Boston Hockey Blog • 28th December 2023

Shorthanded Terriers to close out 2023 with non conference clash at Yale – The Boston Hockey Blog

The bad news? The Boston University men’s hockey team will be without its superstars for Friday’s game at Yale, since Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson and Tom Willander are in Gothenburg, Sweden competing at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

The good news? The Bulldogs are one of the worst teams in the nation, ranking 55th of the 64 teams in PairWise. On paper, BU should be just fine in the absence of its top guns.

The Terriers (11-4-1, 7-1-1 Hockey East) will travel to Yale’s Ingalls Rink in

Boston Hockey Blog • 15th December 2023

Breaking down BU’s star-studded 2007-born recruiting class – The Boston Hockey Blog

The Boston University men’s hockey team has wrapped up its recruiting class of 2007-born skaters.

It is an embarrassment of riches.

This week alone, the Terriers received commitments from two highly-touted USHL defensemen: Sascha Boumedienne of the Youngstown Phantoms and Carter Amico of the U.S. National Team Development Program. In full, the class consists of seven skaters — four defenseman and three forwards.

Reports describe Fondrk as an all-around playmaker with a great hockey IQ and an

Boston Hockey Blog • 9th December 2023

Women’s hockey dominates Providence in 5-1 victory, seals two-win weekend – The Boston Hockey Blog

BOSTON — Even after the Boston University women’s hockey team suffered loss after loss in a dismal 1-5-1 stretch, head coach Tara Watchorn remained steadfast in her message to the team.

The wins will come. Focus on the process.

In a Saturday matinee against Providence College, the Terriers played to their process. They executed crisp line changes, they generated scoring chances and they played to their habits. The result — a 5-1 triumph — followed suit.

“I think everyone can agree that’s a ni

Boston Hockey Blog • 6th December 2023

BU Athletics announces ‘historic’ upgrades to Walter Brown Arena, women’s hockey facilities – The Boston Hockey Blog

Significant upgrades are in store for Walter Brown Arena, the historic rink that is home to Boston University’s women’s hockey program, BU Athletics announced in a press release Wednesday afternoon.

According to the release, the renovations to Walter Brown will be “the most significant renovation of an existing facility in BU Athletics history.” The updates will take place in 2024.

Upgrades will include a center-hung video scoreboard, a new locker room, team lounge and coaches offices. In its

Boston Hockey Blog • 2nd December 2023

Terriers outmuscle Merrimack in chippy road win, 4-1 – The Boston Hockey Blog

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — It was some combination of a hockey game, a fever dream and an all-out brawl. Or, as Boston University head coach Jay Pandolfo called it, a “gong show.”

After 103 penalty minutes, three major penalties and a mid-game fire alarm, the Terriers (10-4-1, 6-1-1 Hockey East) emerged from Lawler Rink with a 4-1 win over Merrimack College (6-7-1, 2-5-1 HEA) on Friday in a rematch of last season’s Hockey East title game.

“This is a tough place to play. We haven’t had a ton of suc

Boston Hockey Blog • 21st November 2023

In top-five matchup with Quinnipiac, BU looks to ‘be ready for the challenge’ – The Boston Hockey Blog

For a game in November, the stakes could not be much higher.

Two of the nation’s best will face off when the Boston University men’s hockey team hosts Quinnipiac University Wednesday evening at Agganis Arena. The puck drops at 5 p.m.

“They’re a very structured team, very hard to play against,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said of the Bobcats after Saturday’s game against Maine. “So it’s another measuring stick game for our team.”

Quinnipiac (9-3-1, 5-0-1 ECAC), the defending national champion,

Boston Hockey Blog • 17th November 2023

Fueled by its power play, BU takes down Maine, 3-2 – The Boston Hockey Blog

BOSTON — Take penalties against the No. 8 Boston University men’s hockey team at your own peril.

With their power play clicking on all cylinders, the Terriers captured a 3-2 win over No. 9 University of Maine Friday night at Agganis Arena. All three tallies came on the man advantage.

“Special teams was the difference tonight,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said postgame. “Overall, really happy with the win.”

Before fans could settle into their seats, the Black Bears (6-4-1, 3-2-1 Hockey East) to

Boston Hockey Blog • 14th November 2023

Offense falls flat as women’s hockey loses to Harvard, 3-1 – The Boston Hockey Blog

ALLSTON, Mass. — This one was a stunner.

Facing a Harvard team that had yet to win a game this season, the Boston University women’s hockey team struggled to find its game. The Terriers fell into an early hole and couldn’t dig out of it, losing, 3-1, to the Crimson at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center Tuesday night.

