Golden Knights Tie Series with Utah

Jack Eichel (Boston University) set up three goals and Noah Hanifin (Boston College) had two assists as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth, 5-4, in overtime last night, in Game Four of their 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff series. The best-of-seven NHL Western Conference first-round matchup is now tied at two games apiece,

Nick Schmaltz (North Dakota) had a goal and assist for the Mammoth, who fought back from an early three-goal deficit to take a one-goal lead before Vegas came back to tie it in the third period prior to winning in OT. Game Five is Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

 

Hockey East Stars Shine for USA Men

Hockey East alumni supplied four goals and more than 20 saves as the United States men's hockey team defeated Denmark, 6-3, on Valentine's Day at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy. 

Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored the first goal for Team USA, while Noah Hanifin (Boston College) converted his own rebound for the eventual game-winning goal. Jack Eichel (Boston University) and Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) also tallied for the Red, White and Blue, which got 21 saves in goal from Jeremy Swayman (Maine). Eight different U.S. skaters also notched assists on the day. 

The Americans, who twice battled back from one-goal deficits to defeat the Danes, improved to 2-0-0 in the tournament so far, and will complete the round-robin portion of their schedule with a game against Germany on Sunday.

ADDENDUM: Jake Sanderson (North Dakota) set up two goals and Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) made 24 stops as Team USA upended Germany, 5-1.

BC's Hanifin Pulls Vegas into Series Tie

Boston College beat Boston University on Friday night in Nevada to keep the Vegas Golden Knights' title defense alive.

Noah Hanifin (Boston College) scored midway through the third period on Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (Boston University) at T-Mobile Arena, and host Vegas held on for a 2-0 win in Game Six of their Western Conference series in the NHL's 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The series is now tied, three games apiece.

Hanifin, who was acquired from the Calgary Flames earlier this year, picked off a Dallas clearing attempt near the Stars' blue line, skated low into the right circle, and beat Oettinger to the far side for the only goal the Golden Knights would need. Vegas then scored into an empty net with 19 seconds remaining in regulation, and Oettinger (28 saves) off the ice for an extra Dallas skater.

The deciding Game 7 will be held on Sunday at American Airlines Center in Dallas, with the home team having won the last two games in the series. Vegas is looking to continue on as Stanley Cup champions, after defeating Florida in last year's final.

ADDENDUM: Vegas' reign as Stanley Cup champs came to end with a 2-1 loss at Dallas in Game 7. Dallas will now take on Colorado in the Western Conference semifinals, beginning Tuesday night.

NCAA Players Moved at 2024 NHL Deadline

A number of former NCAA players changed places last week before the NHL trading deadline last Friday. Some of the more notable transactions (since Feb. 28):

Cole Brady, G (UMass) *            Calgary to Dallas

Devin Cooley, G (Denver) *         Buffalo to San Jose

Brandon Duhaime, F (Providence)    Minnesota to Colorado

Jake Guentzel, F (Omaha)           Pittsburgh to Carolina

Noah Hanifin, D (Boston College)   Calgary to Vegas

Erik Johnson, D (Minnesota)        Buffalo to Philadelphia

Ben Meyers, F (Minnesota)          Colorado to Anaheim

Casey Mittelstadt, F (Minnesota)   Buffalo to Colorado

Kyle Okposo, F (Minnesota)         Buffalo to Florida

Andrew Peeke, D (Notre Dame)       Columbus to Boston

Jack Roslovic, F (Miami)           Columbus to NY Rangers

Chad Ruhwedel, D (UMass Lowell)    Pittsburgh to NY Rangers

Chris Tanev, D (RIT)               Calgary to Dallas

Sean Walker, D (Bowling Green)     Philadelphia to Colorado

Cade Webber, D (Boston Univ.)*     Carolina to Toronto

Jason Zucker, F (Denver)           Arizona to Nashville

* Has not played in NHL yet

U.S. Doubles Up Great Britain at Worlds

Hockey East alumni helped power the United States to victory on Wednesday at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia.

Clayton Keller (Boston University), Chris Kreider (Boston College) and James van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire) all scored in Team USA's 6-3 victory over Great Britain. Kreider's second-period score stood up as the game-winner, and he also posted an assist on the day.

