With its season on the line at NCAA Regionals, the Boston University men’s hockey team is heading to enemy territory.
The seventh-seeded Terriers will battle No. 10 Ohio St in the first round of the Toledo Regional Thursday at 2 p.m. (ESPNU), with a large contingent of Buckeyes fans set to make the short drive up from Columbus to the Huntington Center in Toledo.
With a victory, BU will advance to battle the winner of No. 2 Michigan State and No. 15 Cornell on Saturday.
The team gathered in a private room at Agganis Arena for a selection show viewing party, although there was little reaction from the Terriers when the news was announced. BU’s draw with Ohio State in Toledo was all but confirmed after Saturday night’s NCHC and Big 10 title games.
Plus, the Terriers are still licking their wounds after last Thursday’s frustrating 5-2 loss to UConn in the Hockey East semifinals. To bounce back, they’ll look to lean on their success in big moments this year, which includes wins at the Friendship Four in Belfast and in the Beanpot.
“We didn’t have it for whatever reason in that semifinal game,” said freshman forward Cole Eiserman. “But I think in games where our back’s against the wall, we’ve been really good this year, winning a lot of big games.”
Asked if BU’s big-game experience can provide an upper hand in the NCAA Tournament, head coach Jay Pandolfo took a more cautious approach.
“I don’t know,” Pandolfo said. “I would’ve thought that versus UConn, and I didn’t see that at all. We have some guys that have played in the NCAA Tournament a number of times. That can certainly help.”
Pandolfo said the team practiced Friday and Saturday after the loss on Thursday, but took Sunday off. BU will practice Monday and early Tuesday, before flying to Ohio. Once they arrive, the Terriers will have an hour-long skate on Wednesday to feel out the rink before Thursday’s game.
“It’s a quick turnaround, with a 2 o’clock game on Thursday,” Pandolfo said. “So we basically have three days to prepare.”
BU is 1-2-0 against Big 10 competition this season, getting swept by Michigan at Agganis Arena in November but defeating Notre Dame, 4-3, in the Friendship Four final in Belfast.
The Terriers haven’t played Ohio State since the teams played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, the last time BU won the national title.
This year’s Buckeyes posted a 24-13-2 record and lost, 4-3, to Michigan State in double overtime of the Big 10 championship game. And even if Ohio State hasn’t played BU in more than a decade, Buckeyes leading scorer Gunnarwolfe Fontaine is plenty familiar with the Terriers.
Fontaine, as BU fans will remember, is a graduate transfer from Northeastern who scored the overtime winner for the Huskies in last year’s Beanpot final. With a 17-23-40 line, he’s having a career year at Ohio State.
Before the Terriers can focus on their opponent, though, they’ll need to sort out their own issues after the disappointing finish in the Hockey East tournament.
“It’s just getting the right mindset in practice,” Pandolfo said, “so we’re prepared and ready to compete on Thursday.”
