Jay Pandolfo got his first taste of Maine’s Alfond Arena as a 17-year-old rookie just months removed from his time at Burlington High School.
His 1992-93 Boston University men’s hockey team trekked north in late February to play the Black Bears, who were 30-0-1 and thumping just about any opponent they saw.
Until the Terriers came to town.
BU managed a thrilling 7-6 win to deal Maine its first — and only — loss of the season. Here’s the grainy footage of Pandolfo and the Terriers celebrating Mike Pendergast’s overtime winner.
31 years later, this weekend’s series at the Alfond will surely evoke those memories for Pandolfo.
The No. 5 Black Bears (6-2-1, 3-2-1 Hockey East) have restored the winning feeling after a few decades of irrelevance, and the No. 11 Terriers (5-4-0, 2-1-0 HE) remain a national contender after a slow start.
This will be the first ranked matchup between the two teams in Orono in years, and the sold-out arena will be rocking.
“The fans up there are great,” Pandolfo said in his weekly media call. “They really know a lot about the game, and they’re loud. It’s a great atmosphere, there’s not many better in college hockey.”
Here’s what you need to know.
Can BU shake its Friday night struggles?
The Terriers have now played three weekend series this season (North Dakota, Michigan and UMass Lowell), and they’re 0-3 on Friday nights. It’s a pattern that has been identified by Pandolfo and the team.
Still: “I don’t have a great answer,” Pandolfo said. “I’m a little bit lost for why.”
Pandolfo said he’s been tinkering with the team’s weekly routine in hopes of solving the issue, including “changing up practices” and “changing meeting times.”
He attributed some of the struggles to “overthinking,” “squeezing the sticks” and “putting too much pressure on ourselves.”
“I think if we knew the answer, it wouldn’t be happening three times in a row,” junior forward Quinn Hutson said on Wednesday. “I think we’ve just got to come out a lot harder and play confident.”
Pieces missing in the bottom six
Freshman forwards Alex Zetterberg and Brandon Svoboda are both “doubtful” for the Maine series, according to Pandolfo.
Svoboda did not play in the series with Michigan and returned last Friday against UMass Lowell before missing Saturday’s game. Zetterberg, who has emerged as one of the Terriers’ most dynamic skaters, has played in every game thus far.
Assuming neither of the two play, senior Tristan Amonte and sophomore Doug Grimes will take on an elevated role in the bottom six. Even with Amonte and Grimes in the lineup, one more forward spot would need to be filled, creating a potential opportunity for freshman Nick Roukounakis or even sophomore Jack Gorton.
A question mark in net
Mathieu Caron has been the no-questions-asked starting goalie ever since he transferred from Brown before the 2023-24 season. But after a rough stretch against North Dakota, Michigan and Friday’s game against Lowell, Pandolfo opted to start sophomore Max Lacroix on Saturday, who played well in a 5-2 win over the River Hawks.
Pandolfo called it a “reset” for Caron after the game on Saturday, but he did not commit to a starter for the upcoming series in his media call on Wednesday.
“Haven’t decided yet on the goaltender for Friday night,” Pandolfo said. “Probably make that decision tomorrow, but we’ve still got another day of practice to kind of see how we feel.”
Scouting the Black Bears
Senior forward Harrison Scott is Maine’s leading scorer with five goals and 10 assists. Sophomore Charlie Russell has contributed 3-8-11, and junior defenseman Brandon Holt has provided offense from the blue line with two goals and nine assists.
Senior Taylor Makar, a transfer from UMass, has come out of nowhere (4-5-9 last year) to post four goals and six assists through his first nine games as a Black Bear. Sophomore Albin Boija has been excellent in net with a 1.57 goals against average and a .931 save percentage in nine starts.
Bu Hockey right now is an embarrassment. They can barely score in 5 on 5 situations and combined with too many penalty minutes, I don’t see them making any kind of playoff run. Pandolfo really needs to shake things up. BU’s play is like a fart in church…it really stinks but no one is willing to take any responsibility for the stink.