As much as Frozen Four appearances have become synonymous with the Jay Pandolfo era, so have slow starts to the season.
It is part of having an increasingly young team, with players that, while immensely talented, have little experience playing together.
“Our whole group is just getting used to each other right now, from all four lines, all the D pairs, just everyone,” said head coach Jay Pandolfo.
While the Boston University men’s hockey team beat LIU, 4-2, on Saturday and notched an exhibition win, 3-0, over RPI on Sunday, the Terriers did not play like a top team in the country. BU (1-0) dropped one spot to No. 3 in the USCHO poll after the weekend.
In the win over LIU, BU was outshot 38-32 and looked relatively pedestrian during even-strength play.
“Obviously, Saturday, it wasn’t the prettiest of games that you’ll see, but we did get the result we needed,” said Pandolfo.
Where the Terriers did find success was on the power play, cashing in on two of five attempts, with goals from sophomores Cole Eiserman and Sacha Boisvert. BU’s first power play unit — Eiserman, Boisvert, freshman Ryder Ritchie, senior Owen McLaughlin, and sophomore Cole Hutson — all tallied two or more points in the opener.
Eiserman also scored in 5-on-5 play with a third-period goal assisted by his two linemates, Boisvert and Ritchie.
“It seems like they have some pretty good chemistry,” said Pandolfo of the Eiserman-Boisvert-Ritchie line. “I thought they did more damage on the power play.”
The Terriers will host Colgate of the ECAC for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday at Agganis Arena this weekend. The Raiders (0-0) defeated Union, 5-3, in an exhibition on Sunday. Last season, Colgate went 18-15-3 and finished the season ranked 29th in the Pairwise.
The weekend series marks BU’s final tune-up games before hosting No. 2 Michigan State and beginning Hockey East play.
“Trying to figure out how we need to play and the consistency that goes into that, so we’re still working towards that,” said Pandolfo.
Boisvert, a game-time decision
The sophomore transfer from North Dakota impressed in his Terrier debut on Saturday, tallying three points via a power play goal and two assists.
However, in his second shift of Sunday’s exhibition contest against RPI, Boisvert shot a wrister into the chest of goalie Bruno Bruveris before clattering into the boards behind the goal. He exited the game and did not return, for “precautionary” reasons, according to Pandolfo.
Pandolfo said on Thursday that Boisvert will be a “game-time decision,” but that he expects him to play.
“He skated today, so we’ll have to see how he responds to that,” said Pandolfo. “I would expect he’s gonna play, but we’ll have to wait till tomorrow night to really know.”
Fondrk to make his debut
Freshman forward Conrad Fondrk is set to make his collegiate debut on Friday. He missed BU’s opening weekend with an undisclosed injury.
“He’ll be in the lineup tomorrow night, definitely,” said Pandolfo.
Fondrk tallied 27 points on 13 goals and 14 assists for the U.S. National Team Development Program U-18 Team last year. He was selected in the second round, 50th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Amico to play on Friday. Saturday’s status uncertain.
Freshman defenseman Carter Amico dressed as the extra skater in Saturday’s opener against LIU, seeing nine minutes and 44 seconds of ice time.
Returning from injury, it was Amico’s first game in 10-plus months. He did not dress in Sunday’s exhibition, with Pandolfo stating that the team needed to manage his workload.
Amico will play on Friday, according to Pandolfo, but his status for Saturday is contingent on how he feels after Friday.
Amico, listed at 6-foot-5, 218 pounds, provides size to the Terriers’ defensive core that lacked it last season. He was selected in the second round, 38th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2025 NHL Draft.
“I would love for him to play both nights,” said Pandolfo. “The sooner we can get him playing back-to-back games, the better for us and for him. But that’s going to be a work in progress to see where he’s at and how he’s feeling.”
Scouting the Raiders
Five of Colgate’s top seven scorers from last season have graduated.
The top returning scorer is sophomore Max Nagel, a 5-foot-8, 165-pound freshman, who scored six goals and provided 18 assists a year ago. 6-foot-2 sophomore defenseman Michael Neumeier supplied eight goals and 12 assists.
Senior goaltender Andrew Takacs started 31 of 36 games in net for the Raiders last season, posting a .903 save percentage and a 2.77 goals against average.
