Tuesday, November 12, 2024

UPDATED: Slipping in the polls; SNL; Impacts of NCAA-CHL decisions emerge; Women up to #14/#13


Following the weekend split with Lowell, BU fell two spots to #11 in the USCHO Division 1 Men's Hockey Poll.  BU Hockey Stats points out that the new ranking "ends a program record streak of 47 consecutive weeks being ranked in the Top 10 in the [USCHO] poll, dating back to November 28th, 2022."

Defending national champion Denver, with 19 consecutive wins stretching back to last season (including the 2-1 OT win that ended BU's season), remains on top followed by BC, Minnesota, Michigan State and Michigan. The Terriers' next opponent, Maine (6-2-1), who lost two hard-fought games to #2 BC in Chestnut Hills, slipped from #5 to #7. Providence (6-1-2) swept Northeastern and moved up to #10. Lowell moved up from #17 to #15.

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In the USA Today/The Rink Inside Poll, BU dropped a bit further, to #13. Maine sits at #7, while Providence is #9.

Mike McMahon’s Power Rating has BU at #9. ESPN's John Buccigross has the Terriers at #10 in his ranking, while Everything College Hockey ranks BU #13.  

● USCHO: Rankingsroundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Nov. 8-10

 

► Four Terriers earned a spot on Hockey East's Weekly Top Performers list.

Matt Copponi, BU (Sr., F; Mansfield, Mass.) Collected three points on one goal and two assists in the Terriers’ 5-2 win at UMass Lowell on Saturday night. He factored on the Terriers’ first three goals of the game, assisting on the eventual game-winner.

Cole Eiserman, BU (Fr., F; Newburyport, Mass.) Notched a goal and an assist on Friday against UMass Lowell.

Cole Hutson, BU (Fr., D; Chicago, Ill.) Scored a goal on Saturday in the Terriers’ win over UMass Lowell and also had a primary assist in Friday’s game.

Max Lacroix, BU (So., G; Denver, Colo.) Made 17 saves in his first collegiate start, backstopping the Terriers to a 5-2 win at No. 17 UMass Lowell on Saturday. Lacroix did not allow an even-strength goal, stopping all eight shots he faced in the third period and making a key save during a second-period breakaway to keep BU in front.

 

SNL 

The M's have it: Max Lacroix and Matt Copponi

►Our friend BU Hockey Stats provides both recaps and statistical analysis of both weekend series, noting among other things that in Saturday's 5-2 win, the Terriers created 16 quality scoring chances to just eight for Lowell.

►With two goals in Saturday's 5-2 win, Quinn Hutson tops the BU scoring chart with 10 points (3G,7A), one point ahead of Shane Lachance and Cole Eiserman and two ahead of Ryan Greene.

►Back at the Tsongas Center where he played for four seasons as a River Hawk, grad student Brehdan Engum had a strong game on the blueline. He led BU with four of the team's 14 blocks, including two during Lowell's five-minute power play. Engum also was interviewed on the ESPN+ broadcast and kiddingly admonished to go to the "right locker room."

►BU limited the River Hawks to just two shots on goal (one resulting in a goal) during that extended man-advantage.

►Max Lacroix, making his first regular-season start, made 17 saves and one of the biggest was stopping Pierson Brandon's breakaway attempt, right after the five-minute power play ended, which could have tied the game at two apiece. 

►Terriers combined strong defense and extended puck possession to hold the River Hawks without a shot on goal for the first 12 minutes of the third period, after limiting Lowell to 11 shots in the first two periods.

While Lowell did manage a few harmless shots over the final minutes, a late power play gave them a chance to narrow the margin. Lacroix came up big on a shot from the point that was deflected by a River Hawk at the door step. 

►Friday's game was the 100th of Copponi's college career, with the first 92 as a Merrimack Warrior. After Saturday's game Coach Jay Pandolfo commented that the 2023 Edmonton draft pick is "elevating his game, and he's another kid that really cares" and added, "“He certainly can make plays. He drives play off the rush.”


Looking ahead

►Associate Head Coach Joe Pereira was absent for the two games, away on a recruiting trip, according to the Lowell TV announcers. The NCAA's decision to make Canadian Hockey League (Major Junior) players eligible to play college hockey, under certain conditions, will significantly change the recruiting landscape for all D1 schools. And those changes have already begun.

A year ago, Jack Pridham scored 49 points (23G,26A) in 54 games for West Kelowna, earning BCHL All-Rookie honors. Playing the rest of the season in Kitchner, a Toronto suburb, would allow him to be close to his hometown of Stouffville and his father, Brandon Pridham, the Maple Leafs' assistant general manager.

● TheHockeyNews.com Chicago Blackhawks Prospect & Boston University Commit Headed For Kitchener

● The Record Blackhawks draft pick leaves outlaw BC league for Kitchener

A similar situation MIGHT be developing with highly-regarded 2026 recruit Tynan Lawrence, a Fredricton, New Brunswick, native, playing in the USHL for Muskegon where he has a 4-6-10 line in 11 games. At the World U17 Challenge last week, he had 3-3-6 in five games. helping Canada White win gold.

Foley later suggested that a move isn't expected this season and, in response to a question about possible impact on BU, he tweeted "Commitments will be upheld through moves like this." 

For now, it's all conjecture. Stay tuned.

● College Hockey Inc.  NCAA DI Council Votes to Make CHL Players Eligible


Looking back

Nashville Predators waive Dante Fabbro ... 

►Former Terrier captain Dante Fabbro has been claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets after six-plus seasons with Nashville, who drafted him in the first round of 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Fabbro played three seasons as a Terrier including the Hockey East championship team of 2018. He was a blueline leader on the 2017 and 2018 teams that reached the NCAA regional finals. As a Terrier, he had 80 points (22G, 58A) and twice was a Hockey East Second Team All-Star.

Representing Canada, he won silver in the 2017 World Junior Championships and gold in the 2018 tournament.

Fabbro will become a free agent next summer when his current $2.5 million contract expires.

● NHL.com Blue Jackets claim defenseman Dante Fabbro off waivers

● TheTennessean.com Predators waive Dante Fabbro, a former first-round pick


►Lane Hutson set up goals with his ninth and tenth assists, helping Montreal snap a six-game losing streak with a 7-5 win against Buffalo.

 ● A more detailed look at Hutson's second assist. 

►Jake Oettinger stopped 20 shots as Dallas routed Pittsburgh, 7-1, improving his record to 7-1 and his GAA to 2.44.

►Wilmer Skoog scored his second goal in Charlotte's 5-4 win over the Toronto Marlies. 

Former Terrier defenseman Cam Crotty is wearing the C for the Iowa Wild. After four seasons in the Coyotes organization—and one NHL start—Crotty signed with Minnesota and was assigned to Iowa. His AHL stats.

Women's Team
 
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Following their five-point weekend, a win and a shoot-out victory, against Merrimack, BU goes up a notch to #14 in the USCHO weekly poll. Next up for the Terriers is #11 BC for a home-and-home series that begins Friday at Agganis Arena.

BU is now #13 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Inside Poll.

 

 

 

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