BU and BC meet for first time since World Juniors

College Sports

They might be your best buddies, but you just have to understand it’s a hockey game, and you have to go out there and win.”

By Andrew Mahoney, The Boston Globe

January 24, 2025 | 9:03 AM

4 minutes to read

Less than three weeks ago, they were brothers in arms, skating side by side and representing their country on the international stage. Nine of them in all — six from Boston College, three from Boston University — were on the Team USA roster that brought gold back from the World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

They would make their presence felt, with all four goals in the gold medal game against Finland scored by a BC or BU player.

“It just shows that both teams have real quality players,” said BC coach Greg Brown. “It was great to see those guys go play so well and represent so well, and ultimately come away with the gold medal.

“They all come back a little more confident … because they went on a big stage and they had success. And every time you can do that, you just feel that much more comfortable going out on the ice in the big setting.”

That might feel like a distant memory this weekend, when BC and BU square off for the 296th and 297th editions of the Battle of Comm. Ave. There will be no reminiscing when the teams line up for the home-and-home beginning Friday night at Agganis Arena.

James Hagens makes it 2-0 with his sixth goal of the year!

Watch on @ESPNPlus | pic.twitter.com/iN34QHCGKR

— BC Men’s Hockey (@BC_MHockey) January 18, 2025

“It’s just understanding that you can’t have any friends out there,” said BC freshman James Hagens, who scored the US’s first goal in the gold medal game. “You might play with them for a while. They might be your best buddies, but you just have to understand it’s a hockey game, and you have to go out there and win. And obviously you’ve got to give it your all, and you know that those guys will do the same.”

Cole Eiserman had three goals and four assists in the tournament. The Newburyport native’s 13 goals lead BU and are the most nationally among freshmen.

“We probably wish we played them at the beginning of the year, because it would be a little different,” said Eiserman. “You battle with those guys, get close to those guys, but I think we’re all competitive guys. We want to win for our own school. So, I think it’s going to be the same way, but have that respect for each other, too.”

The proximity to World Juniors notwithstanding, the timing of the clash could not be much better with regard to how each team is playing. Both are on four-game winning streaks, with BU (13-7-1, 9-3-1) holding a 2-point edge on BC (16-4-1, 9-3-1) for first place in Hockey East.

Yet the Eagles are the ones atop the PairWise rankings, the system used to select and seed teams for the NCAA Tournament. BU is also inside the bubble at No. 8, thanks in part to taking a more aggressive approach on the penalty kill since the beginning of the month, and some timely saves by senior goalie Mathieu Caron.

Eisy’s office is open for business.

Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/Cfes0QFw58@hockey_east | @espn pic.twitter.com/XwebFdPvdJ

— BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) January 19, 2025

That approach could be tested this weekend, as BC has scored a power-play goal in four straight games, while Terriers have killed 14 of 15 penalties in the last four games, with Caron rebounding from a tough first half to post a .933 save percentage in that stretch.

“We got back to practicing a certain way so it would translate into games,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “The first half was clearly a lot of ups and downs, a lot of inconsistency. Even the practices, that’s on me. I don’t think I did a good enough job of getting guys to practice a certain way so we can play a certain way.”

Caron might have been on the hot seat entering the second half, particularly after BU added Mikhail Yegorov, the second goaltender selected in the 2024 NHL Draft, this week. But Pandolfo confirmed on Thursday that Caron would get the nod Friday night.

Both games are sold out and can be seen on NESN, with puck drop at 7 each night.

Weekend plans

UConn and Quinnipiac will square off in the opener of the CT Ice tournament Friday at 4 p.m., followed by Yale and Sacred Heart, which is hosting the two-day event at Martire Family Arena.

Quinnipiac (14-7-2) is just outside the PairWise bubble at 14th, but is in first place in the ECAC and 8-1-1 in its last 10 games. The Bobcats will be going for their fourth straight CT Ice title. UConn (12-8-2) is 4-0-1 in January to move up to ninth. Sacred Heart (14-8-4) is in first place in Atlantic Hockey America, while Yale is 5-11-1, with a 7-5 win over BU to its credit.

Providence (15-5-2, 5-4-2) and UMass Lowell (12-7-2, 5-5-1) square off in a home-and-home series, beginning Friday at Tsongas Center. Both are coming off disappointing weekends and are in a four-way tie for fifth in Hockey East. Providence dropped to seventh in the PairWise after getting swept by BC, while the River Hawks are on the bubble at 13th after they were upset by Stonehill.

Merrimack travels to Northeastern Saturday night, Harvard hits the road for games at Cornell and Colgate, and UMass will host Alaska for a pair.