Can Boston University Get Hot Off Madison Square Garden Win? All Things Hockey East

Coming off a split against Northeastern, Boston University was able to reclaim the Red Hot Hockey throne with a 2-1 victory over Cornell at Madison Square Garden over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. With 17,478 packed into the iconic venue, The Terriers were able to hoist the Kelley-Harkness cup for the first time since 2015.

Could this be a sign of things to come for this formidable team? Perhaps.

Despite being outshot 29-17 and taking five separate penalties throughout the showcase game, the Terriers were able to dig deep and find a win over their historic rival. Sophomore goalie Mikhail Yegorov was the unsung hero for BU, making 28 saves when his classmates needed him the most. Sophomore Cole Eiserman scored the eventual game-winner early in the third period, as he entered the zone he controlled the puck and went five-hole on Cornell’s netminder, a nifty goal that tied him for the team lead with seven.

This marked Eiserman’s first goal since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out for four games in late October. He also notched an assist in the first to help give his team the lead. When his team needed a boost, Eiserman was there to deliver.

“I love these big games. Love the big lights,” Eiserman said. “When you get in these big games, the sticks get tight, and I kind of want to loosen my other guys’ sticks up for them. If I can do it for them, they’re kind of more relaxed, and they don’t have to have that weight on their shoulders.”

Tense, they have been, sitting with a record of 7-7-1, the preseason favorites have seemingly been scrambling ever since being swept by powerhouse Michigan State back in October. While the team as a whole has netted 51 goals on the season, which is second in Hockey East, the Terriers have surrendered 55 goals, the most in the conference. Moreover, the Terriers have been undisciplined with 65 penalties so far. That they've only allowed ten goals while on the penalty kill has been impressive under the circumstances, it's anything but a recipe for success in college hockey, as it keeps the Terriers on their heels, and limiting their offensive chances.

While the Terriers have struggled throughout the early parts of the season, the win in Manhattan could be what gets this team back on track as BU looks ahead toward hosting a weekend series against struggling Vermont. The team is No. 18 in the polls, but No. 25 in National Collegiate Percentage (NPI) Index. The 4-8 Catamounts are No. 51 in the index, and have lost five of their last six although the win came against Maine.

“Seeing the group sticking with it and finding a way is always great to see,” Boston University head coach Jay Pandolfo said. “They shoot a lot, they block shots, the team is playing awesome. The energy is amazing in the locker room and we’re just more together.”

Marquee Matchups Highlight Weekend Schedule

This weekend, there is a lot of terrific Hockey East matchups to tune in for, including UMass Lowell facing off against No. 15 Boston College in a home-and-home series, Merrimack will take on No. 14 UConn in another home-and-home, and No. 12 Northeastern hosts Massachusetts.

Boston College has been on a tear as of late, winning six of its last seven games, with wins over Maine and Notre Dame. The Eagles will look to continue it against a River Hawks side that's in desperate need of getting any points in the standings, as they have won just three of their last seven.

BC is more certainly the favorites in this clash and has the better high-end talent with the likes of junior Ryan Conmy and sophomore Jake Sondreal, who have 10 and 13 points, respectiively, on the season. Lowell will look to graduate Jay Ahearn and freshman Dalyn Wakely to break through a stifling BC defense that is coming off a month in which it only allowed 13 goals. Combined the two have scored 11 goals and collected 10 assists, but they'll have their work cut out for them.

Lowell also needs to slow down BC sophomore James Hagens if it wants any chance at an upset in the series. In 14 games, Hagens leads the Eagles with nine goals and 16 points. In his most recent game against Notre Dame, he recorded his first collegiate hat trick. If the Boston Bruins' seventh-overall pick in this year's draft isn’t curtailed, it could be a very long weekend for the 6-8 team. .

Moving onto the next home and home series, UConn aims to remain dominant against a feisty Merrimack squad. The Huskies have been playing well lately, winning five of their last seven (and securing a tie against Stonehill), to remain in first place in Hockey East. All in all, they should still be there after this weekend, however, that doesn’t mean Merrimack will play into that idea.

This season, UConn has been a better team on the road, boasting a 4-1-1 record, Merrimack has been the better team at home, going 4-3 in front of their fans. If a split is to happen, it is likely to happen in the first matchup when Merrimack hosts. As a whole, the Warriors have been a rather deceiving team, as their 5-8 record doesn’t translate just how competitive they've been this season as five of their losses have been decided by two goals or fewer. This team plays hard and never gives up and, barring a few unlucky bounces, could be seen in a much different light. Further motivation for gritty Merrimack is the 5-1 loss suffered earlier this season from the Huskies.

