Thursday, October 22, 2026

Game Day: Terriers visit UConn; Oettinger on fire; Celebrini delivers in OT

 Haoxi Wang stops at the blue line during pregame introductions    

                            Photo by Alex Chen 

In the fifth—and final—game of their season-opening road trip, #15/14 Terriers head down I-84 to Storrs to face #16 Connecticut. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. with ESPN+ providing the livestream.  

BU (3-0-1) will be facing the team that eliminated them from post-season last March and in the same building. Coach Jay Pandolfo dismissed the idea of a payback mindset.

"Our guys understand that we're in a new year," he said. "We're in Hockey East play now and our guys know these games are really important. They're tight, they're hard, especially down there; it's a tough place to play. We have a lot of returners who have a pretty good understanding of what it's like to play in that building."

On last Saturday's game vs. Friday's: 

" (We were) definitely better Saturday," he continued, alluding to more shots taken in close and between the circles. "I think our structure was way better on Saturday. I also thought we won a lot more pucks in the O-zone Saturday, which allowed us to get more opportunities inside. Vermont had changed its structure and we made some good adjustments."

On establishing an identity:

"Defensively, we've been solid through the first five games. For the most part, we're playing hard, we're competing and doing the things you want to see from our group. Early on, you want to establish that. For the most part, we're heading in the right direction." 

Pandolfo reported that Conrad Fondrk will return to the lineup and be involved on the power play, which has undergone some adjustments.  

Like the Terriers, the 2-2-0 Huskies have found goals hard to come by, with nine tallies in four games. Last weekend, they split a home series with Colorado College, winning 3-2 in overtime and then losing, 4-1. 

For UConn, junior Ethan Gardula scored twice against CC and has three points. Sophomore Alexandre Blais (0-3-3) skates on the top line with All-American Joey Muldowney, who produced 29 goals last season, and Mike Murtagh, older brother of BU's Jack Murtagh.  

The veteran defense is led by Kai Janviriya, Trey Scott and Anthony Samake, along with talented newcomer Charlie Morrison. 

In goal, the Huskies have rotated sophomore Kam Hendricksen and freshman Veeti Louhivaara. Hendrickson won both his starts, including a 43-save effort against Penn State, and brings a 1.48 GAA and a .958 save percentage.  

CHECK BACK FOR TONIGHT'S BU LINE-UP 

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

● Live Stream: ESPN+

● Coach Pandolfo’s Media Call

● BU Hockey Stats Week 4 Preview

● Boston Hockey Blog 

● CHN: Tale of the Tape

 

Looking back 

Jake Oettinger stopped 18 of 20 shots in the Stars’ 3-2 overtime win against the Bruins. Oettinger has opened the 2026–27 NHL campaign on a historic tear, posting a 5-2-1 record, a  league best 1.13 GAA, a tied-for-best .945 save percentage, and three shutouts through his first eight appearances.

Moreover, he leads all goalies in goals saved above expected by a wide margin.

Macklin Celebrini scored a pair of goals, including the overtime game-winner as the Sharks rallied from a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 victory over Montreal. The San Jose captain also set up the game-tying tally with a slick entry pass. He has a 5-9-14 scoring line despite missing five games with an injury. Lane Hutson recorded his seventh assist for Les Habitants.

Brady Tkachuk's return to Ottawa was met with the predicted waves hostility. It was cranked up higher when the former Senators' captain scored to give the Panthers' an early lead, but it was all downhill from there for the Panthers who were drubbed, 5-1.

Cole Hutson scored his second goal in Washington’s 5-2 loss to the Kings.

Trevor Zegras batted a puck out of the air for his third tally, which was the game-winner as Philly beat Buffalo, 3-1.

● NHL.com Zegras emerges as leader for Flyers, 'role model' to younger teammates

The Philadelphia Flyers forward has been described by close friends and coaches as an energetic golden retriever and Jeff Spicoli, Sean Penn's character in the 1980s film "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." 

But...

"There's just a point in time where you realize I'm an older guy and leader, but they're definitely young and they ask a lot of questions," Zegras said. "I feel like there are some things I can relate to, being in their shoes not that long ago."   

 

H/T to Terrier Super Fan Scarlet who flagged this story on CBS Evening News featuring Dylan Peterson’s parents and their reaction to Dylan’s fight during his NHL debut last week.


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