Men’s Hockey: Three Takeaways from BU’s Upset Sweep of No. 8 UMass

By Patrick Donnelly

The Boston University Terriers pulled off a thrilling upset sweep of the eighth-ranked University of Massachusetts Minutemen this past weekend.

The sweep featured two comeback victories with the Terriers first coming back from a 2-1 deficit after the first period on Sunday to win, 4-2, before clawing back from a 3-1 hole in the third period to win, 4-3 in overtime, on Monday.

The Terriers, now four games into the season, continue to show promise, especially since they have faced pretty stiff competition to this point, winning three of four against ranked opponents.

Here are my three takeaways from the UMass series:

It’s early, but… Farrance for Hobey?

David Farrance is playing some of the best hockey of his BU career right now. The Nashville Predators prospect is averaging a whopping two (2) points per game as a defenseman right now with three goals and five assists through four contests. With two goals and a helper against UMass, including a nifty overtime winner on Monday, Farrance has shown he can once again be BU’s go-to guy and take over games.

I know it is really early on in BU’s season, and selecting the Hobey Baker winner this year is going to be as strange as ever due to variations in schedules, games played, etc. around the nation, but when someone like Farrance is playing this well so far, there should at least be a conversation.

BU would be lost without Drew Commesso

The Terriers are allowing the most shots on goal against per game (43) than any other team in the conference, and it’s not particularly close (Maine, 36). Commesso came up with 33 saves on 35 shots on Sunday before making an otherworldly 44 stops on 47 shots on Monday. So far, the freshman goaltender has been a very, very busy man, stopping 38 of 44 in the season opener against Providence (before being pulled out of mercy), and saving 32 of 36 the following game.

He’s not going to be making flashy saves left and right, which is a good thing. Commesso’s strong fundamentals and quick, quiet movements allow him to easily be in position, and make the easy stop, but boy did he come up big for BU on several occasions in the UMass series. You have to wonder where the Terriers would be without him.

Two star penalty killers have emerged

Sophomore defenseman Alex Vlasic and freshman blueliner Cade Webber were absolute forces on the penalty kill for BU against UMass. It felt like Vlasic (6’6″) and Webber (6’7″) were out for nearly the entirety of every single BU penalty kill this weekend, and their efforts paid off. The Terriers held the Minutemen to just one power play goal on nine total opportunities over the weekend as Vlasic and Webber were able to use their lengthy reaches and skating abilities to their advantage, and stifle much of the UMass attack.

Imagine skating down the wing and seeing guys as big as Vlasic and Webber waiting for you? My goodness.

The Terriers will host Maine for two games this coming weekend at Walter Brown Arena. Puck drop on Friday is set for 3:30 p.m., while Saturday’s contest is slated to get underway at 6:30 p.m.

Featured Image: Senior assistant captain David Farrance (4) skates the puck up ice in a game against Providence College at Walter Brown Arena on Jan. 8, 2021. Photo by Patrick Donnelly.

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