1995 | COURTESY OF BU ATHLETICS
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THURSDAY, OCT. 7, 2021
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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
J O U R NA LI S M
YEAR LI. VOLUME C. ISSUE VII
100 YEARS OF BU HOCKEY
2021 | HARRIS FREEMAN
2 NEWS
ILLUSTRATION BY YVONNE TANG
The state of each Hockey East men’s team James Garrison Daily Free Press Staff
The Boston University men’s hockey team is set to begin another exciting season. Get to know BU and its Hockey East competitors with one preseason observation for each team. For a full Hockey East preview and coverage of every game this season, check out the Boston Hockey Blog, the home of The Daily Free Press’s BU hockey coverage. Boston College (No. 7 in U.S. College Hockey Online preseason rankings) Last year BC said goodbye to only three graduating seniors. However, they also lost top scorer Matt Boldy and starting goalie Spencer Knight. Senior forwards Jack McBain and captain Marc McLaughlin were among the Eagle’s top scorers last season and will be looking to lead their team’s forward core this upcoming season. Boston University (No. 10) BU is welcoming back an almost identical roster from last year’s, with the notable exception being the departure of Hobey Baker Award finalist David Farrance to the Nashville Predators. BU is welcoming only five freshmen and will bid farewell to just three seniors at the end of the year. Assistant captain Ty Amonte will be joined by his younger brother Tristan. University of Connecticut The only real standout loss of the offseason is senior defenseman Adam Karashik. His loss will be felt on and off the ice. While also serving as captain, Karashik produced nine points in 23 games. All eyes will be on graduate student goaltender Darion Hanson, a transfer from Union College, filling the net after the departure of Tomas Vomacka, who played all 23 games for the Huskies last
season. University of Maine With only three incoming freshmen, the Black Bears are one of the more experienced teams in Hockey East. One player to watch would be Adam Dawe. The undersized senior forward led Maine in scoring last year with 14 points in 16 games. University of Massachusetts Amherst (No. 1) The Minutemen won both the Hockey East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament last season. UMass lost six seniors last year, most notably top scorers Oliver Chau and Jake Gaudet. The most notable loss, however, is goaltender Filip Lindberg, who left on an entry-level two-year contract with the Penguins. University of Massachusetts Lowell
The Riverhawks would like to build off of a surprising run in the Hockey East Tournament with a roster very different from the 2020-21 squad. With 14 skaters who are either freshmen or sophomores, the Riverhawks will rely on the leadership of senior captain Lucas Condotta and alternate captains Reid Stefanson and Jon McDonald. Merrimack College With a high percentage of their roster as juniors, Merrimack’s core is ready to come into its own with a return to normalcy for this group where many have not played a traditional season of college hockey. As a team that struggled to produce offensively last year, the Warriors will rely on a maturing core led by forwards Filip Forsmark, Alex Jeffries and Liam Walsh.
University of New Hampshire The Wildcats suffered only a few notable losses from last year’s team. Top forward Angus Croonshank has departed for the Ottawa Senators’ system, and senior assistant captain Patrick Grasso will be playing for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. Senior goalie Mike Robinson will be between the pipes once again this season after playing in 21 games last year. Northeastern University The Huskies have notable first-year players from the U.S. National Development Program, including forwards Jack Hughes and Ryan St. Louis, son of NHL legend Martin St. Louis. Also getting his first minutes with the Huskies this year will be goaltender Devon Levi, a standout for
Team Canada during last year’s World Junior Championship. Providence College The Friars will be welcoming six incoming freshmen to the team — three of whom are NHL draftees. Transfer graduate student goaltender Austin Cain will be joining senior Jimmy Scannell and junior Jaxson Stauber. During Stauber’s impressive 2020-21 campaign, he posted a 0.916 save percentage and a 2.24 goals-against-average. University of Vermont The Catamounts experienced a major roster turnaround since last season. Vermont will have to rely on the leadership of junior captain Andrew Lucas and assistant captains Carter Long, Jacques Bouquot and William Lemay to get the Catamounts started on the right foot.
