Men’s Hockey: Freshmen and captains shine in season opener

By Devora Slonim

It was the night of the freshmen.

The perfect shots, the gorgeous cellies.

Cole Eiserman, Cole Hutson and Alex Zetterberg did it all in their rookie debuts.

A two-goal night from co-captain Ryan Greene, two points from co-captain Shane Lachance, and standout performances from the freshmen phenoms led the Boston University Terriers (1-0-0, 0-0-0 HEA) to defeat the Holy Cross Crusaders (0-1-0, 0-0-0 AHA) in a 5-2 victory.

“I was pretty anxious to get out there on my first shift,” Cole Hutson said post-game. “Once you get the first one out of the way, you settle down a bit. It’s just really fun… it was really a blast out there.”

The opening frame was not short of excitement. Grade a chances, highlight reel saves, power plays and, of course, good ole’ scruffs marked the first 20. The Terriers seemingly started with a newfound momentum for the 103rd season.

Despite losing their two-star players from last season, the Terriers gelled with quick chemistry. “Rookies” in stature but not in performance, Eiserman and Cole Hutson made their anticipated performances on the first two lines, demonstrating their speed, agility and goal-scoring capabilities.

Sophomore forward Lachance and junior forward Greene rounded out the top line for BU, with the recently appointed assistant captain, junior Quinn Hutson, on the wing.

Despite the chances on both ends, the Terriers headed into the second, looking to break the 0-0 stalemate.

Greene did just that. Just 40 seconds into the second, Greene found the back of the net off a rebound from Lachance, backhanding the puck past the Holy Cross netminder, senior Thomas Gale.

“They have good chemistry,” Coach Jay Pandolfo said about his top line. “They’re all a little bit different types of players. But Ryan and Quinn have played a lot together over the past two years. Shane’s a big body and gets to the net, and it opens up space for these two guys. Overall, I thought that line was great; I think they really led the way for our group.”

Following the guidance of their leaders, the Terriers were on fire.

Capitalizing on a tripping call, Eiserman wasted no time netting his first, firing a one-timer from the right circle to give BU a two-goal lead.

Mirroring Eiserman was Cole Hutson, who scored his first off a feed from Greene, giving the Terriers a cushiony 3-1 lead in his rookie debut.

Three minutes later, the Crusaders got themselves back within one as sophomore Jack Stockfish beat senior goaltender Mathieu Caron.

However, their momentum did not last long.

Zetterberg gave the Terriers back a three-goal lead, putting the puck past Gale and finishing up right on theme with the night: cruising by the bench with the signature celebration.

The chaotic second period came to a close, with Eiserman receiving a game misconduct for head contact. The major penalty was negated on a slashing call to Holy Cross.

A rocky start to the third period found BU’s lead cut in half with an early power-play goal from junior Crusader Jack Seymour.

With the clock winding down, captain Greene restored life back into a sold-out Agganis Arena, putting the puck past the goal line for his second of the night. Quinn Hutson was credited with the assist, tallying his third of the game.

“I think we’ve been flowing really well,” Greene said post-game about his linemates. “Obviously I’ve played with [Quinn] now the last two years, so I feel like I have a good feel for where he’s going to be, and he knows where I’m going to be. [Shane] is just unbelievable… he can kind of do it all and it’s just clicking really well.”

The Terriers will look to extend their lead on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.

“It’s definitely an experience of a lifetime,” Cole Hutson said. “If you ask me, I think the [Dog Pound] should show up to a few more [games].”

The student section will be ready to go when BU takes on Union College. Live coverage will be available on ESPN+.