The Boston University men’s hockey team rejoices after beating Cornell in the NCAA Manchester Regional final on March 25. BU bested Cornell 2-1 en route to the Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. The semifinals are April 6 and the championship game will take place April 8. 

Athletics

Men’s Hockey Heads to Tampa for the 2023 Frozen Four

Terriers two wins away from national championship after winning Manchester Regional

The Boston University men’s hockey team knew they could make it to the Frozen Four all season. After winning the Hockey East title, and running through the NCAA Manchester Regional, the Terriers have punched their ticket to Tampa, Fla., and are two wins away from a national championship. 

On Thursday, April 6, the No. 5 BU Terriers will face the No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers at 5 pm at Tampa’s Amalie Arena in the NCAA Division I national semifinal. This marks BU’s 23rd Frozen Four appearance, and their first since 2015.

With a roster that boasts 18 upperclassmen and a Hobey Baker top-10 finalist in freshman phenom Lane Hutson (CAS’26), first-year head coach Jay Pandolfo’s 29-10 squad is the hottest team in college hockey entering this year’s national tournament. 

“I’m really, really happy and proud of our team,” Pandolfo (CAS’96) says. “One of our team goals at the beginning of the year was to get to the Frozen Four, and I give our guys a ton of credit. It’s been a lot of fun coaching these guys.”

BU concluded the regular season atop the Hockey East with 54 points. They are the fourth highest-scoring team in the NCAA, with an average of 3.9 goals per game. On the individual side, Hutson was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year, and Pandolfo was named Hockey East Coach of the Year.

Without dropping a single game in the month of March, BU ran through Vermont before battling Providence College and Merrimack—in back-to-back overtime victories—to win the Hockey East tournament. 

With the tournament-winning overtime goal, his second of the night, Hutson was named Hockey East tournament MVP. Pandolfo, who is a finalist for the NCAA Spencer Penrose Award for Coach of the Year, is the first first-year head coach ever to win the Hockey East tournament. 

Pandolfo joins legendary Terriers coach Jack Parker (Questrom’68, Hon.’97) in making the Frozen Four in his debut season.

“I think that’s what Jay’s brought to us from day one—if you’re going to play for Boston University, you’re gonna play in an unselfish way, and that’s going to lead to winning,” says Drew Marrochello, director of athletics.

Players also credit their coach for their winning season.

“Pandolfo has really done such a good job of respecting everybody, pushing us to be our best, and getting us ready,” forward Ethan Phillips (SHA’23) says. “Weekend after weekend, game after game, he works so hard, and he definitely sets a great example for all of us.”

With a 3-2 overtime victory against Merrimack College in the Hockey East final on March 17, BU was pegged to face No. 9/11 Western Michigan as the two-seed in the Manchester Regional. 

The match with Western Michigan garnered expectations of a barn burner between two of the five highest-scoring teams in college hockey on March 23. The result would only hold true for one side, however, as the Terriers toppled the Broncos 5-1. 

Two nights later, BU’s regional final match came in the form of No. 12 Cornell, after the Big Red beat out regional favorite Denver 2-0 on March 23. Although Cornell contained the Terriers’ explosive offense, they too had no answer for BU’s biting defense and netminder Drew Commesso (CAS’24). 

BU skated to a 2-1 victory before gloves and sticks were flung to the sky, as the Terriers had punched their ticket to their first Frozen Four since 2015. 

Next up: taking on No. 1 Minnesota

Waiting for the Terriers in Tampa is the top team in the country, the University of Minnesota. Where the Terriers are No. 4 in scoring offense, the 28-9-1 Golden Gophers are second. The Big Ten’s regular season winners and Fargo Regional champions are led by two Hobey Baker top-three finalists in Matthew Knies and Logan Cooley, and are coached by Spencer Penrose Award finalist Bob Motzko. 

Despite those credentials, the Terriers are confident going into the Frozen Four semifinal. 

“Obviously you need to be aware of the weapons that they have, but we’re a great team too, and we will definitely want to play to our strengths,” Phillips says. “A team like that is going to be playing fast-paced, and they can score goals, so we’re gonna need to be on the top of our game defensively, as well.” 

The two programs have matched up 26 times, splitting the all-time series at 12 wins apiece with two ties. The Golden Gophers have a 5-3 edge in the NCAA tournament. Most recently, BU and then-player Pandolfo bested Minnesota 7-3 in the 1995 NCAA semifinal. 

In the other Frozen Four semifinal matchup, No. 2 Quinnipiac and No. 3 Michigan will do battle in Thursday night’s late game.

The only Frozen Four team the Terriers have played this season are the Michigan Wolverines, in mid-October in Ann Arbor. They split the series with a 9-2 loss in game one on October 14 and a 3-2 victory in game two October 16.

The No. 5 Boston University men’s hockey team will face No. 1 Minnesota at 5 pm on Thursday, April 6, at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Fla., in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal. The winner of that game will face either No. 2 Quinnipiac or No. 3 Michigan on Saturday, April 8, at 8 pm. All Frozen Four games will be covered live on ESPN2 and ESPN+. 

BU’s Campus Activities Board and the Student Activities Office are hosting a free watch party for students Thursday, April 6, starting at 4:30 pm at BU Central, in the basement of the GSU. Seating for the event is limited to only 150 students so register right away. The event will feature free food, including sliders, pizza, mac ’n’ cheese bites, and more. In addition, the BU Alumni Association is hosting a series of watch parties across the country Thursday, starting at 5 pm. Find more information here.