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COACHES NEWS 3
New faces in BU’s coaching staff Belle Fraser Daily Free Press Staff There are some new faces on Commonwealth Avenue this season for both women’s and men’s hockey. With the addition of Kerstin Matthews and Mollie Fitzpatrick at Walter Brown Arena and the entry of Jay Pandolfo at Agganis Arena, the Boston University hockey program has gained some real talent behind the bench. Matthews and Fitzpatrick fill the shoes of Tara Watchorn and Liz Keady Norton, who left their positions with the women’s team this summer for head coach roles at Stonehill College and Dartmouth College, respectively. It’s somewhat of a homecoming for Matthews who, with current head coach Brian Durocher, transitioned the women’s team to a Division I level program during her time at BU from 2003-08. Thirteen years later, she’s back for more. “One of the main reasons I wanted to come back to Comm Ave. is the support that BU puts into its hockey program,” Matthews said. “There’s nothing better than being at a school that supports hockey the way Boston University does.” Matthews has another fullcircle moment coming up on her calendar. As a Providence College graduate and senior
year captain of the hockey team, she’ll be returning to her alma mater as a Terrier instead of a Friar Oct. 31. Reflecting on being back in Hockey East, Matthews expressed an appreciation for the history of the league she once played in and now coaches in. “Having that tradition with you every day reminds you of how far the women’s game has come and how far we’ll continue to push it,” she said. Fitzpatrick, the new women’s assistant coach, is seeing BU with a fresh set of eyes as she comes to the program after six seasons with Norwich University, where she helped lead her squad to four straight NCAA tournaments. Following that success, Fitzpatrick said she was in a place in her life where she was ready to take the next step in her career. “BU is a place that I know can be super successful. For me, it was like ‘Okay, how can I take what I’ve done at the college level, at the Division 3 level, and see if it can transfer over to the Division 1 level,’” she said, “and I was fortunate enough to be given this opportunity.” In terms of her coaching style, Fitzpatrick said she is a “player’s coach.” She said she believes players have to be supported in all capacities of the game and life to succeed. “I put my head on the pillow, and go, great,” Fitzpatrick said, thinking of how she aims to feel at the end of every day. “I did everything to the best of my ability for them, whether
that’s advocating for them, brings new excitement to the BU whether that’s pushing them, men’s locker room. whether that’s having those hard Additionally, having played for conversations.” and captained his team, Pandolfo Durocher expressed excitement knows a thing or two about Terrier for his new coaching staff pride and what it means to put during an Oct. 1 postgame press on the scarlet and white sweater conference. He spoke specifically night in and night out. The new about how Fitzpatrick’s past is associate head coach now gets to going to positively impact the be on the other side of things. future of BU women’s hockey. O’Connell only had good “Mollie [Fitzpatrick] is things to say about Pandolfo in an somebody who’s got eight or nine Oct. 2 postgame press conference. years of experience and has been “He’s professional in successful wherever she’s been,” everything he does,” O’Connell he said. “Having that success and said. “He has a good mind for the being with other good coaches game, he’s a very good coach. who have taught her is only going He’s pretty light, too. Guys really to help us, and I see a good MADDIE MALHOTRA | DFP FILE karma, good chemistry with the team.” On the men’s side, they had a big hire in the absence of associate head coach Paul Pearl, who left this summer to take the leading position at Cushing Academy. Joining head coach Albie O’Connell behind the bench this season is Pandolfo, the former captain of the 1995-96 Terrier team who has spent the past five years as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins following a successful career playing in the NHL. Pandolfo could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. Having an NHL veteran and a former leader of the hometown favorite Bruins
like him, and it’s pretty exciting to have not only Jay but Doug [Friedman] on the bench too.” Friedman is the men’s director of hockey operations and was also hired this summer. Friedman, who was a BU team captain in ‘94 before graduating, was teammates with Pandolfo as a Terrier. Matthews, Fitzpatrick and Pandolfo will all see regularseason action with the Terriers this weekend as the men’s team opens its season against the University of Connecticut, and the women’s team looks to keep its winning streak going against Northeastern University.
A history of BU men’s hockey coaches Caroline Fernandez Daily Free Press Staff Passion, history and family are just a few of the words thrown around by former Terrier great Mike Eruzione (Wheelock ’77) in an attempt to capture all that Boston University men’s hockey stands for. “To put a Terrier on your chest is something that’s special,” Eruzione said in an interview. This year, the Terriers will take the ice at Agganis Arena for their 100th season. In 100 seasons, the Terriers have earned every piece of hardware available to a Division I hockey program, from Eastern College Athletic Conference and Hockey East trophies to national titles, Beanpot rings and Hobey Baker Awards for the best collegiate hockey player in the country. “We kind of hang our hat on our hockey program,” Eruzione said. “To go here and be successful here was kind of expected of you. You came here with the expectation of winning Beanpots, Hockey East and ECAC championships and tournament games.” Eruzione has long been a part of BU’s hockey program — even as he’s gone on to win the Olympic gold medal with the 1980 USA hockey Team, as seen in the Disney movie “Miracle”.
