BC and BU are restocked for latest hockey rematch

BC’s Colin White (left) had a hot hand for the US in the recent World Junior championship.paul chiasson/AP/Associated Press

On Friday night, the Boston College men’s hockey team will make the short trip down Commonwealth Avenue to Agganis Arena for the 271st edition of its Green Line rivalry against Boston University.

It’s the first time the teams are meeting this season, and the home-and-home set continues at Conte Forum Monday night.

BC went unbeaten against its archrival last season, winning the first game, 5-3, before tying the second, 1-1. The Eagles also got the better of BU in the Beanpot final, edging the Terriers, 1-0, in overtime to capture their 20th championship in the tournament.

But the Eagles are running into a much-improved opponent. BU has been on a roll lately, with wins over No. 10 Union and No. 12 Vermont. The fifth-ranked Terriers have won four straight on their way to a 12-5-2 record.

More impressive is that the Terriers were winning with some of their top talent away, representing the country in the World Junior Championships. With the gold medal secured for the US, the Terriers are back at full strength.

“Obviously a hectic week for all of us,” BU coach David Quinn told GoTerriers.com. “Getting seven guys back from World Juniors after playing the game Thursday night [Jan. 5] without them, having to practice with about 14 players.

“Just an uncharacteristic week for us, but really proud of our team.”

Some of the key returnees were defenseman Charlie McAvoy and forwards Jordan Greenway and Clayton Keller.

The eighth-ranked Eagles (14-7-2) also have a few stars back from the World Juniors. Forward Colin White scored in every game in the tournament except the quarterfinal against Switzerland. Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and goaltender Joseph Woll joined White on the US team.

White’s return will be a big boost for the BC offense, which has been the strength of the team. The Eagles lead the nation in total points (219) and assists (141) through 23 games. In goal, Woll leads Hockey East with a 1.89 conference goals-against average, and his .932 conference save percentage is second.

One notable absence for BU will be senior forward Tommy Kelley, who will be serving a one-game suspension stemming from an incident in Sunday’s win over Massachusetts.

Fenway sparks Fenway Park was once again transformed into a winter wonderland for the Frozen Fenway series that includes college and high school games and other ice skating events.

In traditional New England fashion, a winter storm delayed the festivities by a day. After Saturday’s postponement, BU and UMass got things started Sunday, with BU winning, 5-3. A couple of Bruins prospects — Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and McAvoy — both scored in the win.

In the nightcap, BC took advantage of a power-play opportunity to secure a win over Providence. David Cotton scored on the man advantage for a 2-1 lead in the third period, and a late goal sealed BC’s 3-1 victory.

“The goal was more of a broken play,” Cotton told NESN. “They were bringing pressure on the penalty kill. The ice was kind of chippy, so I just tried to get it on net and luckily it held on the short side high.”

The game also was a chance for BC to join the hockey community in honoring Falmouth High hockey players James Lavin and Owen Higgins, who died in a car accident in December. The Eagles joined a number of teams in the region in hanging Lavin’s No. 10 and Higgins’s No. 19 jerseys behind their bench.

“I thought it was a great opportunity for our team to pay respects to the two young players, James and Owen, from the Falmouth High School team,” BC coach Jerry York told NESN. “Coach [Paul] Moore, who coaches at Falmouth, is a good friend of mine.

“It’s just a small thing that we could do to hopefully alleviate some of the pain the families go through in the Falmouth community. So it was a nice shout-out to Owen and James.”

The final two Frozen Fenway college games will be this Saturday as Maine and Connecticut square off at 1:30 p.m., and New Hampshire faces Northeastern at 5. The starting times were moved ahead to avoid a conflict with the Patriots playoff game that night.

World stage On Jan. 5, the US team defeated Canada, 5-4, in a shootout to capture the gold in the World Juniors. Of the 23 players on the US roster, 20 came from college rosters — and 11 of those were from Hockey East, making it easily the best-represented college conference in the tournament.

BU alone sent seven players, the most from one school. McAvoy, Keller, Greenway, Kieffer Bellows, Patrick Harper, and goalie Jake Oettinger represented the Terriers on the US team, while Dante Fabbro suited up for Canada.

BC had three players (White, Fitzgerald, Woll), while Providence forward Erik Foley and Connecticut forward Tage Thompson were the other Hockey East players for the US.

Harvard was the lone non-Hockey East team from the region represented, by defenseman Adam Fox.

Video: Shootout for the gold medal:

Fields are set

Hockey East and the ECAC announced the fields for the next two Friendship Four tournaments to be played in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The 2017 field will be Providence, Maine, Rensselaer, and Clarkson, while the 2018 tournament will include BU, UConn, Yale, and Union. As in 2016, the tournaments will be played over Thanksgiving weekend, with conference teams meeting in the semifinals . . . UMass-Lowell junior forward C.J. Smith recorded his 100th career point in a 2-1 win over UNH last Friday. He assisted on the game-winner to achieve the milestone . . . UMass-Lowell enters the weekend on a six-game win streak, with a matchup against UMass Saturday. The River Hawks are 6-0-1 in their last seven. Vermont enters the weekend with a four-game win streak.