Hockey East was bad this year and BU was amongst the worst. This has a chance to be one of the least impressive HE championship weekends. UMass was dreadful today as the top seed this weekend . UConn was handed the game with 2 weak goals and a bad official whistle on a BC goal . I hope MC wins that would be appropriate and they deserve it. Think of the advantage BU has over a program like MC and how much their coaches got out of that team vs how the total waste of time 17 draft pick team performed. Totally on Pandolfo. Pinhead or Mav is right he was terrible
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BU Hockey '25-'26: Can we keep up the run to Vegas?
- Thread starter Terrier86
- Start date
defkit
Well-known member
My recap:
2 - more offense than I expected and became more reliable in his own end (as he should); fell short as a captain.
7 - love his game - physical and tenacious, popped in a few goals too. Perfect 4th liner on an elite team.
8 - was hoping for more offense from him given some of the goals he scored last year; had one of the bigger goals of the season at Matthews; still a reliable two way player and face-off guy; should be a third line regular next season.
9 - hard to know how much the easy season injury affected him, but a big disappointment; his stupid fight showed me he wasn't committed to this team, or just isn't very smart.
10 - very dependable for a freshman, good two-way game - on an elite team he is our 4th line center but will play meaningful minutes no matter where he is. Like Sam Stevens with more offense. Plays with an edge, needs to keep that in check going forward.
11 - the future is very bright. Likely C1 next season, unless Malholtra is just that good.
12 - typical slow start and quietly ended up one of the top scorers. I was hoping for more consistent offense.
14 - Solid season. Liked his enthusiasm. Has persevered to become a regular, but nothing is guaranteed for next season.
16 - Tough season primarily due to injury. D1 was an adjustment for him.
19 - definitely expected more, a sign that the NTDP isn't what it was a few years ago. But has tremendous speed. I can still see him turning into a top-6 guy.
21 - NCAA was also a bigger adjustment for him than I expected. Started hot, cooled off, then seemed to start playing the right way and the offense started coming back.
22 - basically what I expected. Grew a little more dependable, but on an elite team he is a bottom-pairing guy at best.
23 - Like Ritchie, started hot then sort of disappeared.
25 - far exceeded my expectations - I didn't know if he would even dress regularly. He is too skilled to be a 4th line guy even though his size and grit fits well there. I see him as a 3rd line guy with PP time.
26 - I was a little surprised that he didn't see more ice time in the second half, since I thought he looked good for a freshman. Is he a portal candidate? I hope he stays.
34 - a little streakier than last season. Developed his overall game, though he is still not a possession guy, which is fine. Showed he cared with his hustle. Was hoping he would come back for one more season, as I think he will need at least one season in the AHL.
38 - Very reliable. Still struggled to bury his chances but his two way play will ensure he sees regular time. I expect him to be C3.
40 - found his game in the second half. Had a rough start, though the terrible defense in front of him certainly didn't help.
44 - An enigma. Super-skilled but the complete opposite of Lane in terms of hustle. In the first half especially, he had way too many giveaways with very little effort to make up for them. I don't get why he couldn't play the rest of the season the way he did in the sweep of BC. And just seeing how he looks in his first two games with the Caps, I have to question how invested he was in the team's success. I know that sounds harsh, but I can only go by what I see with my eyes.
57 - I expected to see more of him, I guess the coaches just felt he needed more development.
78 - Regressed, somewhat surprisingly. I think having Willander with him last season covered up a lot. He is still very young so I think he can still develop into a very good d-man for this team.
91 - good development as the year went on. Should be a regular next season.
With Lawrence, Malholtra, Benarik and Morello down the middle next season, we may have the best two-way center lineup we have had in a very long time.
2 - more offense than I expected and became more reliable in his own end (as he should); fell short as a captain.
7 - love his game - physical and tenacious, popped in a few goals too. Perfect 4th liner on an elite team.
8 - was hoping for more offense from him given some of the goals he scored last year; had one of the bigger goals of the season at Matthews; still a reliable two way player and face-off guy; should be a third line regular next season.
9 - hard to know how much the easy season injury affected him, but a big disappointment; his stupid fight showed me he wasn't committed to this team, or just isn't very smart.
10 - very dependable for a freshman, good two-way game - on an elite team he is our 4th line center but will play meaningful minutes no matter where he is. Like Sam Stevens with more offense. Plays with an edge, needs to keep that in check going forward.
11 - the future is very bright. Likely C1 next season, unless Malholtra is just that good.
12 - typical slow start and quietly ended up one of the top scorers. I was hoping for more consistent offense.
14 - Solid season. Liked his enthusiasm. Has persevered to become a regular, but nothing is guaranteed for next season.
16 - Tough season primarily due to injury. D1 was an adjustment for him.
19 - definitely expected more, a sign that the NTDP isn't what it was a few years ago. But has tremendous speed. I can still see him turning into a top-6 guy.
21 - NCAA was also a bigger adjustment for him than I expected. Started hot, cooled off, then seemed to start playing the right way and the offense started coming back.
22 - basically what I expected. Grew a little more dependable, but on an elite team he is a bottom-pairing guy at best.
23 - Like Ritchie, started hot then sort of disappeared.
25 - far exceeded my expectations - I didn't know if he would even dress regularly. He is too skilled to be a 4th line guy even though his size and grit fits well there. I see him as a 3rd line guy with PP time.
26 - I was a little surprised that he didn't see more ice time in the second half, since I thought he looked good for a freshman. Is he a portal candidate? I hope he stays.
