Sabres Take Back Series Lead Over Bruins

Alex Tuch (Boston College) notched the game-winning goal early in the third period, and Alex Lyon (Yale) made 24 saves in net to boost the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins last night at TD Garden in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Buffalo now leads the best-of seven Eastern Conference series, two games to one.

Charlie McAvoy (Boston University) assisted on the lone goal for the Bruins, who have never led in this series. The Sabres rebounded to win Game One in Buffalo, while Boston held on to win Game Two. Game Four is Sunday in Boston (2 p.m. ET).

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.

 

Bruins Dismiss Montgomery as Head Coach

Jim Montgomery (Maine) has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Boston Bruins. The Montreal native was in his third season at the helm of the Bruins, who are currently 8-9-3 through their first 20 games of the 2024-25 NHL campaign and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, where they sit outside a playoff spot. Succeeding Montgomery as interim head coach is assistant Joe Sacco (Boston University), who previously oversaw the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-2013.

Montgomery joined Boston for the 2022-23 season and led it to a league-best 65-12-5 record, setting NHL records for most wins and points (132) by a team in a single season while personally earning the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year. He then guided the Bruins to a 47-20-15 mark in 2023-24, although both of those seasons ended with a first-round loss to Florida in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As an All-America forward, Montgomery led the University of Maine to its first-ever NCAA hockey title as a senior forward in 1993, earning him NCAA championship MVP accolades. He did likewise 24 years later with the University of Denver, as head coach of the Pioneers when he guided them to the national championship in Chicago in 2017. He left a year later to coach the NHL's Dallas Stars, with whom he compiled a 60-43-10 ledger in 113 regular-season outings before being dismissed by the club almost midway through the 2019-2020 season for "unprofessional conduct."

Montgomery, 55, also coached Dubuque to two Junior A titles in the United States Hockey League before signing on at Denver, after previously serving four seasons as an assistant coach at Rensselaer. He played in 122 NHL games between 1993 and 2003 with St. Louis, Montreal, Philadelphia, San Jose and Dallas, after recording 301 points over four seasons at UMaine, where his No. 19 jersey has been retired.

ADDENDUM: Montgomery wasn't out of work long. He was hired on Nov. 24 as head coach of the St. Louis Blues, who parted ways with Drew Bannister after a little more than one season at the helm.

Bruins, Canes Win as 2024 NHL Playoffs Begin

Johnny Beecher (Michigan) tallied his first career NHL playoff goal, and Jeremy Swayman (Maine) won his first NHL postseason start by making 35 saves in the Boston Bruins' 5-1 victory over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Boston now leads the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, one game to none. Charlie McAvoy (Boston University) set up two goals for the Bruins.

In the only other game from the first day of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the host Carolina Hurricanes outlasted the New York Islanders, 3-1, in a matinee affair to take a one game-to-none lead in that Eastern Conference matchup. Jack Drury (Harvard) notched one assist for the Hurricanes, while Anders Lee (Notre Dame) assisted on the Islanders lone goal.

The playoffs continue today as four other series get underway, including two in the Western Conference.

R.I.P. Blaine Lacher

Former NCAA and NHL netminder Blaine Lacher (Lake Superior State) passed away late last month at the age of 53.

A native of Medicine Hat, Alta., Lacher backstopped Lake Superior to its most recent national title in 1994, the same season in which he set a still-standing NCAA shutout streak record at 375 minutes and one second. In three seasons with the Lakers, he recorded 49 wins along with a 2.45 goals-against average, eight shutouts and five assists. 

Lacher played two seasons in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, compiling a 22-16-4 overall record in 47 regular-season outings with a 2.80 GAA and four shutouts. He also played for Providence (AHL) and Cleveland (IHL) before finishing his professional career with expansion Grand Rapids (IHL) in 1996-97.

He leaves behind his father, two sisters, and a son.

DU Pair Gets NHL Hat Tricks on Same Day

It was quite a day for two former University of Denver skaters on Saturday in NHL action.

Logan O'Connor tallied his first career hat trick, scoring the first and final goals of the contest, as the visiting Colorado Avalanche defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 7-4. The Missouri City, Texas native now has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 45 games this season, and 33-46—79 points in 215 career NHL regular-season outings to date, all with the Avalanche. A member of Colorado's 2022 Stanley Cup championship team, O'Connor, 27, played for Denver from 2015 to 2018, notching 16-27—43 points over three seasons while winning an NCAA title with the Pioneers in 2017.

Danton Heinen, a former DU teammate of O'Connor's, notched his own three-goal effort on Saturday, including a power-play goal to end the game, as the Boston Bruins routed the visiting Montreal Canadiens, 9-4. The Langley, B.C. native has 8-9—17 points in 37 games with the Bruins so far this season, in his second stint with the club, and has accumulated 78-115—193 points in 450 career NHL regular-season appearances to date with Boston, Anaheim and Pittsburgh. Heinen, 28, collected 36-57—93 points in two years with DU (2014-16), and helped the Pioneers to the NCAA Frozen Four in his second and final collegiate campaign.