He then went on to join the coaching staff as an assistant for the Terriers’ 1995 national title and is currently the director of special outreach for BU Athletics. It wasn’t always as renowned of a program. In their inaugural 1917-18 season, the Terriers faced the trials and tribulations of history as the program lasted through both the Great Depression and World War II, competing in their first NCAA tournament in 1950. Harry Cleverly served as the head coach for the Terriers for 17 years, during which the team competed in the inaugural Beanpot tournament and joined the ECAC — a 28-team Division 1 collegiate hockey league. After the Cleverly era, Jack Kelley (Wheelock ’52) took the reins of BU hockey, bringing the program to the forefront of the college hockey stage. In his 10 seasons, Kelley coached four NCAA tournament teams and led the Terriers to back-to-back national championships in 1971 and ‘72 — on top of three ECAC regular season trophies, one
ECAC tournament title and six Beanpot rings. Kelley also recruited the most notable Terrier coach in Jack Parker (Questrom ’68), who captained the team in 1968 and would then serve as an assistant coach on the national championship teams. Following Kelley’s retirement, Leon Abbott would take over as head coach of the Terriers for a one-year stint filled with controversy and forfeited victories due to ineligible players. Abbott was quickly fired early into his second season when the University named Parker as his successor. At just 28 years old, Parker began a legacy of excellence in the Terrier locker room as the winningest coach in BU hockey history. “I was definitely afraid to play under Jack because Jack wasn’t that much older,” Eruzione recalled. “I was 19 or 20, so he wasn’t that much older than me, but he was still the coach, and to this day, he’s still the coach.”
“I think each coach understands how important it is to coach Boston University.”
The bench boss for 40 years, Parker had an 897-472-115 record, maintaining the highest number of wins for a hockey coach at a single institution. Parker’s Terriers won 21 Beanpots, 11 conference tournament titles and three national championships, and helped found Hockey East in 1984. By 2013, Parker knew his time behind the bench was approaching the end. “Forty years is a long time to be at the same institution in the same job,” he was quoted saying in BU Today in 2013. “I haven’t lost a step, but I don’t want to lose a step.” Parker retired as the thirdwinningest coach in NCAA history behind Jerry York of Boston College and Ron Mason of Michigan State University, and BU has honored his legacy. To this day, Terriers play at the Jack Parker Rink at Agganis Arena, and his No. 6 is one of two retired numbers in Terrier hockey history. “I can’t ever see a day that a coach at Boston University isn’t a former player. There’s a tradition here at BU,” Eruzione said. “The standard of being a coach at Boston University was started by Jack Kelley and continued on from there … but I think each coach understands how important it is to coach Boston University.” Filling the hole left by Parker’s retirement was no easy task, but with the goal of hiring internally,
former Terrier David Quinn (College of Arts and Sciences ’89) was promoted from associate head coach to head coach in 2013. During his five seasons with the whistle, Quinn continued a standard of excellence, taking the Terriers to the NCAA championship game in 2015 and reaching the tournament in four straight seasons. In 2018, after taking the Terriers to the NCAA Northeast Regional Finals, Quinn was hired as the head coach of the New York Rangers in the NHL and traded in his scarlet and white for red, white and blue. In June of 2018, Albie O’Connell (CAS ’99) was named the 12th head coach of Terrier hockey after returning to BU in 2014 as an assistant coach. O’Connell captained the 199899 team, coming in as a freshman one season after the Terriers secured their fourth national championship. Across his 10 years, O’Connell has seen his fair share of NCAA tournaments, Hockey East competitions and Beanpots, and is remaining in his leading role for the 2021 season. As the Terriers enter into what will be a historic season regardless of results, they will look to uphold the legacy of the great athletes before them. “I think our ceiling’s really high,” O’Connell told the media after a 5-1 exhibition victory against Holy Cross on Oct. 2. “We’re just scratching the surface.”
