Pregame Notes: BU at UNH

By Chris Aliano

Game # 10
Boston University (3-6-0, 2-5-0 HEA) at New Hampshire (3-6-2, 3-2-1 HEA)
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
7:00 p.m. – Whittemore Center – Durham, N.H.

Starting Lineups
 
BU

Forwards
David Warsofsky – Nick Bonino – Joe Pereira
Zach Cohen – Corey Trivino – Vinny Saponari
Justin Courtnall – Wade Megan – Alex Chiasson
Ross Gaudet – Luke Popko – Ryan Santana

Defense
Colby Cohen – Kevin Shattenkirk
Ben Rosen – Eric Gryba
Sean Escobedo – Max Nicastro

Goaltenders
Kieran Millan – Adam Kraus – Grant Rollheiser

UNH

Forwards
Stevie Moses – Peter LeBlanc – Mike Sislo
Paul Thompson – Phil DeSimone – Bobby Butler
Dalton Speelman – Mike Borisenok – Austin Block
Kevin McCarey – Greg Manz – John Henrion

Defense
Brett Kostolansky – Blake Kessel
Matt Campanale – Damon Kipp
Mike Beck – Connor Hardowa

Goaltenders
Brian Foster - Matt DiGirolamo – Tyler Scott


KNOW YOUR ENEMY: THE WILDCATS

• Despite its 3-6-2 record, New Hampshire has won three of its six Hockey East games and sits in a four- way tie for second place in the league standings. UNH is 2-1-2 at home and 1-5-0 on the road.
• The Wildcats split two games at No. 11 UMass last weekend, earning a 4-2 victory on Saturday after the Minutemen won a 4-3 overtime contest on Friday after scoring an extra-attacker goal with 11 seconds left in regulation.
• Senior Bobby Butler, who was named the Hockey East Co-Player of the Week, leads the Wildcats in points (14) and goals (9).  Defenseman Blake Kessel has had a strong start to his sophomore season with 12 points (3g, 9a) to rank tied for second in the country amongst blueliners in points per game (1.20).  Senior Peter LeBlanc has added 11 points (4g, 7a).
• Senior goaltender Brian Foster has started all 11 games thus far and has posted an .878 save percentage and a 3.95 goals-against average.
• Only Harvard (4.40) is giving up more goals per game than New Hampshire (4.00) this season.
  

BU NOTES

• This is the first game between both teams since the Terriers escaped Manchester, N.H. last March with a 2-1 victory thanks to a last-minute goal by Jason Lawrence, lifting BU to its first Frozen Four in 12 years.    
  
• The Terriers and Wildcats have played 155 times since the 1924-25 season, and BU holds a decided advantage, 94-43-18 (.665).
• No team has had more success as an opponent at the Whittemore Center than BU, which holds an 9-6- 5 (.575) record in the facility.  The Terriers are the only Hockey East team to have a winning record on the road against UNH.
• That being said, the road team in the BU/UNH series is 10-3-4 (.706) in league play since the start of the 2003-04 season (excluding UNH’s 4-3 victory at Verizon Wireless Arena on 11/5/04).
• Last season, the Terriers dropped the first game of the series early in the season, a 2-1 loss at UNH.  They proceeded to win the next three games--including the Regional Final--as well as sweeping a home-and-home series for the first time in eight years against the Wildcats.
• Sophomore forward Chris Connolly is questionable for the weekend series after suffering a separated shoulder injury earlier this week in practice.
• The Terriers are undefeated (9-0-1) in their last 10 games in which they have been out-shot.  This streak dates back to Jan. 26, 2008, as UNH was the last team to top BU while recording more shots.
• The Terriers are still undefeated when Nick Bonino records a point.  BU is undefeated in the last 36 games when the junior forward gets on the board--going 33-0-3 during that span.
•  The Terriers’ 2-6 start is its worst through eight games since the 1998-99 season, when they went 1-6-1 to open the year.
• Last season, the Terriers were 5-0-0 when allowing exactly three goals. This season, BU is 0-4-0 when allowing an opponent to score three goals.

Game notes courtesy of Brian Kelley and goterriers.com.