Men’s Hockey: Terriers to welcome Maine for two games

By Patrick Donnelly

Fresh off their upset sweep of No. 8 Massachusetts, the Boston University Terriers (3-1-0) will host the University of Maine Black Bears (2-5-1) for a two-game home stand this weekend.

BU comes into the game riding a three-game win streak after dropping their season opener two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Black Bears come to town having split their last two series, first against Vermont and most recently against No. 16 Providence.

“Watching [Maine] on video, they look really good,” BU head coach Albie O’Connell said. “Their team will be organized. they’re highly competitive.

“We’re gonna have to beat them, they won’t beat themselves. So we’re gonna have to make sure we have our a game.”

The Black Bears enter the series with the best power play success rate in Hockey East, working at 25.7% (nine for 35) on the man advantage. Meanwhile, Maine has allowed opposing teams to score at a 20.9% clip (fifth in the conference – nine for 43).

For Maine, junior forward Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup (3g, 6a) and senior forward Eduards Tralmaks (5g, 3a) have led the way offensively, scoring at a point per game pace. Three skaters, freshman forward Lynden Breen (2g, 5a), junior forward Adam Dawe (1g, 6a) and junior defenseman Jakub Sirota (1g, 6a) all have seven points apiece through the eight contests.

“They’ve been a very good power player,” O’Connell said. “They’ve got some weapons. Especially their top couple guys are very dangerous, so we’re gonna have to look out [for them].”

In goal, the Black Bears are likely looking for more out of sophomore Matthew Thiessen and freshman Victor Ostman. Through four starts, Thiessen holds an .894 save percentage to go along with a 3.89 goals-against average as well as 2-1-0 record. Ostman has an .872 save percentage in addition to a 4.54 GAA in four starts and seven appearances, making for an 0-4-1 marker.

BU’s power play is clicking in its own right, converting on 23.8% (fifth) of its chances through this point in the season, while the opposition is having the same exact success rate (eighth) when the Terriers are a man down.

For the Terriers, senior assistant captain David Farrance is averaging two points per game, as a defenseman, with three goals and five assists for eight points on the campaign so far. Sophomore blueliner Dom Fensore is also scoring at a point per game clip for the Terriers with 1-4-5 totals.

Senior captain Logan Cockerill (4g) and sophomore forward Jay O’Brien (2g, 2a) are also producing at a point per game pace.

Between the pipes, freshman netminder Drew Commesso has been a busy man through his first four career starts as the Terriers surrender the most shots on goal against per game (40) out of any team in the conference. To his credit, Commesso came up large for the Terriers last weekend against UMass, stopping 33 of 35 on Sunday before carding a 44-save performance after facing 47 shots on Monday.

On the season, Commesso has made 147 saves on 162 shots, making for a .907 save percentage to go along with a 3.92 GAA. Like the team, he’s riding a three-game win streak, and has three-straight third period shutouts entering this series.

On the injury front, O’Connell said Cockerill is “day-to-day” and “questionable” for this series after the forward took a high hit from UMass captain Jake Gaudet in Monday’s game. O’Connell also mentioned sophomore defenseman Case McCarthy as someone who “is coming back now.” McCarthy is yet to make his season debut.

One other skater that O’Connell specified is redshirt junior forward and assistant captain Ty Amonte, saying Amonte “won’t be with [the team] for a while  – could be the entire season.”

“[Losing Amonte] will be a big loss to the group,” O’Connell said. “We’re just waiting for a final word on that.”

“We have guys in and out, but from an availability standpoint, we’ll definitely be missing some bodies. It’s gonna take everyone in the room, and if we get a guy down we need the next guy to step up and play well,” he added.

Puck drop between the Terriers and Black Bears is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Friday, while Saturday’s contest is set to get underway at 1 p.m.

Featured image: Sophomore defenseman Dom Fensore tracks the play in a game against Providence College at Walter Brown Arena on Jan. 8, 2021. Photo by Patrick Donnelly.