Matthews Arena Closes After Over a Century

An era ended on Saturday night when Matthews Arena hosted its final hockey game ever after over a century of service.

Originally known as Boston Arena when it opened in April 1910 as the city's first indoor arena, it was rebuilt in 1921 following a fire. It was purchased in 1979 by Northeastern University and renamed in 1982, and was the longtime home of the NU Huskies men's and women's hockey teams and the NU men's basketball squad. It was the original indoor home of the hockey programs at Boston College, Boston University, and Harvard University, and the Boston Bruins and New England Whalers, along with the annual Beanpot Tournament and the NBA's Boston Celtics. It was also a mecca of prep school hockey in the Boston area for decades, and also hosted Northeastern's yearly graduation ceremonies, among many, many other events.

Structural integrity and ground stability issues that developed over the last few years necessitated the arena's closure and upcoming demolition, which is expected to be completed early next year. A new modern facility for NU hockey and basketball will be built on the same site on St. Botolph Street, and is slated to open in late 2028. 

The old barn closed for good on Dec. 13 after BU beat NU, 4-3, in men's hockey in the final event to be held at the arena. The final women's hockey game was contested there on Dec. 6, when NU topped BC, 4-2. Both Huskies hockey teams will now skate as road warriors for the rest of this season and the next two years, playing their home games at alternate venues such as Bentley Arena, BU's Walter Brown Arena, Harvard's Bright-Landry Hockey Center, and UMass Lowell's Tsongas Center.

With the closure of Matthews Arena, Princeton University's Hobey Baker Rink, now approaching its 103rd birthday, becomes the oldest operating arena in American and NCAA collegiate hockey.

 

Canada Wins Four Nations Face-Off

The first-ever Four Nations Face-Off went to Team Canada. 

The Canadians outlasted Team USA, 3-2, in overtime on Thursday night in the championship game at TD Garden in Boston. Cale Makar (Massachusetts) assisted on the game-winning goal by Connor McDavid. Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) and Jake Sanderson (North Dakota) scored in regulation for the Americans, who also got 24 saves in net from Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell).

Canada thus avenged a 3-1 loss to Team USA in Montreal in the round-robin portion of the tournament, which exclusively featured NHL players. Other former NCAA players on the Canadian squad included Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks) and Devon Toews (Quinnipiac). Sweden finished in third place, while Finland was fourth.

NHL players are expected to represent their respective nations at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Sweden and Denmark, and at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

U.S. To Face Canada for Four Nations Crown

The first-ever Four Nations Face-Off final is set. It will be the United States against Canada at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, TNT).

The final matchup was set when Canada held on to defeat Finland, 5-3, this afternoon before Sweden edged the U.S., 2-1, this evening, both in Boston. Chris Kreider (Boston College) scored the lone goal for the Americans, while Jake Oettinger (Boston University) finished with 21 saves for Team USA. Gustav Nyquist (Maine) notched Sweden's first goal.

Thursday will be a rematch of Saturday's 3-1 U.S. win in Montreal. Jake Guentzel (Omaha) scored twice for the Team USA, while Dylan Larkin (Michigan) scored one goal and set up another, and Connor Hellbuyck (UMass Lowell) made 25 stops in net. Sweden took third place overall by virtue of today's regulation win over the Americans, while Finland finished fourth with one overtime win and two regulation losses.

BC, BU to Meet for 2025 Beanpot Crown

For the first time since 2016, the annual Beanpot Tournament will come down to Boston College and Boston University.

No. 8 BU routed Harvard, 7-1, in Monday's men's semifinal opener at TD Garden in Boston, while top-ranked BC pasted two-time defending champion Northeastern, 8-2. Cole Hutson tallied two goals and set up two others for BU in the Terriers' win, while Ryan Leonard notched a goal and two assists for the Eagles in BC's triumph.

Harvard and Northeastern will face off in the consolation contest next Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by BC-BU for all the beans for the 23rd time in the storied tournament's 72 years. The Eagles swept the Terriers in a home-and-home regular-season series on Jan. 24-25 as Leonard scored four goals and added an assist. 

