Photo by: Emma Purple
Talented Terriers Now Showing Up As Advertised
November 14, 2023 | Men's Ice Hockey
by Scott Weighart, GoTerriers.com
BOSTON – Given that the Boston University men's ice hockey team began the year loaded with talent and ranked number one in the preseason national polls, Terrier fans were ready for some jaw-dropping moments this year.
For the first month of the season, though, it was hard to predict if your jaw would drop in delight or dismay at a given moment.
At times, BU showed flashes of brilliance with highlight-reel goals as well as talent across the whole lineup. In other moments, defensive lapses or misplays led to way too many glorious scoring chances for the opposition.
The Terriers eked out an overtime win over Bentley and then lost a run-and-gun, 6-4 shootout at New Hampshire. After an exhibition loss to the U.S. National Under-18 Team, the Terriers had their first true road trip of the year. Playing a two-game series at Notre Dame, they lost 4-1 on Friday night, only to bounce back with a rousing 8-2 win the next evening. In fact, they were up 8-1 early in the second period.
After all those ups and downs, the team seems to be getting better each week. A home-and-home series with then-No. 19 UMass yielded a regulation win and a shootout win. They split a riveting pair of hotly contested games with then-No. 3/4 North Dakota. This past weekend, they finally earned their first outright sweep, beating UMass Lowell, 3-2, on the road before a resounding 6-1 win at home.
The Terriers are now developing an identity and showing up as advertised in the preseason.
"I think we've done a pretty good job of sticking to our structure," captain Case McCarthy said after Saturday's win. "When that happens, that's when our skill takes over. It's sticking to our game plan, staying disciplined, doing what we have to do to win hockey games. I think the last couple weekends, we keep building on that identity."
"We have a lot of depth," assistant captain Sam Stevens said when asked about the team's identity. "We've got a lot of speed, and we can just overwhelm teams one through 12 (with our forwards) and one through six on the back end, too. I think it's just relentless reloads, getting pucks behind teams and then being heavy below the goal line."
"The last couple games have been much better," second-year head coach Jay Pandolfo said. "For us, it always starts in the d-zone. It starts with us coming back in our own end, getting the job done in our own end, not giving up chances in the slot, defending our end and transitioning. That's usually when we're a really good team, and we were much better at that this weekend."
In just about every interview, Pandolfo has emphasized simplicity. When asked if the team's skill led them to get away from that philosophy, he specified that the key is knowing when you should and should not be looking to dazzle.
"If you have high-end talent, they want to make their plays," Pandolfo said. "What I mean by simple is when you have the opportunity in space and time to make your plays, we want that. When teams are tight on you and you don't have a lot of space, that's when you can't try to make something out of nothing. You have to play a more direct game, and I think our guys have gotten much better at that the last few weeks."
From last season, Terrier fans are used to watching sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson use time and space in astonishing ways. Chapter Two of the Lane Hutson Story continues to have its share of plot twists, as the diminutive defenseman is uncanny in his ability to juke around opponents and find shooting lanes to get pucks to the net. Hutson already has eight goals in the season's first nine games - an eye-popping total for any player but even more so for a defenseman.
Meanwhile, first-year centerman Macklin Celebrini has been everything one could hope for in the nation's top recruit. The Vancouver native is currently forecasted to be the first player selected in the 2024 NHL Draft, and it's easy to see why. Earlier in the season, he showcased his shooting prowess, scoring eight goals in his first eight games. On Saturday night, he piled up a career-best four assists, including two masterful dishes to linemate Quinn Hutson, as Lane's older brother ended up with a hat trick.
After the game, I told McCarthy that Celebrini was now averaging exactly two points per game - best in the nation.
"Is he?" McCarthy said, bursting out laughing. "Oh my God! I didn't even know that. He's a spectacular player; he's a generational player. I'm glad I don't have to play against him."
"As advertised," Pandolfo said when asked about Celebrini. "Obviously he's got a great shot, but he's probably really a pass-first guy. If he has the opportunity to shoot, he's gonna shoot it, but he can make plays. And you saw that tonight. He has the ability to hang on to pucks, waiting for lanes to open up, and you saw that on two of Quinn Hutson's goals tonight."
Equally impressive is the young star's work ethic.
"The biggest thing with him is that he works every day," Stevens said. "It's not given to him, everything's earned. He's the hardest-working kid on our team. He's the last one off the ice."
Current NHL star Jack Eichel won the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman. Is it too soon to wonder if Celebrini could repeat the feat?
"I don't think it's too early," McCarthy said. "The kid's incredible; he's playing college hockey as a 17- year-old! He's a phenomenal kid. I get to sit next to him in the locker room every single day. Very, very mature for his age and to be able to do what he's doing right now, I think it's pretty incredible to watch."
