Every year it feels like there is at least one very good college hockey team that comes out of Massachusetts. Over the past few years, teams like Boston College and Boston University have dominated as they both made the Frozen Four but both came up just short. Boston University lost to Denver University in the semi-finals by a score of 2-1 and then Denver went on to beat the #1 seed, Boston College, by a score of 2-0.
There are many teams in Massachusetts and many are in the same league. Some of these leagues are the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA), Hockey East, or the New England Small College Athletic Conference (Nescac). Nescac is NCAA DIII but is extremely competitive. By far the hardest league has to be the Hockey East with eleven elite teams all across New England.
As of November 25th, four Massachusetts teams are ranked in the top 20 including Boston College (2), Boston University (11), Umass Lowell (15), and Harvard (20). Boston College and Boston University have been considered a powerhouse program over the last few years.
Boston College is led by Gabe Perrault, Ryan Leonard, and James Hagens. Leonard and Perrault were drafted last year as the Washington Capitals took Leonard 9th overall while the New York Rangers took Perrault with the 23rd overall pick. But, standout James Hagens is a freshman this year and he’s projected to be the 1st overall pick this year in the 2025 NHL entry draft. Boston College has 12 players that have been drafted to the NHL and will look to continue their success this year.
On the other hand, rival school, Boston University is also stacked. They’re led by Shane Lachance, Cole Eiserman, and Quinn Hutson. Shane Lachance was taken in the 6th round (186th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers while Quinn Hutson went shockingly undrafted but recently got invited to the Toronto Maples Leafs training camp this past summer. These teams are very similar, they have 13 current players drafted in the NHL, but they also have a standout freshman of their own in Cole Eiserman who was taken 20th overall in this years past draft by the New York Islanders.
These teams are by far the best two teams in Boston, each team is very well coached and has a ridiculous amount of talent. Jay Pandolfo, the head coach of Boston University is one of the best coaches in the country with his defensive minded perspective. He has NHL experience as he played 15 years for a variety of teams. Pandolfo is from Winchester, Massachusetts but attended Burlington High School before going on to play at Boston University. Greg Brown is the head coach of Boston College who played at Boston College and bounced around in professional hockey leagues for years. Brown has had decades of playing and coaching experience and his special teams expertise is why he’s such an impactful coach.
Each team in college hocky aspires to win the national championship, but only one team can win. It’s considered the last ride for some players that’ll most likely go onto the NHL after this year. Boston College has more experience and depth and that’s why I believe the Eagles will be the best team in Massachusetts this year and eventually go on to win the National Championship.