BC won its last Beanpot in 2016, defeating BU in OT, while BU last took it home in 2022 by beating Northeastern that year in the final, snapping a three-year NU title streak.

ADDENDUM: BU topped BC, 4-1, to win its record 33rd Beanpot title, while Harvard edged Northeastern, 4-3, in the consolation.

NU, BU to Meet in 2024 Beanpot Final

It'll be an all-canine final affair again in the annual battle for Boston bragging rights.

Northeastern outlasted Harvard, 3-2, in overtime of the first semifinal of the 71st Beanpot tournament on Monday night at TD Garden, while third-ranked Boston University held on to edge No. 1 Boston College, 4-3 in the nightcap. Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored just over a half-minute into the extra session to lift NU, while Ryan Greene's early third-period goal stood up as the game-winner for BU.

Northeastern has won four of the last five men's Beanpots, after last winning in 1988 prior to its current run. BU, which has won a record 31 Beanpots, last raised the trophy in 2022 when it defeated NU, 1-0, in the final. Monday's final will pit NU against BU for the Beanpot title for the 16th time in tournament history. The consolation game earlier that day will feature Harvard against BC for the first time since 2022.

Mike Addesa 1945-2022

Former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute men's hockey coach Mike Addesa passed away earlier this week at the age of 77.

The Boston native was head coach at RPI from 1979 to 1989, and guided the Engineers to the 1985 NCAA Division I men's hockey title. He was relieved of his duties in 1989 after a racial incident with two of his players, and never coached at the college level again.

After one year as general manager with the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Addesa spent five years as a scout with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. He went on to become general manager/head coach and franchise owner with the Boston Bulldogs junior organization, from 1995 to 2012. He then scouted for the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, and also served as GM with the Seacoast Spartans Prep organization until retiring in 2017.

Addesa began his hockey coaching career in 1966-67 as an assistant at Stoneham (Mass.) High School, then moved on to St. Mary's (Mass.) High the following season as head coach. He then oversaw Randolph (N.J.) High for five seasons and Wellesley (Mass.) High for one before taking an assistant's job in 1974-75 at his alma mater, the College of the Holy Cross, where he had played football. He was promoted to head coach of the Crusaders in 1976, and remained in Worcester until he took the top job at RPI, where he fashioned an overall record of 186–124–9 over 10 NCAA campaigns.

Addesa was inducted into the Massachusetts High School Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

Denver Wins Ninth NCAA Hockey Title

Through the first 40 minutes of this year's NCAA Division I men's ice hockey title game, the University of Denver couldn't buy a goal. In the final 20 minutes, it couldn't stop scoring them.

The Pioneers overcame a one-goal deficit through two periods of play with five unanswered third-period scores in a 5-1 victory over Minnesota State before 17,850 on-lookers at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday night. DU (31-9-1 overall) has now won two national hockey titles in the last six years, and also moved into a first-place tie all-time with its ninth NCAA title overall.

For MnSU (38-6-0), the loss snapped an 18-game winning string that dated back to Jan. 14 against Northern Michigan. It was also the first time since Oct. 16, 2021 at Michigan that the Mavericks, who were playing in their first-ever NCAA Division I championship contest, had lost a game after leading after two periods.

Sam Morton's power-play goal 14 minutes into the game stood up through the first two stanzas, as MnSU limited DU to just eight shots on net in that span. The floodgates then opened for DU just under five minutes into the final frame, when Ryan Barrow poked home a rebound to put the Pioneers on the board.

Mike Benning's slapshot from the right circle just under three minutes later stood up as the game-winning goal, just seconds after a DU power play expired, before Massimo Rizzo finished off a 2-on-1 rush six minutes later to make it a 3-1 contest. Brett Stapley and Cameron Wright then added empty-net goals in the final three minutes to ice matters for DU.

Magnus Chrona finished with 27 saves for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's Pioneers, who last won an NCAA hockey title in 2017 in Chicago. At the other end of the ice, 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Dryden McKay made 15 stops for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association champion Mavericks. Benning was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. 

