Justin Pallenik

Justin is a former Sports Editor for the Daily Free Press. In the past, he has covered the BU field hockey, men's basketball, women's hockey and women's lacrosse teams. Justin has interned at WEEI.com and serves as Editor-In-Chief of the Cleveland sports blog, Straight Down Euclid. Follow him on Twitter: @just_a_pal

Forward Johnny McDermott Announces Transfer To Providence

Former Boston University men’s hockey forward Johnny McDermott is taking his talents to Hockey East rival Providence College, the sophomore announced Wednesday night via Twitter.

After receiving playing time in 14 games of his first season with the Terriers, McDermott was stuck behind a loaded freshman class of forwards on the depth chart this year and was unable to break onto the ice.

The Darien, Connecticut native took seven shots as a freshman, including two each against Union College and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

While he did not score a goal during his BU tenure, he recorded an assist in his first collegiate action. In a 6-1 win over Colgate University last season on Oct. 8, McDermott combined with current sophomore forward Gabriel Chabot (who has also struggled to find ice time this season) to set up former forward Tommy Kelley on a goal to give the Terriers a 4-0 lead in the game.

McDermott joins a Friars program that handed BU a disappointing 3-0 loss in Rhode Island on Saturday night and will take on BU this Friday night at Agganis Arena.

Terriers release 2017-18 home schedule

Terrier fans can already begin planning their visits to Agganis Arena as the Boston University men’s hockey team announced their home schedule for 2017-18 on Wednesday afternoon.

Luckily for the BU faithful, the team is scheduled to begin their season earlier than ever before. For the first time since their inception, the Terriers will begin their regular season before October. BU will kick off its season at home for the first time since 1992-93 as they play host to Union on September 30.

The home crowd will be treated to numerous high-profile tilts this coming season, beginning with the Terriers’ jam-packed October slate featuring a handful of formidable opponents. On October 13 and 14, Minnesota State, the No. 1 overall seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, will pay a visit to Agganis Arena for a two-game series. This set marks the first ever matchup between the Mavericks and Terriers.

Just two weeks later, the stakes will be ratcheted up even further, as defending national champion the University of Denver will serve as a measuring stick for the Terriers. The Pioneers raced through the NCAA Tournament after being handed the No. 1 overall seed this past spring, and look to be one of the favorites to reach the Frozen Four in 2018. In what is likely to be a contest pitting two teams ranked in the top ten of the NCAA polls, BU will seek its fourth consecutive home victory over Denver.

The Terriers should not have to wait long to host another highly-ranked opponent. After the month of November, in which BU hosts three Hockey East opponents in the span of eight days (Providence College, Northeastern University, and University of New Hampshire), the rink heats up in the month of Christmas with visits from both Boston College (Dec. 2) and University of Massachusetts Lowell (Dec. 9). The Terriers’ crosstown enemies finished 16th in the USCHO.com rankings at the conclusion of 2016-17 while the River Hawks ended the season two slots above the Terriers at No. 4.

After an exhibition against the U.S. Under-18 National Team to begin 2018, BU will jump right back into Hockey East competition on January 6 with a matchup against the University of Maine. This is followed by a second home tilt against the Friars, who finished 15th in the USCHO.com rankings last season, before Merrimack College returns to Agganis Arena on January 20. The Warriors stunned the Terriers in the last week of January last season, blowing out BU 3-1 on home ice before shocking Hockey East with a 4-1 victory on Commonwealth Ave. three nights later.

The Hockey East competition continues in February, as BU will host University of Massachusetts Amherst on February 9 before a two-game home set against the University of Vermont to close out the month. The Terriers earned a split in their two games in Burlington, Vt. last season.