Men’s Hockey: No. 12 Terriers Return Home to Face Unranked Merrimack

By Ethan Pott

No. 12 Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey (3-5-1, 1-3-0 HEA) returns home to Agganis Arena to face the unranked Merrimack Warriors (3-3-0, 2-2-0 HEA) on Friday.

The Terriers look to bounce back from a crushing away weekend series at the University of Maine that ended in 5-4 and 8-5 defeats.

“The whole team has to step up this weekend,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “We all have to step up, including me. That’s the only way you’re going to win hockey games, if you’re connected as a group.”

BU will look to rebound this weekend, focusing on improving its defense and goaltending. Sophomore goalie Mikhail Yegorov was pulled from the Nov. 1st game after conceding three early goals.

“[In] the last six games, it’s close to 30 goals we’ve given up,” Pandolfo said. “That’s not a very good recipe for winning hockey. We have to get better at defending, keeping the puck out of our net, so we’re working on that right now.”

In total, Yegorov allowed Maine eight goals in just over 70 minutes of play. This season, Yegorov has a 3.63 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage, both of which are down from his debut semester in 2025.

Pandolfo said Yegorov may be “putting too much pressure on himself” and “overthinking.”

“Last year, [he came] in and everything is a whirlwind,” Pandolfo said. “You’re going out there and playing and enjoying the moment. He’s got to get back to enjoying the moment, stop putting pressure on himself.”

The matchup against the Warriors will be the Terriers’ first time seeing an unranked opponent since they beat the Colgate Raiders in a shootout on Oct. 11.

Sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson is a player to watch for the Terriers. Hutson was named Hockey East Defender of the Month for October, notching three goals and 10 points during the month. He followed that up with a three-point game on Nov. 1 against Maine.

“He’s a guy who, if it’s not going too well for us, he feels like he has to put his team on his back,” Pandolfo said. “That’s how competitive he is.”

Freshman forward Ben Merrill and sophomore forward Brandon Svoboda each collected their first two goals of the season during the Terriers’ losing effort against the Black Bears.

“[Svoboda] and Ben Merrill together, they found some chemistry,” Pandolfo said. “Those two play with an identity.”

Pandolfo credited Merrill and Svoboda for using their speed and size to the team’s advantage.

“If I’m another forward on our team, I’m knocking on my door asking if I can play with those two,” Pandolfo said. “Whoever plays with them seems to have a pretty good game.”

Despite the losses, BU produced offensively even without sophomore forward Cole Eiserman, who still leads the team in goalscoring with six goals on the season.

Eiserman was kept out of the series by an injury, but Pandolfo said he would “be back sooner rather than later.”

Pandolfo does not expect Eiserman to appear in the series against the Warriors.

“We just don’t want to push it too much,” Pandolfo said.

On the other side of the ice, Merrimack is also looking to recover from back-to-back losses, having fallen to Long Island University and to UConn in its last two games.

Freshman forward Parker Lalonde leads the Warriors in goalscoring, netting five this season. Lalonde and sophomore forward Trevor Hoskin both lead the team with six points to their names.

Merrimack junior goaltender Max Lundgren started the Warriors’ two previous losses, allowing three goals in each. Before the two losses, Lundgren was solid in the net. He currently sports a 2.18 goals-against average on the year.

“Merrimack plays hard; they forecheck very well,” Pandolfo said. “They’re a bigger, heavier team. So they’re going to be physical, just like everyone has been against us.”

The two Hockey East rivals will match up at Agganis Arena on Nov. 7 and on the Warriors’ home turf in North Andover on Nov. 8. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.