The coaches won’t agree, and neither will the players. Even the Fans in attendance won’t agree, but the Boston University men’s hockey team’s season-opening performance was exactly what it needed to look like.
It was, by no means, a full 60-minute showing by the No. 3 Terriers (1-0), but to expect that in the first game of the season isn’t fair. Everyone inside the BU locker room knows that. That’s why head coach Jay Pandolfo said he was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I thought for the most part we played the right way,” he said in his opening statement at the post-game press conference. “We got a little sloppy at times, but we found a way to finish the job.”
It was, to put it simply, a ruckus. The atmosphere was palpable at Agganis Arena on Saturday night. Student tickets sold out according to the arena’s social media platforms. It was clear the crowd was a factor in BU’s 5-2 win over Holy Cross (0-1).
“It was a big difference,” freshman defenseman Cole Hutson said of the crowd postgame. “And if they ask me, they should show up to a few more.”
Whether it was adrenaline or the Dog Pound, it was clear the Terriers were fired up to be back playing in front of the BU faithful — maybe even too much. Combine that with the physicality the Crusaders brought, and it equaled 83 total penalty minutes, 46 of which belonged to the home team. Junior forward Devin Kaplan and freshman forward Cole Eiserman were both handed game misconducts.
“There was a scrum after every whistle,” Pandolfo said.
But it’s what the Terriers did to combat Holy Cross’ style of play.
It started with the top line — the leadership group: co-captains Ryan Greene and Shane Lachance, and assistant captain Quinn Hutson. They didn’t shy away from Holy Cross’ physicality, but they did it the right way, and none of them found their way to the penalty box.
The trio combined for nine points in the victory. Greene scored twice and picked up an assist, and both Lachance and Quinn Huston recorded three assists. They were the team’s best unit all night.
“We’ve been flowing really well in practice,” Greene said. “It’s clicking really good.”
Pandolfo agreed, “I thought that line was excellent.”
They accounted for 14 of the team’s 37 shots on goal and ran out as the top power-play unit along with Eiserman and Cole Hutson. In his weekly press call on Friday, Pandolfo mentioned the lines in training camp had changed frequently but some had stuck together. It’s clear why these three remain a unit.
While the veterans were the first to board the roller coaster, the freshmen made it clear that they were tall enough to ride.
After Greene opened the scoring 39 seconds into the second period, Eiserman and Cole Huston provided a brief vision of the past, or better yet, a glimpse at the future.
Before receiving a game misconduct, Eiserman rifled home a one-timer on the power play, much like Macklin Celebrini had done for the Terriers not too long ago. Not five minutes later, Cole Huston used his speed to beat a Holy Cross defender around the wing and slotted one through Thomas Gale’s five-hole, much like his older brother Lane also did not too long ago.
“It’s obviously pretty nice to get it out of the way early,” Cole Hutson said of scoring his first collegiate goal.
“I was pretty anxious to get out there,” he added.
Eiserman and Cole Hutson weren’t the only two freshmen who made their presence felt in game one. Forward Alex Zetterberg picked up his first bingo, cleaning up a rebound in front of the net. Forward Brandon Svoboda, while still in search of his first point, provided a necessary jolt to the Terriers lineup. Pandolfo certainly noticed the 6-foot-3 forwards’ impact.
“Svoboda has got a lot of speed. He’s a big body,” Pandolfo said. “He got us going a little bit too by starting to drive their D back and attacking the net.”
The big stage didn’t startle newcomers, and the way BU wants to play caters right to the freshman class.
“We try to play a fast pace game, and we have guys that can skate,” Pandolfo continued. “I thought the freshmen were excellent.”
On the defensive end, returning sophomores Tom Willander, Gavin McCarthy, Aiden Celebrini and Mick Frechette all looked more comfortable than they did as freshmen last season, and the Terriers are going to need it given the youth of the defensive core.
Senior goaltender Mathieu Caron looked the part of an anchor. Stopping 29 of the 31 shots he faced, Caron looked confident in the crease — something he seemed to struggle with in his first season bearing the Scarlet and White.
Overall, BU really only played one period of the product they want to advertise. But the team knew the first game was going to be an adjustment. And all the pieces seem to be there.
Talent, leadership, physicality, goaltending.
At the end of the day, the priority remains the same. And on Saturday, BU got what they came for.
“The important thing is that the team wins,” Greene said. “We’re 1-0 now, and we’re just looking on to next weekend.”
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