Swayman Sunny in Philadelphia for Bruins

 

Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (Maine) made his NHL debut Tuesday night, stopping 40 shots for the Boston Bruins in their 4-2 victory over the host Philadelphia Flyers. It was the first start at hockey's highest level for the Anchorage, Alaska native, who was drafted 111th overall by Boston in 2017 after his lone season with Sioux Falls (USHL).

In three years at the University of Maine, Swayman, 22, compiled a record of 47-34-18 in 100 games, while fashioning a 2.51 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage to go along with four shutouts. As a junior in 2019-20, he finished a career-best 18-5-11 (2.07. .939) with three shutouts for the Black Bears, and also won the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA's top netminder before turning pro.

The 6-foot-3 Swayman played nine games with Providence (AHL) earlier this season, recording eight wins and one shutout, before being called up to Boston recently. He made 36 saves over the first two periods last night in Philadelphia, including 23 stops in the second stanza alone.

NCAA Players Shine at NHL's Lake Tahoe Weekend

The 2021 NHL Outdoors weekend at Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada has come and gone, with more than a few former NCAA players making their marks both nights.

On Saturday, the Colorado Avalanche edged the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-2. The game was postponed for nearly 10 hours following the daytime first period, due to the sun adversely affecting ice conditions. A shot by Devon Toews (Quinnipiac) from the left point with less then seven minutes remaining in regulation after the restart stood up as the game-winner for the Avalanche, who wore retro reverse jerseys that honored the franchise's previous incarnation as the Quebec Nordiques. Toews also had the lone assist on Colorado's second goal of the game.

Alex Tuch (Boston College) got Vegas back within a goal on his backhand shot in close with 5:35 left, but the Golden Knights couldn't garner the equalizer in the time left. Alec Martinez (Miami) also scored for Vegas.

On Sunday evening, James van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire) tallied one goal and set up two others, but his Philadelphia Flyers fell, 7-3, to the Boston Bruins. It was Boston's fifth win over Philadelphia so far this season in five meetings.

Charlie McAvoy (Boston University) and Charlie Coyle (Boston University) both tallied goals for Boston, with Coyle's second-period score standing up as the game-winner. Trent Frederic (Wisconsin) scored his first career NHL goal for the Bruins, who also got two assists apiece from Connor Clifton (Quinnipiac) and Craig Smith (Wisconsin).

Joel Farabee (Boston University) scored Philadelphia's first goal, while Kevin Hayes (Boston College) notched two assists. Brian Elliott (Wisconsin) stopped 12 of 13 shots on goal in the final period for the Flyers, after entering the game in relief. Boston outshot Philadelphia, 35-19, overall for the night.

There were no spectators present at either Lake Tahoe contest due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The two games were the 32nd and 33rd, respectively, in the NHL's modern outdoor series of matches that dates back to the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton.

Swayman Leaves Maine to Sign with Bruins

Add goaltender Jeremy Swayman (Maine) to the list of early NCAA signings by the NHL. The Anchorage, Alaska native has passed up his final year of college eligibility to sign with the Boston Bruins, who drafted him 111th overall in 2017.

A product of Sioux Falls (USHL) and South Anchorage High School, Swayman, 21, backstopped the Black Bears for the past three seasons, finishing with a 47-40-12 record in 100 career appearances. He also posted a 2.51 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage to go with four shutouts.

The 6-foot-2 Swayman went 18-11-5 this season (2.07, .939, 3 ShO) in 34 outings. His final appearance in a Maine uniform, in a campaign ultimately cancelled by the coronavirus (COVID-19), was a 1-0 shutout of Hockey East rival Providence on March 6.

Swayman recently took home the 2020 Walter Brown Award as the best player in New England college hockey this season, and was named Hockey East's First Team Goaltender for 2019-20 along with Hockey East Player of the Year. He is also one of 10 finalists for the 2020 Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

St. Louis Blues Win First Stanley Cup

For the first time ever, the St. Louis Blues are the Stanley Cup champions.

The Blues defeated the host Boston Bruins, 4-1, on Wednesday in Game Seven of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, for the first NHL championship in the Blues' 51-year history. It marked the fourth straight year the Cup was awarded to a team that was playing on the road, and it was also the Blues' 10th road win of this postseason.

After the Blues scored twice late in the first period and once again midway through the third, Zach Sanford (Boston College) scored his first goal of the playoffs to put St. Louis up, 4-0. Matt Grzelcyk (Boston University), in his return to the Bruins lineup after suffering an injury in Game Two of the series, closed out the scoring later on with Boston's lone goal of the evening.

