After an underwhelming first weekend, the question entering this weekend was whether the Boston University men’s hockey team could play like the elite team it has been billed to be all offseason, before the schedule ramps up.

The No. 3 Terriers convincingly answered the call, defeating Colgate, 6-2, on Friday night at Agganis Arena.

“I’ve watched the first two games back, and you could just see guys were thinking and not just playing,” Pandolfo said. “And tonight, guys were playing, and it made a big difference.”

The first period looked destined to end scoreless, but sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson got the Terriers (2-0) on the board at 19:07 of the first period in a moment of individual brilliance.

Last year’s National Rookie of the Year skated in from the blue line, beating the initial defender to the left circle before whiffing on a shot, recollecting the puck, and slotting home a finish right in front of the net past freshman goaltender Reid Dyck. The puck was on Hutson’s stick for more than 10 seconds as he sliced through the Colgate (0-1) defense, creating an opportunity out of nothing. Hutson celebrated his tally by hitting the 6-7 celebration, which has been popularized on social media in recent months.

Junior Mick Frechette doubled BU’s lead at 5:10 of the second period. After freshman forward Jonathan Morello missed the net from the slot, Frechette collected the rebound, spun, and fired a shot into a relatively empty net after Dyck was caught out of position.

The tally marked Frechette’s first collegiate goal, in his 34th game as a Terrier. The last time he scored was during his senior year of high school at Dexter Southfield.

A Weston, Mass. native, Frechette has been coming to BU games since he was a kid.

“It was a great feeling to do it here, in front of friends and family, and obviously our home crowd,” said Frechette of his first goal. “It was pretty incredible.”

Frechette played on the blue line his first two seasons, but in BU’s first two games, he’s slotted in on the fourth forward line. Pandolfo said postgame that he has moved Frechette up due to some injuries.

Frechette, who is still practicing as a defenseman, has accepted the move in stride.

“Just kind of going wherever the team needs me,” said Frechette. “Wherever puts me in a uniform. Every time I throw it on, I get goosebumps.”

Freshman forward Ryder Ritchie added on at the 7:03 mark of the second period, scoring his first career goal. Senior forward Owen McLaughlin found Ritchie skating towards the net from the blue line. Ritchie collected the puck right in front of the crease and lifted it over the shoulder of Dyck. Sophomore forward Eiserman provided the secondary assist.

“He’s fit in very nicely in a short amount of time,” Pandolfo said of Ritchie.

Eiserman netted his first of two power-play goals, and BU’s third goal in just over four minutes, at 9:21 of the second frame. He fired a one-timer from the top of the right circle 58 seconds into the man-advantage off a feed from Hutson, extending the Terriers’ lead to 4-0.

His second power play goal came at 8:51 of the third period, scoring from the slot on a feed from Ritchie, to make it 5-1 BU. Eiserman finished with a three-point night.

“I love scoring. Probably my second favorite thing in the world, besides my family,” said Eiserman.

BU went 2-for-3 on the power play, and it wasn’t far from going perfect on the man advantage. In the Terriers’ only unsuccessful power play, they unleashed six shots, three more in the seconds that followed, and generated a flurry of chances.

“I really liked the power play tonight. We could’ve had, I mean, a lot more with some of the chances that we were getting,” said Pandolfo.

“Eiserman, I think we don’t really need to say too much about what he can do on the power play,” Pandolfo added.

The Terriers are now 4-for-8 on the man-advantage this season, and Friday’s production came without sophomore forward Sacha Boisvert, who scored and assisted on the power play in the opener against LIU. Boisvert left Sunday’s exhibition early after sustaining a minor injury in the first period. Eiserman has three of those four power-play goals.

“The numbers, you know, 50 percent, I think it could even be even better,” Eiserman said.

Colgate got on the board to make it 4-1 at 10:53 of the second period when junior defenseman Antonio Fernandez found freshman forward Tyson Doucette at the back post on a 2-on-1.

The Raiders notched a second tally at 15:44 of the third, with sophomore Isaiah Norlin cutting the deficit to 5-2 with a power play goal.

“It was disappointing to give up that late PK goal,” said Pandolfo. “But overall, special teams, so far, in two games, has been good.”

Morello sealed the contest with his first collegiate goal, an empty net, shorthanded tally at 16:33 of the third period, extending the Terrier lead to 6-2.

BU looked far more comfortable on Friday, and will look to replicate its performance in Saturday’s series finale at 6 p.m. 

“I liked our game,” said Pandolfo. “From start to finish.”