DU, which had previously won NCAA Frozen Fours in Boston in 1960 and 2004, is now tied with Michigan for the most NCAA hockey championships overall with nine each. The Pioneers defeated the Wolverines in a semifinal game on Thursday to advance to this year's national championship game. Saturday also marked the fifth national title for the NCHC since the conference was formed in 2013.

Denver, MSU Advance to 2022 NCAA Title Game

The Big Ten Conference got two teams to this year's men's Frozen Four, but neither will appear in the 2022 NCAA Division I title game at TD Garden in Boston. 

Denver outlasted top-seeded Michigan, 3-2, tonight as Carter Savoie followed up his own rebound with just over five minutes remaining in the first overtime period to send the Pioneers (30-9-1 overall) to their first national title game since 2017. Michigan, which featured 13 NHL draft choices on its roster, including seven first-round selections, closed its campaign at 31-10-1.

In the nightcap, Minnesota State surrendered an early goal to in-state rival Minnesota, but then roared back with five scores of its own over the last 40 minutes as the Mavericks advanced to their first-ever NCAA championship game with a 5-1 win. Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist Dryden McKay made 16 stops for the victorious Mavericks (38-5-0), who have now won 18 straight contests this season. Minnesota ends its year at 26-13-0.

DU, from the NCHC, and MSU, from the new CCHA, will now meet on Saturday night in Boston (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in the final NCAA game of the season to see who will lift the national champion trophy.

2022 NCAA Men's Division I Hockey Tournament Field Announced

The field for the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship was revealed on Sunday night.

Albany, N.Y. Regional
* [2] Minnesota State (35-5-0)
North Dakota (24-13-1)
Notre Dame (27-11-0)
* Harvard (22-10-3)

Loveland, Colo. Regional
[4] Denver (27-9-1)
* Minnesota Duluth (21-15-4)
Michigan Tech (21-12-3)
UMass Lowell (21-10-3)

Worcester, Mass. Regional
[3] Western Michigan (25-11-1)
Minnesota (24-12-0)
* UMass (22-12-2)
Northeastern (25-12-1)

Allentown, Pa. Regional
* [1] Michigan (29-9-1)
Quinnipiac (31-7-3)
St. Cloud (18-14-4)
* American International (22-12-3)

Records in parentheses ( )
Overall seeds in brackets [ ]
Won conference tournament *

A new twist this year is that each regional will feature an off day between the regional semifinal games and the regional final. 

The full 16-team bracket with game times and listings can be found here. The four regional winners will advance to the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four at TD Garden in Boston on April 7, with the national title game slated for two days later. 

UMass defeated St. Cloud, 5-0, in Pittsburgh last year to claim its first-ever national title.

BC Bows Out of 2022 Hockey East Tournament

Boston College's 100th men's ice hockey season has come to a close.

The Eagles fell at Northeastern, 3-2, in a Hockey East quarterfinal elimination game at Matthews Arena in Boston on Saturday, after spotting the Huskies a three-goal lead in the second period. BC responded with third-period scores from defensemen Drew Helleson (power play) and Marshall Warren, but could get no closer despite outshooting NU, 48-36, on the night, and 25-9 in the final frame.

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine tallied a goal and an assist for the 11th-ranked Huskies, who got 46 saves from goaltender Devon Levi. Eric Dop made 33 saves for BC in his final appearance for the Eagles, who went 1-for-2 on the power play.

BC finishes the 2021-22 campaign at 15-18-5 overall, while top-seeded NU improved to 25-11-1 and will face Connecticut in the conference semifinals at TD Garden in Boston.