34 - a little streakier than last season. Developed his overall game, though he is still not a possession guy, which is fine. Showed he cared with his hustle. Was hoping he would come back for one more season, as I think he will need at least one season in the AHL.
38 - Very reliable. Still struggled to bury his chances but his two way play will ensure he sees regular time. I expect him to be C3.
40 - found his game in the second half. Had a rough start, though the terrible defense in front of him certainly didn't help.
44 - An enigma. Super-skilled but the complete opposite of Lane in terms of hustle. In the first half especially, he had way too many giveaways with very little effort to make up for them. I don't get why he couldn't play the rest of the season the way he did in the sweep of BC. And just seeing how he looks in his first two games with the Caps, I have to question how invested he was in the team's success. I know that sounds harsh, but I can only go by what I see with my eyes.
57 - I expected to see more of him, I guess the coaches just felt he needed more development.
78 - Regressed, somewhat surprisingly. I think having Willander with him last season covered up a lot. He is still very young so I think he can still develop into a very good d-man for this team.
91 - good development as the year went on. Should be a regular next season.
With Lawrence, Malholtra, Benarik and Morello down the middle next season, we may have the best two-way center lineup we have had in a very long time.
mookie1995
there's a good buck in that racket.
Really highlights the advantage of 25yo vs 17yo players.
While “talent” levels may be higher, it is still a game with 12 skaters on the ice and not a skills competition
The right balance needs to be found and rolled out. At the end of the day having a plethora or 4th and 5th round 19yo draft picks vs 24/25yo free agents busting their ass for eyes on has been there for us to see for years
mookie1995
there's a good buck in that racket.
mookie also will add, will never saying never, he will never see another career 43-21–64 line again 
Though I see Michigan and NoDak tearing it up with young rosters this year so I’m not going to accept the age factor as the primary reason but yes balance is needed so who is responsible for that . The coach.Really highlights the advantage of 25yo vs 17yo players.
While “talent” levels may be higher, it is still a game with 12 skaters on the ice and not a skills competition
The right balance needs to be found and rolled out. At the end of the day having a plethora or 4th and 5th round 19yo draft picks vs 24/25yo free agents busting their ass for eyes on has been there for us to see for years
Speaking of the coach.... Anyone wanna have a "coach as motivator" discussion through the lens of what Merrimack is doing right now? You know, the 8th place team in Hockey East. Go read the stories about how he's handled their "survive and advance" situation and go watch the video of the locker room after their game last night. I'm just saying, it's part of the job description. I believe it's part of the job description on the major league level (in all sports) as well. It's why I don't think my beloved Cubs are ever going to win a World Series with Counsel at the helm. (He has the personality of a radish.) Yikes, that was quite the digression. #DontCrossSportsBomber #BadBomber
Nice analysis defkit. I was going to give out grades by section. I was saving it for the offseason thread, but might as well do it here.
Forwards: C-
Defense: C+
Goalie: C
Coaching: C-
Entertainment value: D+
Pep Band: A
Canes Challenge video: C-
Intro video: B
Tacos: NA (Never tried 'em)
Adding Trillium for the last game (and not before): F
BU Hockey: Need to Be Better in ALL Phases (Except for the band. They rock.)
mookie1995
there's a good buck in that racket.
Let’s not forget neither of them made the ncaa tourney last season
Those are somewhat generous grades given the talent and expectations for this team.
Forwards: D+
Defense: C-
Goalie: B- (like defkit said, defense hung him out to dry too many times)
Power Play: F
Penalty Kill: B (maybe the best single aspect for this team?)
Coaching: F (sorry, no other way to put it IMO)
Entertainment value: C (As bad of a season it was there were some memorable moments: Closing out Matthews Arena with a late 3rd rally; beating a good Cornell team at RHH; late season weekend sweep of BC)
Pep Band: A - no dispute there
Student Section: D
Canes Challenge video: meh. At least they got a little creative near the end of the season.
Dance Contest: C
Intro video: C
Game Promotions: A
Concessions: C
Tacos: NA (Never tried 'em) Same
Adding Trillium for the last game (and not before): Saw Trillium the final 3rd of the season (their pilsner, which I thought was an odd choice.) What about the mysterious introduction and quick disappearance of Wormtown Be Hoppy?
Dave in DC
Active member
Merrimack!!
Genxhockey
Active member
I have been meaning to ask what happened to the student section. They have been bad the last two years in my opinion. No creativity in the chants and using some at the wrong time. For example, “Ugly Goalie” when the opposing goalie has their mask on.
I miss “Birds aren’t real” and “ Jesus hates you” when playing BC
Um Dave, no more "Merri-hack". They took exactly 0 penalties tonight. The goon days are gone.
Dave in DC
Active member
Thanks. Now I can feel good rooting for the underdog.
Absolutely right!Really highlights the advantage of 25yo vs 17yo players.
While “talent” levels may be higher, it is still a game with 12 skaters on the ice and not a skills competition
The right balance needs to be found and rolled out. At the end of the day having a plethora or 4th and 5th round 19yo draft picks vs 24/25yo free agents busting their ass for eyes on has been there for us to see for years
When that happened, I thought to myself "OMG, I've seen this lowlight before where somone gags on an open net and the other team comes back and scores"! Would have made that last minute a LOT less stressful. My wife was thinking "I hope they have a portable defribrillator nearby"!
Merrimack was credited with 29 blocked shots. That's what grit and grind looks like.
Section 6 Row S
Always a Terrier
Congrats, RENCEB. Great job all around, including by Borek in recruiting the right players (getting Trevor Hoskin out of the portal from Niagara sure worked out).