BU-W. Michigan may be a shootout
Both teams certainly know how to find back of net
MANCHESTER, N.H. >> Boston University has the scoring aspect of its game in working order heading into Thursday’s NCAA Division 1 Manchester Regional semifinal at SNHU Arena.
The same can be said for the Terriers’ (27-10-0) opponent, Western Michigan (23-14-1), which possesses a dominant first line and the overall firepower to match BU. Puck drop is 2 p.m.
The No. 2 seed Terriers enter the field of 16 for the 38th time with the nation’s fourth-highest scoring offense, averaging 3.92 goals per game. The No. 3 seed Broncos are fifth with 3.87 goals per game and those numbers add up to a potential shootout in the opening match.
Defending champion and No. 1 seed Denver (30-9-0), which won its ninth national championship last April at the TD Garden, will take on No. 4 Cornell (2010-2) in the second game at 5:30.
“They obviously have some great offensive players up front so it is going to be our job to just kind of take away time and space from them,” said senior defenseman Domenick Fensore of Western Michigan. “We have to close quick on them in the D-zone as well and transition offense quickly.”
The Terriers’ first line can expect the same reception in the Broncos’ zone, so BU’s game plan will be to match Western Michigan’s aggression with more aggression. BU senior left wing Matt Brown, who leads the Terriers with 15 goals and is second in scoring with 44 points, anchors the Terriers’ first line with senior center Wilmer Skoog (14-15-29) and senior right wing Jay O’Brien (7-23-30).
“They are a very aggressive team, they like to press on the forecheck and that is something we have been preparing for,” said Brown. “We have not really faced that the past couple of weeks.
“We kind of faced teams that sat back a little more so, we are going to make that adjustment. We know they are very good offensively and we have been preparing for that as well. We must take away their time and space but most of the time has been on our usual preparation.”
The matchup features two of the most dynamic scorers in the country, both of who are finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.
BU freshman defenseman Lane Huston led Hockey East in scoring with 47 points. He has 14 goals and an eye-popping 33 assists in 36 games. Huston earned Hockey East Tournament MVP honors by scoring two goals, including the game winner in overtime in the title match against Merrimack at the TD Garden. Hutson leads all Division 1 defenseman in points and assists per game and he has 16 multiple-point games this season, a remarkable number for a backend player.
Western Michigan counters with senior right wing Jason Polin, who leads the nation with 29 goals. Polin needs one tally to become the second player in NCAA history to record 30-plus goals over the past five seasons. Polin is aligned with two prominent scorers on the Broncos’ first line, center Max Sasson (15-27-42) and left wing Ryan McAlister (13-35-48). Collectively they are known as the “Assassin Line.”
“He (Polin) can score and that first line, they are dynamic and very good offensively,” said BU first year coach Jay Pandolfo, the Hockey East Coach of the Year. “All three of them are dangerous offensively and we are aware of that.
“Against any good talented players you have got make sure you are not giving them time and space. You have to be aware when they are on the ice and make sure you are managing the puck well when they are on the ice. That is the game plan against those guys but we expect them to get after it for sure.”
The teams arrived in the Granite State under different circumstances. BU owns the longest active win streak in the nation, going 7-0 since beating Vermont on Feb. 24. The Broncos dropped four of their last six games that included consecutive losses to Denver in the final series of the regular season and Colorado College in the NCHC quarterfinals.
“We are going to play our brand of hockey, which we focused on during the entire break,” said Broncos coach Pat Freschweiler. “We are aware of what Boston is trying to do, they are a team that I think looks a lot like us.
“They get up and down the ice well as we do. They like having the pucks and putting pressure on teams like we do so I think it is going to be a great contest.”