“Not the start we wanted, and that’s something we need to address as a group,” BU head coach Tara Watchorn said postgame. “That being said, a lot of good again. It was our game in th

Boston Hockey Blog • 9th November 2023

Men’s hockey prepares for UMass Lowell’s structured defense in Hockey East home-and-home – The Boston Hockey Blog

The Boston University men’s hockey team knows what to expect when it faces UMass Lowell in a home-and-home series this weekend: physicality and defensive structure.

“They don’t beat themselves,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said of the River Hawks. “They’re going to have four or five guys back in the neutral zone, and they’re going to play with structure in all three zones. They have great sticks, they finish their checks hard around their net.”

Under head coach Norm Bazin, UMass Lowell (4-4-0,

30th October 2023

A revitalized Mathieu Caron carried BU to success against UMass – The Boston Hockey Blog

Mathieu Caron made the save and jumped towards the Boston University bench, lifting his arms high and pulling them down towards his side in jubilation. Seconds later, he was mobbed by a sea of red jerseys.

Caron had just capped off his most complete performance as a Terrier — a 38-save effort in a 3-3 tie at UMass Amherst on Saturday night, plus three shootout saves to earn BU the extra Hockey East point. Caron, it seemed, had been waiting all season to show off the celebration.

The start of C

Boston Hockey Blog • 20th October 2023

Terriers suffer 4-1 loss to Notre Dame in a game marked by familiar issues – The Boston Hockey Blog

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After a 4-1 loss to Notre Dame on Friday, the No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team dragged through its postgame stretches in dead silence.

Players hunched over in frustration; others shook their heads. It was a scene unbecoming of the team that waltzed into the season three weeks ago ranked as the best team in college hockey.

In the defeat, BU (1-2-0, 0-1-0 Hockey East) was soundly outplayed by the Fighting Irish (2-2-0) at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, markin

Boston Hockey Blog • 16th October 2023

BU veterans and depth players will be important piece of ‘playing the right way’ – The Boston Hockey Blog

In college hockey, toughness trumps talent when talent fails to play tough. A nightmarish weekend taught the No. 1 Boston University men’s hockey team that lesson the hard way.

The Terriers played like a deer in the headlights Friday night against the pounding forecheck of the University of New Hampshire, a perennial Hockey East bottom-feeder that hadn’t defeated BU since 2017. Somehow, the team looked even worse the following night in an 8-2 loss to the U.S. Under-18 team in front of 4,800 fan

Boston Hockey Blog • 7th October 2023

BU survives season-opening scare at Bentley with 3-2 overtime win – The Boston Hockey Blog

WALTHAM — Lane Hutson’s celebration said it all.

The sophomore defenseman raised his arms in triumph after scoring the overtime winner for the Boston University men’s hockey team, which sealed a 3-2 win over Bentley in Waltham Saturday night. But Hutson hardly cracked a smile as his teammates skated over to celebrate.

BU, tabbed as the number one team in the country by preseason polls, found itself in a dogfight with lowly Bentley, an Atlantic Hockey foe the Terriers disposed of, 8-2, in last

Boston Hockey Blog • 6th October 2023

BU’s McCarthy brothers are making an unlikely reunion reality – The Boston Hockey Blog

Little Gavin McCarthy lay face-down in the snowbank that lined the ice, his 5-foot-2 frame looking more like a crumpled checking dummy than a hockey player.

Gavin caught his breath, brushed the snow off his helmet cage and charged back onto the ice — if only to be crushed back into the snow seconds later by his older brother, Case. Fighting back was a tough proposition. After all, Case was five years older and double Gavin’s size.

Such was life at the McCarthys’ backyard ice rink in upstate Ne

Boston Hockey Blog • 3rd October 2023

Ranking the five most important BU men’s hockey games of 2023-24 – The Boston Hockey Blog

Fresh off a run to the 2023 Frozen Four, the Boston University men’s hockey team is brimming with talent, confidence and experience.

The Terriers have soaring expectations this season, and they won’t have to wait long to face off against some of the nation’s best. This year’s schedule features big games from start to finish. Here are the five biggest.

Following standalone games against Bentley and New Hampshire to kick off the season, the Terriers will face their first true test of the season

Boston Hockey Blog • 27th September 2023

Top prospect Cole Eiserman flips commitment to BU from Minnesota – The Boston Hockey Blog

Cole Eiserman, a projected top 3 pick in the 2024 NHL draft, is headed to Boston University, per a post on his Instagram account.

The news of Eiserman’s commitment came just over an hour after Evan Marinofsky of The New England Hockey Journal reported that the Newburyport, Mass. native would decommit from the University of Minnesota, and play college hockey closer to home.

