Friday, October 31, 2025

UPDATED Game Day: Terriers invade Alfond; Weighart on Halloween matchup; Women host NU


Game Day at No. 12 Maine. October 31, 7:30 p.m. Alfond Arena Streaming on ESPN+ 

#5 Terriers have traveled down east to Maine for a two-game series with the #12 Black Bears at always-rambunctious Alfond Arena. Tonight's Halloween match-up and tomorrow evening’s game both begin at 7:30 PM ET with ESPN+ providing live-streams.

Last season’s series between the teams also was in Orono, resulting in a BU loss, followed by a tie and shootout win.

Episode 5 of Inside BU Hockey just dropped, featuring interviews with Jay Pandolfo, Owen McLaughlin, Tara Watchorn and Kaileigh Quigg.

Coming off a split in its series with Connecticut, BU won’t have its leading goalscorer, Cole Eiserman, in the line-up. Injured in the first-period last Saturday night, he is no longer on crutches and, according to Head Coach Jay Pandolfo, “is week to week,” possibly returning next weekend or the following weekend.

During Wednesday’s practice, freshman Conrad Fondrk skated on the left wing of the Kamil Bednarik-Ryder Ritchie line. The Owen McLaughlin-Sacha Boisvert-Jack Harvey unit, which generated five goals in the last two games, stayed intact. Mick Frechette, who played wing Friday, then defense on Saturday, was back at forward on the fourth line.

Goalie Mikhail Yegorov, who acknowledged he wasn’t at his best in Friday’s loss, turned in a sparkling effort Saturday, stopping 24 of 25 shots.

Pandolfo pointed out that “he’s really good at responding [after a tough outing] and you saw that Saturday night when he was in great position and read the plays really well.”

The Black Bears stand at 3-2-1. After sweeping a pair against Holy Cross, then losing at and tying Quinnipiac, they split a pair of 3-2 games with Colgate at Alfond. More than any other Hockey East school, Maine jumped into the CHL pool with both skates.

Leveraging its proximity to Quebec, Maine brought in five QMJHL players and one each from the OHL and WHL. Plus one with professional experience in the AHL.

Justin Poirer from the Q is the top scorer with a 5-3-8 line, while AHL add Jaden Lapinski has 2-3-5. Transfer Max Scott and seniors Thomas Freel and D-man Braden Holt all have five points.

Goalie Albin Boija, a second team Hockey East All-Star last season, sports a 2.18 GAA and a .902 save percentage with one shutout.

Addressing this week’s opponent, Pandolfo said, “They are a really good forechecking team. They'll just keep putting pucks behind you. They gain momentum by forechecking and getting the crowd into the game. For us, it'll be real important to be breaking pucks out and making clean exits from our zone. And they’re a real good defensive team, too. It's tough to get to their net. It's going to be new for a lot of our guys, playing in that environment."

Asked about playing in a notoriously hostile arena such as Alfond, Yegorov told the Boston Hockey Blog:

"I've heard many stories. So, it's just cool to see how different teams approach it and how different fan sectors also approach it. So I'm actually very, very excited to play against them and to hear everything that they can come up with.

"It's fun because it also helps me realize how important I am. It might sound selfish, but like, it's kind of that way…It's just something that is the necessary part of college, and we will not take it away. If I can embrace it and understand that it's fun, that's all I can do."  

BU Hockey Stats' teams comparison: 

    

                     TONIGHT'S BU LINEUP 


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

● Live stream ESPN+

● Pandolfo Media Call

● College Hockey News Tale of the Tape

● BU Hockey Stats Trick or Treat--Week 5 Preview

● Boston Hockey Blog BU men’s hockey prepares to test depth against Maine

                        BU logo - link to homepage

►BU Hockey Writer Scott Weighart looks at the Friday down/Saturday up pattern that has dogged the Terriers again this season. 

If [Saturday's] game was a stride in the right direction, Pandolfo is justifiably concerned because this movie may feel like a sequel to last fall's production. Like this year's team, last year's squad had tons of talent, and they showed flashes of brilliance as well as some head-scratching lapses. Repeatedly, last year's players indicated that they had learned their lesson about consistency but never solved for that completely until they went on the postseason run that brought them to the brink of a national championship.  

● GoTerriers.com Terriers Hoping Trick-or-Treat Trend Ends with Halloween Matchup

Looking ahead

Driving to the net, 2026 recruit Caleb Malhotra scored his sixth goal in Brantford's 5-4 overtime loss to Barrie.  The 5-⭐️forward has 19 points in 14 games for the Bulldogs. 

2026 recruit Egor Shilov scored his eighth goal and assisted on two others, but Victoriaville was edged by Charlottetown, 4-3. With 24 points in 13 games, he's tied for the QMJHL scoring lead. 

Both Malhotra and Shilov will play in the CHL-USA Prospect Challenge games on November 25 and 26. 

● NHL.com Malhotra among 22 CHL players selected for 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge 

►In his first game since being acquired by London, 2026 recruit Braidy Wassilyn assisted on a pair of goals in the Knights' 6-1 win against Peterborough. 

►Nice Neutral Zone write-up on 2026 recruit Rian Chudzinski following a recent two-goal effort for Moncton. ( Photo credit Dan Hickling )

Photo credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images           

Rian Chudzinski (RW, R, 6’1″, 191, Moncton Wildcats, 12/30/2007, BU)

Game Rating A-

Comments: Chudzinski opened the scoring fourteen seconds into the game really just being in the right spot at the right time. After a fortuitous bounce off the end wall from a dump in, the puck pumped right at the crease where Chudzinski was able to bury it home. Yes lucky, but his five goals in five game says that he is creating a pattern. Chudzinski has some solid wheels on him which allowed him to get to the puck at the time that he did. He works hard with and without the puck, an important trait for someone as skilled as him. With another goal on the night, making it two, Chudzinski had himself a night that led the charge of a blowout win.

 

Looking back

NHL.com has projected a U.S. Olympic Team roster that features five Terriers: Jack Eichel, Clayton Keller, Brady Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy and Jake Oettinger. Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson was not invited to orientation camp. “He is, however, on the radar and a player to watch.” 

● NHL.com Projected U.S. Olympic Team roster

Dante Fabbro scored his first goal in the Blue Jackets’ 5-1 win against Toronto. Charlie Coyle assisted on four Columbus goals.

Trevor Zegas scored twice--his 3rd and 4th goals--and added an assist in the Flyers' 4-1 win against the Predators. Zegras has 12 points in 10 games. 

 

Eleven games into the season, Blackhawks rookie Ryan Greene has a 1-1-2  scoring line, 0 PIMs, +3, 51.2 face off wins, 25% shot percentage. His TOI is growing, up to 19:24 last night.       

In that Blackhawks game last night, a 6-3 loss to Winnipeg, Alex Vlasic notched his first goal of the season.   

Women’s Team  

Neely Nicholson playing hockey 

                   Photo credit Jamie Fiedorek 

Following their initial win of the season, the Terriers begin a home and home series with #12 Northeastern, the team they beat in last year’s Hockey East championship game.

Senior Sydney Healey is BU’s top scorer with a 3-4-7 scoring line followed by senior Luisa Welcke and freshman Lexie Bertelsen, each with three points. Junior Mari Pietersen and grad student Michelle Pasiechnyk have split the goaltending duties.

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

● Live stream ESPN+, International stream

● Boston Hockey Blog BU looks to build momentum against Northeastern

 

 

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