Pregame Notes: BU vs. UNH

By Chris Aliano

Game # 11
Boston University (3-7-0, 2-6-0 HEA) vs. New Hampshire (4-6-2, 4-2-1 HEA)
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009
7:00 p.m. – Agganis Arena – Boston, MA

Starting Lineups
 
BU

Forwards
David Warsofsky – Nick Bonino – Alex Chiasson
Zach Cohen – Corey Trivino – Vinny Saponari
Andrew Glass – Wade Megan – Joe Pereira
Ross Gaudet – Luke Popko – Kevin Gilroy

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

Goaltenders
Grant Rollheiser – Kieran Millan – Adam Kraus

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



KNOW YOUR ENEMY: THE WILDCATS

• Despite its 4-6-2 record, New Hampshire has won four of its seven Hockey East games and sits in a tie for first place in the league standings with Boston College. UNH is 3-1-2 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 with 16 points, including a league-best 10 goals.
• Defenseman Blake Kessel has had a strong start to his sophomore season with 13 points (3g, 10a) to rank second in the country amongst blueliners in points per game (1.18).  Senior Peter LeBlanc has added 11 points (4g, 7a).
• Senior goaltender Brian Foster has started all 12 games thus far and has posted an .880 save percentage and a 3.78 goals-against average.
• Only five other teams in the country are giving up more goals per game than New Hampshire (3.83) this season.
  

BU NOTES

• The Terriers and Wildcats have played 156 times since the 1924-25 season, and BU holds a decided advantage, 94-44-18 (.660).
• That being said, the road team in the BU/UNH series is 10-4-4 (.667) 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).
• The teams are an even 6-6-2 in the last 14 meetings and last night’s win by UNH snapped BU’s three-game win streak in the series — its longest since stringing together five straight victories from Nov. 11, 1995, to March 15, 1997.
• Senior Zach Cohen and sophomore Ross Gaudet each potted a goal for the Terriers, while UNH got goals from four different players.
• Special teams were the difference, as the Terriers came up empty on all five of their chances with the man advantage, while the home team converted on two of its six power plays.
• Sophomore forwards Kevin Gilroy and Andrew Glass return to the lineup tonight, replacing freshman forwards Justin Courtnall and Ryan Santana.
• Sophomore netminder Grant Rollheiser makes his second start of the season tonight.
• Freshman forward and leading goal-scorer Alex Chiasson returns to the top line tonight, bumping junior forward Joe Pereira back to the third line.
  
• 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 tonight's game after suffering a separated shoulder injury earlier this week in practice.
• The Terriers were undefeated (9-0-1) in their last 10 games in which they have been outshot until UNH held a 27-23 shot advantage in last night’s game. The streak dated back to Jan. 26, 2008, as UNH was also 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’ 3-7 start is its worst through 10 games since the 2000-01 season, when they went 2-7-1 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.