Tuesday, January 28, 2025

UPDATED Protocol penalty update; Poll Story; P-O-W for Pietersen

The controversial protocol penalty at the start of Saturday's BU-BC games remains a hot topic. 

The Boston Hockey Blog's Mitch Fink spoke with Hockey East Supervisor of Men’s Officials Brian Murphy and Associate Commissioner Brian Smith about the ruling.

“The BU goalkeeper came on the ice before the officials came on the ice and certainly before Boston College came on the ice. And as you’ll see in the timeline, the visiting team comes on last,” said Murphy, who was an NHL referee for 32 years before joining Hockey East in 2020. 

Yegorov took the ice, alone, with around 39:30 on the game clock. According to the rulebook, officials must take the ice at 39:00, followed by the home team at 38:00 and the visiting team at 37:50

Boston Hockey Blog Hockey East clarifies procedural penalty in BU men’s hockey’s loss at Boston College on Saturday

Boston Hockey Blog Analysis: BU men’s hockey avoids harsh reality against Boston College  

Yegorov was the only Terrier named to Hockey East's Weekly Top Performers list.

Mikhail Yegorov, BU (Fr., G; St. Petersburg, Russia) Stopped 23 of 24 shots in his NCAA debut at No. 1 Boston College, allowing just one power-play goal in a 2-0 defeat. He made several timely stops to keep the Terriers in the game.

► Boston Hockey Blog Week 16 Recap Happy Homecoming and Game 1 Advanced Stats  

Poll Story

Terriers slipped two slots to #10 in the USCHO Division 1 Poll. They’re one of six Hockey East schools in the top 10, along with #1 BC, #6 Maine, #7 Providence, #8 Lowell and #9 UConn. BU’s next opponent, New Hampshire is #18.

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The Hockey East teams are in the same spots in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll, except for New Hampshire, which is #16. UMass is #20, giving the conference eight ranked teams.

John Buccigross’ rankings slot the Terriers at #8, while Everything College Hockey ranks BU #12.  BU fell to #10 in Pairwise which also has six Hockey East teams in the top 10.

                        The Dunkin Men's Beanpot Tickets Feb 03, 2025 Boston, MA ...

The Beanpot is less than a week away. Whether you’re planning to attend or watch on TV, here is information about the Pre-Game Party on Causeway Street and 17 Beanpot Watch Parties across the country. And check out the Top Dog Challenge.  

SNL (Saturday Night Leftovers)

It’s hard to find silver linings when you’re swept by your arch-rivals, including a shutout, but there certainly were a few. First, of course, is the performance of Mikhail “Mike” Yegorov in his first NCAA start, shaking off the early power-play goal, then making big-time stops throughout the game. He finished with 23 saves on 24 shots. (Thanks to @kinch8837 for this reel of Yegorov saves.)

 
   

Another was the Terriers’ compete level for 60 minutes against the #1 team with possibly the top collegiate goalie. “We were pretty good around our net,” Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “We didn’t give up much in the slot.” He added, “If we play that way, we’re going to win a lot of games down the stretch. That’s what we can take out of this.” 

A third positive from the weekend was the continued strong play on penalty kills, yielding just that one power-play at the start of Saturday’s gamemore on that below—out of four chances for the Eagles. In the last seven conference games, BU has yielded just two goals on 22 man-advantages for opponents, largely attributable to the more aggressive kill the coaches have instituted.

As for the opening-minute goal Saturday, the NESN analyst describing the goal on replay notes that the BU bench was calling for a pick call. And BU’s sharp-eyed webcast analyst Mark Linehan called it out, too. If you watch the play at half speed, you’ll see James Hagens get on Brehdan Engum’s outside shoulder and angle him toward the middle of the ice as Leonard races by along the boards. Judge for yourself. Sure looks like a pick and sure had the intended effect.

The losses leave BU in second place in Hockey East, two points ahead of Maine (who has two games in hand) and four ahead of surging UConn.

Looking ahead
A Neutral Zone scout, after viewing a recent NTDP U18 game offered thoughts on 2025 recruit Jack Murtagh.

Jack Murtagh (LW, L, 6’1″, 200, NTDP U18, 08/22/2007, Boston University)
Grade: A-
Comments: With a goal and two assists, Murtagh had himself an offensive night. He was able to open the scoring for Team USA tonight at a much-needed time. Murtagh was able to show tonight that he can beat you in a straight line with the puck on his stick, skate his way into space with good separation and win a lot of battles that require him to race onto loose pucks. He is technically sound he still however needs to build more strength through his core and legs to make him a bit more sturdy on his skates as he got bumped off the puck a couple times. That added strength will help with more explosiveness, balance and also will allow for him to be more confident on wall battles and battles below the goal line.

Looking back

Macklin Celebrini's 16th goal proved decisive in the Sharks' 2-1 win over the Penguins. It was the fourth game-winner for the 2024 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner. With 36 points, Celebrini is second in the rookie scoring race, three points behind Lane Hutson. Matt Grzelcyk picked up his 25th assist for Pittsburgh.

Jack Eichel scored his 15th goal in the Golden Knights’ 4-1 win against Florida. He has a team-high 62 points and is +28. He ranks 8th in the NHL in points and fourth (47) in assists.  

Brady Tkachuk scored his 19th goal in Ottawa’s 3-1 win over Utah. Clayton Keller’s 18th was the sole UHC tally. 

Congratulations to BU All-American and Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and his wife, Kiley Sullivan, on the birth of their son, Rhys Michael McAvoy. Kiley is the daughter of former Terrier captain and current Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.

 Women's Team

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Sophomore goalie Mari Pietersen earned Hockey East Player of the Week honors after shutting out Holy Cross in both ends of a home-and-home series. The Goodwood, Ont., native  stopped 25 shots in Friday’s 2-0 road win and then 15 attempts in Saturday’s 3-0 victory at newly re-opened Walter Brown Arena. She has a 1.94 GAA and a .904 save percentage in seven games.

● GoTerriers.com Pietersen Tabbed Hockey East Player of the Week  

The Hockey News Long List Of Accolades Has Followed Mari Pietersen On Her Journey

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