As noted earlier, though, this team has the depth to complement its star players. It's telling that everyone had a different answer when asked about which players have exceeded expectations thus far. Stevens mentioned several sophomores: Quinn Hutson, Ryan Greene, Jeremy Wilmer, and Devin Kaplan. McCarthy gave a shout-out to defensive defenseman Cade Webber, a penalty-killing iron man and now an assistant captain.
"Obviously with the letter on his chest this year, he's doing a fantastic job being a leader, a role model for the younger guys and understanding what he has to do on a nightly basis," McCarthy said.
Pandolfo chose senior left wing Luke Tuch, who now has 12 points in 10 games.
"He's playing to an identity using his physicality, moving his feet, creating time and space for all his teammates on the ice. And he's making a ton of plays too, so he's been excellent. He's been arguably our best player. His leadership qualities are off the chart."
Yet another key to the team's recent surge is the play of junior goaltender Mathieu Caron, another new arrival after transferring from Brown. In the early games, Caron's body language seemed a bit busy, as if he might be trying too hard. He now seems relaxed and poised, even against high-caliber opponents like North Dakota.
"Yeah, definitely," Pandolfo said. "I think coming to a new team, the expectations being high not only for the team but for himself; there were probably a little nerves to start. I think he's definitely settled in. He had a great weekend this weekend, so that's great to see."
"A lot was on us," says McCarthy about Caron. "We were leaving him out to dry a lot of times early in the year. I think we're starting to figure out our d-zone, figuring our line rushes to let him see the puck, and, and let him feel comfortable in that. We've done a better job in front of him, and obviously he's starting to dial in which is huge for us."
The Terriers' schedule rarely lets up all season. They are gearing up to host ninth-ranked Maine this weekend, and the Black Bears just knocked BU's archrival Boston College out of the top spot in the national rankings with a regulation win and tie in Orono last weekend. After that, BU faces two more ranked opponents in No. 7 Quinnipiac and No. 10 Cornell.
"We've got a tough schedule this year and that's what you want," Pandolfo said. "Our guys want to play against tough competition. They want to play the better teams and that's what we have coming up for sure. I was really impressed with Maine last year; I'm not surprised with how good they're playing, and they added some high-end skill with the Nadeau brothers. They've added some good pieces and they have good goaltending. So I was very impressed with them last year and they've gotten better. So it'll be an exciting weekend for us."
As the depth and talent of the Terriers continues to get more experience against talented opponents, we can rest assured of many exciting weekends to come this season - with jaws dropping for the right reasons even more consistently.
BOSTON – Given that the Boston University men's ice hockey team began the year loaded with talent and ranked number one in the preseason national polls, Terrier fans were ready for some jaw-dropping moments this year.
For the first month of the season, though, it was hard to predict if your jaw would drop in delight or dismay at a given moment.
At times, BU showed flashes of brilliance with highlight-reel goals as well as talent across the whole lineup. In other moments, defensive lapses or misplays led to way too many glorious scoring chances for the opposition.
The Terriers eked out an overtime win over Bentley and then lost a run-and-gun, 6-4 shootout at New Hampshire. After an exhibition loss to the U.S. National Under-18 Team, the Terriers had their first true road trip of the year. Playing a two-game series at Notre Dame, they lost 4-1 on Friday night, only to bounce back with a rousing 8-2 win the next evening. In fact, they were up 8-1 early in the second period.
After all those ups and downs, the team seems to be getting better each week. A home-and-home series with then-No. 19 UMass yielded a regulation win and a shootout win. They split a riveting pair of hotly contested games with then-No. 3/4 North Dakota. This past weekend, they finally earned their first outright sweep, beating UMass Lowell, 3-2, on the road before a resounding 6-1 win at home.
The Terriers are now developing an identity and showing up as advertised in the preseason.
"I think we've done a pretty good job of sticking to our structure," captain Case McCarthy said after Saturday's win. "When that happens, that's when our skill takes over. It's sticking to our game plan, staying disciplined, doing what we have to do to win hockey games. I think the last couple weekends, we keep building on that identity."
"We have a lot of depth," assistant captain Sam Stevens said when asked about the team's identity. "We've got a lot of speed, and we can just overwhelm teams one through 12 (with our forwards) and one through six on the back end, too. I think it's just relentless reloads, getting pucks behind teams and then being heavy below the goal line."
"The last couple games have been much better," second-year head coach Jay Pandolfo said. "For us, it always starts in the d-zone. It starts with us coming back in our own end, getting the job done in our own end, not giving up chances in the slot, defending our end and transitioning. That's usually when we're a really good team, and we were much better at that this weekend."
In just about every interview, Pandolfo has emphasized simplicity. When asked if the team's skill led them to get away from that philosophy, he specified that the key is knowing when you should and should not be looking to dazzle.
