Men’s Hockey: No. 11 BU Faces No. 19 ND in Midweek Showdown

By Michael Wax

No. 11 Boston University Men’s Hockey (7-4-0, 5-3-0 HE) looks to enter their Thanksgiving break on a winning streak as they take on No. 19 Notre Dame (6-6-2).

“Just a little shorter week than we’re used to, but I think it’d be good for our guys coming off this winning streak, and hopefully we’re ready to go,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said following BU’s overtime win against Northeastern on Saturday.

BU went 1-1-0 against No. 18/16 Northeastern in their most recent series, getting shut out at home 2-0 on Nov. 18 before winning 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 19. BU trailed by one goal on two separate occasions, but came back and prevailed after a thrilling overtime, which saw BU junior goaltender Drew Commesso and NU junior goaltender Devon Levi go back and forth with game-saving stops.

Commesso stopped 54/59 NU shots last weekend, putting together his best weekend performance of the season thus far. To date, Commesso owns a 5-2-0 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.47 goals against average.

After scoring the overtime winner Saturday against NU, freshman defenseman Lane Hutson was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. Hutson and freshman forward Ryan Greene are tied for second on the Terriers in points (12), trailing senior forward Matt Brown (14).

Notre Dame comes into this midweek matchup with a 1-5-1 road record, compared to a record of 5-1-1 at home. Junior forward Ryder Rolston and graduate forward Chayse Primeau share the team lead in points for the Fighting Irish (10), while Rolston and graduate defender Nick Leivermann are tied for the team lead in goals (4).

The Fighting Irish are led in net by senior goaltender Ryan Bischel. Bischel has started all 14 Notre Dame games, compiling a 6-6-1 record with a .929 save percentage and a 2.46 goals against average. Bischel’s .929 save percentage ranks 11th among all NCAA goaltenders.

This meeting marks the first time BU and Notre Dame have faced since 2017, when they split a series at Agganis Arena. ND won 3-1 on Feb. 24, with BU winning 4-1 on Feb. 25.

The game will take place at Agganis Arena Wednesday, with puck drop scheduled for 5 p.m. BU will be hosting a Food Drive Night.