Coming off a dominant 5–0 performance against Maine last week, Boston College men’s hockey will look to carry that momentum as they travel to TD Garden for the Hockey East semifinal—a game that will determine not only whether the Eagles’ conference championship dreams stay alive, but also could make or break their chances of getting an NCAA Tournament bid.  

No. 4-seeded BC (20–14–1, 13–11–0 Hockey East) will face No. 3-seeded UConn (19–11–5, 12–9–3) at 7 p.m. on Friday night in a matchup that is sure to be a tall task for either team. 

In head-to-head matchups this season, the Eagles swept UConn with scores of 5–2 at Conte Forum and 2–1 (OT) in Hartford, Conn. The Huskies have found just as much success in the Tournament as BC so far, though, taking down a formidable Boston University team with a 5–3 win last Saturday. 

UConn has also earned its highest position in program history by capturing the No. 3 seed.

The Huskies 

Senior forward Ryan Tattle, who leads the Huskies in both total points and assists with 31 and 18, respectively, will be crucial in helping UConn secure its first win over BC this season. He was recently named to the All-Hockey East Second Team and notched an assist in UConn’s quarterfinal win over BU. 

Tattle scored one goal in UConn’s 5–2 loss to BC. 

Tattle’s All-Hockey East Second Team partner-in-crime and linemate—junior forward Joey Muldowney—is UConn’s leading goalscorer. He has 17 goals on the year and will present another real challenge for BC’s defense, though he did not score or register an assist in either of the teams’ previous two meetings. 

UConn’s defense is not to be taken lightly, either. Goalie Tyler Muszelik owns a .928 percent save percentage this year, the fifth-best in all of NCAA Division I hockey. 

Despite Muszelik’s dominance between the posts, UConn struggles in other key areas that the Eagles will look to exploit. The Huskies’ penalty-kill percentage is just 75.3 percent, the second-worst in Hockey East. That comes as welcome news for BC, which boasts the second-best power-play percentage in the conference. 

The Eagles

BC will look to exploit any slight defensive weakness from UConn with its dynamic offense, led by sophomore phenom James Hagens, who recently received the Hockey East Three Stars Award. He was also recently named a Top-10 Finalist for the Hobey Baker, the most prestigious award in college hockey. 

Hagens and fellow sophomore and fan favorite Dean Letourneau have combined for 82 total points. They played on the same line for the first time all season in BC’s quarterfinal win over Maine. 

BC goalkeeper Louka Cloutier, a freshman who has stepped up and become a consistent starter for the Eagles, holds a .911 save percentage and has recorded three shutouts in Hockey East play. Whether he can stay steady under the lights of TD Garden—and the conference tournament that will determine his team’s postseason fate—will be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of this game. 

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He did not struggle to rise to the occasion the last time BC played in TD Garden, as he posted a .950 save percentage in the Beanpot and rode a 27-save performance into BC’s first title in a decade.

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On the blue line, freshman Luka Radivojevič and senior Lukas Gustafsson have been standout defensemen for the Eagles, with Gustafsson scoring the game-winner against UConn earlier this year.

BC is also set up nicely to have a home-crowd advantage, as TD Garden is less than 10 miles away from its home arena.  

The stage is set, and both teams are fighting to keep their seasons alive. It’s win or go home.