BOSTON – Some say that the best defense is a good offense, but the opposite may be true for the Boston University men's ice hockey team in 2025.
Embracing a defense-first mindset across the lineup has not only stopped the bleeding in goals against through the first 12 games of the second semester, but it has actually boosted scoring as well.
In the first 17 games from the beginning of the season through a distressing 7-5 road loss at Yale, BU scored a respectable 3.6 goals per game but allowed an unacceptable 3.5 goals by the opposition. Unsurprisingly, the Terriers' record was a notch above .500 with a record of 7-5-1 through December.
In the last 12 games since then, the enhanced focus on defensive play - along with the addition of stellar freshman netminder Mikhail Yegorov - has resulted in the team giving up just 2.4 goals per game over that span.
Yet the really intriguing factoid is that this defensive stinginess has actually paid off at the other end of the rink, too, as the Terriers have seen their scoring average go up to exactly 4.0 goals per game in 2025. This improved differential has led to an 8-4-0 record through January and the first few weeks of February.
Deservedly, freshman defenseman Cole Hutson has received the bulk of the blue line attention over this stretch. He leads the team in assists and earned Beanpot MVP honors in a stirring championship win over archrival Boston College. Sophomore Tom Willander also gets a noticed as the second leading point-getter among the team's defensemen, while sophomores Gavin McCarthy and Aiden Celebrini are NHL draft picks who, like Hutson, have had older brothers as Terrier teammates.
Perhaps the least known among the regular Terrier defenseman would be freshman Sascha Boumedienne and graduate student Brehdan Engum, the youngest and oldest BU defensemen, respectively. Both have quietly become key contributors to the team's turnaround.
Staying under the radar may be changing for Boumedienne. In Saturday night's 3-0 blanking of Providence, Boumedienne notched his seven assist of the season while scoring his first collegiate goal.
On the tally, senior Matt Copponi raced into the Friar end on the right wing with the Terriers on a 3-on-2 rush. Boumedienne was not one of the trio entering the zone, but he hustled up ice, and Copponi hit him with the pass as he entered the zone. His wrist shot beat Friar goaltender and fellow Swede Philip Svedebäck for the goal.
What was going through the freshman's head at that moment?
"Just relief," Boumedienne said. "I've been thinking about it for a while and it felt good when it went in. We just had to go win the game, so I couldn't really focus on it too much."
It was made that much sweeter by having his parents in the stands. But no, they had not made a special overseas trip to see their son in action. They are now fixtures in Boston.
"We moved here with our whole family, and I love it here," Boumedienne said. "Obviously, BU is a pretty special spot. They take care of us really well, and we have unreal teammates here. It's been nothing but good."
The 6-foot-2 freshman attributes his recent good stretch to being reunited with his countryman, Willander, as a defensive pairing.
"It felt a lot better lately, getting back with Tom on the D pair there. I feel like we play really well and he makes it really easy for me, so I've got to use my skating and defend hard, and it's been good."
Boumedienne is not only the youngest player on the Terriers; he is the youngest in all of college hockey. He just turned 18 last month. Recent projections have him pegged to go in the top 40 in the NHL Draft in June.
"He's really starting to get comfortable playing at this level," head coach Jay Pandolfo said after Saturday's win. "I thought he was excellent in the Beanpot versus BC in that environment. For a young kid, for him to play the way he did...I think that's giving him a lot of confidence, and you saw it tonight."
"He's got great feet and he can really skate," Pandolfo added. "He can close off plays well because he's so quick and he's got a good stick. He's not going to outmuscle a lot of guys; he's still working on his strength, but he does have a very good stick, and he can close quick because he has great feet."
Boumediene has also earned the respect of the veteran Engum, who had high praise for the youngster.
"Biggest compliment that you can pay a defenseman, especially a guy that's not a flashy offensive guy, is to say that you didn't notice him much because you're doing your job," Engum said. "You're shutting down the other team; you're getting your pucks to your forwards and being a secondary producer of offense. I think that's all you can ask for."
In return, Boumedienne has appreciated the mentorship of Engum, who is six years older than him. After completing four years at UMass Lowell, Engum transferred for his final season of eligibility. He has played 142 collegiate games - more than any other active Terrier and more than double the total of any other BU defensemen on the current roster.
"Engy's unreal," Boumedienne said. "He's one of the guys who's taken me under his wing and helped me out with whatever I need. He's a hell of a player, and we love to have him on our team. He's a guy who plays hard, and you wouldn't want to play against him. I'm so thankful for him and what he's done for me. Whatever I need, he's there."
When Engum got the call from BU in the offseason, choosing to become a Terrier was an easy call for the mature and articulate Minnesotan.
"I got through with my four years at Lowell; I graduated in the spring of last year, and I knew that I wanted one more year of college hockey to continue to polish my skills and get ready for the next level," Engum said. "And I think that if anyone wants to get ready to play at the next level, coming here's a no-brainer. They were the first phone call I got, and from there I was set on being a Terrier."
Engum understands his role is not to dazzle the crowd like a Cole Hutson. He can provide experience and solid play in his own end.
"Coming in, I obviously had the most games played out of anyone on the back end," Engum said. "As far as experience, I just wanted to bring leadership. I tried my best to lead by example. My game is a very heavy defensive game. I block shots, break pucks out, create offense from the d-zone, and I just wanted to really bring that to the team."
It's working out. On the stat sheet, Engum has a narrow lead on McCarthy with 61 blocked shots this season. While the team took too many penalties in the first semester, Engum has amassed only four minor penalties this season.
"We just had an opportunity to bring in a veteran defenseman," Pandolfo said of the transfer student. "We knew we were going to be young on the back end. We've seen him play a lot at Lowell and like what he brings. He has an identity for us the way he plays. He blocks shots; he's physical.
"He does a lot of little things really well, and he has gained more and more confidence. It's not easy to go to a new program after playing somewhere else for four years and to change in a lot of different ways. It took him a little bit of time to get adjusted, but he's really found his way for us, and we're really happy to have him. He's a pro the way he acts, too, on and off the ice, which is great to have that influence on our younger guys."
The play of this unsung pair echoes that defense-first mentality since the new year.
"Yeah, we've been better defensively since the second half started," Pandolfo agreed. "When we're determined to play a certain way not only defensively but through the neutral zone and in the offensive zone, we're just a much better team defensively. Our guys work back; we make sure that guys aren't getting to our net. We're blocking shots; we have better sticks, and that's what we had tonight."
The Terriers have played the right way in the second half of the year more often than not, and that trend will need to continue if they want to continue playing in April.
