BU Hockey

Meet Boston Hockey Blog’s new writers

Dear Boston Hockey Blog readers,

A few weeks ago this past year’s reporters Jonathan Sigal and Shelby Reardon graduated, and Nick Frazier returned from his semester abroad in London.

Unfortunately Nick will not be returning to cover the 2017-18 hockey season, but two new writers, Liam O’Brien and Nikki Havens, are excited to bring you the best coverage of BU men’s hockey. Through updates on the games (whether it’s Twitter, the live blog, or articles), the annual hockey preview edition, and much more, we hope to bring you another year of great content about Coach Quinn and the Terriers.

We hope you all have good summers, possibly catch a bit of the Stanley Cup playoffs for some BU hockey alum action, and are ready for another great season of hockey.

Below is a little bit about each of us before we begin posting content this summer. Get ready for lots of updates about the 55th NHL entry draft, which takes place on Friday, June 23!

Liam: Liam is a rising sophomore in B6634147-792F-4022-B2F2-4F418EA42610.JPGBoston University’s College of Communication with the goal of majoring in journalism. Despite being born in Philadelphia, he spent the majority of his childhood growing up just outside of Boston in Newton, Massachusetts. 

A close proximity to the city fostered a considerable passion for Boston sports, making Liam an avid fan of the Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox. Due to the fact that he has never hit the ice for a session of skating, the only hockey that took place in Liam’s early days was the occasional Stanley Cup Final game on television. However, the Bruins’ sensational run to a Stanley Cup Final championship in 2011 fostered an appreciation for the game. This was only heightened by Boston’s run to another Stanley Cup Final two seasons later and a bucketload of evenings spent supporting the Terriers at Agganis Arena in his freshman year at BU.

Now, Liam considers himself a fan of the game and is looking forward to covering the Terriers as they seek out a trip to the Frozen Four.

unnamedNikki: Nikki is also a rising sophomore in the College of Communication and intends on majoring in journalism. She is from a small town in the East Bay of San Francisco, but moved to Hong Kong during high school because of her mom’s job. Ever since moving to a large city, she knew she wanted to go to a school with the same atmosphere and she loves Boston so BU was the perfect fit.

Growing up Nikki did not have a large passion for hockey; however as soon as she stepped foot in Agganis Arena, her love of hockey grew like a wild fire. Last semester, she covered the BU’s women’s hockey and men’s lacrosse teams, and this coming semester, she will serve as an Associate Sports Editor alongside Liam.

The Boston Hockey Blog can also be found on Facebook and Twitter so please like/send us a follow if you don’t already! Feel free to send Liam and Nikki a follow, and look at some of the articles Nikki and Liam have written in the past for The Daily Free Press.

Jordan Greenway to return for junior season

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PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

One of Boston University’s go-to forwards will return for the 2017-18 season.

Jordan Greenway, amidst speculation that he would turn pro with the Minnesota Wild, has confirmed to The Boston Hockey Blog that he’ll be back for his junior season.

The announcement comes as a boon to Terrier hockey fans, as forwards Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Clayton Keller and defenseman Charlie McAvoy have all signed early with NHL teams.

With Greenway back, BU now retains three of its top six forwards from the 2016-17 campaign, including rising sophomore Patrick Harper and rising junior Bobo Carpenter. Across his first two seasons at Agganis Arena, the 20-year-old amassed 57 points (15 goals, 42 assists) in 76 games.

During his sophomore season, Greenway helped Team USA win a gold medal at the World Junior Championships. Clocking in at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Greenway was drafted in the second round in 2015 by Minnesota.

 

Coach Quinn talks the 2016-17 season, future

PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

On Wednesday afternoon at Agganis Arena, The Daily Free Press and WTBU Sports sat down with head coach David Quinn for about half an hour.

In a far-reaching interview that covered everything from high and low moments of the 2016-17 season to thoughts on roster construction moving forward, Quinn did not hold back. In fact, this 30-minute conversation was the most honest and candid I remember Quinn ever being about BU hockey.

First off, we have two stories on the FreeP. The first looks back at the year that was, while the second talks about the future. I strongly encourage you, Terrier hockey fans, to check them both out and then share your thoughts below.

Also, we have a flurry of tweets with in-depth quotes from Quinn. In other words, a lot to digest.

Clayton Keller signs with Arizona Coyotes, leaves BU program

keller_maddiemalhotra_online-1-of-1-1600x1109Speculation has become reality.

Clayton Keller, Boston University’s star freshman forward, has made his NHL dreams come true. On Sunday morning, the seventh overall pick of the 2016 Entry Draft signed with the Arizona Coyotes, marking BU’s first early departure of the offseason.