NCAA Players Moved at 2021 NHL Trade Deadline

 

Following is a list of NCAA-trained players who were moved between April 1 and Monday's 2021 NHL trading deadline:

Player (School) Old NHL Club-New NHL Club

Ben Hutton (Maine) Anaheim-Toronto

Nick Desimone (Union) San Jose-Vegas

Josh Dickinson (Clarkson) Colorado-Chicago

Adam Gaudette (Northeastern) Vancouver-Chicago

Anders Bjork (Notre Dame) Boston-Buffalo

Mike Reilly (Minnesota) Ottawa-Boston

Jon Merrill (Michigan) Detroit-Montreal 

Brandon Montour (UMass) Buffalo-Florida

Henrik Borgstrom (Denver) Florida-Chicago

Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) New Jersey-NY Islanders

Travis Zajac (North Dakota) New Jersey-NY Islanders

A.J. Greer (Boston Univ.) NY Islanders-New Jersey

Mason Jobst (Ohio State) NY Islanders-New Jersey

Vinnie Hinostroza (Notre Dame) Florida-Chicago

NCAA Men's Frozen Four Sites Through 2026 Revealed

The next six sites for the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey Frozen Four have been announced.

The 2021 semifinals and final will be held in Pittsburgh, followed in successive years by: Boston; Tampa, St. Paul; St. Louis, and; Las Vegas, which will host the Frozen Four for the first time ever.

Detroit, which was supposed to host the 2020 version at its new Little Caesars Arena in April, until COVID-19 became widespread, was not included in the mix this time out. The 2019 Frozen Four was held in Buffalo and won by Minnesota-Duluth, its second consecutive NCAA title.

NCAA regional sites from 2021 to 2026 were also revealed. They will include: Albany, N.Y. (2021, 2026); Allentown, Pa. (2022, 2023, 2025); Bridgeport, Conn. (2021, 2023); Fargo, N.D. (2021, 2023, 2025); Loveland, Colo. (2021, 2022, 2026); Manchester, N.H. (2021, 2023, 2025); Maryland Heights, Mo. (2024); Sioux Falls, S.D. (2024, 2026); Springfield, Mass. (2024); Toledo, Ohio (2025), and; Worcester, Mass. (2022, 2026). 

Harvard Wins First Beanpot Since 1993

Georgia native Nathan Krusko scored twice and Sean Malone, Clay Anderson and Tyler Moy set up two goals apiece as third-ranked Harvard University its won first Beanpot Tournament since 1993 with a 6-3 triumph over No. 4 Boston University on Monday night at TD Garden.

Merrick Madsen made 14 saves for the Crimson, which outshot the Terriers, 46-17, while scoring twice on the power play. Harvard has now won the Beanpot 11 times, while BU was denied its record 31st title. No. 11 Boston College is in second place overall, with 20 Beanpot titles to its credit.

BC finished in fourth place in Boston's premiere hockey tournament for the first time in 24 years this time out. Four-time winner Northeastern University, which last won the Beanpot in 1988, scored two goals in the final minute of regulation on Monday for a 4-2 victory in the consolation game.

Hail Hockey East as BU, PC to Meet for NCAA Title

It'll be an all-Hockey East final on Saturday night in Beantown when Providence College and Boston University meet in the NCAA Division I men's hockey national championship game.

15th-ranked Providence advanced to its first NCAA title tilt in 30 years with a 4-1 victory over No. 9 (Nebraska) Omaha in the first Frozen four semifinal on Thursday at TD Garden in Boston. Jon Gillies made 25 saves for the Friars, who took a 2-0 second-period lead on goals by captain Noel Acciari and Mark Jankowksi before salting away matters with two third-period scores after Jake Guentzel had brought UNO within one goal. The Friars outshot the Mavericks, 48-26, as UNO senior goaltender Ryan Massa completed his collegiate career with a 44-save effort in defeat.

No. 2 Boston U. got two goals and an assist from fabulous freshman Jack Eichel, including the game's first and final goals, in the Terriers' 5-3 win over No. 3 North Dakota in the nightcap. BU took leads of 2-0 and 4-1 before of 40 minutes of play before North Dakota stormed back with two third-period goals. The former Fighting Sioux threatened to tie the contest late before Eichel scored into an empty UND net in the final minute of play. UND outshot BU, 39-28, including 14-7 in the final stanza, but couldn't come up with the equalizer in coming up empty again at the Frozen Four for the seventh time in the last 14 seasons.

