Men’s Hockey: BU Takes on BC in Battle of Comm. Ave

By Stevie Potter

No. 4/5 Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey (17-6-0, 11-4-0 HE) is preparing for arguably one of the most exciting weekends on their schedule. The Terriers are set for a home-and-home against their Commonwealth Ave. rivals, the Boston College Eagles (9-7-5, 5-4-4 HE).

The last time these teams met was Dec. 9 in a game at BC that resulted in a 9-6 loss for BU. During the matchup, BU’s junior goaltender Drew Commesso was pulled after allowing seven goals on 28 shots and was replaced by junior goalie Vinny Duplessis. Despite this, BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo stated that Commesso will start come Friday night. 

While the Terriers have yet to defeat the Eagles this season, BU is statistically far and above the better team. The Terriers currently hold a .739 win percentage (.733 HE). The Eagles, on the other hand, are sporting a much less impressive .548 (.538 HE). In addition, BU brings a four-game winning streak into this game, while BC lost its last tilt 3-2 against the University of Vermont. 

Coming into the weekend rivalry, the Terriers will most certainly have to keep an eye out for BC’s point leader, freshman forward Cutter Gauthier. Gauthier, who leads his team with 20 points (12g, 8a), had a four-point night (2g, 2a) the last time he played against the Terriers. If BU wants to keep this game in their control, defending against Gauthier’s offensive expertise will have to be a top priority.   

With all that being said, BU senior forward Matt Brown also tallied four points (1g, 3a) during that Dec. 9 game. Brown leads the Terriers in goals, assists, and total points this season with 34 so far. The undrafted Brown has played in six more games than Gauthier, the Philadelphia Flyers’ fifth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but still leads in average points per game (Brown with 1.48 and Gauthier with 1.18). 

The first rivalry game of the weekend will see the puck drop at Agganis Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. The second game will take place exactly 24 hours later in Chestnut Hill. Both games will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and NESN.