The Massachusetts hockey team will play the No. 1 Boston College Eagles on Friday in the Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden. A win over BC (HEA 29-5-1, HEA 20-3-1) will give UMass (HEA 20-12-3, 12-10-2) a berth in his NCAA Tournament. and secure the right to participate. HEA final.
The Eagles will be a test for the Minutemen, as they were unable to win their two regular season games against the Eagles.
“We were swept away by it.” [BC] That left a sour taste in my mouth,” captain Ryan Ufuko said. “I think getting those guys back, especially right now in the playoffs, that’s really motivating and it motivates us a little more than anybody else.”
In both games, the Eagles took advantage of their fast starts and quickly put the Minutemen ahead by scoring in the first period. Amherst native Ryan Leonard becomes dangerous for BC when he steps on the ice and proves to be a challenge for defenseman and goaltender Michael Hrabal.
“Ryan Leonard has five goals in two games, so we're probably going to have to guard him pretty heavily,” head coach Greg Carvel said.
The Minutemen will be keeping an eye on freshman Gabe Perreault, one of the Eagles' point leaders. The freshman has missed BC's past five games, including the win over UW in the quarterfinals. With Perreault back in the lineup, the Eagles will be back to full health and strength.
With or without Perreault, Massachusetts must stop Leonard and Will Smith along with Cutter Gauthier. In Perreault's absence, Smith and Gauthier led the way in points, with Smith scoring 58 points and Gauthier 52 points. The Eagles' top line is made up of high-level talent, all of whom are top-10 draft picks, and are hard to find. However, all four lines are talented offensively, as each line contributed to BC's winning points.
The Minutemen need to get off to a strong start in the first period, which will be the key to a win against Providence in the quarterfinals. If UMass can score early, it gives the players some confidence early on.
“If we play hard and have a good structure five-on-five, you don't want to be in a special teams battle with them, but if we can keep the game five-on-five, I think we have a chance.” said Carvel.
The Minutemen have struggled against BC, Boston College and Maine, the top three teams in the Hockey East. Despite this, the University of Massachusetts has shown it can compete with some of the top teams, including a dominant win over No. 4 Providence, but the matchup against BC will be an even bigger test. The Minutemen were hurt by officiating in two games, but Carvell was vocal about it.
Taylor Makar, Ryan Lautenbach, and Lukas Merkuri will be an important line because of the experience they bring. Two of the three players were on the ice for UMass' 2022 HEA Championship win. The line reunited for the first time since the season opener against Providence. They looked like they would come together quickly, but if Carvell keeps them together Friday they could be dangerous on both sides of the puck.
Hurabal will also be a big production on Friday. He will probably have to play his best game of the season. Massachusetts' defense tries to keep BC away from the goaltender, but when the Eagles do get to him, they take advantage of the opportunity better than anyone else.
Even though it's a big game in a big venue like TD Garden, the Minutemen are trying to treat it like any other game.
“It's no different than any previous game, so we know what we're doing,” captain Aaron Bollinger said. “It's just a matter of making sure everything is done right to get there, but nothing really changes. It's the same message all year long.”
UMass hopes to secure a spot in the Hockey East finals with a game against BC on Friday, March 22nd. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. in Boston.
Kayla Gregoire can be contacted at: [email protected] I followed @Kaygregoire on Twitter.
