Winter weather could affect UConn men’s hockey’s matchup at Northeastern on Friday

On a day where temperatures were near or at record-highs across New England, UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh found himself discussing the potential impact of a winter storm expected to hit the region in less than two days during his weekly Zoom call with reporters.

On Friday, the Huskies are scheduled to play Northeastern in Boston. However, that might not be easy considering the forecast calls for anywhere from six to 12 inches of snow in both Connecticut and Massachusetts, beginning on Thursday night and continuing throughout the day on Friday.

Typically, UConn travels to the majority of its road games on the same day since it’s only a one to two hour drive to all but a few Hockey East schools. But with the coming storm, the Huskies will likely spend the night in Boston on Thursday.

“I think we’ll probably wind up going up a day early,” Cavanaugh said.

Though it might ultimately end up out of their control, both teams would prefer to play on Friday night as opposed to having the game postponed to Sunday.

“I talked with (Northeastern coach) Jerry Keefe last night and we both agree that we want to get this game in Friday because I believe they have to go up to UVM on Tuesday, so playing a Saturday-Sunday (series) would not be ideal for them — or any of us,” Cavanaugh said. “We would like to do everything we can possibly to get that game in.”

UConn certainly has reason to want to play Friday night’s game, too. In Hockey East play, the Huskies are 9-2 on the road but just 4-5 at the XL Center. They also average 4.4 goals for and 2.4 goals against away from home compared to 1.7 goals for and 1.9 goals against in Hartford. UConn just performs better on the road.

“When your team’s called the Ice Bus, you better be good on the road,” Cavanaugh joked. “I just think it’s a tribute to our experience. We have a lot of guys who have played in those buildings before so it’s not foreign to them. They’re comfortable with the road atmosphere, the opposing fans and everything that comes with that.”

Injury report

After missing Saturday’s game at UMass with a lower body injury, sophomore forward Nick Capone is trending towards a return on Friday.

“Nick’s looking pretty good,” Cavanaugh said.

However, freshman forward Chase Bradley is unlikely to play. He missed the entire UMass series with a lower body injury.

“I think Chase is going to be out this weekend,” Cavanaugh said.

Senior John Wojciechowski filled in for Bradley against UMass, though freshman Sasha Teleguine and sophomore Cassidy Bowes will likely compete with him for the open spot in the lineup during practice this week.

How to watch

Both games will air on linear television this weekend.

Friday, Feb. 25

Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Matthews Arena, Boston, MA
TV: NESN+
Streaming: NESN.com (in-market) | SportsLive (out of market)

Saturday, Feb. 26

Time: 3:05 pm
Location: XL Center, Hartford, CT
TV: CW20
Streaming: SportsLive
Radio: UConn Sports Network (97.9 and affiliates)