Both schools cashed in twice apiece on the power play. Matt O'Connor made 36 saves for the Terriers, despite a third-period puck-playing gaffe that resulted in a UND shorthanded goal. Zane McIntyre, who won the Mike Richter Award as the nation's top goaltender this season, finished with 23 stops for UND. McIntyre and Eichel are both finalists, along with Harvard's Jimmy Vesey, for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the nation's best player, which will be presented later today at Northeastern University's Matthews Arena.

BU and PC split a home-and-home Hockey East series in the fall in their only meetings of the 2014-15 campaign. The Terriers won, 4-1, at Providence on Halloween night, while the Friars notched a 2-1 win the next night in Boston.

Saturday's final will be the first to feature two Hockey East squads since 1999, when Maine edged New Hampshire, 3-2, in overtime in Anaheim, Calif.. It will also be the third all-Hockey East matchup all-time, as BU topped Maine, 5-2, in 1995 in Providence, R.I.

BU is seeking its sixth national title overall, and first since 2009, while PC is gunning for its inaugural NCAA crown. The Friars fell to Rensselaer, 2-1, in the 1985 title game.

Frozen Four is Finally Here

We're down to the final three games of the 2014-15 NCAA Division I men's hockey campaign.

Here's my look and predictions for today's Frozen Four semifinals at TD Garden in Boston between (Nebraska) Omaha and Providence in the matinee, and North Dakota and Boston University in the night cap. Both games will be televised on ESPN2 starting at 5 p.m.

Today's winners advance to Saturday's national championship contest (7 p.m., ESPN).

2015 NCAA Frozen Four Field for Boston Set

The 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four field has been finalized.

The first semifinal game on April 9 at 5 p.m. at TD Garden in Boston will feature Providence against (Nebraska) Omaha. The second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. will star North Dakota against Boston University. Both contests will be televised on ESPN2.

Providence won the East Regional in its hometown and advanced to its first Frozen Four in 30 years by besting Miami, 7-5, and Denver, 4-1. Omaha won the Midwest Regional in South Bend, Ind., by topping Harvard, 4-1, and RIT, 4-0, to punch its ticket to its first-ever Frozen Four in its 18th season of varsity play.

North Dakota returned to the Frozen Four for the second straight season by claiming the West Regional in Fargo, N.D. with a pair of 4-1 victories over Quinnipiac and St. Cloud State. Boston University made it back to the Frozen Four for the first time since winning the 2009 national title by recording 3-2 wins over Yale and Minnesota-Duluth, the first one in overtime.

The full interactive bracket and all the regional results can be accessed here. The two semifinal winners will earn berths in the national championship game on April 11 at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) in Boston.

At the Division III men's level, Trinity (Conn.) defeated Wisconsin-Stevens-Point, 5-2, at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on Saturday night to clinch its first-ever NCAA men's hockey title.

Hockey East, ECAC Tournament Fields Set

The first round of the 2015 Hockey East men’s championship is set. This year’s opening round will be best-of-three series for the lower eight seeds, instead of the single-elimination games that were played last season. Higher seeds will be the host teams:

No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Massachusetts

No. 6 Northeastern vs. Mo. 11 Merrimack

No. 7 Vermont vs. No. 10 Maine

No. 8 New Hampshire vs. No. 9 Connecticut

The survivors will be re-seeded and will advance to the second round, also on best-of-three and played on campus sites. Having byes this week are the conference’s top four finishers, Boston University, Providence, Boston College, and UMass Lowell, who will all host games on March 13-15.

The four second-round victors will then advance to the Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden in Boston on March 20-21 for single-elimination matchups , with the winner claiming Hockey East’s automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. UMass Lowell won its first league postseason title last season.

