Men’s Hockey: Terriers look to sweep season series against Merrimack before heading to Beanpot Championship game

Featured image by Holly Gustavsen

By Hannah Connors

Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey (15-9-1, 10-5-1 HE) will aim for a season sweep against the Merrimack College Warriors (10-15-1, 6-9-1 HE) this Friday.

“We have to make sure, you know we are playing a simple, direct road hockey game,” Coach Pandolfo said in a media call on Thursday. “That’s our mindset going into tomorrow.”

Historically, the Terriers have done well against the Warriors, holding a commanding 58-21-8 all-time record. This season, BU has continued its dominance with two victories over Merrimack: a 6-3 win at Agganis Arena and a 6-2 win in the semifinals of the Belpot Tournament in Belfast, Ireland.

BU is coming off an impressive 7-1 victory against the Harvard Crimson in the first round of the Beanpot at TD Garden. Nearly every line contributed to this win, with eleven different players recording points. 

Freshman goaltender Mikhail Yegerov is confirmed as the starting goaltender for BU on Friday night. Yegerov has already made a significant impact for the Terriers despite only playing in three games. He boasts an impressive .944 save percentage.

The Warriors are expected to start either sophomore Nils Wallström, who has a .881 save percentage, or sophomore Max Lundgren, who has a .904 save percentage. Both goalies have had a nod in net against the Terriers this season.

The defensive lines for BU will shift, as Gavin McCarthy remains out of the lineup due to a sustained injury on Monday’s game, where he went down the tunnel from a high hit to the head. 

McCarthy has been residing on the first defensive line with Cole Hutson, but after Hutson’s performance against Harvard, it is likely any defender placed on a line with Hutson will do well.

“He’s a special player,” Pandolfo said of Hutson. “He can control the pace of the game when he has the puck on a stick.”

Hutson, a Hobey Baker nominee, netted two goals and two assists in the game against the Crimson, contributing to his 26 points this season.

The Terriers will work on controlling discipline and playing strong, full-strength hockey, a consistent habit they have been developing all season in order to sweep the Warriors, something they have been working towards all season.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. in North Andover, with streaming will be available on ESPN+.