Eiserman, PuckPreps’ third-ranked 2006-born skater, spent last season playing with the USA Hockey National Team Developmen

Boston Hockey Blog • 19th September 2023

Breaking down the BU ties in Monday’s inaugural PWHL Draft – The Boston Hockey Blog

Four former Boston University women’s hockey players were selected in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) draft Monday.

Those four skaters will join former Terrier Marie-Philip Poulin in the newly-formed league after Poulin signed to the Montreal-based squad before the draft as one of the franchise’s three inaugural players.

Plus, a member of head coach Tara Watchorn’s new staff was hired away to helm the Boston franchise.

Consider it no surprise that Poulin was one of the first pla

12th May 2023

‘He’s like the mayor of Boston’: Looking back at Brian Durocher’s legendary coaching career – The Boston Hockey Blog

It’s 4:30 a.m., and Brian Durocher snaps open a red flair pen, reaches for a blank notecard and begins to write.

Sitting on the couch in his Brookline condo, Durocher jots a note of gratitude to a donor of the Boston University women’s hockey program. He signs the 4-by-6 card with a cursive “Coach D,” checks a name off his list and grabs a new letter for the next donor. A rerun of last night’s SportsCenter plays on a TV in the background.

When the sun rises in a few hours, Durocher will enjoy

Boston Hockey Blog • 15th April 2023

Brown goaltender Mathieu Caron transfers to BU – The Boston Hockey Blog

After two impressive seasons at Brown University, goaltender Mathieu Caron is headed to Boston University.

Caron’s arrival will fill the void left by star netminder Drew Commesso, who signed an entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on April 11.

Caron, a 6’0”, 195-pound sophomore, posted a 2.49 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 24 games for the Bears this year. Those numbers showed a significant improvement from the netminder’s freshman season, when the goalie poste

Boston Hockey Blog • 10th April 2023

Ranking the 10 best moments of men’s hockey season – The Boston Hockey Blog

The Boston University men’s hockey team unceremoniously bowed out in the National Semifinals against Minnesota, but the Terriers had no shortage of thrilling wins in Jay Pandolfo’s first year at the helm.

Take a look at my top 10 moments from a memorable season of BU hockey.
• Freshmen combine for five goals in rout of Bentley

This season-opening win was quite the debut for BU’s freshman class, which proved to be critical to the Terriers’ success all year long. Ryan Greene, Jeremy Wilmer, Devi

Boston Hockey Blog • 26th March 2023

“It hurts to win,” but the Terriers are ready to feel the burn – The Boston Hockey Blog

Through a playing career that spanned over two decades, Boston University head coach Jay Pandolfo learned a lesson that has come to define his team: It hurts to win.

Ever since Fensore was crushed into the Agganis Arena boards during a game on Jan. 20, the senior defenseman has been playing through pain. He fought past it, playing heavy minutes in each of the Terriers’ next nine games.

Then, in BU’s Hockey East Tournament opener against Vermont, another hit sent Fensore back to the locker room

Boston Hockey Blog • 23rd March 2023

Behind complete effort, BU rolls past Western Michigan in NCAA regionals, 5-1 – The Boston Hockey Blog

MANCHESTER, NH — Boston University faced the pressure of elimination, the heat of an offensive juggernaut and the challenge of an unfamiliar arena on Thursday.

Somehow, someway, it culminated in the Terriers’ most complete effort of the season: a 5-1 romp over Western Michigan in the NCAA regional semifinal in Manchester, New Hampshire.

“Great overall effort by our team tonight, from the goaltender on out,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said postgame.

Western Michigan’s ever-threatening top line

Boston Hockey Blog • 19th March 2023

By thriving in the margins, Cade Webber played unsung hero for BU in Hockey East final – The Boston Hockey Blog

Cade Webber’s identity on the ice runs contrary to most of Boston University’s strengths.

The Terriers play at breakneck speed, zipping past defenders in transition to create the odd-man rushes they feast on. Webber, BU’s bruising 6-foot-7 defenseman, would rather throw himself in front of a slapshot on the penalty kill than spring a 2-on-1 the other way.

But in a tense, tight-checking playoff game, the snarl, consistency and discipline of Webber is key to BU’s success.

We saw why on Saturday

Boston Hockey Blog • 14th March 2023

Nick Zabaneh picking up goals, confidence at the perfect time for Terriers – The Boston Hockey Blog

Coming into BU’s Saturday’s Hockey East quarterfinal against Vermont, the junior was one of the Terriers’ lowest scoring forwards, with five goals and nine points.

But Zabaneh’s three-goal eruption against the Catamounts came as no surprise to Jay Pandolfo or his teammates. Instead, the offensive breakthrough was a quantifiable representation of the way Zabaneh has been playing for weeks now.

“He wants to help the team offensively, and he did that tonight,” Pandolfo said of Zabaneh after the T