It’s amazing how quickly a year passes.
It feels like just yesterday I was propped up in a makeshift bed, zoning in and out of dream states while watching Boston College men’s hockey in the 2024 National Championship, thinking the Eagles were going to win it all.
It was well past bedtime—I was abroad during the spring semester of my junior year, and it was about 4 a.m. in Barcelona, where I was staying at the time—but there were still two minutes left in the game with the goalie pulled, and I was confident in BC’s comeback chances.
That all faded because of Denver goalie Matt Davis.
Davis remained unflappable in net, knocking away pucks like a bouncer knocks away under-21-year-olds at a college bar. The third period was outright absurd, with Davis stopping 23 shots in the frame. His heroics clinched the Pioneers’ second NCAA title in four years (2022 and 2024).
At the time, it didn’t feel right.
BC was ranked first in the country, and it wasn’t by a small margin. With three of the top four points leaders in college hockey during the 2023–24 season, including the top two in Will Smith (71) and Cutter Gauthier (65), it seemed unimaginable that the Eagles would fail to finish what they started.
Not until that final whistle.
The loss snapped a 15-game win streak, and the Hockey East champions were dethroned in a way that left me in pain for weeks. It stung like a persistent headache, eventually turning into a migraine.
But here we are again, and the beacon of hope is just as brightly illuminated.
The Manchester Regional in New Hampshire is set to begin Friday. The Eagles have been ranked first in the country for more weeks than any other team this season.
It’s a different team, but they’re in a similar position to last season, albeit without a Hockey East title. The question I have now is simple: Will they get it done this time?
I won’t pretend to have all the answers.
Hockey is—and this isn’t just to give BC an out—one of the most unpredictable sports. A split-second goal can eliminate a dominant season.
This time around, however, making the NCAA Tournament just isn’t enough. This is the moment to win it, because this team won’t last forever.
I understand that BC head coach Greg Brown is a recruit magnet. Through his connections with the United States National Team Development Program, Brown brought in Smith, Gauthier, and current Hobey Baker Award finalist Ryan Leonard.
Brown’s USA Hockey recruits also include Jacob Fowler, arguably the best goaltender in the NCAA over the past two seasons, with back-to-back Hockey East Goaltender of the Year awards under his belt.
Recruiting won’t stop as long as Brown has any say in the matter. The additions of James Hagens, a projected lottery pick who could go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, and first-round prospect Teddy Stiga show that. The list continues with Drew Fortescue, Aram Minnetian, Will Vote, and Will Skahan.
This is, however, a team with an expiring roster construction.
The combination of elite NHL-prospect talent, experienced veteran leadership, a strong cast of developmental players, and a dazzling goaltender gives BC all the right pieces. It had a shot last year and missed, so this year needs to be it.
Leonard and Gabe Perreault proved they could sustain a high level of production without Smith and Gauthier, not just by keeping BC afloat, but by keeping the Eagles at the top of the highest tier of college hockey.
Players other than these obvious stars play a more significant role in the program’s success than is immediately apparent, though, and the Eagles’ supplementary pieces won’t be around for another year.
Graduate-student captain Eamon Powell—one of the best defensemen in college hockey—continues to anchor the defense. Powell is a five-year member of the team, and his experience is unmatched by any other player.
Andre Gasseau, Mike Posma, Oskar Jellvik, and Aidan Hreschuk don’t generate the explosive offense of Leonard and Perreault, but their growth on and off the ice has helped the program thrive. It shows that Brown can develop players just as much as he can recruit future NHL talent.
After this season, BC will not only lose the pro talent in Leonard, Perreault, and possibly Hagens, but it will also lose a key group of role players—ones who understand the intricacies of the program and know how to shepherd the youth.
When Brown took over the program, the remnants of Jerry York’s squad didn’t have the juice to succeed, but Brown shaped the Eagles back into a contender over the past two seasons. It’s unlikely BC will fall off completely when the season ends, as there is still promise in the remaining players.
But when you look at the current roster and consider the limitations of next year’s younger team, everything about the present moment screams now.
Nobody is leaving just yet, and there’s still plenty of competition left. Bentley is the first step.
But if it wasn’t last year, it has to be this year. This two-year stretch of BC men’s hockey is more promising than any since 2012. The stars just need to align.
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