This weekend, No. 1 Boston College men’s hockey rides into one of the most historic and intense rivalries in college hockey coming off back-to-back wins over No. 6 Providence.
Just down Commonwealth Ave. sits BC’s Hockey East foe, No. 8 Boston University, which is currently on a four-game win streak with 21 goals in that span.
Both Conte Forum and Agganis Arena are expected to be packed on Friday and Saturday nights, housing rowdy student fan bases that don’t play around when it comes to their respective Comm. Ave. rivals.
While the Eagles moved to their No.1 status this week, the Terriers moved up three spots to No. 8, setting up for BC’s 10th top-10 matchup of the season.
Who is BC Playing?
Boston University
When is BC Playing?
Friday, Jan. 24, at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7:00 p.m.
Where is BC Playing?
Friday at Agganis Arena, Boston, Mass.
Saturday at Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Series History:
Since its first game in 1918, the Battle of Comm. Ave. currently stands at 61–52–12 in favor of BC.
BU has a bitter taste in its mouth following its last matchup versus the Eagles, a 6–2 win for the Eagles in the Hockey East championship at TD Garden.
Perhaps fortunately for the Terriers, Will Smith, who found the back of the net four times in the Hockey East championship, will not be on BC’s bench, as he’s since departed to play with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
The 2023–24 season saw the Eagles go 2–0 in regular-season play versus BU, but a Beanpot semifinal win saved the Terries from going winless.
What to Expect From BU:
The bulk of BC’s offense this season has relied heavily on its first line of Ryan Leonard, James Hagens, and Gabe Perreault.
With Greg Brown moving Leonard to play alongside Oskar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau, the two lines are very fluid and have produced well enough to push BC to its recently attained No. 1 ranking.
There’s no guarantee Brown will continue with this scheme, but after their emphatic wins over the Friars, the current lineup will most likely stay in the Eagles’ game plan for Friday.
BU will have to put a lot of defensive focus on containing the Hobey Baker candidates spread out between different lines—Leonard and Perreault. And that doesn’t even include BC’s third Hobey Baker candidate sitting in net.
BU is an offensive powerhouse of its own as the best-scoring team in Hockey East.
But its defense sits middle of the pack for goals allowed in the conference. Plus, when that first line of World Juniors does reunite on the power play, the Terriers must be perfect—they have a 75 percent penalty-kill percentage compared to BC’s second-ranked 90.7 percent.
Expect the Terriers to hammer the Eagles’ third and fourth lines while keeping their top lines contained atop the zone.
A safe pick for star of the game for BU would be Cole Eiserman or Quinn Hutson, but keep an eye on forward Jack Harvey. After tallying just one point in a five-game stretch, Harvey has rattled off eight points in BU’s last four wins.
Outlook:
The defensive support for Jacob Fowler has to be there for BC to win.
Whether BC fans want to admit it or not, BU is too good of a team to give second chances, especially in a high-pressure game where every play matters.
The Terriers post the best power-play percentage in Hockey East, so discipline from the Eagles will be crucial. These games are the type of matchups where penalty minutes will rack up down the line and could have a big effect.
The presence of the Eagles’ stars is the deciding factor in this game. Big players make big plays on the biggest stage. If that stays true, BC will end the weekend happy.
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