CANTLON: (FRI) UCONN BIG WEEKEND 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack aren’t the only team with important hockey games this weekend.

UCONN Huskies record stands (12-13-4, 9-8-2 HEA) and Boston University Terriers (12-9-8, 9-5-5 HEA) battle in the next to last weekend of the Hockey East regular season. The two teams have not seen each in little more than a year.

The Huskies will host Boston University on Friday night at the XL Center as a part of a home-and-home series with Saturday’s game at 7 PM is also another NESN broadcast.

UCONN and BU have met 15 times since the 2013-14 season with the Terriers holding a 9-4-2 edge in the all-time series.  The Huskies are 3-3-0 against BU at home at the XL Center.

The Huskies are coming off a weekend split at number 17 nationally ranked Maine last week, dealing the Black Bears their first home loss this season, 3-2, on Friday night and losing a tough 1-0 decision in overtime.

UCONN has seen their conference position do a serious flip since last week.

UCONN enters the weekend alone in eighth place in the Hockey East standings with 20 points, and have a single point lead on the idle University of New Hampshire.

The Huskies sit just six points behind first-place Boston College who beat Northeastern 3-2 Thursday night and four points to UMASS-Amherst.  The Terriers are alone in third place with 23 points heading into the weekend action.

The UCONN lineup features three 20-point scorers. They’re led by freshman Vladislav Firstov who has 22 points on 11 goals and 11 assists. He is currently fifth among league rookies in scoring and his eleven goals is tied for second among freshmen goal scorers in Hockey East.

Sophomores Czech center Jachym Kondelik has eight goals and 12 assists. Ruslan Iskhakov’s nine goals and 11 assists each have 20 points on the year.  There are 11 Huskies who have accrued double-digit in points and nine different players have scored five or more goals.

Senior Benjamin Freeman had a career-best three points, scoring the game-winning goal with two assists in the 3-2 win over the Black Bears.  Freeman has 19 points five goals and 14 assists on the year and is the Huskies’ active career leader with 68 points (23 goals and 45 assists) over 130 games.

Sophomore Carter Turnbull had picked-up an assist on all three UConn goals in the win over Maine, a new career-high.

Turnbull is in the midst of a breakout season offensively with 10 goals and eight assists, up from his seven-point rookie campaign and he is a plus 10 on the year.

Senior defenseman Wyatt Newpower is tied for ninth among Hockey East blue-liners with a career-best 17 points with three goals and 14 assists. He leads all Huskies as a plus 19 on the season, a mark that is fifth highest in the conference.  He also ranks eighth in blocked shots with 38.

UCONN got a commitment for next season. Forward, Cassidy Bowes committed to the Huskies.

Bowes, 21 of Kelowna, BC an assistant captain at 6”0 and 190 pounds plays currently with the Whitecourt Wolverines (AJHL). In 42 games with a team-high 22 goals and 43 points this season after two full seasons with Penticton Vees (BCHL).

He lost a month of play this season due to injury.