Men’s Hockey: Terriers set to play Harvard in weekend exhibition game

Featured image by Matthew Allen

By Hannah Connors

Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey (3-0-0, 1-0-0 HEA) is set to take on the Harvard University Crimson (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) in an exhibition contest this Saturday, Oct. 19. The Terrier’s will look to continue their undefeated record this season.

Boston University has begun this season with a bang, being ranked 3rd in the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey power ranking. This success is partly due to strong performances by goaltender Mathieu Caron who currently holds a .956 save percentage.

This weekend’s exhibition follows another tremendous 4-2 victory in a Hockey East matchup against the UConn Huskies. Three players put their name on the scoreboard for BU, including two from freshman Cole Eiserman, and the first of the seasons from first-year Brandon Svoboda and Tom Willander.

Sophomore captain Shane Lachance recorded an assist for his fifth point of the season.

“The sophomore thing doesn’t really matter,” coach Jay Pandolfo said. “He’s a natural leader. It’s easy for him. It’s just what [Lachance] does… he’s a guy that can play with anyone.”

Despite not having played yet this season, The Crimson will be a force to reckon with. With one of the youngest teams throughout the 2023-2024 season, most of Harvard’s core will be returning this year. This includes junior goalkeeper Aku Koskenvu, who held a .910 save percentage last season.

It will be difficult for the Crimson to combat BU’s powerful offense. Last week alone, ten different Terriers contributed to the score. Harvard will have to rely on strong defensemen from last season like Ian Moore, Ryan Healey, and Jack Bar if they want a shot at winning.

“We will see more guys in the line-up,” Pandolfo said in regards to playing a larger range of players in this weekend’s exhibition match. “And I am sure we will see some different [line] combinations too.”

With the performance of BU thus far into the season, there is no doubt the strength and depth of the team will continue to show in this out-of-league match against the Crimson.

Harvard and BU will face off Saturday night with puck drop set for 7 p.m. at Agganis Arena with streaming available on ESPN+.