The official hockey blog of The Daily Free Press
The Boston University men’s hockey team secured its first win of 2018 last night against the University of New Hampshire. In an early 5 p.m. start tonight at Agganis Arena, the Terriers will look to continue their success against No. 11 Providence College in the two teams’ third meeting of the 2017-18 season. Read this week’s preview here and follow along on tonight’s live blog.
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.
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.
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?
Read our articles from the weekend below:
Friday’s Articles
Recap – “Men’s hockey unable to sustain lead in 3-2 loss to UMass Lowell“
Sider on Melanson – “Drew Melanson finds success on men’s hockey top line“
Saturday’s Articles
Recap – “Men’s hockey trumps UMass-Lowell, 9-3, behind hat trick from Jordan Greenway“
Sider on players that benefitted BU’s lineup – “Addition of Fabbro, Chabot and Curry help men’s hockey beat UMass Lowell 9-3“
Here are some Twitter posts, highlights and post-game press conferences from the weekend:
Some photos from @TerrierHockey's 9-3 win over @RiverHawkHockey. Taken by @MaddieMalhotra. pic.twitter.com/BHMU7SUvBb
— Boston Hockey Blog (@BOShockeyblog) December 10, 2017
HAT TRICK!
Jordan Greenway led @TerrierHockey with four points in a 9-3 victory over UMass Lowell. pic.twitter.com/fCxD8qWa6E— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) December 10, 2017
The Boston University men’s hockey team will faceoff against the University of Massachusetts Lowell tonight at Agganis Arena. The puck drop is set for 7 p.m. and will mark the Terriers’ last game of 2017. Last night at the Tsongas Center, BU fell 3-2 to Lowell after relinquishing its 2-1 lead in the third period, but graduate transfer forward Drew Melanson notched his first goal as a Terrier. In case you missed it, here is this week’s preview and 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 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.
Read our articles from the weekend below:
Recap – “Men’s hockey falls to No. 7 Cornell at Red Hot Hockey”
Sider on second period – “Late goals not enough for men’s hockey, second period mistakes pile up”
Here are some Twitter posts, highlights and the post-game press conference:
Some photos from @TerrierHockey's matchup last night against @CUBigRedHockey at Madison Square Garden. Taken by @MaddieMalhotra. pic.twitter.com/Y4giOrbOdm
— Boston Hockey Blog (@BOShockeyblog) November 26, 2017
The No. 18 Boston University men’s hockey team picked up another two points this weekend in its road series against the University of Maine. The Terriers are currently tied for fourth place in Hockey East alongside No. 10 Providence College.
On Friday night at the Alfond Arena, redshirt sophomore goaltender Max Prawdzik made his second collegiate start in net. Despite putting up 42 shots, with 18 in the final period, BU was only able to get two past Maine’s sophomore goaltender Jeremy Swayman for a final score of 5-2 in favor of the Black Bears.
The following evening at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, the Terriers were able to convert their opportunities for a season-high seven goals. Sophomore goaltender Jake Oettinger made 30 saves to shutdown any goals for Maine and recorded his sixth career shutout.
For freshman Terriers – Kasper Kotkansalo, Logan Cockerill, Hank Crone and Brady Tkachuk – also scored their first goals as Terriers. Kotkansalo finished the series with one goal and one assist, Cockerill had two goals and two assists and Crone picked up an assist in addition to his goal.
Freshman forward Shane Bowers registered two goals and one assist over the series. Freshman forward Jake Witkowski and freshman defenseman Cam Crotty each tallied their first collegiate points.
BU will play in the 6th biannual Red Hot Hockey game at Madison Square Garden this upcoming Saturday. Be sure to follow along on the live blog and Twitter as Boston Hockey Blog travels to New York City.
Read our articles from the weekend below:
Friday night’s recap – “Men’s hockey falls in first game of series to Maine at Alfond Arena”
Saturday night’s recap – “Men’s hockey capitalizes on its opportunities for 7-0 win against Maine”
Here are some Twitter posts and the post-game press conference on Saturday with Nikki on the side:
Here are some photos from @TerrierHockey's game last night against @MaineIceHockey taken by @MaddieMalhotra who was able to make the trip up to Portland with the Boston Hockey Blog. pic.twitter.com/uYlPbhlPdp
— Boston Hockey Blog (@BOShockeyblog) November 19, 2017
Hank Crone looking very happy after scoring his first collegiate goal in BU's 7-0 win against Maine tonight. pic.twitter.com/7Hyhx0YgO3
— Boston Hockey Blog (@BOShockeyblog) November 19, 2017
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.
Rankings: No. 2 (preseason), No. 2, No. 7, No. 6, No. 12, No. 15, No. 18
As per USCHO.com
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
Penalty Kill: 70.6 percent
Faceoff Wins: 50.9 percent
Goals per Game: 2.4
Shots per Game: 32.5
Other Leading Scorers:
Terriers with Two Points: freshman forward Ty Amonte, graduate transfer forward Drew Melanson, freshman defenseman David Farrance
Goaltending:
Other Things to Note:
Other Notable Quotes:
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.
Once again, the No. 15 Boston University men’s hockey team went into the weekend looking for four Hockey East conference points and emerged with two. However, over the past two weekends, the Terriers’ performance has been solid on Friday and poor on Saturday.
