ST. LOUIS — Third time’s the charm, as they say. The Boston University men’s hockey team sure hopes that’s the case.
Two years ago, the Terriers were excited to be back in the Frozen Four, as head coach Jay Pandolfo explained in last week’s media call. Last season, Pandolfo thought he had the team to bring home BU’s sixth national championship.
In the national semifinal against Denver a year ago, the Terriers were one shot away from advancing to the championship game. Despite the result, Pandolfo said BU was better prepared than against Minnesota in 2023.
This group of Terriers is far different from both of those teams. With few true veterans this season, it never felt as if they had reached their potential, having several bumps in the road. But yet, here BU is.
Junior forward Quinn Hutson knows tomorrow’s national semifinal is a big moment, having fallen on this same stage each of the past two seasons. That’s enough motivation for him.
“I’m personally going to use it a lot,” he said during Wednesday’s post-practice press conference.
The Terriers took to the ice at the Enterprise Center for the first time on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for their Frozen Four matchup with Penn State.
Thursday night’s game will mark 12 days since BU’s regional final victory over Cornell.
“We’re kind of sick of practicing,” freshman defenseman Sascha Boumedienne said in the locker room after Wednesday’s practice. “We’ve all been waiting to get here.”
Freshman blueliner Cole Hutson said the team is “definitely getting antsy to play.” He added they’ve cranked the intensity level up at practice, and BU has kept that level through Wednesday and hopefully into Thursday.
“We’re hoping that excitement boils over into tomorrow,” sophomore forward Jack Harvey said.
Despite season long inconsistencies, BU has ‘found a way’
In his opening statement at Wednesday’s press conference, Pandolfo provided a level of candor that he usually doesn’t display.
“At times this year with the inconsistencies in our game, I don’t know if we had a great feeling that we were going to find our way back here,” he said.
Pandolfo hasn’t been shy to point out BU’s shortcomings over the course of the season, but this was the first time he admitted the Terriers had doubts.
BU’s 7-5 loss to Yale on Dec. 29 was arguably the season’s low point. After that game, did Pandolfo think his team would make it back to the Frozen Four?
“I think I would have said that I still have plenty of belief in this group,” he said. “Sometimes it’s good for a team to go through the adversity we’ve went through this year.”
“Right after the game, maybe if you asked me, I would have said something different. But knowing these players that we have, I’d say, “Yeah, we’ll find a way’.”
Special teams an emphasis against Penn State
BU’s lethal top power play unit remained the same Wednesday, working the man advantage for a period of time.
While Penn State’s overall penalty kill percentage sits at an average 79.3 percent, there is a caveat: the Nittany Lions haven’t allowed a power play goal to a non-conference opponent all season.
On the flip side, the Terriers’ penalty kill has flipped a switch in the second half of the season after starting poorly. It started with taking fewer penalties, Pandolfo said, but he also thought BU was too passive when down a player. Freshman netminder Mikhail Yegorov has helped too.
“We’d kind of sit in and let the power play buzz around our zone, and we weren’t clearing plays and killing plays quick enough,” he said.
Boumedienne has seen an increase in time on the penalty kill, attributing BU’s success to “the way we kill, we like to pressure, play hard and catch them sleeping.”
Absent from Wednesday’s practice was one of BU’s top penalty-killing forwards, freshman Kamil Bednarik. After practice on Tuesday, Pandolfo said that Bednarik was “under the weather” and “should be fine.” No update was given on Wednesday.
Kamil Bednarik’s status is unclear, but practice lines remain the same
Wednesday’s practice lines were the same as they were for March 29’s matchup with Cornell, save for the absence of Bednarik. Freshman forward Brandon Svoboda took Bednarik’s place on the third line, and freshman forward Alex Zetterberg — who didn’t draw into the lineup against the Big Red — took Svoboda’s spot on the fourth line. Expect this to be the case if Bednarik doesn’t play Thursday.
Senior forward Jack Hughes has played his best hockey in the Scarlet and White in 2025, whether it be down the middle or on the wing.
“When I’m moving my feet, that’s when I’m at my best,” Hughes said Wednesday. “Just having the mindset that we need everyone in this room to be a difference maker, I think that’s helped me a little bit.”
Preparing for Penn State’s speed and transition game
Penn State provides a completely different challenge than Cornell. The Nittany Lions play an explosive, fast game and are dangerous in transition.
“We have the mindset that we have to defend first, and we’ll take advantage of our chances,” Hughes said.
The Terriers will have their chances. Penn State gives up three goals a game, compared to BU’s 2.9. The Nittany Lions are an offensively driven team.
“If we demand the puck and try to make them defend, we’re going to end up on the right side of things,” Boumedienne said.
“They’re a team that takes a lot of chances,” Cole Hutson said. “We watched it on video, and we can take advantage of those mistakes, we can perform pretty well.”
Big game experience an X-factor
This iteration of the Terriers is different from last year’s, which didn’t win a single trophy. BU won the Belpot in Northern Ireland and the Beanpot this season. The Terriers have won the Beanpot in every season that they went on to win the national championship.
“I think our team really has a chance at taking this home,” Cole Hutson said. “You can almost feel it in this locker room.”
The Belpot and the Beanpot were small steps in a journey that led to the Frozen Four, Quinn Hutson said. Junior co-captain Ryan Greene added that he felt like winning the Beanpot was a pivotal moment in the season.
“Winning,” said sophomore co-captain Shane Lachance, “is addicting.” is addicting,” sophomore co-captain Shane Lachance said.
Just play hard so that either way, win or lose, you can hold your heads high.