Jordan Binnington made 32 saves for the Blues, who went from the worst team in the NHL at the start of the calendar year to league champions. St. Louis forward Ryan O'Reilly finished the postseason with a league-high 23 points and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Other former NCAA players on the Blues roster included Tyler Bozak (Denver), Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College), Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks), Mackenzie MacEachern (Michigan State), Chris Butler (Denver), and Jordan Schmaltz (North Dakota).

Bruins Force Game Seven in Stanley Cup Final

There will be a Game Seven in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

The Boston Bruins staved off elimination on Sunday night, and also put the St. Louis Blues' backs to the wall, with a 5-1 win in Game Six at Enterprise Center in Missouri. Boston scored four goals in the third period to break open a game that had been 1-0 since a Bruins' 5-on-3 power-play goal in the first period, with Torey Krug (Michigan State) drawing an assist on that play.

Karson Kuhlman (Minnesota-Duluth), playing in his first game for Boston since April 30, wristed home a puck from the right side to make it 3-0 in the third period as the Bruins knotted the series at three games apiece after dropping the last two contests. Kuhlman was the MVP of the 2018 NCAA Tournament when UMD won its first of two consecutive national championships. Sean Kuraly (Miami) helped set up Boston's fourth goal, after the Blues had pulled within 3-1.

Game Seven will be Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC), to close out both the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 2018-19 NHL season as a whole.

Blues Win Game Five, Take Stanley Cup Final Lead

The St. Louis Blues are one win away from their first-ever Stanley Cup.

The Blues outlasted the Boston Bruins, 2-1, in Game Five of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night in Massachusetts. St. Louis now leads the best-of-seven series, three games to two, and has won two consecutive games.

Zach Sanford (Boston College) set up the Blues' opening goal for his third assist in as many games.
Torey Krug (Michigan State) assisted on Boston's lone goal late in the third period on a delayed penalty, minutes after an uncalled tripping infraction by St. Louis forward Tyler Bozak (Denver) on Boston's Noel Acciari (Providence) along the boards in the Bruins' defensive zone led to the Blues' game-winning goal.

Game 6 is Sunday night in St. Louis (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC). If necessary, Game Seven of the NHL championship would be decided in Boston on Wednesday.

Blues Knot Stanley Cup Final at Two Games

Zach Sanford (Boston College) had an assist for the second straight game as the St. Louis Blues tied the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-2 win at home on Monday over the Boston Bruins. The series is now tied at two games apiece.

The win was the first ever in the Blue's Stanley Cup Final history, and assured more one home game for St. Louis this postseason, which will be played Sunday night. The Blues scored twice in the third period to break a 2-2 tie for the win.

Charlie Coyle (Boston University) scored a goal for the third straight game for the Bruins, who will now host Game Five on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC).

Krug's Four Points Boost Boston to Game Three Win

Torey Krug (Michigan State) scored one goal and set up three others as the Boston Bruins regained control of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with a 7-2 victory in Game Three at St. Louis on Saturday night. Boston now leads the best-of-seven series, two games to one.

Charlie Coyle (Boston University) and Sean Kuraly (Miami) scored first-period goals to help put Boston up, 3-0, after 20 minutes, while Krug scored the final goal of the second period to give the Bruins a 5-1 lead over the host Blues at that point. Noel Acciari (Providence) then tallied an empty-net goal in the final frame, with Krug assisting on another goal to make him the first Bruins defenseman to ever record four points in a Stanley Cup Final game.

Krug now has 16 points in 20 playoff games this spring. Boston also finished the night with four power-play goals as a team, scoring those four man-advantage goals on just four shots.

Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks) scored the Blues’ second goal on a power play in the third period, assisted by Tyler Bozak (Denver), while Zach Sanford (Boston College) set up the first goal of the night for St. Louis in the second stanza for his first career NHL playoff point.

Game Four will be held Monday night in Missouri (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC).

Bruins Win Opener of 2019 Stanley Cup Final

A goal by Sean Kuraly (Miami) early in the third period stood up as the game-winner Monday night as the Boston Bruins defeated the visiting St. Louis Blues, 4-2 in Game One of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

After St. Louis forged a 2-0 lead one minute into the second period, Connor Clifton (Quinnipiac) and Charlie McAvoy (Boston University) scored to tie the contest, the latter on a power-play, before Kuraly completed the Bruins' comeback 5:21 into the final stanza with his goal at point-blank range.

Game Two of the NHL's best-of-seven championship series will be Wednesday night (8 p.m., NBC, CBC) at TD Garden in Boston.

Bruins Go Up Two Games on Canes

Matt Grzelcyk (Boston University) scored two goals, and Charlie Coyle (Boston University) and Torey Krug (Michigan State) tallied three assists apiece as the Boston Bruins pasted the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 6-2, on Sunday afternoon in Game Two of the 2019 Eastern Conference Final. Boston now leads the best-of-seven series, two games to none.

