Month: July 2019

BU Add Grad Transfer Goalie, Sam Tucker

By: Patrick Donnelly

Head coach Albie O’Connell and the Terriers announced this week that the team has added graduate transfer Sam Tucker. Tucker played four seasons for Yale (ECAC) before committing to BU. 

Over the course of his four years at Yale, Tucker played in 54 games for the Bulldogs, registering 20 wins and three shutouts between the pipes. The 23-year-old finished his Yale career with a 2.88 goals against average (GAA) and .903 save percentage; both stand as sixth-best in program history.

In 19 games as a senior last season, the Wilton, Connecticut native recorded a career-best .917 save percentage, the ninth-best single-season save percentage in program history, as well as a 2.53 GAA, the 12th-best single-season GAA in program history. Tucker’s senior season was highlighted by a 43-save performance versus No. 15 Harvard as well as shutouts against RPI and Union.

As a junior in 2017-18, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound netminder recorded a .893 save percentage as well as a 3.08 GAA in 20 games after carding a .899 save percentage and 3.05 GAA in 15 games as a sophomore in 2016-17.

Tucker dressed in 17 games as a freshman in 2015-16, but did not see game action that season. Before Yale, he played four seasons with the prep school Choate Rosemary Hall where he had a career .930 save percentage; his .952 save percentage during his senior year led prep school goaltenders.

A four-time ECAC All-Academic Team honoree, Tucker graduated Yale with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government. After the Terriers saw both Jake Oettinger and Max Prawdzik depart at the conclusion of last season, fans can expect Tucker to add experience to a BU goaltending group that has just two total starts (both from Vinnie Purpura last season), and compete for the starting job in the crease.

Terriers Add Grad Transfer Forward, Alex Brink

By: Patrick Donnelly

The Terriers and head coach Albie O’Connell announced on Wednesday that the team has added graduate transfer Alex Brink. Brink played four seasons for Brown University in the ECAC before committing to play at BU this season. The 25-year-old skated in 95 total games for the Bears, registering 28 total points (12G, 16A) over that span. 

In 31 games as a senior last season, Brink notched six goals and eight assists for 14 points to go along with 68 penalty minutes; his plus-seven rating was good enough for second on the team. The forward was named MVP of the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh with four points in two games, highlighted by a three-point performance (2G, 1A) against Union in the championship game, earning him ECAC Player of the Week honors for the week of January 7th, 2019.

The year prior as a junior, the 6-foot, 200-pound skater tallied one goal and four assists in 31 games as well as 50 penalty minutes. After notching nine points (5G, 4A) in 30 games as a freshman, Brink only skated in three games as a sophomore after an injury cost him the rest of his season.

Before attending Brown, the Hamilton, New York native played two seasons of junior hockey for the Boston Jr. Bruins of the USPHL Premier League, totaling 40 goals, 64 assists, and 104 points in 95 total games played. Brink graduated Brown with a bachelor’s degree in business, entrepreneurship, and organizations, and was a three-time ECAC All-Academic Team honoree with the Bears.

Fans may recall last season’s graduate transfer Max Willman also having joined BU from the Brown University hockey program. A high-energy forward himself, Brink looks to fill a similar role as Willman, adding depth to the Terriers’ forward corps with the ability to chip in with offensive production.

Terriers announce complete 2019-20 schedule

See the schedule here!

The BU men’s hockey team has officially announced their schedule for the 2019-20 season.

Here are our immediate takeaways from this final list of games:

The Terriers will enter a critical 10-game stretch of Hockey East meetings early in the campaign between October 25 and November 23. During this run, notable opponents include UMass Lowell, who the Terriers eliminated on the road in last season’s conference quarterfinals, as well as Massachusetts, who in 2018-19 won Hockey East and appeared in the division one national championship.

To fill the gap of competitive fixtures through much of December and early January, BU has organized two exhibition games. The first will be a return to Walter Brown Arena for the Terriers as they host the Concordia Stingers of Montreal, while the second will see the Terriers travel to Michigan to face the USA U-18 team, who the Terriers defeated 5-4 in an exhibition last season.

The ever-important rivalry contests against Boston College have been scheduled for January 18th (away) and February 29th (home), moving to the second half of the season after these fixtures took place in the early months last season. The second of the two meetings will be followed by two clashes with Northeastern to conclude the regular season after seven consecutive Hockey East bouts, meaning the Terriers will have to finish strong against stiff competition as they push towards the postseason.

How do you feel about BU’s schedule for the upcoming season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.