Saturday, January 13, 2024

Game Day: Terriers host Wildcats; Women visit UConn; Central Scouting Midterm Rankings

 Game day graphic featuring posed photo of Jack Page. BU vs. New Hampshire, Jan. 13, 6 PM on ESPN+.                              

#2 Terriers host #16 New Hampshire at Agganis Arena in the second meeting of the year between the two schools. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. ET with live streams on ESPN+ and on TSN+ in Canada.

It’s been three months since the teams first met, with the Wildcats dealing BU its only conference defeat of the season, 6-4. The UNH win ended a streak of 12 straight Terrier victories in the series. Since the beginning of the 2014-15 season, BU is 16-3-2 vs. UNH.

After several seasons spent near the bottom of Hockey East, the resurgent Wildcats, who swept Princeton last weekend, have an 11-5-1 record. They trail BU by 12 points in the standings but hold three games in hand. Their attack is led by freshman Ryan Comy with 22 points (including three assists vs. BU), sophomore Cy LeClerc with 16 points, sophomore Morgan Winters with 12 including two goals vs. BU. Junior Colton Huard and senior Luke Reid pace a veteran defense of mostly upperclassmen. Junior Jakob Hellsten, a transfer from North Dakota, has taken over between the pipes and sports a conference-best 1.79 GAA.

Four Terrier skaters are averaging at least a point per game. In addition to Macklin Celebrini with 27 points and Lane Hutson with 23, Jeremy Wilmer has 19 in 18 games and Ryan Greene has 18 in 18 games, including 13 points (5G,8A) in the last 11 games. With his overtime game-winner on Tuesday, Wilmer now has 50 points in 55 games as a Terrier.

Terriers are 12-2-1 in their last 15 outings with special teams playing an important role in recent games. They’ve killed 20 of their last 22 penalties, while the power play has clicked on six of the last 19 man-advantages.

 TONIGHT'S TERRIER LINEUP

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● GoTerriers.com preview, Game Notes, Live Stats, BU All-Access (audio), BU Men’s Hockey Twitter

● Live Stream ESPN+, International stream

● College Hockey News Tale of the Tape

● Boston Hockey Blog Terriers set to rematch with New Hampshire

● HockeyEastOnline game day links

 

►Earlier this week Lane Hutson joined the Montreal-centric “Sick Podcast” to talk BU, WJC, brother Cole Hutson and more.


►NHL.com Top NCAAStorylines for 2024

 

► SpectrumLocalNews Teammates for life: Clarence brothers playing together at BU 

 

Looking ahead 

NHL Central Scouting has released its midterm rankings for the 2024 draft. Seven Terriers--one freshman, six recruits--are on the North American skaters list. As long expected and confirmed on other rankings, Macklin Celebrini is the hands-down choice for #1 as the Central Scouting narrative points out.

Macklin Celebrini, a freshman forward with Boston University in Hockey East, was a unanimous choice at No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of the top North American skaters eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft.

The six recruits: #8 Cole Eiserman, #22 Kamil Bednarik, #57 Cole Hutson, #70 Jack Pridham, #122 Owen Keefe and #149 Callum Hughes. All except Hughes are 2024 recruits. Pridham is the highest ranked prospect from the BCHL.

● NHL.com Central Scouting Midterm Rankings overview, North American skaters list, pdf version

Earlier in the week TSN draft analyst revealed his updated rankings for 2024, which have Celebrini and Eiserman at #1 & #2. He also ranked Hutson #22 and Bednarik #37.

 

On Thursday, 2025 recruits John McNelis scored a pair of goals (11th & 12th) including the game-winner, along with an assist, as Sioux Falls rallied past the NTDP U18s, 7-4. 2024 recruit Michael Chambre stopped 26 shots to gain his 11th win. The U18s scored three first period goals, including 2024 recruit Cole Eiserman's 30th of the season, but Chambre slammed the door on his former team after that and didn't yield another until the game's final minute. McNelis, who earned first-star honors, now has 22 points and a team-high three game-winners.

● USHL Prospecting Stampede Use Four-Goal Second Period to Skate Past NTDP U18s.

Last night, the U18s turned the tables on Sioux Falls, coming away with an 8-5 win. (Chambre not in goal for SF). Eiserman led the way with a pair of goals including the game winner (video), Hutson scored his ninth goal, while Bednarik assisted on a pair of goals. Eiserman now has 101 career goals, joining Cole Caufield and Phil Kessel as the only NTDP skaters to eclipse the century mark.

Looking back

Jack Eichel scored his 19th goal in the Golden Knights' 2-1 overtime win against the Bruins. Matt Grzelcyk had the Bs' only tally, his second of the season.

 Clayton Keller scored his 15th goal in the Coyotes' 6-2 loss to Calgary.

 

Trevor Zegras will be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a broken ankle. Earlier in the season, he missed 20 games with a lower-body injury.

Shane Bowers and Matt Willman were called up to the injury-depleted Devils from AHL Utica. The duo skated on New Jersey's fourth line in a 4-3 overtime loss to Tampa Bay.

►The Hockey News How Charlie Coyle Has Been The Bruins’ Unsung Hero This Season

 

Women’s Team

Looking to continue their three-game winning streak, the Terriers hosted New Hampshire at Walter Brown Arena Friday night, but dropped a 4-1 decision to the Wildcats. UNH scored twice in each of the first two periods before Luisa Welcke's third-period tally averted a shutout.

● GoTerriers.com recap and box score

● Boston Hockey Blog recap

This afternoon BU travels to Storrs, Conn., to take on the UConn Huskies with puck drop at 3 p.m.

● GoTerriers.com preview, Live Stats, BU Women’s Hockey Twitter

● Live Stream ESPN+

● Boston Hockey Blog preview

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