After completing his thirteenth year with Merrimack College, head coach Mark Dennehy was informed that he will not be returning to the Warriors’ bench next season.
He was told of the move after losing game two of the Hockey East quarterfinals to Boston College saturday.
The 21 losses this season are the most since 2014 in which their record was 8-22-3, Before his hiring, Merrimack lost 20 or more games in six of eight seasons.
In the 2016-2017 season, Merrimack swept then No. 1 Boston University men’s hockey team.
Assistant coach Curtis Carr will remain with the team and run the day-to-day operations while Merrimack searches for a new coach which will begin immediately.
Associate Bill Gilligan was also relieved of his duties.
Dennehy had a record of 168-243-60 at Merrimack, and made a NCAA tournament appearance in 2011.
BREAKING: Merrimack will announce today that Mark Dennehy will not return as head coach of the men's hockey program. Dennehy was informed following last night's Game 2 loss to Boston College in overtime.
The Boston University men’s hockey team finished 2017 with two matchups against the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This was the first time the two teams had faced each other unranked since Dec. 7, 2007.
Jordan Greenway recorded three goals and one assist on Saturday. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Friday night at Tsongas Center, the Terriers had a 2-1 lead going into the final period of the game after freshman forward Brady Tkachuk and graduate transfer forward Drew Melanson struck less than a minute into the first and second period respectively.
However, BU couldn’t maintain the lead as the River Hawks found the back of the net twice in the third and the Terriers couldn’t get the puck past Lowell junior goaltender Christoffer Hernberg.
Saturday ensued much differently. BU notched three goals in each period for a 9-3 win to end the semester. Junior forward Jordan Greenway tallied a hat-trick, which included a short-handed goal.
Sophomore forward Patrick Harper scored twice on the power play, freshman defenseman Cam Crotty got his first collegiate goal and sophomore defenseman Chad Krys notched a goal the following shift after being hit hard in the leg by a shot from River Hawks senior defenseman Chris Forney.
Chad Krys was helped off the ice, but returned back to the BU bench quickly. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
While the Terriers will go into the winter break on a high note and the team appears optimistic about the next half of their season, the Lowell series continued to highlight an ever so familiar sequence of events.
Over BU’s past three Hockey East series, the squad has been limited to two goals or less on one night then puts up seven or more goals the next. This was seen specifically in the Terriers’ splits with the University of Maine, then-No. 15 Boston College and this past weekend.
BU is currently tied for No. 3 in the conference with No. 9 Providence College and in the upcoming half of the season, it will face many opponents again and play Hockey East series against Merrimack College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Vermont.
This latter portion of the season will certainly provide a challenge to the Terriers who have proven they can play against a top team like BC, but they have yet to see a full sweep and take home four points.
BU’s next game will be an exhibition game against the United States National Team Development Program on Jan. 5 where many of the Terriers will see their former teammates. Following that game will be another matchup against Maine at Agganis Arena.
Another note before the articles and media below: I (Nikki) will be assuming the role of the sports editor of The Daily Free Press during the spring semester so Liam O’Brien and Matt Martin will be the main writers for men’s hockey and the Boston Hockey Blog. I may come back to cover a couple games, but I’d like to thank everyone for a great semester, hanging in with us through the technical difficulties and keeping along with the blog.
What are you thoughts on the Lowell series and the first half of the 2017-18 season?
The Boston University men’s hockey team faced off in the 275th and 276th editions of the Battle of Comm. Ave. on Friday and Saturday night respectively. The Terriers emerged with a split after both teams found success on the other’s home ice.
Both teams played a physical game on Saturday, but neither were able to score on their power play chances. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
On Friday, BU found itself in an early 2-0 deficit after the Eagles scored two goals minutes into the contest. However, the Terriers came back with three goals in the first period, including a short-handed bid by freshman forward Brady Tkachuk. BU didn’t stop there as it netted four more goals to cap the 7-4 win.
Saturday night started similarly with BC getting on the board twice without response from the Terriers. Freshman forward Shane Bowers scored BU’s lone tally of the night, but the Eagles found the back of the net once again to put the Terriers in another two-goal deficit, one they would not come back from in the eventual 4-1 loss.
BU will finish off 2017 with a home-and-home series against the No. 18 University of Massachusetts Lowell.
The Boston University men’s hockey team will take on No. 15 Boston College tonight at Agganis Arena for the final game of its Hockey East home-and-home series. Last night at Conte Forum, the Terriers came out with a 7-4 win after coming back from an 2-0 deficit in the first minutes of the game. Follow along on tonight’s live blog below.
On Saturday, the No. 19 Boston University men’s hockey team played No. 7 Cornell University in the sixth installment of Red Hot Hockey, which takes place at Madison Square Garden.
The Terriers now have a 3-1-2 record in Red Hot Hockey. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The Terriers found themselves in a 3-0 hole after the first 30 minutes of the game. However, tallies from sophomore defensemen Dante Fabbro and Chad Krys, and sophomore forward Patrick Harper put BU within one goal.
While the Big Red couldn’t seal the game with two empty-netter chances, the Terriers were unable to tie up the game and fell for the first time in the biennial Thanksgiving weekend matchup.
BU will resume Hockey East conference play this weekend with a series against its crosstown rival, No. 14 Boston College. The first game will take place at Conte Forum on Friday and then at Agganis Arena on Saturday.