The opposite occurred this weekend as BU fell 6-1 to No. 13 Northeastern University at Matthews Arena and shutout the No. 9 University of New Hampshire at home the next night.
On Friday night, the student section of Matthews was sold out and served as an energizer for the Huskies to get two early tallies within three minutes of each other. Sophomore forward Patrick Harper notched the Terriers lone goal of the night 42 seconds into the second period. Afterward, Northeastern scored four unanswered goals, three of which were on a power play.
Sophomore goaltender Jake Oettinger was switched in for redshirt sophomore goaltender Max Prawdzik for the first time all season after forward Lincoln Griffin scored his second goal of the night. Prawdzik played for the remainder of the game, clocking in six minutes and five seconds, and played well until freshman forward Bobby Hampton slipped a goal past him.
Despite the goal being let through, Prawdzik saw his first collegiate start the following night against UNH. Four separate BU players – freshman forward Ty Amonte, sophomore defenseman Dante Fabbro, junior forward Jordan Greenway and junior forward Bobo Carpenter – scored over the three periods and Prawdzik made 29 saves for the Terriers to secure a 4-0 shutout.
BU will go on its first road series next weekend against the University of Maine. The first game will take place in Orono at the Alfond Arena on Friday while the second will be held in Portland at the Cross Insurance Arena the following night.
Read our articles from the weekend below:
Friday’s Articles
Recap – “Men’s hockey falls to Northeastern 6-1, swept in series”
Sider on BU’s defensive downfalls – “Men’s hockey defense falters as Northeastern scores six goals”
Saturday’s Articles
Recap – “Men’s hockey emerges with 4-0 win over No. 9 UNH”
Sider on Max Prawdzik’s first start in net – “Prawdzik has first career start for men’s hockey, shuts out UNH 4-0”
Here are some Twitter posts from the weekend, highlights and the post-game press conferences:
First BU goalie in 17 years to get a shutout in his first collegiate start. Well done, Max. #GoBU pic.twitter.com/lF6KjV5p4O
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 12, 2017
The Boston University men’s hockey team announced its incoming players for the 2017-18 season earlier today. Among the seven incoming forwards and three defenseman that make up the Terriers’ 27-man roster, five members of the freshman class were selected in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
In addition to the nine-member freshman class, the Terriers have added graduate transfer Drew Melanson who spent his last three years with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Before playing in the NCAA, Melanson played in the USHL for three years and notched 73 points (30g, 43a) over 120 games, according to Elite Prospects.
“One thing I really love about this class is the balance,” Quinn said in a GoTerriers.com press release today. “We’ve got maturity, we’ve got skill, we’ve got physicality, and to top it all off, I really love the character of all these guys. They have a great work ethic and they are definitely going [to] make BU better both on and off the ice.”
Senior defenseman Brandon Hickey will lead the incoming players and rest of the Terriers this season as captain alongside senior forwards Bobo Carpenter and Nik Olsson, and junior forward Jordan Greenway who will serve as assistant captains.
Below is a full list of the incoming players to look for on the ice during the upcoming season:
10 new Terriers… you'll see them on the ice in just over 3 weeks!#ProudToBU https://t.co/sZyLczXfsl pic.twitter.com/ZZMG7lKwG2
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) September 6, 2017
The star-studded prospects just keep on coming for BU head coach David Quinn and the Boston University men’s hockey team.
After receiving a commitment from Dylan Peterson yesterday, USHL center and top 2017 NHL draft prospect Shane Bowers tweeted out his commitment to BU today. Bowers, 17, is one of seven Terrier commits eligible to play next season.
Excited to play college hockey at Boston University. Looking forward to being a part of the BU tradition! Can't wait to be a Terrier! 🐾
— Shane Bowers (@shanebowers15) October 27, 2016
The Canadian-born Bowers is currently in the midst of his second year with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL. He has five goals and four assists through nine games played. The 6-foot, 170 pound center also played for the Canada Under-18 squad in the Hlinka Memorial Cup this year, scoring once in four games.
Bowers is known for his limitless potential and playmaking on the offensive end. With the current Terriers’ squad stacked on offense, it looks like Bowers should have no problem fitting right in on Commonwealth Avenue next season. Here are some more reactions on Bowers’ decision.
https://twitter.com/USHockeyWire/status/791762863643881472
Newest @TerrierHockey commit Shane Bowers:
9 GP: 5-4–9
2 GWG
+5 ratingCurrently on 4-game goal scoring streak
— Aaron Westendorf (@USHLAaron) October 27, 2016
It’s gonna be a good one, folks. The Terriers will look to get their first win against a ranked opponent when they take on No. 4 Quinnipiac University. Be sure to keep up with our live blog:
BU lines:
Bellows – Forsbacka Karlsson – Carpenter
Harper – Keller – Greenway
Olsson – Cloonan – Roberto
Kelley – Curry – Chabot
Hickey – Fabbro
Krys- McAvoy
Somerby – MacLeod
Oettinger
LaCouvee
Prawdzik
Quinnipiac lines:
Martin – Clifton – Davidson
Taverner – MacMaster – Smith
Whelan – Mick – Aldworth
Pieper – Schutt – Tiefenwerth
Shiplo – McKernan
Rafferty – Clifton
Smith – Cukste
Truehl
Shortridge