BOSTON — The NCAA Basketball Tournament is about to sweep Boston, but several local college hockey teams are preparing to take over their version of March Madness. It seems inevitable that the top-seeded Boston College Eagles and second-seeded Boston University Terriers will face off again in the NCAA title game.
It's still a long way off, but if that matchup does happen, it would be the fifth time BC and BU will meet this season. The Eagles hold a 3-1 advantage over the Terriers in this year's Battle of Com. Avenue defeated its local rival 17-10. The recent matchup between the two teams wasn't that close, as Boston College defeated BU 6-2 in the Hockey East title game on Saturday.
Both schools have won five NCAA titles, and both hope to win a sixth when the tournament is held in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 13th. But they must win two more games to get there, as the puck drops Thursday afternoon in the NCAA Tournament.
(3) Denver vs. University of Massachusetts: Thursday, 2 p.m., at Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
BC and BU are not the only local teams participating. The Massachusetts Minutemen are back in the tournament after missing out on some fun last season. The University of Massachusetts has earned one of the final spots in the bracket after a 20-13-3 season and is considered the host team for Springfield.
The Minutemen are a very balanced team, with seven players scoring 20 or more points. Junior defenseman Scott Morrow led the team with 30 points (6 goals, 24 assists), fellow blueliner Ryan Ufko had 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) in 36 games, and Walter Brown He was a semi-finalist for the award. Freshman forwards Jack Moussa (29 points) and Aidar Sniev (25 points) both tied for the team lead with 12 goals.
The University of Massachusetts' last game didn't go very well, as they lost to Boston University 8-1 in the Hockey East semifinals. They'll be hoping for an even better showing Thursday afternoon, but they'll face a tough team in Denver, who sit at 28-9-3 and are the top team in the region. The Pioneers defeated Omaha 4-1 to win the NCHC Tournament and will seek their 10th NCAA title.
If the Minutemen can pull off the upset, they will face the winner of Cornell University of Maine.
(2) BU vs. RIT: 5 p.m. Thursday at the Denny Samford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Terriers enter the tournament in second place overall with a season record of 26 wins, nine losses, and two draws. Boston University suffered a 6-2 loss to Boston College in the Hockey East title game on Saturday.
BU has an absolute talent on its roster in Maclin Celebrini, who will likely be the first player called in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old scored 59 points in just 35 games for the Terriers, scoring 31 goals and dishing out 28 assists. He's the total package.
Following Celebrini, sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson led the rest of the Terriers with 46 points (13 goals, team-high 33 assists), followed by sophomore forward Jeremy Wilmer with 36 points (6 goals, 33 assists). 30 assists). Lane's older brother, sophomore forward Quinn Hutson, was second on the team with 17 goals.
Junior Mathieu Caron was a lock in net for BU, posting a season save percentage of .916 and a 2.33 GAA.
The Terriers will have to play in South Dakota because the University of Massachusetts is considered the host team in Springfield, but head coach Jay Pandolfo said the team is accepting unusual travel requirements for the tournament. said. He believes the trip will bring the team closer together as they try to punch their ticket to Frozen 4 for the second consecutive season.
Thursday will be the first-ever matchup between BU and RIT. The Tigers automatically qualified for the Atlantic Hockey Championship with a 27-10-2 record after defeating American International in last weekend's Atlantic Hockey Championship game.
The winner of this matchup will face the winner of Minnesota vs. Omaha.
(1) Boston College vs. Michigan Tech: Friday, 2 p.m., Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
Boston College had a 31-5-1 season, won the Hockey East title and is the tournament's top seed. And the Eagles have an absolutely stacked roster that could benefit some NHL teams.
That's because BC's entire top line is headed to league play, led by sophomore forward Cutter Gauthier. He led all of college hockey with 32 goals in 35 games for the Eagles.
Boston College also got tremendous production from its freshman trio of Will Smith (team-leading with 67 points), Gabe Perreault (57 points), and Ryan Leonard (54 points). Smith, a Lexington native, scored four of Boston College's six goals in Saturday's win over Boston College.
All three already have a home in the NHL after being selected in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Smith was drafted fourth overall by San Jose, Leonard was drafted a short time later by Washington with the eighth overall pick, and Perreault was drafted 23rd overall by the New York Rangers.
In net, the Eagles' anchor, freshman Jacob Fowler, has a 2.19 GAA, .925 save percentage and two shutouts this year.
The Michigan Tech Huskies defeated Bemidji State 2-1 in the conference title game on Saturday to improve to a 19-14-6 record, earn an automatic bid to the CCHA and advance to the NCAAs for the third straight year. He is participating in a tournament.
Friday's winner advances to face the winner of the Quinnipiac-Wisconsin matchup.
