Boston College and Maine men’s hockey teams are in top form for a high-ranking showdown

The Boston College men’s hockey team will not exactly be easing into its Hockey East schedule this weekend.

After starting the season 5-1 in nonconference play, the second-ranked Eagles will host No. 5 Maine (6-0-1) for a pair of games at sold-out Conte Forum, beginning Friday night and concluding Sunday afternoon.

It’s the first matchup in which both programs have been ranked in the top five since April 8, 2004, when Maine stunned BC, 2-1 in the Frozen Four in Boston behind 40 saves from Jimmy Howard.

The Eagles have already been part of a top-five matchup this season. They opened the schedule with a split at No. 4 Michigan State, and they are coming off a sweep at St. Cloud State, which dropped two spots to No. 12 this week after absorbing the two losses by scores of 4-1 and 2-1.

Gabe Perreault had three goals in the series to lead the Eagles, while the BC penalty kill was 6 for 6 to remain perfect on the season, not allowing a goal when shorthanded on 13 occasions.

“A good amount of cohesion has been a key part of it; the guys are reading each other very well,” said BC coach Greg Brown. “Some courage — we block a lot of shots when things do get out of synch and we’re giving up chances.

“And then the final piece would be the guy between the pipes. When the other team has been able to move our penalty killers and create a good chance, Jacob [Fowler] has been there.”

Maine’s 4.4 goals per game are fourth-best in the nation. Forward Harrison Scott’s 5 goals and 10 assists put him atop the conference with 15 points, with teammates Charlie Russell (3-8—11) and Brandon Holt (2-9—11) tied for third. But it was BC’s offense that was on the mind of Maine coach Ben Barr.

“They’re obviously outstanding,” said Barr. “I think it’s going to be a fun challenge for us. We haven’t played a team with that kind of firepower yet. Very few teams have that kind of firepower, so it will be a good measuring stick for us.”

In addition to serving as a matchup of the top two ranked teams in the conference, Friday night will include a tribute to former BC players Tony Voce, Johnny Gaudreau, and Matthew Gaudreau. The Gaudreau brothers were killed Aug. 29 when they were hit by a suspected drunk driver while bicycling near their childhood home in New Jersey. Voce died in July at the age of 43.

The Voce and Gaudreau families will join both teams on the ice before the game for a ceremonial puck drop. The initials of all three players have been prominently featured on the dashboard in front of the BC bench.

During warmups, BC players will wear jerseys that feature either “Voce #13,” “Gaudreau #13,” or “Gaudreau #21.”

The jerseys will be available through an online auction beginning Monday, with proceeds going to the Tony Voce Foundation and, at the request of the Gaudreau family, the adaptive playground initiative at the Archbishop Damiano School in Westville, N.J. The online auction will run until Nov. 17 at 9 p.m.

“We tell [the players] the best thing we can do is honor them with a great effort,” said Brown. “It’s such a tough opponent. We know we have to be focused on Maine. And then we have to just control the things we can control. And if we play really hard, then we feel like we’re honoring those guys.”

Hot and cold

Boston University and UMass Lowell enter this weekend’s home-and-home series on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of momentum.

After a 3-0 start, BU has dropped three of four, including a sweep at home by Michigan last weekend. The Terriers have allowed an average of five goals per game in that stretch. BU had a similar start last year, going 4-3-1 before turning things around. It’s a message some of the veterans have been sharing with the newcomers on the roster.

“I think it’s still a feeling-out process for some of our guys on what they need to do to help the team,” said coach Jay Pandolfo. “I think they’re starting to figure it out a little bit. Especially with a younger team, it’s going to take time. You just don’t want it to take too much time.”

Lowell has won five in a row after opening the season with a loss to Minnesota Duluth. The River Hawks won eight games all of last season, with one of the issues being a lack of offense. They averaged just two goals per game. That number dipped to 1.6 in conference play.

Scoring has not been a problem this season. Through six games, the River Hawks are averaging four goals per game and boast the nation’s second-best power play, converting at 42.1 percent.

Weekend matchups

After a bye, Northeastern returns to action with a home-and-home series with No. 11 Providence beginning Friday at Schneider Arena. Harvard dropped its opener to Dartmouth, 2-1, and will be on the road this weekend for games at Princeton and Quinnipiac. UMass travels to Vermont for a pair of games, while UConn and Merrimack will play a home-and-home series beginning Friday at Lawler Rink.