The 18-year-old penned a three-year, entry-level deal and will play on Monday night against the St. Louis Blues.

With the move, Keller closes the book on a scarlet-and-white career that included a Hockey East Rookie of the Year award, 45 total points, a 15-game point streak and a gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

Suffice it say that head coach David Quinn won’t easily replace Keller. We’ll keep you update as more Terriers head to the NHL early, as Charlie McAvoy, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Jordan Greenway are all strong candidates.

https://twitter.com/jake_oettinger/status/846060875404509184

https://twitter.com/chadkrys/status/846069698764689410

 

Live Blog: BU plays BC in Hockey East semis

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!

Live Blog BU vs. BC – Hockey East semifinals
 

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Live Blog: BU hosts Northeastern in Hockey East quarterfinals

Playoff hockey is officially here, BU hockey fans!

We’re live at Agganis Arena for Friday night’s clash between the Terriers and Northeastern, which will get underway at 7:05 p.m. This is the first clash of a best-of-three series, with other contests occurring on Saturday and Sunday.

We’ll be providing minute-by-minute updates, so follow along on our live blog below!

Live Blog BU vs. Northeastern – Hockey East Quarterfinals
 

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BU hockey receives commitment from Liam Connors

While the Hockey East Tournament nears for the Boston University men’s hockey team, that doesn’t mean the coaching staff has turned a blind eye to the recruiting trail.

Rather, the Terriers, as first reported by SB Nation’s Jeff Cox, have secured the services of Liam Connors.

The 2001-born winger plays at the St. Sebastian’s School in nearby Needham, Massachusetts. Aged 16, Connors, per his Elite Prospects page, has also previously skated for the Boston Jr. Bruins and Neponset Valley River Rats.

While Connors won’t arrive on Commonwealth Avenue for several years, early word is he’s quite the talent.

The Look Back: BU captures share of Hockey East regular-season title

Senior defenseman Doyle Somerby returned to the blue line against Notre Dame. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALOHTRA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Senior defenseman Doyle Somerby returned to the blue line against Notre Dame. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALOHTRA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The 2016-17 regular season is over for BU hockey, and the Terriers stand as co-champions of Hockey East.

Heading into this past weekend’s series against Notre Dame, a million and one scenarios could have unfolded (that’s an exaggeration), but the dust has finally settled. BU lost, 3-1, on Friday night, only to register an inspiring, 4-1, win over the Fighting Irish on Saturday evening.

With those results, head coach David Quinn’s side will be the No. 2 seed in the Hockey East Tournament. It also ends the regular season in three-way tie for first place, sharing the crown with Boston College and UMass Lowell.

The stars of the weekend were forwards Kieffer Bellows, Clayton Keller Patrick Harper and goaltender Jake Oettinger. In other words, the freshmen are stepping up with playoff hockey around the corner. Furthermore, Quinn said defenseman and captain Doyle Somerby had his best weekend of the season.

As things stand, BU sits in seventh place in the PairWise Rankings, so the scarlet and white are in a good place with the NCAA Tournament looming. Lastly, the Terriers won’t play again until March 10 against a to-be-determined opponent, so keep an eye out on the opening round of the Hockey East Tournament.

Content

  1. Friday’s recap of the 3-1 loss.
  2. Friday’s sider about the goaltender battle between Jake Oettinger and Cal Petersen.
  3. Saturday’s recap of the 4-1, come-from-behind win.
  4. Saturday’s sider about Kieffer Bellows coming into his own on the third line.

Highlights

Press Conferences

Tweets of the Weekend

Live: BU hosts Notre Dame to end regular season

The regular season comes to a close on Saturday night for the No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team, as it hosts No. 13 University of Notre Dame at Agganis Arena.

The regular-season title is still up for grabs, and Hockey East has outlined each possible scenario. The long and short is such: If Notre Dame wins it finishes in first place, while if BU wins it will share the title with UMass Lowell and Boston College.

These two sides met on Friday night, with the Fighting Irish earning a 3-1 win. Mindful of that, Coach Quinn and the Terriers will look to head into the playoffs on a high note, having already secured a first-round bye.

We’ll live at Agganis all night, so be sure to follow along on our live blog!

Live Blog BU vs. Notre Dame – Saturday night
 

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Live Blog: BU hosts Notre Dame for Friday night clash

The regular season is winding down, and the No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team is hosting No. 13 University of Notre Dame this Friday night at 6 p.m.

The game is being broadcast nationally on the American Sports Network and regionally on NESN. Per usual, we’ll be live for all the action and have stories postgame.

Follow along on our live blog below and chime in with your thoughts!

Live Blog BU vs. Notre Dame – Friday night
 

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