Bentley looked game vs. BU
After the Boston University men’s hockey team narrowly avoided an upset on opening night, one might be inclined to suggest that the Terriers are not worthy of the top spot in the polls.
But the reality is the 3-2 overtime win in Waltham probably says more about Bentley than anything else.
Here’s what we learned from an entertaining first weekend in college hockey.
■ You can take the man out of Lowell, but you can’t take the Lowell out of the man.
Coach Andy Jones is in his first year at the helm with Bentley, having served the previous eight seasons at UMass Lowell, including the last five as Norm Bazin’s associate head coach. Bentley’s approach against BU Saturday night looked familiar, with the Falcons clogging up the middle and blocking 25 shots.
“It seemed like their D-zone coverage is very similar,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “That was something we expected. They do a good job. They’re very wellcoached. Great sticks . . . they get in shot lanes.”
It was an impressive showing by a Bentley squad that was picked to finish last in the Atlantic Hockey preseason coaches’ poll.
“I told the team I don’t believe in moral victories, but as their coach, I have a lot of pride tonight,” said Jones. “We played extremely hard. We stuck together. We showed a high level of residency, and we played a supportive brand of hockey and we were supportive for each other. That’s why I’m proud.”
Even with the 25 blocked shots, the Terriers managed to get 32 on net, with Connor Halsey coming up with 29 saves to keep Bentley in the game.
■ Lane Hutson certainly picked up where he left off. The BU sophomore scored the game-winner on the power play in overtime, his sixth career gamewinning goal for the Terriers.
■ BU’s Macklin Celebrini didn’t have to wait long to record his first collegiate goal. The potential No. 1 pick for the 2024 NHL Draft took a nice feed from Quinn Hutson in stride and brought the puck across the front of the goal before flipping it in with a backhand 6:56 into the second period.
■ There was plenty of buzz heading into Boston College’s game at Quinnipiac, with the Bobcats set to unfurl the banner for winning the national championship last April.
But there also was anticipation of what the lineup would look like for the Eagles, and whether or not freshmen Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Gabe Perreault would skate on the same line, as they did last season while playing on the US National Team Development Program.
The answer came when the team posted the line sheet on social media about two hours before puck drop. The trio would skate together on the second line.
But it was a pair of sophomores who did the scoring for the Eagles in their 2-1 win. Andre Gasseau, a seventh-round pick of the Bruins in 2021, gave BC the early lead, and with the game in overtime, it was Cutter Gauthier who beat former BU goalie Vinny Duplessis with nine seconds remaining for the Eagles.
■ Northeastern rolled to a 7-0 win over Stonehill on opening night, but we may have learned more about the Huskies the following day, when they hosted Quinnipiac for an exhibition. The teams skated to a 2-2 tie, then elected to have a shootout, which NU won.
“If you want to win trophies, you have to play against teams like that, and you have to know how to win close games,” said Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe. “You have to be able to play a hard, heavy game.”
The Huskies have 13 new players on the roster: six transfers and seven freshmen. Alex Campbell, who came over from Clarkson, had a pair of goals in the win over Stonehill. Freshman goalie Cameron Whitehead, a fourth-round selection of the Golden Knights in 2022, has the unenviable task of replacing Devon Levi. The Ontario native looked sharp in his debut, recording 13 saves in Saturday night’s win over Stonehill, then followed that up Sunday with 19 as Northeastern led the Bobcats, 2-1, after 40 minutes.
Yale transfer Connor Hopkins recorded 11 saves in the third period and overtime.
■ Providence looked impressive in splitting a two-game series with No. 4 Michigan at Ann Arbor.
After winning the opener, 4-2, on Saturday, the Friars fell into a 5-1 hole in the third period before storming back with three goals late to give the Wolverines a scare, but ultimately lost, 5-4.
Woburn native Riley Duran, a sixthround pick of the Bruins in 2020, scored once in each game for Providence.