2013-14 schedule announced

BU’s 2013-2014 men's hockey schedule features an expanded out-of-conference schedule, fewer (20) conference games and several first-time opponents for the Terriers. The team will have 18 home dates at Agganis Arena, including an Oct. 5 exhibition game against St. Francis Xavier, with 12 of those home contests in the first semester. BU opens its regular season with home games against a pair of in-state opponents, UMass and Holy Cross, on Oct. 11 and 12.

Among the away venues on tap are visits to Michigan’s Yost Arena and Michigan State’s Munn Arena in October and a two-game series in South Bend, Indiana, at Notre Dame’s Compton Family Ice Arena. 

BU’s visit to E. Lansing will its first game at the Spartans’ rink since the 1990 NCAA quarterfinals when the Terriers won the second and third games of the best-of-three to upset Michigan State, as chronicled in our most recent Terrier Tale, “Rebuilding the Foundation.”

 
In addition to the annual Beanpot Tournament at TD Bank Garden, BU will renew its Red Hot Hockey rivalry with Cornell at Madison Square Garden and play its second outdoor game of the modern era, taking on Maine in the latest Frozen Fenway series.

Newcomers to BU’s schedule are future Hockey East member (in 2014-15) Connecticut and  Atlantic Hockey’s Bentley College.

● GoTerriers.com announcement

Looking back

Former Terrier top scorer Alex Chiasson, who became a Dallas Stars fan favorite following his call-up from the AHL late in the Stars’ season, talked with the Dallas Morning News and Austin Statesman about his first pro season.

“I don’t want anyone to give (me a spot),” Chiasson said. “I’ve got to come in (to training camp) ready and set high expectations. There’s a reason for that, I’m going to have to come in twice as good.”

● Dallas Morning News

● Austin Statesman

Former Terrier John Hynes, now head coach of the AHL Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, knows that a 3-0 playoff lead is not insurmountable as his team stormed back against the Providence Bruins to win four straight games, ending the season of former Terriers David Warsofsky and Chris Bourque. Colby Cohen also is on the P-Bruins but has been out with an injury.

Women’s program

Head Coach Brian Durocher has signed a contract extension that will keep him behind the bench through the 2018-19 season. The former Terrier goalie, who has coached the team since its inception in 2005-06, has a 159-93-37 record. Last season the team achieved a program high in wins—28—a record low in losses—6—and its second appearance in the national championship game in three seasons. Durocher, previously an assistant to former men’s team coach Jack Parker, was named a finalist for the AHCA Division I Women’s Ice Hockey Coach of the Year award for 2013-14.

● GoTerriers.com report

Associate head coach Bavis departs

USHR reports that associate head coach Mike Bavis has resigned after fifteen seasons as an assistant to now-retired head coach Jack Parker. Bavis had been one of five finalists to succeed Parker. That position was awarded to David Quinn.

A standout forward at Catholic Memorial High School, Bavis was a four-year letterman at BU,  playing on teams that had a combined winning record of 123-42-15 for a .667 winning percentage, including three appearances in the Final Four—1988-90, 1990-91 and 1992-93.

In both 1992 and 1993, he was voted New England's Top Defensive Forward Award by the New England Hockey Writers Association. In addition, both years he was voted the Bennett McInnis Award for team spirit. 

After playing in the Buffalo Sabres organization for two seasons, Bavis was an agent for Global Hockey Consultants before joining the Terrier coaching staff in 1998. He became associate head coach in 2009.  Bavis also has been involved with USA Hockey, working as a coach for the Mass/USA Hockey Satellite Training Program and serving as head coach or assistant the USA Hockey Select 15, 16 or 17 festivals.

Bavis and his family founded and lead the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation, named for Mike’s twin brother and Terrier teammate who died on United Airlines flight 175 on Sept. 11, 2001. The foundation awards scholarships of $3,500 to $5,000 to Massachusetts high school students who have made a difference in their communities or demonstrated leadership at their schools.

● Boston Hockey Blog report

Looking ahead 

2013 recruit Jarrid Privitera finished his USHL career on a winning note as the Dubuque Saints won the Clark Cup championship, sweeping Fargo in three games. Privitera scored 26 regular-season points in 56 games for Dubuque, adding six points in eleven playoff games. Previously, he played for The Gunnery School, totaling 81 points in two seasons, and the North Jersey Avalanche.

 

2013-14 schedule taking shape

The Terriers’ expanded out-of-conference schedule (14 games) appears to be complete with Dartmouth’s announcement of a game at Agganis Arena on January 8, three days prior to the BU-Maine Frozen Fenway game.

The rest of the non-conference games—with those dates available at this time: Holy Cross (10/12), Rensselaer (10/18), Wisconsin (10/19), North Dakota (11/22&23), Cornell (11/30), Harvard ), 1/4) BC-Beanpot (2/3), Northeastern or Harvard-Beanpot (2/10), Michigan, Michigan State, Bentley and Connecticut.

2013-14 schedules for all Division 1 teams are being posted on this site with regular updates as dates are finalized. BU’s official schedule for next season is expected to be announced in the next two weeks.

►There’s a new addition to our list of sidebar links, College Hockey Inc.’s College Commitments, which lists, chronologically commitments to D-1 schools. At the bottom of the page, you can link a “depth chart” of current players—and those in the pipeline--for each team by class.  Note that BU’s chart lists goalie Shane Starrett as a 2013-14 recruit, but he’s scheduled to arrive a year later.

►Coached by former Terrier Joe Sacco, Team USA reached the semifinals of the IIHF World Championships in Helsinki after drubbing Russia, 8-3.  Team USA, which has now won six of its seven games, meets Switzerland in the semifinal which airs lives on NBC Sports Network on Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT. The victor will meet the team that emerges from the Finland vs. Sweden semifinal for the World Championship title.