Men’s Hockey: Terriers Host Simon Fraser in International Exhibition

By Ethan Pott

Boston University men’s ice hockey (9-8-1, 6-5-0 HE) will end its winter break with its second and final exhibition game of the year against the Division II Simon Fraser Red Leafs (4-7-2) at Agganis Arena on Saturday.

The matchup, BU’s first of the new year, will also be its only game against a Division II opponent this season.

Simon Fraser University, located in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, is the only Canadian and non-U.S. institution that competes in NCAA athletics.

The Terriers and Red Leafs last met on Jan. 5, 2024, which was also the last time BU faced a non-American opponent. The Terriers won that game in a shootout after a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime.

Given their opponent’s Division II status, the Terriers will look for a more dominant result in Saturday’s tilt. BU last played on Dec. 13, when it rallied to beat the Northeastern University Huskies 4-3 in the final game ever played at historic Matthews Arena.

Head Coach Jay Pandolfo will have to get creative with his lineup for the exhibition, as several of BU’s top players are away at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Sophomore forwards Kamil Bednarik and Cole Eiserman, who recorded a goal and an assist, respectively, against Northeastern, are with Team USA.

Also absent are sophomore defensemen Cole Hutson, who is representing Team USA, and Sascha Boumedienne, who is playing for Sweden. Hutson was injured against Switzerland on Dec. 27 after taking a puck to the back of the neck and was stretchered off the ice. Although he has resumed skating in practice, his status for the rest of the tournament — and how the injury will affect BU’s season — remains unclear.

Saturday’s game will test how the rest of the Terriers’ roster responds without its star talent. Hutson and Eiserman sit first and third on the team in scoring with 20 and 12 points, respectively.

Candidates to step up include senior forward Owen McLaughlin, who is second on the team with 14 points. Freshman forward Ryder Ritchie and sophomore forward Sacha Boisvert have 11 points apiece, rounding out BU’s top five scorers. Both Ritchie and Boisvert will look to build stronger second halves after first semesters that did not fully match the hype around their arrivals on Comm. Ave.

Sophomore goaltender Mikhail Yegorov will also look to reset after the break. His 3.23 goals-against average and .892 save percentage are a step down from his strong freshman campaign.

Other Terriers to watch include sophomore forwards Nick Roukounakis and Brandon Svoboda, along with junior defenseman Gavin McCarthy, all of whom made an impact in BU’s three December games. Roukounakis scored in a 3-2 loss to the Vermont Catamounts on Dec. 6 and followed with two assists against Northeastern. Svoboda scored twice against the Huskies, including the final goal ever scored at Matthews Arena. McCarthy has three assists over BU’s last two contests.

On the Simon Fraser side, sophomore forward Nathan Bran and freshman forward Gavin Bains lead the Red Leafs with 10 and eight points, respectively. Freshman forwards Pierce Whyte and Justin Osborne share the team lead with four goals each.

In goal, freshman Max Fowle has started a team-high six games, posting a 3.67 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. Given the exhibition setting, Simon Fraser may opt to give additional time to its other netminders — freshman Shayan Kermany, who has a 2.50 GAA and .940 save percentage in two games, or sophomore John Aydin, who has a 2.00 GAA and .951 save percentage in one appearance.

The Terriers will return to the ice at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.