The BU men’s hockey team celebrating a goal in a 8-2 win over Notre Dame on Saturday, October 28. The Terriers head into their home opener against UMass Amherst ranked ninth in the nation, according to the U.S. College Hockey Online poll. Photo by Marcus Snowden.

Men’s Ice Hockey

Fresh off a Frozen Four Appearance, Men’s Hockey Battles UMass in Home Opener

Terriers host Minutemen Friday with 7 pm puck drop at Agganis Arena

The BU men’s hockey team may have the most talented roster in all of college hockey. But so far, the Terriers’ season has not been the smooth sailing many expected.

Fresh off last spring’s magical run to the Frozen Four, BU’s first few weeks have been a roller coaster of ups and downs. The Terriers, ranked the number one team in the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) poll before the start of the season, earned a narrow win in their season opener at Bentley on October 7. But what followed were frustrating losses to New Hampshire (October 13) and Notre Dame (October 20).

But fortunately, the BU team is heading into its home opener on a brighter note.

The Terriers walloped Notre Dame, 8-2, on October 21, the second matchup of the two-game series with the Fighting Irish. That performance showed BU realizing its full potential for the first time this season. And the Terriers are looking to carry that momentum into the home opener, a Hockey East clash with UMass Amherst Friday, October 27, at 7 pm at Agganis Arena.

Results aside, the young talent on the Terriers’ roster has been a bright spot. Lane Hutson (CAS’26) scored the overtime winner against Bentley on an impressive individual play. He is widely considered an early-season favorite for the Hobey Baker Award, which recognizes the best men’s collegiate hockey player each year.

Meanwhile, forward Macklin Celebrini (CAS’27), the projected top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is already living up to high expectations. He leads the team with five goals and six points through four games. An electrifying skater who can create time and space on the ice from thin air, Celebrini is a must-watch talent who seems destined for NHL stardom.

Head coach Jay Pandolfo (CAS’96), who played eight seasons in the NHL himself, says Celebrini’s game reminds him of superstars Sidney Crosby, of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Jonathan Toews, who won three Stanley Cups in 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. Most impressive of all? Celebrini is just 17 years old.

“As a 17-year-old playing in college, it’s not easy,” Pandolfo says. “He’s obviously done very well so far and I expect him to continue to get better once he gets used to playing at this level.”

Pandolfo says he has confidence in the team’s entire freshman class of nine skaters. “I think they’re gaining more and more confidence,” he says. “For them, it’s probably a little tough the first few games because we didn’t play very well as a team. So I think they were probably wondering, what the heck is going on here? But I think all of them have handled themselves very well, even in the games when we haven’t had success.”

Pandolfo says that he wants the team to assume a defensive identity on the ice. A strong defensive structure, he says, leads to offense on the other end of the ice. “Last year, that was a big part of our game,” he says. “Our defensive zone transition last year, I can’t tell you how many goals we scored. Playing good defense and then transitioning going the other way. So we have to get back to that. That’s probably the most important thing.”

Similarly, BU’s veteran leadership has been emphasizing a need for the team to outwork its opponents, regardless of the talent gap between the Terriers and their opposition. That message has been amplified after the team’s mixed start to the season.

“We’ve got a lot of good talent. But I don’t think talent means anything if our opposition is outworking us,” says Luke Tuch (COM’24), one of the team’s four assistant captains. “Us leaders have to do a better job of kind of getting each other on board and getting on the same page.”

Captain Case McCarthy (Questrom’23, SHA’24) helms the team’s leadership group, with assistant captains Sam Stevens (Questrom’23, MET’24), Cade Webber (Questrom’23,’24), Tuch, and Hutson.

Tom Willander (CAS’27), another highly touted newcomer, says that group of veterans has made a key difference in helping the freshmen acclimate to the speed and skill of college hockey. “They’ve taught us to have a lot of fun when we play, to not feel too much pressure,” Willander says. “They also really bring in the group well. I feel like we have great chemistry in the group.”

Because BU is ranked a top team in the country, opponents have seen matchups with the Terriers as an opportunity to prove themselves to the college hockey world. And although BU has dropped to ninth in the current USCHO poll, that remains true. In response, the Terriers have embraced that pressure.

“There was definitely some pressure coming in. But I think pressure is a privilege. Any time you’re slotted number one, you’re number one for a reason,” Tuch says. “So we’ve just got to prove to the country, but really we’ve got to prove to each other in the room, that we’re worth the number-one spot. However many spots we’ve dropped doesn’t matter.”

The BU men’s hockey team hosts UMass Amherst in its home opener Friday, October 27, at 7 pm, at Agganis Arena. Tickets start at $25. Admission is free to students with a BU Sports Pass. On Saturday, October 28, the two teams face off again at Mullins Center at UMass, at 7 pm. Both games can be streamed on ESPN+.