Game Day: Terriers at Union--UPDATED

Morning skate at Achilles Center

#2/3 Terriers open their third season under Head Coach David Quinn by visiting Union College for the first time. Puck drop at the Achilles Center is set for 7 p.m. BU returns 17 skaters and one goalie from the squad that went 28-8-5 en route to a 30^th Beanpot title, an eighth Hockey East Championship and a berth in the NCAA title game. 

The roster includes ten skaters that reached double figures in points last season, but All-American Captain Matt Grzelcyk won’t be on the ice as he rehabs from offseason knee surgery. Senior Assistant Captain Danny O’Regan scored 50 points last season and classmate Ahti Oksanen (photo) registered a team-high 25 goals.

The Dutchmen’s offense--13th best in D1 last season-- is led by junior forward Mike Vecchione (50 points last season) and sophomore defenseman Jeff Taylor (31).  Alex Sakkellaropoulos (3.07 GAA) is the top returning goalie. Last season in the teams’ first-ever meeting, BU and Union played a 3-3 overtime tie (video) at Agganis Arena with the Terriers getting goals from AJ Greer, Nikolas Olsson (photo) and Evan Rodrigues.

Union opened its season last night, tying Sacred Heart, 1-1 in overtime, when the Pioneers scored an extra-attacker goal in the final minutes of regulation.


TODAY'S TERRIER LINEUP 
Greenway-O'Regan-Oksanen
Greer-Forsbacka Karlsson-Baillargeon
Olsson-Lane-Carpenter
Phelps-Moran-Cloonan
 
Hickey-McAvoy
Diffley-MacLeod
Somerby-Switzer
Maguire

● GoTerriers.com preview, Game Notes, Live Stats, Terrier Sports Radio Network Webcast, UnionTV Webcast (PPV), Twitter

● Boston Hockey Blog live in-game blog

● Union College Game Notes

● USCHO: Hockey East picks and predictions

● SB Nation Hockey East Roundtable and BU-Union preview
 

► GoTerriers.com Eleven Terriers on NHL Opening Day Rosters

Looking ahead

2016 recruits Chad Krys and Brian Bellows each scored a goal in the NTDP U18s 6-1 win against Chicago in Team USA’s first game in its new home in Plymouth, Michigan. Krys’s tally came on a first-period power play, assisted by 2016 recruit Clayton Keller. Bellows scored on “an absolute rip” 30 seconds into the second period, also assisted by Keller, who leads the team in points with 3-8-11. BU’s fourth 2016 recruit on the U18s, goalie Jake Oettinger (photo), turned aside 28 shots to earn first-star honors as well as his fourth win of the season.

● USA Hockey recap
● MI Hockey photo gallery

Looking back

On Tuesday, October 20, the 20^th anniversary of Travis Roy’s life-altering spinal injury in BU’s 1995-96 home opener, Travis and his foundation will be honored at a dinner reception and program at Agganis Arena. Details/Ticket Information. Travis’s journey over the past two decades, “filling his life with purpose, through his foundation and the hundreds of people like himself that he helps," is the subject of a new film in the ESPN series—E:60 –Travis Roy—which airs on Wednesday, October 14th, at 8 p.m.

● The Travis Roy Foundation

● Trailer for E:60 – Travis Roy

With New Jersey’s 3-1 loss to Winnipeg, the Devils’ John Hynes (photo) joined Mike Sullivan, Joe Sacco and Steve Stirling as the fourth Terrier to be an NHL head coach. In addition, former BU playing and coaching legend Jack Kelley was head coach and GM of the New England Whalers of the WHA and won the league’s first AVCO Cup championship in 1973.

The ECHL’s “Behind the Benches” series looks at former Terrier, Boston Bruin and U.S. Olympian Clark Donatelli, now in his fourth full season as the Wheeling Nailers’ head coach. The Nailers will be reinforced by the return of Sahir Gill, who was sent to Wheeling despite a strong performance at Wilkes Barre/Scranton training camp.  

►Another look at Jack Eichel’s first NHL goal.

Women’s Team

Terriers dropped a 5-3 decision to visiting Penn State on Friday night. The Nittany Lions came out shooting and built a 3-0 lead before Sarah Lefort (photo) got BU on the board late in the first. Victoria Bach scored the only second period goal to narrow the lead to 3-2. But the visitors scored a pair of goals within a 40-second span, early in the third, to up the lead to three. Rebecca Russo’s third goal of the season proved to be too little and too late. The teams meet again today at 3 p.m. at Walter Brown Arena.

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score 

● Photo Gallery