Hockey Preview: Merrimack travels to Agganis to face BU

The Merrimack men’s hockey team will play the Boston University Terriers at Agganis Arena in Boston tonight. Merrimack is coming off last week’s overtime loss to Stonehill. The Warriors are 2-1 in their last three games. BU earned two out of six points against Maine last weekend on the road; the Terriers are 2-5-2 in their last nine games.

Merrimack vs. Boston University

When: Friday
Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
Watch U.S.: ESPN+
Venue: Agganis Arena (7,200)
Location: Boston, Mass.
Purchase Tickets: Click here

History: The Terriers have won four straight games in the series since March 18, 2023. Merrimack’s last win over BU was a 4-3 overtime win on Feb. 18, 2023, at Agganis Arena.

BU leads the all-time series 97-25-8. The series dates back to Dec. 11, 1964, but picked up considerably in 1989 when Merrimack joined Hockey East. The series has been more evenly split in recent years. The Terriers hold a 6-5 edge in the last 11 meetings. Merrimack was 5-2 against BU in seven games from Feb. 7, 2020, through Feb. 18, 2023.

Inside the Matchup

— BU has not been playing well, and I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse for the Warriors.

Does that mean we’ll see a motivated BU team on display?

The Terriers split their goaltenders last weekend, but head coach Jay Pandolfo said this week that Mathieu Caron will start on Friday against the Warriors.

Caron was solid in a tie against Maine last week (30 saves), but he was benched for Max Lacroix on Friday night because he had allowed 14 goals in his previous three games. On the season, Caron (who also got off to a slow start last season) has a 3.39 GAA and a .888 save percentage.