4 ROSTERS
2021-2022 HOC MEN’S ROSTER Forwards: Tristan Amonte #3 Markus Boguslavsky #15 Logan Cockerill #9 Robert Mastrosimone #16 Nick Zabaneh #10 Jay O’Brien #18 Luke Tuch #11 Tyler Boucher #19 Jamie Armstrong #12 Max Kaufman #21 Dylan Peterson #13 Brian Carrabes #22
Sam Stevens #25 John Copeland #27 Ethan Phillips #28 Wilmer Skoog #32 Ty Amonte #33 Matt Brown #37
Defensemen: Case McCarthy #2 Ty Gallagher #4 Thomas Jarman #5
Alex Vlasic #7 Cade Webber #8 Sean Driscoll #14
Braden Doyle #17 Domenick Fensore #23 Joseph Campolieto #26
Goalies: Drew Commesso #29
Ashton Abel #30
Vinny Duplessis #31
Top games to watch this season: Caroline Fernandez Daily Free Press Staff
University of Massachusetts Amherst Nov. 12-13 One game Terrier fans should be on the lookout for is a Hockey East tournament game against the reigning national champions. The Terriers will play a home-and-home series against UMass. In the 2020-21 season, the Terriers were the last team to sweep the Minutemen before they went on to win all of their games through the national championship. Cornell University Nov. 27 Red Hot Hockey is one of the best rivalries in college hockey in New York’s most famous arena: Madison Square Garden. The biennial event for the Kelley-Harkness Cup has been a Terrier tradition since the first game in 2007. Harvard University Feb. 7 The Terriers will take on the Harvard Crimson in the first round of the 2021 Beanpot at TD Garden. The Beanpot is one of Terrier nation’s favorite games of the year, and BU will look to win their 31st Beanpot Trophy in the semifinal game on the first Monday in February.
ILLUSTRATION BY YVONNE TANG
ROSTERS 5
CKEY SEASON WOMEN’S ROSTER Forwards: Liv Haag #3 Courtney Correia #5 Kylie Roberts #7 Clare O’Leary #9 Jesse Devito #10
Mackenna Parker #11 Kaleigh Donnelly #12 Julia Nearis #16 Lacey Martin #17 Haylee Blinkhorn #18
Emma Wuthrich #19 Christina Vote #22 Brooke Ersoy #26 Catherine Foulem #28
Maggie Hanzel #8 Andi Calderone #13 Madison Michals #14
Ellie Larson #15 Julia Shaunessy #20 Madison Cardaci #21 Tamara Giaquinto #23
Nichole McGuigan #31
Callie Shanahan #37
Defensemen: Alex Allan #2 Grace Parker #4 Nadia Mattivi #6
Goalies: Kate Stuart #1
Top games to watch this season: Caroline Fernandez Daily Free Press Staff
Syracuse University Jan. 1 To start the new year, the Terriers will travel to Pittsburgh to play Syracuse University in the Battle at the ‘Burgh’ invitational tournament. This will be the Terriers’ first time competing in the tournament and should be a fun way to start the year. Northeastern University Jan. 21 The Terriers and Huskies will face each other four times this year, and these games are the kind you don’t want to miss. Northeastern was the runner-up for the national championship in 2021 and will look to make it all the way this season. This dog-fight rivalry is one of the best in college hockey, so be sure to make it to Walter Brown Arena for a game you won’t want to miss. Harvard University Feb. 1 The Beanpot is back, and the Terriers will face the Harvard Crimson in the first round. This is a high-stakes rematch — the two teams played each other in the 2019 Beanpot final when BU walked away with the trophy. The Terriers must again defeat the Crimson to get the chance to face rivals Boston College or Northeastern and win it all again. ILLUSTRATION BY YVONNE TANG
6 PHOTOS
GALLERY
Terriers take down the Crusaders 5-1 HARRIS FREEMAN Daily Free Press Staff
Boston University men’s ice hockey secured a 5-1 exhibition win over Holy Cross Saturday night at Walter Brown Arena – their first match played in front of a home crowd since the 2019-2020 season.
Holy Cross junior forward Alex Peterson and a Boston University player have a dispute on the ice.
Senior forward Logan Cockerill is slammed by two Holy Cross players.
Referees attempt to remove Holy Cross senior defenseman Bryce Dolan from Boston University sophomore forward Luke Tuch.
Junior forward Jay O’Brien and Holy Cross junior defenseman Nick Hale approach the puck.
