AMHERST — Boston University’s 3-7 record is deceiving.
The Terriers have lost their past four games after being swept by Northern Michigan (receiving votes in the latest rankings) on the road and dropping both games of a home-and-home with No. 20 UMass Lowell.
No. 8 UMass will face BU at Agganis Arena at 7:30 p.m. Friday before a a return date 7 p.m. Saturday at the Mullins Center. UMass coach Greg Carvel can see through the smoke screen.
“BU will be the most talented team we’ve played so far,” Carvel said. “We’ve played some heavy teams, but BU will be the most talented, so our defensive game is going to have to be really solid.”
The Terriers boast 13 NHL draft picks, the second-most in the nation behind Minnesota’s 15 (tied with No. 2 Michigan). Forward Tyler Boucher was the 10th overall pick this summer, and Jay O’Brien went 19th overall in 2018. They also have four second-round picks and two players selected in the third round.
Wilmer Skoog (nine points) and Robert Mastrosimone (eight points, five goals) lead BU in scoring. Skoog remains undrafted, while Mastrosimone was a second-round selection in 2019.
“For us, it’s about continuing to play to our standard, not worrying about who we’re playing or who the opponent is but focus on ourselves,” UMass junior Cal Kiefiuk said. “If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
That’s how UMass has won its past six games after an 0-2 start. The Minutemen (6-2) have allowed more than three goals just once in that span — a 5-4 overtime win against Merrimack on Oct. 30.
“I don’t ever really ever worry about offense other than when the power play’s a circus. If we’re not scoring goals, I don’t spend much time worrying about that. It’s all about the defense,” Carvel said. “I think we’ve become a much better defensive team over the course of eight games.”
He said the Minutemen didn’t give up an odd-man rush against Providence on Saturday in Rhode Island and only allowed one or two on Friday in the Mullins Center.
That’s a marked improvement from earlier in the year when UMass was allowing upward of 10 per game, leaving goalie Matt Murray out to dry.
“To me, that’s a real easy indicator of your defensive game,” Carvel said. “Your goaltender’s not letting in any goals, and Matt’s played really well, but the team’s playing with a lot more structure in front of him.”
UMass’ special teams have also returned to their expected levels under Carvel. The Minutemen have killed 92.3 percent of their penalties this season, sixth in the nation. They’ve also converted 20.7 percent of the time with a man advantage. Over the win streak, the rate has jumped to 31.6 percent (6-of-19) with 21 shots.
“We feel like we’ve figured out the right people on the power play, and we’ll just let them continue to build chemistry,” Carvel said. “The penalty kill has been outstanding all year long. So defense, special teams and goaltending… if you have those three things going, you’re a tough team to beat.”
The Minutemen have combined that with an increase in production from the whole lineup. Second-line members Kiefiuk (five points) and Reed Lebster (four points) have emerged over the past four games. Kiefiuk has scored in each of the past two contests after a slow start.
“It’s always nice to see goals come, but playing the right way is the No. 1 goal,” Kiefiuk said. “Any way you can help the team is what you want to do.”
THE PUCK STOPS HERE – UMass grad student Matt Murray was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. It’s his fifth time receiving weekly conference recognition.
He stopped 69 shots over the weekend out of the 70 he faced against Providence, winning both games. His shutout on Friday was his 12th as a Minuteman, setting the school record.
Then Murray turned away 41 shots Saturday to set a new career high.
“You see it in practice, the way he plays and the way he battles,” UMass defenseman Slava Demin said. “He’s a lot of fun to watch, and he takes it really seriously and is always putting his best foot forward.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.