Men’s Ice Hockey: Boston University to Take On Denver in NCAA Tournament West Region

By: Dan Shulman

The Boston University Terriers qualified for their second straight NCAA Tournament and discovered their fate on Sunday.

BU was placed in the West Region as the third seed and will play Denver in their Tournament Opener. Joining them in the West Region will be NCHC Champion St. Cloud State and WCHA Champion Ferris State.

The Terriers are one of six Hockey East teams in the tournament, along with Boston College, Northeastern, UMass-Lowell, Notre Dame, and Providence.

Fellow Boston school and Beanpot rival Harvard also qualified for the tournament and will travel to Worcester in the Northeast Regional.

For Boston University, its tournament foe is a familiar one. Earlier this season, the Terriers played Denver at home on October 31, winning 5-4 in overtime.

After a winless December, Denver has been one of the nation’s hottest teams and are unbeaten in 12 of its last 13 games, including an 11 game winning streak. The Pioneers top line of Danton Heinen, Dyland Gambrell, and Trevor Moore have all registered over 40 points this season. Coupled with the stellar play down the stretch by goaltender Tanner Jaillet, Denver is a dangerous contender.

BU and Denver will take the ice on Saturday at the Xcel Engergy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota for a 6:30 p.m. puck drop.