"If you have high-end talent, they want to make their plays," Pandolfo said. "What I mean by simple is when you have the opportunity in space and time to make your plays, we want that. When teams are tight on you and you don't have a lot of space, that's when you can't try to make something out of nothing. You have to play a more direct game, and I think our guys have gotten much better at that the last few weeks."
From last season, Terrier fans are used to watching sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson use time and space in astonishing ways. Chapter Two of the Lane Hutson Story continues to have its share of plot twists, as the diminutive defenseman is uncanny in his ability to juke around opponents and find shooting lanes to get pucks to the net. Hutson already has eight goals in the season's first nine games - an eye-popping total for any player but even more so for a defenseman.
Meanwhile, first-year centerman Macklin Celebrini has been everything one could hope for in the nation's top recruit. The Vancouver native is currently forecasted to be the first player selected in the 2024 NHL Draft, and it's easy to see why. Earlier in the season, he showcased his shooting prowess, scoring eight goals in his first eight games. On Saturday night, he piled up a career-best four assists, including two masterful dishes to linemate Quinn Hutson, as Lane's older brother ended up with a hat trick.
After the game, I told McCarthy that Celebrini was now averaging exactly two points per game - best in the nation.
"Is he?" McCarthy said, bursting out laughing. "Oh my God! I didn't even know that. He's a spectacular player; he's a generational player. I'm glad I don't have to play against him."
"As advertised," Pandolfo said when asked about Celebrini. "Obviously he's got a great shot, but he's probably really a pass-first guy. If he has the opportunity to shoot, he's gonna shoot it, but he can make plays. And you saw that tonight. He has the ability to hang on to pucks, waiting for lanes to open up, and you saw that on two of Quinn Hutson's goals tonight."
Equally impressive is the young star's work ethic.
"The biggest thing with him is that he works every day," Stevens said. "It's not given to him, everything's earned. He's the hardest-working kid on our team. He's the last one off the ice."
Current NHL star Jack Eichel won the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman. Is it too soon to wonder if Celebrini could repeat the feat?
"I don't think it's too early," McCarthy said. "The kid's incredible; he's playing college hockey as a 17- year-old! He's a phenomenal kid. I get to sit next to him in the locker room every single day. Very, very mature for his age and to be able to do what he's doing right now, I think it's pretty incredible to watch."
As noted earlier, though, this team has the depth to complement its star players. It's telling that everyone had a different answer when asked about which players have exceeded expectations thus far. Stevens mentioned several sophomores: Quinn Hutson, Ryan Greene, Jeremy Wilmer, and Devin Kaplan. McCarthy gave a shout-out to defensive defenseman Cade Webber, a penalty-killing iron man and now an assistant captain.
"Obviously with the letter on his chest this year, he's doing a fantastic job being a leader, a role model for the younger guys and understanding what he has to do on a nightly basis," McCarthy said.
Pandolfo chose senior left wing Luke Tuch, who now has 12 points in 10 games.
"He's playing to an identity using his physicality, moving his feet, creating time and space for all his teammates on the ice. And he's making a ton of plays too, so he's been excellent. He's been arguably our best player. His leadership qualities are off the chart."
Yet another key to the team's recent surge is the play of junior goaltender Mathieu Caron, another new arrival after transferring from Brown. In the early games, Caron's body language seemed a bit busy, as if he might be trying too hard. He now seems relaxed and poised, even against high-caliber opponents like North Dakota.
"Yeah, definitely," Pandolfo said. "I think coming to a new team, the expectations being high not only for the team but for himself; there were probably a little nerves to start. I think he's definitely settled in. He had a great weekend this weekend, so that's great to see."
"A lot was on us," says McCarthy about Caron. "We were leaving him out to dry a lot of times early in the year. I think we're starting to figure out our d-zone, figuring our line rushes to let him see the puck, and, and let him feel comfortable in that. We've done a better job in front of him, and obviously he's starting to dial in which is huge for us."
The Terriers' schedule rarely lets up all season. They are gearing up to host ninth-ranked Maine this weekend, and the Black Bears just knocked BU's archrival Boston College out of the top spot in the national rankings with a regulation win and tie in Orono last weekend. After that, BU faces two more ranked opponents in No. 7 Quinnipiac and No. 10 Cornell.
"We've got a tough schedule this year and that's what you want," Pandolfo said. "Our guys want to play against tough competition. They want to play the better teams and that's what we have coming up for sure. I was really impressed with Maine last year; I'm not surprised with how good they're playing, and they added some high-end skill with the Nadeau brothers. They've added some good pieces and they have good goaltending. So I was very impressed with them last year and they've gotten better. So it'll be an exciting weekend for us."
As the depth and talent of the Terriers continues to get more experience against talented opponents, we can rest assured of many exciting weekends to come this season - with jaws dropping for the right reasons even more consistently.
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