The HEAT is On: Opening Cats and Dogs (HEA Tournament OR Preview)
The #6 Seed Terriers host the #11 seed Catamounts
BU (16-16-2, HEA (6th): 12-12-0) finished the regular season just outside the bye and will host the #11 seed Vermont Catamounts on Wednesday (March 11th, 6:30 pm).
Vermont
(13-20-1, HEA (11th): 8-15-1)
The Terriers are playing in the Opening Round of the Hockey East Tournament for the first time since 2016 when they hosted UMass Amherst.
BU enters on a loss to UML (3-4) which saw Owen McLaughlin, Cole Eiserman, and Gavin McCarthy score. Prior to the loss the Terriers were on a three game winning streak including a sweep of Boston College.
Vermont enters unbeaten in their last two earning a win last time out vs. Maine (5-3) and a tie vs Merrimack. Prior to that, the Catamounts were on a six game losing streak. Freshman Cedrick Guindon and Sophomore Colin Kessler each had 3 points in the win vs Maine, with Kessler contributing 2 goals.
The teams split the regular season series (2-1, 2-3) both games at Agganis Arena. Four different Terriers scored in the series: Nick Roukounakis, Cole Eiserman, Charlie Trethewey (his first as a Terrier), and Kamil Bednarik.
This will be the 2nd time in the Jay Pandolfo Era that BU will host Vermont in a Hockey East playoff game. The game will be exactly 3 years to the day of the 2023 Hockey East quarterfinal game against the Catamounts (7-3) en route to their 10th title in program history.
Records
3-2-0 vs. Vermont in HEA Playoffs (1-0-0 under Jay Pandolfo)
2-1-0 in HEA Tournament Opening Round
2-0-0 in the HEA Opening Round at Home
28-8-0 in HEA Tournament at Agganis Arena (3-0-0)
Stats
Vermont is the first team that BU has played in the Hockey East Opening Round, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals
Last HEA playoff game vs. Vermont, Nick Zabaneh recorded the Terriers’ first HEA tournament hat trick since David Van der Gulik in 2006 (QF vs UMA and SF vs. UNH)