LOOKING BACK 7
Questions & Answers: BU greats Eruzione, Gilroy and Cohen Caroline Fernandez Daily Free Press Staff In anticipation of the 100th season of Boston University men’s hockey, we sat down with Terrier legends Mike Eruzione (Wheelock ’77), Matt Gilroy (MET ’09), and Colby Cohen (CAS ’10) to hear about what it really means to play for one of the most renowned programs in college hockey. Eruzione captained the 197677 Terriers and finished as the third-leading scorer in BU history. He went on to captain the USA Olympic team in 1980, where he scored the game-winning goal in the “Miracle on Ice” game against the Soviet Union. Gilroy was named co-captain of the Terriers in his senior year and helped lead the Terriers to a 36-6-4 record in 2008-09, winning the Beanpot, the Hockey East regular-season trophy, the Hockey East tournament, the National Championship and the prestigious Hobey Baker Award. Cohen joined the Terriers in 2007 and carried the Terriers to their fifth national championship in 2009, scoring the overtime game-winning goal against the Miami Redhawks. He was named
the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Frozen Four and was named to the All-Tournament team. Read the transcripts of our interviews below. Excerpts have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Can you describe your years as a player? Mike Eruzione (ME): It was unbelievable. We played in Walter Brown [Arena], basically sold out every game we played … and it was so deafening and loud in there with that tin ceiling. I think in my four years at BU, I think we only lost maybe three games at home. It was such an advantage playing at home and I played with great players, clearly. Matt Gilroy (MG): My career view is pretty unique, starting as a walk-on and then finishing the way I finished, but I think I’ve always fallen in love with BU’s hockey tradition and the history of it, and the excellence of the program. Then once you get there and you become a part of it, you just become obsessed with it, and all you want to do is win there. Colby Cohen (CC): It was the best three years of my entire life. … You’re living with your best friends, and you get to play hockey every single day. … Our equipment staff with Mike DiMella, and our training staff with Larry Venis, and our strength
and conditioning staff with Mike Boyle, those guys treated us as good as any players in the NHL get treated. If you could pick one
moment to really define your BU experience, what would it be? ME: I became the alltime leading scorer at Boston University. I knew it was going to be passed by someone at some point, and it turned out to be my roommate Rick Meagher. … I had the record for a little while, almost a whole year actually. Then Ricky broke it in the nextto-last game of our last year. We were both tied going into the last game. It was a consolation game against [The University of New Hampshire] UNH in the national championship, and Rick got two points in the game, and I didn’t get any. And he beat me by two points. MG: My first game ever at BU, we played the USA team, and I think I sat three or four [games], and then coach [Jack] Parker put me in the lineup, and after that, I never came out of the lineup. … If I never went to BU and I never got that opportunity, I don’t think I would have ever played in the pros or had such a great success in hockey, and I thank the coaching staff at BU for everything they’ve done for me as a hockey player
and then as a person. CC: Winning the championship was incredible. I was the lucky one who scored. I’ll never forget when [Nick] Bonino scored to tie the game. I was on the bench for that goal because Matt Gilroy and [David] Warsofsky were on the ice. … I don’t remember when I scored as well, but I remember when Bonino scored and the bench just erupting. … It was something that certainly will be hard to ever replicate a moment like that in my life ever again.
Out of your years in a BU jersey, which team or year was your favorite? ME: Jack [Parker] always said the best teams are the ones that won the national championship, so I have to say those teams that won national championships. But I thought my junior year, we were loaded. MG: My senior year, my classmates and I, we won every championship. The individual awards, we won them all. To be a part of that elite group that says you get to win your last college hockey game as a national champiohn is pretty special. Playing BU hockey is amazing, but winning at BU is even better. CC: That [2008-09] team was so fun because we were so good, and there were a lot of really great players on that team. Gilroy wins
the Hobey Baker, Colin [Wilson] could have won the Hobey Baker. … We just had so much fun on the ice, we had so much fun off the ice.
What do you want the rest of the community to know about this program?
ME: How important the program is to players, and how important Boston University is to our program. We’re an extension of the university. … I represent the university, and I feel very proud about it because it’s done so many things for me, and I think our players feel the same way, clearly about our hockey program but about the school itself. MG: It’s the big sport on campus. Everyone comes to the games. You have a big responsibility to represent yourself, your university, the people who came before you. When you get to skate every Friday or Saturday night at Agganis, and then you get to play in Beanpots and national championships, it’s just so special. CC: It’s not even just about wins and losses. I think BU is supposed to set the standard for college hockey or be one of the few schools that sets the bar. … I hope other players get to have the experience that I had because it was awesome. It really was.
MAISIE MANSFIELD-GREENWALD | DFP FILE
GOLDEN GOALS Major goals in hockey history by BU players
1980- Mike Eruzione (Wheelock ’77) wins Olympic gold for Team USA.