The Eastern College Athletic Conference's men’s division championship will open its own best-of-three first round set of series this weekend, with the top four seeds having byes, and the bottom eight looking to advance to next week. Higher seed is again the host school:

No. 5 Dartmouth vs. No. 12 Princeton

No. 6 vs. No. 11 Brown

No. 7 Cornell vs. No. 10 Union

No. 8 Clarkson vs. No. 9 Rensselaer

Winners will be re-seeded to face the top four teams in Quinnipiac, St. Lawrence, Yale and Colgate in best-of-three series played on campus sites. The four second-round winners will be off to Lake Placid on March 20-21 for the ECAC Championship and its single-elimination contests, with the ECAC’s automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament at stake. Union is the defending three-time ECAC Tournament champion.

2015 Beanpot Begins Tonight

Not crazy about New England following Super Bowl XLIX (diehard Seahawks fan since I was 8), but it's Beanpot Tuesday in Boston.

Monday's annual first-round games at TD Garden were postponed by snow. No. 6 Harvard will now face No. 3 Boston University at 5 p.m. this evening, while Northeastern and No. 11 Boston College will follow at 8 p.m. on Causeway Street.

The winners will advance to next Monday's championship game, barring any future inclement weather developments. BC has won the last five men's Beanpot titles.

The 2015 Women's Beanpot also begins tonight at Bright Hockey Center at Harvard with the same interschool matchups. No. 1 BC, the defending champion, will square off with Northeastern at 5 p.m., followed by the No. 4 host Crimson against No. 6 BU at 8 p.m. The victors will advance to next week's title tilt in Cambridge.

BC's Gaudreau Wins Walter Brown Award

Boston College junior forward Johnny Gaudreau was recently named the 62nd recipient of the Walter Brown Award as the top American-born player in New England college hockey, according to the BC athletics web site. The honor is presented by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.

A 5-foot-7, 150-pound native of Carneys Point, N.J., Gaudreau leads all NCAA Division I players in scoring this season with 32 goals and 37 assists for 69 points in 37 games, including 10 power-play goals and six game-winners.

A fourth-round draft choice of the NHL's Calgary Flames in 2011, Gaudreau also fashioned a 31-game scoring streak to tie a Hockey East Association record, and helped the Eagles to the 2013-14 Hockey East regular-season conference championship. He is also a preliminary finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award for the second straight year, and has posted 74-91—165 points in 116 career collegiate games.

Gaudreau, 20, is the 24th Eagle to earn the Walter Brown Award, and the third BC player in the last four seasons to do so, along with Steve Whitney last year and goaltender John Muse in 2011. Three of Gaudreau's coaches have also won the award, in Jerry York (1967), Greg Brown (1990) and Mike Ayers (New Hampshire - 2003).

BC opens the 2014 NCAA Tournament on Saturday as the No. 1 seed in the Northeast Regional at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The Eagles (26-7-4) will face the inaugural NCHC tournament champion Denver Pioneers (20-15-6) at 4 p.m., with the winner to advance to Sunday's regional final against the winner of Massachusetts Lowell and Minnesota State.

Krug's First NHL Goal Helps Bruins to Game One Win over Rangers

Score one for the small guy.

Former Michigan State defenseman Torey Krug, a 5’9” native of Livonia, Mich., made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut more than memorable by scoring the Bruins’ second goal in Boston’s 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night.  His slapper from the left circle beat Henrik Lundqvist in the opener of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series, the first postseason meeting between the two clubs in four decades, and was also his first goal in NHL play.

It was just Krug’s fourth game overall with the Bruins, following his NHL debut at the tail end of the 2011-12 regular season in which he recorded one assist in two games. He also had one assist in his only appearance in the abbreviated 2013 NHL campaign, while recording 13 goals and 32 assists 45 points in 67 AHL contests with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.

After starring with Indiana (USHL), Krug played three years at Michigan State, from 2009 to 2012, and notched 26 -57—83 points in 114 career outings. His best season with the Spartans came as a junior in 2010-12, when he registered 12-22—34 totals in 38 games and earned both NCAA First Team All-America and CCHA Player of the Year status. He signed as a free agent with Boston shortly after MSU’ 3-1 defeat to Union College in the first round of the 2012 NCAA East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn.