After ascending to No. 10 in national polls, UConn men’s hockey preps for Boston College at XL Center
When fans file into the XL Center on Thursday night to watch UConn men’s hockey take on Boston College, they’ll be witnessing a battle between a top-10 team and one on the outside of the Top 25 looking in, fighting for respect.
Just, not in the way you’d expect.
For the first time ever, UConn is that top-10 team, coming in at No. 10 in the latest USCHO.com poll, the highest ranking the Huskies have ever achieved. Boston College, meanwhile, with five national championship trophies in its trophy case, is currently sitting in the “others receiving votes” category.
It’s been a heady start to the season for the Huskies, who enter the game at 6-1-1, and 3-1-1 in Hockey East after splitting a two-game series against No. 9 Boston University last weekend.
UConn took the first game in Boston on Friday, 4-3, on the strength of an overtime game-winner from junior defenseman Andrew Lucas. They dropped the second game on Saturday, 5-2.
This will be the third straight big-name opponent UConn has faced, after going 2-1-1 against No. 11 Ohio State and BU on back-to-back weekends.
Despite the fact that BC (2-1-1, 2-0-0/Hockey East) is looking up at UConn in the national polls, there’s no mistaking that the Eagles boast plenty of talent on their roster, including the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft in freshman forward Cutter Gauthier.
UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh praised BC’s top line in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.
“You could argue that line is the best offensive line in our league, maybe the country,” Cavanaugh said. “Gautier is big and strong up the middle and has a great skill set. [Junior forward Nikita] Nesterenko might be the most skilled player in the league, he can do it all offensively. And [junior forward Colby] Ambrosio might be the fastest player in the league. They all pose a different threat offensively, and we’re certainly going to have to manage the puck when they’re on the ice.”
“It’s about taking away their time and space,” senior defenseman Roman Kinal said. “That’s what we’ve been harping on all week. The more we can close them out before they get into our zone and not let them get that running game type-thing going on ... that’s what’s going to make us successful.”
Speaking of success, it seems like the Huskies aren’t feeling dizzied by the new top-10 heights the program has reached. UConn is staying grounded, and focusing on navigating a tough schedule, especially as it approaches the gauntlet that is the Hockey East conference schedule. UConn may be in the top 10, but it’s still very early in the season.
“I think we’re really happy with it. It’s huge, especially to be the first team to be ranked top 10,” Kinal said. “But coach, he really emphasizes that we focus on what’s next and what’s ahead of us. We liked seeing it, but I don’t think we’re looking too deep into that. It’s nice to see, but it’s not the be-all, end-all.”
