Ending a losing streak is one of the best feelings in sports. But following that up with more success is of far greater importance.
Following possibly the greatest come-from-behind victory in its young history, the Massachusetts hockey team (8-17-1 overall, 3-12-1 Hockey East) has yet another key conference weekend in its sights as Boston College arrives on Friday night and Providence College hits the Mullins Center on Saturday. Both teams had high expectations coming into the season, but have fallen on tough times for the majority of the season.
Perennial powerhouse BC (12-12-2, 5-10-1 HE), who won the National Championship last season, stands seventh in Hockey East, and has lost six consecutive conference games since a 4-3 overtime victory over the Minutemen Jan. 7. In that game, the Eagles got out to a 3-0 lead before the Maroon and White stormed back to tie the game, but could not seal the deal in the extra session.
“The thing about BC is that they have to prepare not only for a league game on Saturday, but also the Beanpot on Monday,” said UMass coach Don Cahoon, who has an 0-4-1 record against the Eagles in his tenure at the University.
As for Providence, the Friars (12-12-3, 7-7-1 HE) were predicted for the top spot in the conference in the coaches’ poll. PC struggled to start the season, but has begun playing better over the past couple weeks. Providence is 3-0-1 including a sweep of BC last weekend where they netted 11 goals in the two-game set.
“They’re playing their best hockey of the year right now,” Cahoon said. “From that standpoint, we’re playing a team that is playing real good hockey right now and we need to be at the top end of our game. It’s similar to last weekend, in that Northeastern won a bunch of games in a row going into the weekend.”
The Minutemen showed well against the Huskies, playing a hard-fought 3-2 loss on Friday and following that up with a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory on Saturday. The weekend featured impressive play from the newfound line of Darcy King, Jimmy Callahan and J.R. Zavisza.
“They are playing as well as they have all year,” Cahoon said. “Darcy’s been playing really hard, even though the puck’s not falling for him. He’s been phenomenal on faceoffs lately. Zavisza’s a care-free type of guy who’s also well conditioned, and he keeps the guys relaxed in the locker room. Jimmy gives a good effort most nights, and that fits the role he plays as a grinder. They seem to be a nice compliment to one another.”
The big question for the Maroon and White is in terms of who will be in the lineup for the weekend. Sophomore forward Thomas P