2014- Marie-Philip Poulin (CAS ‘15) scores the game-tying and game-winning goals in the gold medal game against Team USA in the Olympics.
2009- Colby Cohen (CAS ’10) completes the Terrier comeback in overtime against the University of Miami RedHawks for the national title.
2019- Sammy Davis (Sargent ’19) leads the BU women’s hockey team to their first Beanpot title since 1981.
2015- Matt Grzelcyk (COM ’16) scores the overtime game-winning goal to win the Terriers’ 30th Beanpot trophy.
2020- Kevin Shattenkirk (CAS ’07-10) helps take the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup with a game-winning overtime goal against the Dallas Stars.
2020- Wilmer Skoog (CAS ’23) scores against No. 4 Boston College to send the Terriers to the Beanpot title game.
8 ARCHIVE
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Parker’s retirement: Men’s hockey retires No. 6 in honor of Jack Parker Daily Free Press Staff Apr. 22, 2013
Only one jersey number has ever been retired by the Boston University men’s hockey program. Travis Roy’s No. 24 was raised into the rafters of Walter Brown Arena on Oct. 30, 1999, and it currently hangs next to Harry Agganis’ No. 33 high above the seats in Agganis Arena. However, Roy’s number will soon have some company, as athletic director Mike Lynch announced that former BU coach and player Jack Parker will have his No. 6 raised into the rafters this fall. Parker, who retired in March after 40 years at the helm of the BU hockey program, finishes his coaching tenure with 897 wins, 21 Beanpot titles and three national championships. He also had a productive playing career at BU between 1965-68, finishing his time on the ice with 31 goals and 64 points. Most Valuable Terriers It is often difficult to discern what is more valuable to a
hockey team between offense and defense. So when it came time to select the George V. Brown Most Valuable Player award for BU (21-16-2, 15-10-2 Hockey East), an offensive and a defensive player each went home with a piece of hardware. Senior forward Wade Megan and senior defenseman Sean Escobedo shared the MVP award, capping off two highly productive collegiate careers. Megan, who served as the team’s captain this past season, finished the season tied for second on the squad with 16 goals. He also led the team with four game-winning goals and three shorthanded goals. One of the things that made Megan so valuable this season was his ability to lead by example, on and off the ice, which is what Parker said made him such a good captain. “I give him a lot of credit,” Parker said in a postseason interview. “He did what was asked of him and he did a lot more because he knew it was so valuable to him. And he was always a great example that way, that’s for sure. “I don’t remember him taking many days off. Everybody takes a day off once in a while, but he didn’t take a day off.” The Canton, N.Y., native was
not present to accept his award at the team banquet Saturday night because he was playing in his final game of the season with the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League. In his first 13 professional games, Megan scored a goal and was a minus-5. Escobedo, on the other hand, was present at the banquet to accept his MVP award. The Bayside, N.Y., native led the nation with his 107 blocked shots on the season and was the team’s strongest defensive player. He also finished the season with two goals and nine assists, giving him 33 career points. The award is the final touch on a long maturation process for Escobedo, who was a bit of a “class clown” early in his career, according to Parker. “He embraced the fact that he got to be more important with the team,” Parker said. “‘Since I’m so important now, I better grow up. I better take responsibility this year.’ … He had a real good junior year too, but he had a terrific senior year.” While Escobedo is yet to move on to play professional hockey like Megan has, Parker said he would not be surprised to see him go to Europe to play professionally after he graduates. Escobedo is not the only
graduating senior that Parker expects to be playing in Europe next season, as he said defenseman Ryan Ruikka will likely do the same. “I don’t think there’s any question that both of those guys will be playing some pro hockey somewhere next year,” Parker said. “Ruikka will definitely be playing in Europe.” Ruikka finished his BU career with four goals and 15 assists in 97 games, including a goal and six assists in 34 games this past season. He also earned the first Mike Boyle Terrier of Steel award at Saturday’s banquet, which goes to the top Terrier in the weight room and with off-ice training. Other award winners Other Terriers to receive honors Saturday night included senior forwards Jake Moscatel and Ryan Santana, junior defenseman Garrett Noonan, sophomore forwards Evan Rodrigues and Cason Hohmann, freshman forward Danny O’Regan and freshman goaltender Matt O’Connor. Moscatel and Hohmann each earned the Most Improved Player award. Hohmann went from only scoring eight points in his freshman season to tying for third on the team with 34 points this past season. Moscatel played
in his first 15 Division I college hockey games this season and scored his first career goal March 9 against Northeastern University. Rodrigues earned the Friends Albert Sidd Unsung Hero award, as he finished with a team-best plus-minus rating of plus-15. Santana earned the Bennett McInnis Award for Spirit during his best season as a Terrier. The Yorba Linda, Calif., native scored 12 of his 23 career points this past season. The Clifford P. Fitzgerald Scholarship, which goes to an outstanding junior or senior defenseman, went to Noonan. The Norfolk native finished the season with 19 points and a plus6 plus-minus rating. O’Connor upset Ruikka as the Regina Eilberg Scholarship winner, which goes to the player with the highest standard of athletic and academic performance. O’Connor, a student in the School of Management, finished his freshman season with a .910 save percentage and a 2.86 goals-against average in 19 games played. O’Regan earned the Ed Carpenter award as BU’s top scorer on the season. The freshman finished the year with 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points, which was one more than linemate junior Matt Nieto.
