Men’s Hockey: No. 20 Terriers shift focus to No. 17 Providence on Thursday
By Patrick Donnelly
Days after their 4-3 Beanpot semifinal win against Harvard, the Boston University Terriers will travel to Schneider Arena for a midweek matchup with Providence College on Thursday.
The No. 20 Terriers (15-10-3, 10-6-3 HE) have won five in a row and are 11-1-1 in their last 13 games. Junior forward Jay O’Brien had a goal and an assist on Monday, junior defenseman Dom Fensore and junior forward Wilmer Skoog each had two assists, and senior captain Logan Cockerill and junior forwards Matt Brown and Ethan Phillips each scored.
Sophomore goaltender Vinny Duplessis made 22 saves in his third straight win, and second since being thrust into the starting job in sophomore Drew Commesso’s Olympic absence.
Cockerill understands the Terriers have to do their best to not look ahead to Monday’s final.
“It means a lot [to advance], but at the end of the day, we have a game against Providence on Thursday that we’ve got to focus on,” he said after Monday’s semifinal. “Then, we get a chance to compete for [the Beanpot] again.”
Meanwhile, the No. 17 Friars (18-11-2, 9-9-1 HE) are coming off a 4-1 win against Vermont, ending a two-game losing streak. Providence is 4-4-2 in their last 10 contests.
Sophomore forward Brett Berard had a goal and an assist against Vermont, junior defenseman Max Crozier had two assists, while junior forward Patrick Moynihan and freshman forwards Michael Citara and Cody Monds each scored as well. Junior goaltender Jaxson Stauber made 18 saves.
For the Terriers, Skoog (nine goals, 13 assists) and Fensore (eight goals, 14 assists) have led the way offensively this season with 22 points each in 28 games each. Junior forward Robert Mastrosimone (21 points) leads the team in goals with 11 in 27 games, and O’Brien, formerly a Friar, is BU’s only skater scoring at a point per game clip with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 17 games.
In goal, Duplessis is 3-2-0 in six appearances this season with one shutout, a .912 save percentage and a 2.05 goals-against average. Junior Ashton Abel has seen game action once this season, 20 saves in 4-3 exhibition loss to the U.S. under-18 team on Dec. 11.
Berard has paced the Friars this season with 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points in 29 games. Fellow sophomore forward Nick Poisson has also had point per game production with 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) in 31 games. Behind them are junior Parker Ford (12-12–24 in 31 games) and Moynihan (10-13–23 in 31 games).
Stauber is 17-11-2 this season with a .927 save percentage and a 2.02 GAA in addition to four shutouts. Senior Austin Caine is yet to allow a goal in three appearances, including a 24-save shutout in his only start this season, a 4-0 win against Brown on Nov. 27.
The Terriers and Friars met 10 days ago at Agganis Arena, a 5-2 win for BU in Commesso’s last start before heading to Beijing with Team USA. Skoog scored twice, O’Brien had a goal and an assist, and Fensore and Phillips each scored for BU, while Berard had two assists for PC, Moynihan and Poisson each scored, and Stauber made 20 saves on 24 shots.
Puck drop on Thursday is set for 7 p.m. at Schneider Arena before the Terriers set their sights on Monday’s Beanpot championship rematch with Northeastern.
Featured Image: Junior forward and former Friar Jay O’Brien stickhandles on the power play during the third period of a 4-3 win against Harvard in the 69th Beanpot semifinals on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. Photo by Patrick Donnelly.