WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- The first full weekend of league play in 2009 his highlighted by the matchup
of No. 9 Boston College and No. 10 Vermont, which will air on NESN at 7:30 Friday night, beginning
with the pre-game show “Face-Off Live” at 7 p.m. No. 13 New Hampshire has a home and home
series with Massachusetts over the weekend, as do Merrimack
and No. 4 Northeastern. Maine heads south to No. 2 Boston
University while UMass-Lowell heads to Providence.
UVM is riding a four-game win-streak, while the Eagles head
to Burlington having split their weekend exhibition series at the
University of New Brunswick. The teams are ranked second and
third in the league in offensive production, as BC is averaging
3.31 goals per game, while Vermont is scoring 3.24. BC will
look to captain Brock Bradford (Burnaby, B.C.) for offensive
consistency, as he ranks fourth in the nation with 1.44 points
per game. Peter Lenes (Shelburne, Vt.) plays a similar role for
the Catamounts, ranking fifth in the league with 1.18 points
per game.
The Terriers will host Maine on Saturday night, in a game that
will be a showdown between the best offensive and defensive
teams in Hockey East, respectively. BU is averaging 3.72 goals
per game, while Maine’s defensive core and solid goaltending
have given them a 2.05 GAA. The Terriers will see the return of
offensive leader Colin Wilson (Winnipeg, Man.), who was in Ottawa playing for Team USA in the World
Junior Championships, alongside teammate Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and three other
Hockey East athletes. The Terriers have won their last four and are unbeaten in their last seven.
UMass will first host the Wildcats on Friday before the teams head to Durham on Saturday. UNH
will return its leading scorer from World Juniors as well, in James van Riemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.),
who ranks second in the country with 1.53 points per game. The ‘Cats are also riding a four-game
win streak and have amassed 14 goals in their last two contests. The Minutemen are coming off a
third place finish at the Ledyard Bank Classic in Hanover, N.H. and will look for offense from James
Marcou (King Park, N.Y.), who is tied for third in the league with 1.17 points per game.
Merrimack heads to Boston on Friday night, playing Northeastern at Matthews Arena before the
Huskies play in North Andover on Saturday. The Warriors are coming off a third place finish at
the UConn Holiday Classic in Storrs, Conn. The Huskies have won five of their last seven and after
second place finish at the Dodge Holiday Classic in Minneapolis, Minn.
Providence will host UMass-Lowell on Saturday evening, marking the Friars’ first game of 2009,
having been on break since their 4-3 win over Brown on Dec. 9. The River Hawks participated in
the inaugural Shillelagh Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill. over the holiday break, losing a pair of
2-1 games to Minnesota-Duluth and Union.
HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY NOTES:
At
6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, NESN presents
the television premiere of 25 Years
of Hockey East - A Tradition of Excellence,
a one-hour documentary that
highlights the league’s most memorable
moments from the past 25 years
produced by Moody Street Pictures
in conjunction with Star Games. This
one-hour special chronicles the storied
history of one of college hockey’s
most successful leagues. Narrated by
Tom Caron, this documentary highlights
some of Hockey East’s most
memorable moments over the past
25 years. The program includes candid
and exclusive commentary with some
of the marquee players, coaches and
administrators who have helped make
Hockey East one of college hockey’s
most entertaining conferences.
