Men’s Hockey: No. 3 Terriers set for weekend series matchup against No. 7 North Dakota

Featured image by Spirit Veron

By Devora Slonim

The No. 3 Boston University Terriers (3-0-0, 1-0-0 HEA) are heading to Grand Forks to take on the No. 7 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (2-1-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) for a weekend series beginning on Friday, Oct. 25.

The teams will meet for two consecutive years for the first time since 2013. The Terriers boast an 8-5-2 overall record against North Dakota, with last year’s matchup resulting in an overtime loss for BU.

This is the first time in twelve years that the Terriers will be playing in North Dakota.

“I think it’s great experience for our younger guys to be put in that environment,” Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “I think you’ll learn a lot about your team early in the season… we’re up against a very good team at home, a tough, physical team that plays really hard in both ends of the rink. And you know, we’re going to see how our guys respond to that… to see how we handle the pressure of a really good team in a hostile environment.”

Coming off a successful start to the 2024-2025 season, the Terriers will look to rely on their offensive powerhouses like recently named Hockey East Rookie of the Week, Cole Eiserman.

Eiserman scored two goals in last Friday’s conference win over the UConn Huskies, including a game-tying goal and the ultimate game-winner. Eiserman also leads rookies in the NCAA for most goals thus far this season with four.

Surrounding Eiserman in points are co-captains Shane Lachance and Ryan Greene, who have five and four total points, respectively, to start the season.

Assistant captain Quinn Hutson also tallied four points and leads the team in shots on goal with 16.

The Fighting Hawks are coming off a 3-0 loss against Minnesota State and are sure to be a dominant force against the Terriers.

While their offensive game has been strong, the Terriers have struggled defensively. North Dakota will heavily count on their leadership group, led by captain Louis Jamernik V, to get past BU and beat goaltender Mathieu Caron, who currently sits at a .947 save percentage.

Likely to get the nod in net for the Fighting Hawks is senior T.J Semptimphelter, who holds a .918 save percentage.

“That’s going to be the key this weekend,” Pandolfo said about looking ahead to the NCAA Top Ten matchup. “The battles in front of the net, the battles along the walls… I think we learned that last year about North Dakota that they play a tough game, they play hard, and they got some skill to go along with it. We got some players that can make some plays, so I think it’s going to be great.”

The weekend series begins with an 8:07 p.m. EST puck drop on Oct. 25, followed by a 7:07 p.m. start time on Oct. 26. Both games will be available to stream live on NCHC.tv.