BU’s boys return for home applause Chuck Scott Daily Free Press Staff Feb. 26, 1980 The red carpet was rolled out — again — last night for four of the nation’s newest heroes, but this time it was in front of 1800 Boston University hockey fans who got the opportunity to see and applaud the four BU alumni between periods of the BU-RPI hockey game at Walter Brown Arena. The crowd had risen to its feet and the chant of “U-S-A” had started even before Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig, Jack O’Callahan and Dave Silk appeared in the runway outside the locker rooms to take center stage at center ice. Following almost two minutes of applause, the ceremony started, emcee by Bud Daniels, chairman of the BU Athletic Council. Watches were presented to each of the players by BU president John Silber. Silber said the players’ accomplishment “means a lot to Boston University, but means even more to the United States of America.” He also offered congratulations to Terrier coach Jack Parker, who coached all four Olympians during their BU careers. The stop was just one in a long list for each of BU’s gold medalists, and former Terrier coach Bob Murrary has his hands full as an agent for the four (though Craig received a telegram from famous sports attorney Bob Woolf, who represents Larry
Bird, among others. Craig: “I haven’t opened it.”) Murray said both Craig and Silk expect to sign with their respective National Hockey League clubs soon. “We’ve been negotiating with Atlanta for Jim and with the New York Rangers for Dave,” he said. “We’re close to reaching an agreement with Jim,” he added. “Hopefully, both will be signed by this weekend.” Murray quickly dismissed reports that Craig would be in goal for the Flames Saturday night against Colorado. “I don’t think that’s a very
realistic possibility,” he said. “I’d like him to practice with the team for a couple of days, maybe sit on the bench for a game. It’s better to wait until he gets his mind back on hockey it’s on just about everything else but that right now.” And understandably so. The offers for endorsements, television commercials, et al, have poured in for all four, including a message from Paramount Pictures. “They’re flying in from Los Angeles to talk about doing a movie on Jim,” he said. “We’ve had some offers for all four of
them, as far as endorsements and TV shows,” Murray added. “We’re just sorting those out now.” And for the players themselves, life has become a merry-go-round that they may never want to stop. Craig said the accomplishment sunk in when the team went to Washington Monday. “Just the people everywhere…” he said. “We would just walk on an airplane and get a standing ovation.” “I thought we would end up with a medal,” said Olympic captain Eruzione. “But I never expected the gold medal, or the
people behind us like that. The whole country’s gone ape over it, and I think it’s something the country needed. They saw 20 guys who wanted to work to achieve something.” Even Jack O’Callahan, whose knee will be examined by the Chicago Black Hawks tomorrow, can appreciate his notoriety. “I was in the reception line at the White House,” he said, “and I shook hands with President and Mrs. Carter. Mrs. Mondale was next in line, and she put her hand on my shoulder and said, ‘I know you — you’re the one with no teeth.’”
