Men’s Hockey Heads to MSG for Red Hot Hockey Showdown

By Marianne Zemmes

No. 19/20 Boston University men’s ice hockey (6-7-1, 4-4-0 HE) will face No. 17/16 Cornell University (6-2-0, 5-1-0 ECAC) in Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Red Hot Hockey returns to MSG for the 10th time, with BU holding a 3-4-2 all-time record in the event. Cornell has won the last four meetings, including a 2-1 victory in 2023. Cornell is designated as the home team this year, as BU held that distinction during their last meeting.

Last week, the Terriers earned a weekend split, dropping Friday’s contest 3-2 against then No. 12/13 Northeastern, before picking up a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday. Freshman John McNelis and sophomore Nick Roukounakis scored in Friday’s game, with McNelis notching his first career goal on a tip-in.

On Saturday, junior Jack Harvey opened the scoring with a power-play one-timer, while sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson added a wraparound goal. Freshman forward Jonathan Morello lit the lamp shorthanded for his second short-handed goal of the year. After Northeastern tied it late, Hutson scored the overtime winner with 52 seconds remaining.

Cornell enters the weekend with a 6-2-0 record and a 5-1-0 mark in ECAC play. The Big Red has played four straight home games, capping its homestand with a 6-1 victory over RPI. Junior forward Ryan Walsh leads the team with 10 points off three goals and seven assists, while junior forward Jonathan Castagna and freshman forward Gio DiGiulian have both tallied four goals.

Cornell boasts the nation’s second-best defense, allowing just 1.38 goals per game. Freshman goal tender Alexis Cournoyer owns the NCAA’s third-best GAA (1.30) and second-best save percentage (.953) after seven starts.

The Terriers last met Cornell in March during an NCAA regional final in Toledo, Ohio. BU captured a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory, with junior forward Quinn Hutson scoring the winner at 6:25 in the extra frame off assists from junior forward Ryan Greene and sophomore forward Shane Lachance. Cole Hutson had given BU a 2-1 lead just 34 seconds into the third period before Cornell tied it late. Current BU sophomore netminder Mikhail Yegorov made 37 saves in the win.

Saturday’s game will be the 54th meeting between the schools, with Cornell leading the all-time series 27-23-3. The teams first met on Jan. 10, 1925, on Beebe Lake in Ithaca, with the Terriers posting a 7-2 win. They have faced off in the NCAA tournament five times, including the 1967 and 1972 national title games, won by Cornell (4-1) and BU (4-0), respectively. The Terriers are 11-8-2 in 20 meetings since moving to Hockey East.

Cole Hutson leads BU with 18 points, tied for first in Hockey East and leading all NCAA defensemen. His three game-winners are tied for first in Hockey East and tied for second nationally. Junior captain Gavin McCarthy was named Hockey East Player of the Week on Monday after notching two assists, blocking eight shots, and recording a +3 plus-minus against Northeastern.

Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The game will stream on ESPN+.