It has been a while since the University of Maine men’s hockey team beat Boston University at Agganis Arena. Eight years, to be exact.
The last win was on Nov. 17, 2018, when UMaine received 40 saves from now-Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman and a game-winning goal from Chase Pearson to notch a 3-1 victory.
Since then, BU has won the last eight meetings at Agganis Arena, including three consecutive one-goal victories. BU edged UMaine 3-2 in overtime a year ago on Ryder Ritchie’s goal 1:42 into the three-on-three OT session.
Both teams will come into this weekend’s series with overall records of 4-2. BU is 2-2 in Hockey East play while UMaine will be playing its first two league contests. BU is ranked 14th in one national poll and tied for 13th in the other, while UMaine is ranked 19th in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll.
“We haven’t won down there since I’ve been coaching here,” sixth-year UMaine head coach Ben Barr said. “That’s a place where we haven’t been very good.”
The Terriers have 18 National Hockey League draft choices, including 11 who were selected in the first or second round.
The series will feature a clash of styles as BU will look to play an up-tempo, run-and-gun type of game while UMaine will look to slow the Terriers down and keep them pinned in their own end with their aggressive forecheck.
“We have to hold onto the puck and make good decisions with it,” Barr said. “We have to shrink the game and play in the offensive zone. We have to play in the trenches as much as we can. If we get in an up-and-down-the-ice game with them, that won’t be successful for us.”
UMaine graduate student left wing and captain Owen Fowler agreed the team has to play its own game.
“We’re a hard-nosed team that thrives below the [faceoff] dots. They like to run-and-gun. They have a lot of skill,” Fowler said.
Fowler noted that the Black Bears need to put pucks behind the BU defensemen so they can establish the forecheck.
UMaine has been led in scoring by right wing Lee Parks, who has five goals and an assist and a five-game goal-scoring streak. Left wing Tanner Klimpke (3 goals, 3 assists) and center Max Scott (0 & 6) share the scoring lead with Parks. Defensemen Isa Parekh (2 & 3) and Lukas Peterson (0 & 5) are next.
Goalie Albin Boija is 3-1 with a 1.52 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. Petter Wickstrom Stumer is 1-1 with a 1.48 GAA and a .940 save percentage.
BU has been paced by center Tynan Lawrence (4 & 3), right wing Ritchie (3 & 2) and left wing Jack Murtagh (1 & 4). They are linemates. Center Kamil Bednarik (2 & 3) will miss Friday’s game after being suspended by the league for a spearing major and game disqualification obtained in a 6-3 win over UConn on Saturday night.
Mikhail Yegorov has been between the pipes for all six games and is 4-2 with a 1.99 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
Friday’s game will have a 7 p.m. puck drop. Saturday’s game will begin at 6 p.m.