Men’s Hockey: Belpot Champions return home for Hockey East Conference play against UMass

Featured image by Joe Eachus

By Hannah Connors

Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey (8-5-1, 5-2-1 HE) is set to take on the University of Massachusetts Men’s Ice Hockey (7-6-2, 1-4-2 HE) in a series with games set for Friday, Dec. 7 and Wednesday, Dec. 11.

The Terriers are coming off a tournament win in Belfast, Ireland, where they edged out Notre Dame 4-3 to claim the Belpot for the first time in program history.

After dropping from third to thirteenth in the NCAA power rankings earlier in the season, BU seeks to use this momentum from Belfast as an opportunity to climb back up the ranks.

Historically, the Terriers have done well against the Minutemen, boasting a 71-14-9 overall record. 

Sophomore captain Shane Lachance continues to excel for the Terriers. His standout performance in Belfast, with two goals and two assists, including the championship winner, earned him the Player of the Game award and the Most Outstanding Player honors in the Friendship of Four tournaments.

BU is set to start goaltender Mathieu Caron, who currently holds a .898 save percentage. 

Both Lachance and Caron earned Hockey East weekly awards for their performances in Belfast and will likely be key contributors to the upcoming series. 

Sophomore Michael Hrabal is slated to start in net for the Minutemen. Hrabal currently posts a .913 save percentage.

Following their 3-1 victory over Army West Point, UMass aims to leverage this game as a chance to secure additional conference points. 

The Minutemen will likely rely on players like forwards Aydar Suniev and Cole O’Hara, who have proven to be dominant offensive forces for UMass.

The first game of the series will take place at Agganis Arena on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. The second game of the series will be held at Mullins Center on Wednesday, Dec. 11, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.

Both games will be available for streaming on ESPN+.