Two wins in Minnesota last weekend, including a shutout on Saturday, put the Minutemen in the top twenty rankings for the first time this season. Now sitting at 4-1, UMass will be tested yet again this weekend. The team will travel to Boston for Friday’s matchup and return home for the Saturday game both against the Terriers. Boston University is 2-2 in an uncharacteristically slow start to the season.
Goaltending has been an issue early on for the Terriers after losing starter Drew Commesso in the offseason. They have had to rely on goalie Mathieu Caron who allowed six goals to New Hampshire and four in the first game of the Notre Dame series.
Boston University got the better of Notre Dame last time out, netting a whopping eight goals on Saturday. They look to rely on the prowess of forward Macklin Celebrini who scored two goals in that match.
The Terriers are currently ranked ninth but have fallen heavily in the rankings since the start of the season. As always, the main player to watch out for on Boston University is Lane Hutson who led hockey east in points last season.
Minutemen goalie Michael Hrabal looks to continue his stretch of form after the shut-out on Saturday Night. Hrabal got his first start of the season in their upset win over Michigan. He has not looked back since and won Hockey East Goaltender of the Week honors.
Forward Aydar Suniev scored the game’s only goal on Saturday against Minnesota State, and he looks to continue his stretch of goal scoring form.
Freshman forward Dans Locmelis made his season debut against Minnesota State. He will look to get his name on the score sheet for the first time this season.
Captain Ryan Ufko has six points this season, two goals and four assists that he will look to add on to.
Another key player for Massachusetts is freshman forward Jack Musa who has lit up the competition since the start of the season. Last week, Musa was the Hockey East Rookie of the Week award. He followed this up with a goal and an assist in the Friday win against the Mavericks. Musa has been a presence for UMass because of how clinical he is in front of the net, but also his speed in attack.
Keys to the games
🔑 Stop taking penalties. UMass killed fourteen penalties in the series against Minnesota State and even scored a shorthanded goal. However, this is not a model for success. In order to win this time out, they will have to keep their noses relatively clean.
🔑 Capitalize on opportunities. On the flip side, take the chances on power plays. Suniev’s goal on Saturday was on the power play as were two of the goals in the Friday fixture. This needs to continue to be a theme
🔑 Ride the hot hand. Hrabal has been phenomenal and his performances this weekend will make or break the series.
