight goals scored and 18 points. His 10 assists are third for the Ice Bus. Despite being one of the team’s go-to playmakers, Wood’s plus/minus on the season is currently at -2, indicating that his team has outperformed the opposition with Wood off of the ice. Given his skillset and undeniable talent, he’ll need to squash that trend for UConn to have any chance at gaining points in the conference standings this weekend.
Though their roster is filled to the brim with difference-makers, it’s hard to point to BU’s top offensive player without considering freshman Macklin Celebrini. A native of Vancouver, B.C., Celebrini has slid right into the Terriers’ offensive attack. Through 28 games, he has compiled a whopping 23 goals, 11 more than the second-closest Terrier. Despite being the youngest player in Division I hockey at 17 years-old, Celebrini ranks second in the nation with those 23 goals. He’s also dished out 20 assists this season, third-most for Boston, to give him 43 total points. He is fifth in the nation in both total points and average points per game with 1.54. He figures to continue to be a focal point for the Terriers in their bout versus the Huskies.
Historically, BU has had the Huskies number, going 14-9-2 against the Ice Bus. They won the previous two contests between the programs, including a 3-2 victory over UConn at the XL Center in Hartford back in December 2022. The Huskies are looking for their first win against the Terriers since October 2022.
Game one of the weekend series is set for 7 p.m. on Friday from Toscano in Storrs. Action will then turn to Boston for game two at 7 p.m. on Friday from the Agganis Arena in Boston. Fans at home can catch both games live on ESPN+.