ARCHIVE 9
Icedogs continue despite tragedy Scott Lauber Daily Free Press Staff Oct. 23, 1995
While Boston University freshman Travis Roy battles paralysis and fights pneumonia this weekend, his teammates have a different battle in their hands. The Terriers have a hockey game to play tomorrow night at the University of Vermont. Their bodies may be on the ice at Gutterson Field House in Burlington, Vt., but their thoughts will be with Roy at Boston University Medical Center Hospital. “He’s going to be on our minds during the game and before the game,” Terrier forward Chris O’Sullivan said. “His initials are going to be on our shirt, so everywhere we look, we’ll see something that reminds us of Travis.” The Terriers know they have a job to do on the ice, and the Catamounts are the latest team gunning to upset the defending national champions. After Wednesday night’s prayer service at Marsh Chapel, Roy’s mother, Brenda, encouraged her son’s teammates to win another title. The quest resumes tomorrow night. After a trying week, the Terriers will bring great emotion into the game with the Catamounts, who
are ranked sixth in the nation in this week’s Troy Record hockey poll. Vermont opened its season last weekend with a 7-4 victory over the University of New Hampshire. The Catamounts are looking to avenge an 11-1 shellacking at the hands of the Terriers last season, so emotions will run high on both sides. “I can’t see any worse situation than last season at BU,” Vermont head coach Mike Gilligan said. “We were outplayed, outscored and less prepared than we’ve ever been for any game.” While the Catamounts stew with the memory of last season’s embarrassing debacle at Walter Brown Arena still fresh in their minds, the Terriers are looking forward to leaving Boston and getting on the road after one of the most difficult weeks in the program’s history. “I think it’s good that we get on the road, and get our minds off this atmosphere,” O’Sullivan said. “Every paper you open, every TV you turn on— it’s been an issue, so maybe it’s good to get away for a while.” Vermont presents a challenge for the slim depth on the BU defense. Pre-season Hobey Baker candidates Martin St. Louis and Eric Perrin, a pair of diminutive but dynamic junior forwards, lead the Vermont offense. The 5-foot-9, 163-pound St. Louis led the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference in points last season with 23 goals and 48 assists. Perrin only stands 5-foot-9, 158-pounds, but he still netted 28
goals last year. What Perrin and St. Louis lack in size, they make up for with speed. The Terrier defense must play a tough, physical game and use its strength to knock the Catamount offense off the puck. When BU gets its offensive opportunities, it will have to slip the puck consistent goaltenders in the ECAC. A preseason All-America selection, Thomas posted the lowest goals-
against average and highest save percentage in the conference last season. But BU’s biggest battle won’t be fighting off St. Louis, Perrin and Thomas. The Terriers’ toughest fight will be to overcome the emotions they feel for Travis Roy and concentrate on winning a hockey game. “Coach [Jack Parker] is trying to keep us prepared and focused to play this weekend,” Terrier
forward Jay Pandolfo said. “You have to just sort of put it in the back of your mind what’s happened [to Roy] when you’re on the ice,” Terrier forward Scott King said. “When you come off the ice, you can think about him as much as you want until it drives you crazy. The main thing is you have to play hockey, and you have to win. That’s why you’re here. That’s the toughest part— trying to focus on hockey.”
EDITORIAL: The Abbot affair Editorial Board Jan. 18, 1974
Many people are already getting tired of hearing about Leon Abbott’s dismissal as head hockey coach. But there is a great deal of information that has not yet come out and that must be made clear before their confusing situation will be settled. In their Jan. 5 statement the combined Friends groups and Varsity Club condemned the handling of the incident and called for a full disclosure of all the facts in the case. We agree. It is almost unheard of to dismiss a hockey coach in the middle of a season. Leon Abbott, who came to Boston University with great fanfare, was dismissed with what one alumnus called
“a character assassination.” In a series of very terse releases the Athletic Department has defended its handling of the dismissal … but the action has drawn almost unanimous condemnation from other coaches, alumni and students. Furthermore, we deplore the fact that it took Staton Curtis, Dean of Physical Development Programs, three weeks before he issued a statement explaining the dismissal. When the much awaited release was finally ready it left the same questions still unanswered. Why was Abbott dismissed in the middle of the season? What did Clayton Chapman of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) eligibility committee discover in Canada? Why was it a secret, unilateral decision of the Athletic Department? And so forth. On face value, it would seem the athletic Department is trying to avoid explanation. We would like to know why.
It would be exciting and sensational for us to condemn either the Athletic Department or Leon Abbott for alleged various crimes. But at this point it is simply impossible. Like the alumni, we realize that this strange situation may have some material still hidden in the corners of the Athletic Department. We would like that material made public. The Athletic Department has been persuaded by alumni groups to come forth with all of the facts. Will the same courtesy by extended to the student press? This action has drawn considerable criticism about the University while raising some serious charges and unanswered questions. While deploring the handling of the dismissal, we call for the full disclosure of all facts so that the second Saturday Night Massacre will finally be explained.