Photo by Rich Gagnon

Cause #1. 29 Drew Commesso is no sieve. Commesso competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the youngest starting goaltender in United States history. In his debut against China, he earned a shutout while recording 29 saves. We know China, and Michigan is no China. This guy could get hot, however, and that would suck.

Photo by Patrick Donnelly

Cause #2. 18 Jay O'Brien comes from the British Columbia Hockey League, where he played across from Kent Johnson in early Covid. He's new to Boston U, by way of Providence, and plays with spirit (he has been reported to trash talk.) His words are backed up with a ton of talent.

Photo by Patrick Donnelly

Cause #3. 11 Luke Tuch has a big, strong frame (6'2 210) and a wicked smaht shot. He is a second-round pick of MTL whose brother plays for the Sabres. He has come up big in big games vs. Boston College and could be a force.

Photo by Kyle Prudhomme

Cause #4. 23 Domenick Fensore, The Senior Captain - played in all games last season, when he led the team in assists and points.

Photo by Matt Woolverton

Cause #5. 17 Quinn Hutson (not to be confused with Lane) has a hat trick incoming, and a pawsitive (for a Terrier) look at Michigan in his post-game presser. He, and his brother Lane, are freshmen with promise, and he has no allusions—a humble heap of concern for Michigan.

 

 

Photo by Rich Gagnon

Cause #6. 32 Wilmer Skoog, another big Senior, is the incoming goal leader from last year for Boston. He hails from the east coast town of Tyresö, Sweden (a six-hour slog from Portillo's west coast home of Gothenburg, Sweden.) I like our Swede, but this one could be trouble.

It's been a while since I posted a Diary, but I am all in for Coach Naurato's inaugural team. Boston has their own first-year coach, who has seen some professional ice time and a storied BU career. This is lifted from the BU site...

Cause #7 Coach Jay Pandolfo

Drafted by the New Jersey Devils as the 32nd overall pick in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Pandolfo played 899 NHL games with New Jersey, the New York Islanders and Boston and had career NHL totals of 100 goals, 126 assists and 226 points. He won two Stanley Cup championships with the Devils in 2000 and 2003 and formally retired as a player in January 2014 after playing his last season with Boston in 2012-13.

Pandolfo was a standout for the Terriers during his four-year collegiate career, totaling 169 points (79g, 90a). He was runner-up for the 1996 Hobey Baker Award after recording 67 points (38g, 29a) and was an instrumental part of the Terriers' 1995 national championship while helping lead the Terriers to four straight Frozen Fours, two Beanpot titles and two Hockey East championships.

Pandolfo knows what it means and takes to win. This will be a beautiful bookend pair of games (Friday/Sunday) to surround the Penn State game that could give tremors of what is to come for Michigan. Michigan is looking great. It would have been nice to have seen Nazar already, but I like the work so far, and nobody has it better than us! (Though Boston University has it pretty good.) Go Blue!