Noah Hanifin (Boston College) and Ryan Suter (Wisconsin) had two assists apiece for the U.S., while Thatcher Demko (Boston College) made 23 saves in net and also assisted on Keller's tally. Brett Perlini (Michigan State) notched Great Britain's second goal.

The U.S. improved to 2-1-0-1 in the tournament, with three overall wins (including a shootout triumph) in four games. The Americans will next face Denmark on Saturday at Steel Arena.

Hutsko Headlines 2018 Boston College Draftees

Logan Hutsko (Boston College) was the lone current member of the BC men's hockey team to be drafted on Saturday at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas. The Florida native was chosen in the third round, 89th overall, by the Florida Panthers.

A former member of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Hutsko overcame both a neck fracture and a cracked kneecap prior to college to tally 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points as a freshman for the Eagles in 2017-18. He also helped BC to last season's Hockey East regular season title.

Incoming BC freshman Jack McBain, son of retired NHL player Andrew McBain, was the first choice of the third round, and went 63rd overall to the Minnesota Wild. The 6-foot-3 center recorded 21-37—58 points in 48 regular-season appearances last year with his hometown Toronto Junior Canadiens in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. On the first day of the draft on Friday, incoming BC forward Oliver Wahlstrom was selected 11th overall by the New York Islanders.

Two former Eagle defensemen were involved in trades over the weekend. On Saturday, Noah Hanifin was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Calgary Flames, in a deal that also involved former Calgary draft choice Adam Fox (Harvard) going to Carolina. Hanifin played just one year at BC, and helped the Eagles to the 2015 NCAA Tournament by notching five goals and 23 points in 37 outings. He has collected 18-65—83 points in three complete NHL seasons, all with the Hurricanes.

On Friday, two-time Stanley Cup champion Brooks Orpik was dealt from the Washington Capitals, whom he helped to their first-ever Cup earlier this month, to the Colorado Avalanche. A member of BC's 2001 NCAA championship team, Orpik notched 41 points and 324 penalty minutes in three seasons at the Heights, and has registered 185 points and 940 PIM in 14 full NHL campaigns.

BC Alumni Skate in Comm Ave Charity Classic; Hanifin Signs with Hurricanes

So far it’s been a busy hockey weekend concerning former Boston College players.

On Friday, the inaugural Comm Ave Charity Classic was held at Boston University’s Walter Brown Arena and raised $55,200 to benefit the Compassionate Care ALS Foundation.

The event was largely the brainchild of former BC players Pat Mullane and Andrew Orpik, and was held in honor of former BC football player Ron Perryman, BC baseball player Pete Frates, BC sports information director Dick Kelley and all those affected by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Current and former professional players from both BC and BU such as Johnny Gaudreau, Chris Kreider, Cory Schneider, Jay Pandolfo, and Charlie Coyle faced off on Commonwealth Avenue, along with NHL Hall of Famer Ray Bourque. Coyle tallied a hat trick in BU’s 7-5 victory.

In other news, former BC defenseman Brendan Buckley has accepted an assistant coaching job at the University of Connecticut. Buckley skated for the Eagles from 1995 to 1999, and then played eight seasons in the American Hockey League and four years in Europe.

Finally, Noah Hanifin, who started as a 17-year-old freshman at BC last season, will not return to Chestnut Hill after signing with the Carolina Hurricanes earlier today. Hanifin was the fifth overall selection, and the first blueliner, at the NHL Entry Draft last month in Florida. He tallied five goals and 23 points in 37 outings during the 2014-15 campaign.

Three College Players Drafted in Top Eight

A bit of history was made at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft in Sunrise, Fla. on Friday night, as three current NCAA players were selected among the first 10 picks for the first time ever.

As expected, Hobey Baker Award-winning forward Jack Eichel (Boston University) went second overall to the Buffalo Sabres. Noah Hanifin (Boston College), the first defenseman taken in this year’s draft, went fifth to the Carolina Hurricanes, while fellow blueliner Zach Werenski (Michigan) went eighth to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Eichel led the nation in scoring with 26 goals and 45 assists for 71 points during the 2014-15 NCAA campaign, and also helped the Terriers to the Beanpot and Hockey East tournament titles as well as a national runner-up finish. Hanifin tallied 5-18—23 points for the Eagles, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season, while Werenski led all Wolverine defensemen with 9-16—25 points.

All three also skated for the U.S squad that finished in fifth place at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship in Canada.