Series of the Week: Boston College vs. Boston University

Story posted December 1, 2017 in CommRadio, Sports by Zach Kaplan

These two schools just do not like each other.

Boston College Eagles. Boston University Terriers. “The Battle of Comm Ave” or “The Green Line Rivalry.” This matchup goes by a variety of names, but to those familiar with it, it does not need an introduction.

The Eagles and Terriers will play each other this weekend for the 275th and 276th time respectively. The archrivals will play at the Eagles’ Conte Forum on Friday, and Terriers’ Agganis Arena on Saturday.

Combined, the two programs have won 50 of the 64 “Beanpots” that have been played, 18 Hockey East championships and, most notably, 10 national championships. For many years, Boston College head coach Jerry York and former Boston University head coach Jack Parker have met annually as two of the top college hockey coaches.

While Parker retired after the 2012-13 season, current Boston University head coach David Quinn has been relatively able to maintain the level of success that Parker achieved during his tenure. Most notably, keeping up with cross-town rival, Boston College.

The Terriers rattled off three straight wins last year over the Eagles, sweeping their regular season series and beating them in the Beanpot. The Eagles, however, bounced back by eliminating the Terriers in the Hockey East tournament.

This year, neither team has looked like themselves so far. The Eagles are 8-5-2 on the season and ranked No. 16 in the USCHO Poll with an 8-1 record in Hockey East play. While the Eagles sit atop the standings in the conference, the Terriers have been in the middle of the pack. They are currently unranked with a 6-8-1 overall record and 4-4-1 record in conference play.

Sophomore forward Patrick Harper has led the Terriers offensively with 15 points on the year, which ranks third in total points in the conference. Junior forward Bobo Carpenter has added 14 points, which is fifth best in the conference.

In the back end, the Terriers have struggled mightily. Starting sophomore goaltender Jake Oettinger has taken a big step back from a year ago with a 5-7-1 record and 2.78 goals against average.

The Eagles are averaging 2.6 goals per game. Sophomore forward Julius Mattila and freshman forward Logan Hutsko have both netted 11 goals, barely scraping the top 20 in Hockey East for scoring. The Eagles have struggled offensively but have seen decent play in net from sophomore goaltender Joseph Woll, totaling a 6-4-2 record on 2.56 goals against average.

Last weekend, the Terriers traveled to Madison Square Garden and took on Cornell, losing 4-3 to the Big Red.

The Eagles, on the other hand, completely tore it up in November as they are unbeaten in their last eight games. They snapped a seven-game winning streak with a tie against Harvard last Friday.

Boston University and Boston College meet yet again in the regular season matchup. Yet, they seem to inevitably meet again in either the Beanpot, Hockey East tournament, or both. For now, however, the Terriers will try to climb back into the Hockey East race while the Eagles attempt to extend their lead. The Eagles lead the all time series 133-123-20.

 

Zach Kaplan is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zachkaplan5@gmail.com.