Two key players to keep an eye on include Merrimack’s sophomore forward Trevor Hoskin, who currently leads the team and finishes in fourth in the conference with 10 assists. Hoskin’s ability to create opportunities has been excellent this season, yet his goal scoring hasn’t been ideal yet. If Hoskin can find his shot, while maintaining his playmaking ability, look for him to have a big series and be the catalyst towards an upset. For the Huskies, freshman Carlin Dezainde could be the team’s X-factor. With five goals and four assists, Dezainde has been having a great, under-the-radar season. If UConn is scoring, it can most likely be traced back to this rookie.

The last of the headliners this weekend is Massachusetts hitting the road to take on Northeastern. For the first time this season, the Minutemen have fallen out of the national rankings due to its lackluster 8-8 record. With only three wins in their last nine games, UMass sits in last place in Hockey East, a place few thought this team would fall to at any point in the season.

The defense is especially lagging, allowing 54 goals thus far, the second most in the conference. While the offense has been exquisite at times, with 46 total goals, coupled with a killer powerplay that has netted 10 goals, the most in the conference, this team has simply lost winnable games.

For example, against Army over the weekend, the Minutemen lost 5-4 despite being the better team throughout, and goaltender Jacob Biron stole his first won (yes, he's the son of former NFL goaltender Martin Biron). Even with the likes of superstars Vaclav Nestrasil and Jack Musa lighting the lamp a combined 16 times, it's not enough to win games at this level, especially with the kind of opponent they're facing in Northeastern, a strong defense-first team.

Led by junior goalie Lawton Zacher, Northeastern has been the surprise of Hockey East so far, and sits in fourth with a 9-4 record. The Huskies are No. 12 in the polls and No 8 in the NPI — which means they're on pace to make the NCAA Tournament. The reason behind this unprecedented success is Zacher, who in ten games is leading the conference in goals against average at 1.80, .943 save percentage and in shutouts with three. He's bene the league's best goaltender thus far.

Nevertheless, there's some concern that the Huskies would be unable to find the offense to get ahead in conference play, however junior Dylan Hryckowian has come alive and has led the offense in recent weeks. He leads the team with eight goals, and is second in assists with eight. These two, coupled with the best penalty killing unit in the conference, has created a cohesive team that has the potential to make a possible playoff run.

Massachusetts will be looking to play better as a team and do what it takes to amend its poor defense, while also trying to get a few past one of the best goalies in the country. Northeastern should be thinking sweep, but it really comes down to how the Minutemen play.

This Week’s Hockey East Awards

Player(s): Boston College Forward James Hagens tabs his first career weekly honor thanks to scoring his first collegiate hat trick, helping his team secure a 5-3 win over Notre Dame. Boston University forward Cole Eiserman scored the game-winning goal, as well as assisting on another, en route to securing the 2-1 over rival Cornell at Madison Square Garden.

Rookie: UMass Lowell forward Dalyn Wakely netted his first collegiate hat-trick against St. Lawrence, giving him his first career weekly honor.

Defender: New Hampshire defenseman Brendan Fitzgerald registered two assists and helped steer his team to a shutout win over Bentley. Like his peers before, this marks his first weekly award in his career.

Goaltender: Providence goalie Philip Svedeback turned away 67 of 71 shots he faced in a two-game series at Colorado College, posting a 2.04 GAA and .944 save percentage. He registered a season high 37 saves in the Friars' 2-1 victory on Saturday night.

Beyond The Blue Line

Massachusetts fell out of the rankings for the first time this season after losing to Army. … Six out of eleven teams are in the top 20, with Maine being the highest at No. 11 and BU being the lowest at No. 18. … Northeastern forward Dylan Hryckowian was named Hockey East Player of the Month, scoring five goals and registering five assists in the month of November. … Boston University's Cole Hutson won Hockey East Defender of the Month, collecting four goals, four assists and 11 blocks in Nov. … Boston College goalie Loukas Cloutier was the league's Rookie of the Month, posting a 6-1 record in November, the most of any goaltender in the league, while allowing 13 goals and collected two shutouts in the process. … Providence goalie Philip Svedeback was tabbed as Hockey East Goaltender of the Month, saving 214 shots and posting a .930 save percentage . … Providence is quietly putting together a solid season thus far and while tied for third remains within striking distance of the top of the standings . … Lowell and UNH are tied for eighth, but have games in hand.