Friends' Banquet on tap--UPDATED

The 50^th annual Friends of BU Hockey Banquet will be held at the George Sherman Union on Saturday night with team awards, including MVP, top scorer and most improved,  to be handed out. Legendary Coach Jack Kelley (photo), who made the Terriers a national powerhouse in the mid-1960s and piloted BU to back-to-back national championships in 1971 and 1972 will be among the honored guests in attendance.

It was Kelley, who upon becoming head coach in 1962 reached out to a group of Terrier fans to organize “the Friends’” as a support organization for the resurgent BU hockey program. Over the past half-century, the group, backed by a large and committed membership, has been dedicated to providing fundraising and volunteer opportunities to engage former student-athletes, parents, alumni, and fans to benefit  the BU Men's Ice Hockey program. Along with Kelley, the Friends took the initiative toward the building  the Terriers’ first on-campus home, Walter Brown Arena. 

In 1965, after The Friends reported a pledge list totaling $100,000, BU began a fund raising campaign that would raise $5.5 million for a complex that would house the arena, a basketball gym and a swimming pool. Financing was completed and after two years of construction, the doors of Walter Brown Arena opened as Kelley was about to begin his 10th –and final—season behind the Terrier bench.   

The Daily Free Press offers a review of the 2012-13 season along with a feature on the how competition helped BU’s two freshman goalies, Sean Maguire and Matt O'Connor,  raise their performance levels as the season progressed.

Looking ahead

2014 recruit Jack Eichel scored a first period power play goal on a hard wrist shot, but Team USA was edged, 4-3, by host team Russia in a preliminary round game at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships in Sochi. Team USA next plays the Czech Republic on Saturday.
● Hockeysfuture.com post-game video interview with Eichel. 

2013 recruit Jarrid Privitera assisted on the game-winning goal for Dubuque, which took game one in its USHL playoff series against Muskegon, 4-1.

2014 recruit J.J.Piccinich scored the tying goal for Youngstown as the Phantoms stormed from behind for a  4-2 win against Green Bay, evening the best-of-five first round playoff series at a game apiece. Early in the third period, the former North Jersey Avalanche standout slapped home a rebound from the left circle.

 

Looking back

The Worcester Telegram examines Matt Nieto’s path from roller hockey in California to being a standout forward at BU and now continuing his career in the AHL.

If you haven't already caught our newest Terrier Tale--The 1989-90 Terriers: Rebuilding the Foundation--you'll find it immediately below, as well as in a link in the sidebar. That final four squad thrilled BU fans by winning three post-season best-of-three series after losing the first game in each series. With a roster full of future NHLers--Tony Amonte, Shawn McEachern, Joe Sacco, Mike Sullivan, Dave Tomlinson, and Ed Ronan, among others--it was one of the best and most explosive Terrier squads of the Jack Parker era.

Women's Team
BU assistant coach Katie Lachapelle has been named as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National U18 Team for a pair of international tournaments. The five-year Terrier assistant will help lead Team USA at the 2013 U18  Series against Canada in Lake Placid in August and at the IIHF World Championships in Spring 2014.