A year ago, Boston University was the No. 2 team in the league entering the Hockey East playoffs but, ultimately, did not make the NCAA Tournament. Several things are working in BU's favor as it opens the playoffs this year - the No. 1 team in the land has depth offensively and defensively, has one of the nation's strongest special teams units and has two more elements it didn't have last season, namely freshman goalies Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser.

Millan has played in 26 of BU's 34 games with a record of 21-1-3, a saves percentage of .925 and a goals-against-average of 1.77. Plus, when you're playing behind one of the country's top defenses - BU is fourth in the nation, allowing just 1.92 goals a game - it makes your job a little easier.

Of the 13 Terriers whose rights are held by NHL teams, one vital cog chose to return to BU - forward Colin Wilson, the nation's second-leading scorer. Defenseman Matt Gilroy turned down nearly two dozen NHL offers to return to BU for his senior year.

"They've got a ton of skill at every position," Maine defenseman Jeff Dimmen said. "They've been scoring and keeping pucks out of the net, and just have been playing great this year."

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Maine's current roster only has five players with experience in the Hockey East tournament: defensemen Simon Danis-Pepin and Matt Duffy, forwards Jeff Marshall and Chris Hahn and goalie Dave Wilson. Combined, the four skaters have played in 12 games, recording two goals and an assist. Wilson has played in 118 minutes in the Hockey East tournament with a goals-against average of 3.54 and a saves percentage of .863.

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BU won the season series from Maine, 2-0-1, and BU and Maine tied 2-2 on Feb. 14 at Alfond Arena, as Wilson scored with less than five minutes left in regulation.

"The third game was a good indication that if we're at the top of our game, we can play with them," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "We have great respect for our opponent but at the same time we're not afraid of them. We understand that if we have great focus, great team effort and a lot of discipline, we can knock them off. We're looking forward to this challenge."

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