After last Saturday’s win against the No. 11 University of New Hampshire, the No. 18 Boston University men’s hockey team has officially made it through the first third of its 36 regular-game season.
The Boston Hockey Blog decided to compile an infographic on the team’s progress so far. We’ve also elaborated on some of the information in the graphic below and added things that couldn’t fit.
Senior forward Chase Phelps in front of the net against Northeastern University. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
BU was slated as No. 2 behind University of Denver in the preseason poll, and kept this standing as it beat Union 4-1 during its home-opener and Quinnipiac University 4-3 in overtime. However, a sweep by Minnesota State University caused the Terriers to drop to No. 7. The following weekend, BU split its series against UConn and moved up a spot.
After losing to both the Denver and Providence College, the Terriers went to No. 12. The following weekend, BU split its Hockey East matchups after a win against Providence, but a loss to Northeastern, causing it to drop to No. 15. Finally, despite beating UNH, the Terriers were swept by Northeastern giving them a No. 18 spot in the polls.
Record: 5-6-1, 3-3-1 Hockey East during the Terriers’ first 12 games
Power Play: 20.4 percent
Junior forward Bobo Carpenter has scored four of his seven goals while BU was on a power play.
Penalty Kill: 70.6 percent
Carpenter scored two short-handed goals against UConn on Oct. 20.
Terriers with Two Points: freshman forward Ty Amonte, graduate transfer forward Drew Melanson, freshman defenseman David Farrance
Freshman forward Shane Bowers with the puck in BU’s 2-0 win against Providence College. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Goaltending:
Jake Oettinger sits on a .904 goal save percentage and 2.91 goals against average over 658:41 minutes
Max Prawdzik owns a .968 goal save percentage and .91 goals against average over 66:03 minutes
Other Things to Note:
Fabbro leads the team in blocked shots with 32
Krys leads in shots with 45
Freshman forward Brady Tkachuk leads BU with a plus-minus rating of +7
The Terriers have been outscored 15-8 in the second period
BU has allowed its opponent to score first in seven games with a 2-5 record in those contests
Other Notable Quotes:
“For the next 50 minutes they played men’s hockey and we played boy’s hockey, and that was the difference.” — Coach Quinn after 3-6 loss to Minnesota State University
“At the end of the day, this is a game about scoring goals. We can talk about forechecking, d-zone coverage, we can talk about power plays and penalty kills, but you got to score goals.” — Coach Quinn after 1-6 loss to then-No. 13 Northeastern University
Upcoming Games:
After this weekend’s series against the University of Maine, the Terriers will only have five more games left before the end of the semester.
Cornell University at Madison Square Garden for Red Hot Hockey, 8 p.m. on Saturday Nov. 25
Boston College at Conte Forum, 7 p.m. on Friday Dec. 1
Boston College at Agganis Arena, 7 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 2
University of Massachusetts Lowell at Tsongas Center, 7:15 p.m. on Friday Dec. 8
University of Massachusetts Lowell at Agganis Arena, 7 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 9
Senior forward Nik Olsson looking for a pass against Providence. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The Hockey East semifinals are here at long last, with an extra does of rivalry.
Starting at 8 p.m., the No. 7 Boston University men’s hockey team will do battle with No. 14 Boston College, all with a berth in Saturday’s title game on the line. The game, held at TD Garden, will be broadcast on NESN and ESPN3.
BU has beaten BC three times already this season, and an Eagle loss practically guarantees their NCAA Tournament dreams are squashed. As for BU, there’s all to play for ahead of what’s a guaranteed spot in the NCAA Tournament.
We’ll be live all night at the Garden, so follow along below!
A swarming first period, three timely goals and another strong showing from freshman goaltender Jake Oettinger wrote history on Monday night.
For the first time since 1994-95, the Boston University men’s hockey team has swept Boston College in the regular season. This time, though, it came in the 65th Beanpot Tournament’s semifinal round courtesy of a 3-1 win.
We’re keeping this post short and simple, all to let the highlights and tweets do the talking. A title bout against Harvard awaits, though, on Feb. 13. Playoff hockey is practically here, Terrier fans.
Highlights
Press Conference
Tweets of the Game
BC chants "BU Football " BU responds with: "Undefeated" "BC basketball" "BC football" "BC hockey" ""BC chipotle"
Welcome to TD Garden, where the No. 3 Boston University men’s hockey team and No. 7 Boston College will square off in the semifinal round of the 65th Beanpot Tournament. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.
As always, we’re live for the game’s action, so feel free to follow along via our live blog below.
The game is also broadcast on NESN and TSN2 for those not in attendance.
Slated for an 8 p.m. showdown with No. 8 Boston College, the No. 3 Boston University men’s hockey will kick off the 65th Beanpot at TD Garden. That’s right, the same Eagle side that the Terriers already knocked off twice this year.
Don’t expect those tilts to factor in too much, though, at least according to head coach David Quinn. For more on that, check out Shelby’s preview over on The Daily Free Press.
There’ll also be plenty of history at play, as BU has won 30 Beanpot titles throughout the years. The last came in 2015, and Jonathan wrote about those memories over on The Daily Free Press.
Oh, one more thing. Check out this video The Dog Pound created. Gotta love it.
