ST. LOUIS — Jack Hughes knows the end of his college hockey career is near. With the national championship game looming for the Boston University men’s hockey team, he just wants to make the most of the opportunity.
The senior forward’s play has reflected that sentiment, not just at the Toledo Regional and the Frozen Four, but throughout the entire second half of the season.
“It’s that mindset of trying to be a difference maker,” Hughes said.
In the Terriers’ 3-1 win over Penn State in Thursday’s national semifinal at the Enterprise Center, Hughes netted BU’s first goal and recorded an assist.
“He’s really determined,” head coach Jay Pandolfo said postgame Thursday. “He made a lot of plays tonight.”
Hughes was also critical in the Terriers’ third-period surge in the regional semifinal against Ohio State, scoring a shorthanded goal and tallying two assists.
He started killing penalties in the second half of the season when BU took a more aggressive approach. His quickness, good stick and intelligence are assets on the penalty kill.
Pandolfo believes that’s helped Hughes’ overall game. “When you’re killing penalties, you stay in the game, it gives you confidence,” he said.
“Getting a couple more puck touches, being out there a little more helps you get into a bit of a flow,” Hughes said, even though he hasn’t killed penalties since he was “probably 14.”
Offensively, Hughes is at his best when he’s moving his feet, finding himself in positions to support and attack without the puck. Against the Nittany Lions, the second line of Hughes, senior Matt Copponi and sophomore Jack Harvey was BU’s best.
The trio had the mindset of getting the puck below the goal line and trusting each other to win their battle, Hughes said. They created a number of high-danger chances in the first period but finally broke through on Hughes’ seventh goal of the season 1:35 into the second period.
“He’s playing unreal,” Harvey said. “He’s doing all the right things, doing whatever it takes to win.”
Hughes — like the rest of the Terriers — is bought in and knows what it takes to be successful at the highest level.
Hughes and Harvey are good friends off the ice. After each shift, they talk about what they saw on the ice in order to be successful on the next one.
Copponi said the team has come to rely on Hughes throughout the course of the season. For Copponi himself, Hughes means a lot to him.
“He’s a guy that no matter the situation, whatever the game is, he’s going to give you his best and give you his all. And I respect him so much for that,” Copponi said.
Pandolfo pointed to Hughes’ growing role as a leader, despite him not wearing a letter. He’s vocal on the bench and keeps the team level-headed in the locker room.
Hughes has embraced his budding leadership, even though he still feels like he’s one of the younger guys on the team, despite being a senior.
“As I started to play better, that helped me in trying to pull the rope in the right direction with the other leaders,” he said.
It all comes back to his drive to finish his college career on a high-note. Hughes wanted to help “as much as he could,” in the second half and in big moments, Copponi said. Hughes has taken over games down the stretch, like against Providence on senior night.
“He’s been excellent,” Pandolfo said. “Down the stretch, he’s been arguably our best forward.”
Junior co-captain Ryan Greene shared a similar assessment of Hughes’ game, calling it “unbelievable,” and naming Hughes as a “key piece” to BU’s success.
“He definitely doesn’t get enough credit for the effort he puts in each and every game,” Greene said.
Winning the program’s sixth national title would be the cherry on top of Hughes’ season. He still remembers the feeling of falling to Denver in last year’s national semifinal. “It stung for all of us.”
Since clinching the Terriers third consecutive trip to the Frozen Four, Hughes and the rest of the returners have talked about that feeling and how they still think about that game.
“It helps to have that motivation,” he said. “We don’t want to have that feeling again.”
In order for BU to reach the mountain top for the first time in 16 years, Hughes needs to keep his form. His teammates are confident as ever in him.
“I can’t say enough good things about his game right now,” Copponi said.
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