Boston teams look poised to dominate NCAA hockey tournament

BOSTON -- The NCAA basketball tournament is about to take over Boston, but a couple of local college hockey teams are getting ready to take over their version of March Madness. It seems inevitable that the top-seeded Boston College Eagles and the two-seeded Boston University Terriers are heading toward another showdown in the NCAA title game.

It's a long ways away, but should that matchup happen, it would be the fifth time that BC and BU face off this season. The Eagles own a 3-1 edge over the Terriers in this year's Battle of Comm. Ave, outscoring their local rival 17-10. Their latest matchup wasn't very close, as Boston College cruised to a 6-2 victory over BU in the Hockey East title game on Saturday.

Both schools have won five NCAA crowns, and both would love to make it six on April 13 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. But they have to win two more games to reach that point, with the puck dropping on the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

(3) Denver vs. UMass: Thursday, 2pm at Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA

BC and BU aren't the only local teams in the mix. The UMass Minutemen are back in the tournament after missing out on the fun last season. UMass earned one of the final spots in the bracket after a 20-13-3 season, and is considered the host team in Springfield.

The Minutemen are a very balanced team, touting seven different players with 20 or more points. Junior defenseman Scott Morrow led the charge with 30 points (6 goals, 24 assists) while fellow blueliner Ryan Ufko is a Walter Brown Award semifinalist after recording 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) over his 36 games. Freshman forwards Jack Musa (29 points) and Aydar Suniev (25 points) both scored 12 goals to tie for the team lead.

It didn't go very well for UMass their last time out, as they were crushed by Boston College, 8-1, in the Hockey East semifinals. They'll be hoping for a much better showing Thursday afternoon, but are facing a tough Denver squad that went 28-9-3 and is the top team in the region. The Pioneers are coming off a 4-1 win over Omaha to claim the NCHC Tournament, and are going for their 10th NCAA title.

If the Minutemen can pull off an upset, they'd move on to face the winner of Maine-Cornell.

(2) BU vs. RIT: Thursday, 5pm at Denny Samford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, SD 

The Terriers are ranked second overall heading into the tournament after going 26-9-2 during the season. Boston University is coming off a loss, falling 6-2 to Boston College in the Hockey East title game on Saturday.

BU has an absolute stud on its roster in Macklin Celebrini, who is likely going to be the first player called at the 2024 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old tallied 59 points in just 35 games for the Terriers, scoring 31 goals while dishing out 28 assists. He is the total package.

After Celebrini, sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson leads the rest of the Terriers with 46 points (13 goals and a team-best 33 assists) followed by sophomore forward Jeremy Wilmer with 36 points (6 goals, 30 assists). Sophomore forward Quinn Hutson -- Lane's older brother -- was second on the team with 17 goals.  

Junior Mathieu Caron has held things down in net for BU, with a .916 save percentage and 2.33 GAA for the season.

The Terriers have to play in South Dakota because UMass is considered the host team in Springfield, but head coach Jay Pandolfo said the team is embracing their unusual travel requirements for the tournament. He believes the trip will bring the team closer as they try to punch their ticket to the Frozen Four for a second straight season.

Thursday will be the first-ever matchup between BU and RIT. The Tigers went 27-10-2 and earned an automatic bid with their win over American International in the Atlantic Hockey Championship game last weekend.

The winner of this matchup will play the winner of Minnesota-Omaha.

(1) Boston College vs. Michigan Tech: Friday, 2pm at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, RI

Boston College is the top seed in the tournament after a 31-5-1 season and a Hockey East title. And the Eagles have an absolutely stacked roster that could potentially give some NHL teams a run for their money.

That's because BC's entire top line is heading to the league, led by sophomore forward Cutter Gauthier. He led all of college hockey with 32 goals over 35 games for the Eagles.

Boston College also got some ridiculous production from the freshman trio of Will Smith (who led the team with 67 points), Gabe Perreault (57 points), and Ryan Leonard (54 points). Smith, a Lexington native, tallied four of Boston College's six goals in Saturday's win over Boston University.

All three already have homes in the NHL after being taken in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Smith was taken fourth overall by San Jose, Leonard was drafted a few picks later at eighth overall by Washington, and Perreault was drafted with the 23rd overall pick by the New York Rangers. 

In net, the Eagles are anchored by freshman Jacob Fowler, who has a 2.19 GAA, a .925 save percentage, and a pair of shutouts on the year.

The Michigan Tech Huskies are in the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year after going 19-14-6 and earning the CCHA's automatic bid with a 2-1 win over Bemidji State in the conference's title game on Saturday.

Friday's winner will advance and face the winner of the Quinnipiac-Wisconsin matchup.