It could have been the perfect start to the season for the Massachusetts hockey team.

The Minutemen took a 3-0 lead into the third period against defending national champion Boston College, but was done in by the “never say die” attitude possessed by the Eagles and fell 5-4 in overtime. Rather than heading into its first road contest undefeated, UMass (1-1, 0-1 Hockey East)  looks to bounce back from such a devastating loss.

The schedule does not get any easier for the Minutemen as they begin a two game, weekend series against  No. 13 Boston University.

“UMass coach (John) Micheletto hit it right on the head Saturday, saying ‘we’re either going to go forward, or look back,’” senior co-captain Kevin Czepiel said. “I think from there we realized that we’re all in this together and there’s nothing we can do but to look forward to Friday night.”

Friday night will be the first road challenge for UMass this season, as it leaves the friendly and rowdy confines of the Mullins Center and heads to one of the nation’s loudest buildings, Agganis Arena, to take on the Terriers (1-1, 1-1 HEA).

Much like the Minutemen, BU is coming off a disappointing loss last weekend, dropping a 4-1 contest to No. 12 New Hampshire. In order for UMass to get rid of the sour taste of last weekend’s defeat, it must rely on the balanced scoring that the team has received so far this season, with 13 guys already finding the score sheet.

“It’s good.  I think one of the things that a lot of people are recognizing is that we have depth,” Micheletto said. “It’s something that we want to exploit as much as possible and we’re going to continue to lean on guys as much as possible throughout the course of the year.”

A lot of the team’s ability to score can be attributed to Micheletto’s new, upbeat style of attack. His method of breaking out quickly and forechecking more aggressively has made life difficult for the opposition to break the puck out, leading to more in-zone opportunities for the Minutemen.

“We have a lot of skilled guys that are really prospering under the new system, with the speed and playing fast and getting pucks to the net,” senior defenseman Darren Rowe said.

Rowe is one of the four UMass players to have multiple points this season, with two goals in two games, leading the defense in scoring.

But what will be new for the Minutemen this weekend is having to adjust to playing their first back-to-back series this season.  After starting the season with two straight one-game weekends, fatigue can set in during the course of the weekend, but Micheletto does not see that as a problem with his team.

“I think our conditioning is good,” said Micheletto. “(Strength and conditioning coach) George Greene has done a great job with our guys with the strength and conditioning. That’s not a concern for me.”

Keeping the team healthy for both games this weekend hinges on more than just the team’s conditioning. Following  Friday night’s game, the Minutemen will hop on a bus and drive back home for Saturday night’s game, making post-game preparation that much more essential in recovering and regaining the necessary energy to play that  night.

“We’ve been doing it for years and years, so it’s something that we’re used to it, but it does take its toll” Rowe said. “But, we’re good at bouncing back the next day. If you get a good night’s sleep and take care of yourself, you can get through it.”

One thing about this two-game weekend that will not change is Micheletto’s approach. Despite the Terriers being the opponent for both games this weekend, Friday’s game is still the only thing on the coach’s mind at this point.

“We’re focused on winning on Friday,” Micheletto said.  “We can’t worry about Saturday or two-game weekends because we’re worrying about winning on Friday.  That process is not different.”

While UMass has had the support of playing in front of its rowdy student section for the first two games, it needs to be prepared to withstand a loud and raucous crowd at Agganis Arena Friday night.

BU boasts one of the best home-ice advantages in the country and being road warriors was not a strong suit for the Minutemen last year, only winning twice in 17 games.

Friday’s game will start at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday’s game will be televised on CBS 3 now and is scheduled for a 7 p.m. puck drop.

Patrick Strohecker can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @MDC_Strohecker.