The Bruins scored twice in each period, and held a 6-0 lead before Carolina scored two third-period goals. Connor Clifton (Quinnipiac) notched what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the second period, the first goal of both his NHL and Stanley Cup Playoff career, while Danton Heinen (Denver) collected a goal and an assist for Boston.

Game Three will be played on Tuesday night (8 p.m., NBCSN, CBC) in Raleigh, N.C.

ADDENDUM: Boston won the series in four games, by scores of 5-2, 6-2, 2-1 and 4-0.

Bruins Take Conference Opener Against Carolina

Steven Kampfer (Michigan) opened the scoring Thursday night at TD Garden with his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff goal, and the Boston Bruins went on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2. Boston leads the best-of-seven 2019 Eastern Conference Final, one game to none.

Trailing 2-1 after two periods of play, the Bruins scored four goals in the final 20 minutes, including two power-play goals 28 seconds apart to take the lead for good. Charlie Coyle (Boston University) then tallied an empty-net goal to make it 4-2 for the Bruins, assisted by Sean Kuraly (Miami), before Chris Wagner (Colgate) notched the Bruins' fifth goal unassisted.

Game Two is set for Sunday in Boston (3 pm. ET, NBC TV).

BU's Coyle Traded for Harvard's Donato

Two Boston-based former NCAA centers were exchanged by their respective NHL teams earlier this week. The Minnesota Wild traded Charlie Coyle (Boston University) to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, in return for Ryan Donato (Harvard) and a fifth-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Originally drafted 28th overall by the San Jose Sharks in 2010, Coyle had spent his entire NHL career with the Wild. Through 479 career NHL regular-season games with Minnesota, he has posted 91 goals and 151 assists for 246 points. A native of East Weymouth, Mass., the 6-foot-3, 220-pound forward played in 53 games with BU from 2010 to late 2011, and recorded 10-30—40 points in 57 outings with the Terriers. He then joined Saint John (QMJHL) in 2012 and put up 38 points in 23 games, along with 34 points in 23 postseason contests, before turning pro that fall with Houston (AHL). 

Donato, 22, a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award and a U.S. Olympian in 2017-18, made his NHL debut last spring with the Bruins shortly after finishing his third and final campaign at Harvard. He registered five goals and nine points in his first 12 regular-season appearances with the Bruins, who drafted him 56th overall in 2014, and split this season between his native Boston and Providence (AHL). In 47 career NHL outings, he has tallied 11-9—20 points, after recording 60-44—104 points in 97 career games with Harvard after prepping at the Dexter School, and in junior hockey with both South Shore (USPHL) and Omaha (USHL). As a sophomore in 2016-17, the six-foot, 193-pound Donato also helped the Crimson to both an ECAC Hockey League championship and an NCAA Frozen Four berth.

Kuraly Boosts Bruins to Win in NHL Winter Classic

A third-period goal by Sean Kuraly (Miami) vaulted the Boston Bruins into the lead for good in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Winter Classic on Tuesday in South Bend, Ind.

Kuraly's backhand goal off a rebound with 9:40 remaining in regulation lifted the Bruins to a 3-2 lead before a crowd of 76,126 at Notre Dame Stadium, the second-largest crown in league history, according to NHL.com. It was Kuraly's fourth goal and 10th point of the season, in his 39th game of the 2018-19 campaign. A native of Dublin, Ohio, he has 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 122  career NHL contests, all with the Bruins, after he was originally drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2011.

Kuraly, 25, played collegiately at Miami from 2012 to 2016. He posted 43-50—93 points in 154 career appearances with the Redhawks, while also helping them to two NCAA Tournaments. He was
also a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. squad at the 2013 World Junior Championship in Russia.

Bruins Oust Maple Leafs in Seven Games

Torey Krug (Michigan State) tied the game early in the third period, and his teammates then deposited three more goals into the opposing net as the Boston Bruins outlasted the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-4, on Wednesday in the deciding Game 7 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series. 

The Bruins won the series, four games to three, after Toronto had claimed the previous two contests to force a tie, including a 4-3 win in Game 5 at Boston's TD Garden. Boston won three of its four home games in the series, en route to forging 2-0 and 3-1 series leads.

Krug's slapshot from the blueline brought the Bruins back from a 4-3 deficit and also started a run of four consecutive Boston third-period goals. Danton Heinen (Denver) also scored for Boston, his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal, while Kevan Miller (Vermont) set up two Bruins goals and David Backes (Minnesota State) recorded an assist.

The Bruins now advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a five-game winner over the New Jersey Devils in the first round. The Bruins-Lightning best-of-seven series will begin Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (NBC TV) in Florida.