# 2020–21 Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Boston University Terriers Men's ice hockey season was the 99th season of play for the program and the 37th season in the Hockey East conference. The Terriers represented Boston University and were coached by Albie O'Connell, in his 3rd season.

## Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Boston University's players would lose a season of play. However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.
Due to COVID-19, the start to BU's season was delayed until even later than most schools. The Terriers weren't able to play their first game until January 8, but once they did make it onto the ice, Boston University performed very well. The Terriers won 9 out of 11 games and shot up the Hockey East standings despite playing much fewer games than their colleagues. As the team progressed BU was also hit by the injury bug. Ty Amonte, who missed the entire previous season due to an injury, was lost after just 2 games. During the season two of the team's top players, Drew Commesso and David Farrance, both were lost for several games but BU continued to find a way to win.
Further cancellations and delays limited the team to just 14 games in the regular season. In spite of their limited schedule, BU finished the season second place in Hockey East and was ranked in the middle of the top-20. The program was all but guaranteed a berth into the NCAA Tournament with their 10–3–1 record, which proved fortunate as the team lost its opening game in the conference quarterfinals. The Terriers were rather lackluster in the playoff match, recording just 17 shots on goal for the game and losing 1–2.
As predicted, Boston University was selected for the tournament. They were given the 3-seed in the Northeast region and set to face St. Cloud State in the opening round. BU managed to kill off a 5-minute major in the first period to keep the game scoreless and then opened the second with a goal after just 8 seconds. The Huskies responded with two goals in rapid succession but Boston University tied the game less than two minutes later. St. Cloud got a second lead before the period was out and the two entered the final frame with both still very much in contention. Despite a push by the Terriers, the team was unable to get any of their 16 shots into the net while St. Cloud State scored three more times and ended with a 6–2 victory over BU.
John Copeland sat out the season.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Hugo Blixt | Defenseman | Sweden | Transferred to Colorado College |
| Alex Brink | Forward | United States | Graduation |
| Gabe Chabot | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Rapid City Rush) |
| Cam Crotty | Defenseman | Canada | Signed professional contract (Arizona Coyotes) |
| Patrick Curry | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Grand Rapids Griffins) |
| Patrick Harper | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Nashville Predators) |
| Kasper Kotkansalo | Defenseman | Finland | Signed professional contract (Ässät) |
| Nico Lynch | Goaltender | United States | Graduation |
| Vinnie Purpura | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Long Island |
| Sam Tucker | Goaltender | United States | Graduation |
| Trevor Zegras | Forward | United States | Signed professional contract (Anaheim Ducks) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Joseph Campolieto | Defenseman | United States | 22 | Eynon, PA; transfer from Union |
| Drew Commesso | Goaltender | United States | 18 | Norwell, MA; selected 46th overall in 2020 |
| Vincent Duplessis | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Quebec City, QC |
| Thomas Jarman | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Max Kaufman | Forward | United States | 24 | Pittsford, NY; graduate transfer from Vermont |
| Jay O'Brien | Forward | United States | 19 | Hingham, MA; transfer from Providence; selected 19th overall in 2018 |
| Dylan Peterson | Forward | United States | 18 | Roseville, CA; selected 86th overall in 2020 |
| Luke Tuch | Forward | United States | 18 | Baldwinsville, NY; selected 47th overall in 2020 |
| Cade Webber | Defenseman | United States | 18 | Meadville, PA; selected 99th overall in 2019 |
| Nick Zabaneh | Forward | Canada | 19 | Toronto, ON |

## Roster

As of February 12, 2021.

## Standings

2020–21 Hockey East Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SOW | HEPI | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #6 Boston College | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 58.61 | 82 | 46 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 91 | 58 |
| #11 Boston University | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 56.36 | 49 | 37 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 52 | 45 |
| #1 Massachusetts * | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 55.44 | 76 | 42 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 103 | 48 |
| Connecticut | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 52.01 | 69 | 63 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 70 | 69 |
| #16 Providence | 23 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.80 | 63 | 61 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 71 | 67 |
| Northeastern | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 49.94 | 68 | 60 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 69 | 64 |
| #19 Massachusetts–Lowell | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48.00 | 46 | 53 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 59 | 63 |
| Maine | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 46.66 | 41 | 61 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 68 |
| Merrimack | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45.38 | 47 | 66 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 66 |
| New Hampshire | 21 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 43.66 | 51 | 83 | 23 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 60 | 88 |
| Vermont | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.02 | 17 | 37 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 42 |
| Championship: March 20, 2021 No Regular Season Champion Awarded * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and Results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular season ||||||||||
| January 8 | 6:00 PM | vs. #16 Providence | | Walter Brown Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Commesso | L 3–7 | 0 | 0–1–0 (0–1–0) |
| January 9 | 7:00 PM | at #16 Providence | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Commesso | W 6–4 | 0 | 1–1–0 (1–1–0) |
| January 17 | 3:30 PM | at #8 Massachusetts | | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | NESN | Commesso | W 4–2 | 0 | 2–1–0 (2–1–0) |
| January 18 | 3:05 PM | vs. #8 Massachusetts | | Walter Brown Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Commesso | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 0 | 3–1–0 (3–1–0) |
| January 22 | 3:35 PM | vs. Maine | | Walter Brown Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Commesso | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 0 | 4–1–0 (4–1–0) |
| January 23 | 1:05 PM | vs. Maine | | Walter Brown Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Commesso | W 5–1 | 0 | 5–1–0 (5–1–0) |
| February 5 | 7:00 PM | at #1 Boston College | #15 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Abel | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 0 | 5–2–0 (5–2–0) |
| February 6 | 7:05 PM | vs. #1 Boston College | #15 | Walter Brown Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Duplessis | W 3–1 | 0 | 6–2–0 (6–2–0) |
| February 12 | 6:00 PM | at Vermont | #13 | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | | Duplessis | W 1–0 | 0 | 7–2–0 (7–2–0) |
| February 13 | 6:00 PM | at Vermont | #13 | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | | Duplessis | W 5–1 | 0 | 8–2–0 (8–2–0) |
| February 20 | 4:00 PM | at Connecticut | #11 | Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | | Duplessis | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 0 | 9–2–0 (9–2–0) |
| February 26 | 4:05 PM | vs. Merrimack | #8 | Walter Brown Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Duplessis | L 2–5 | 0 | 9–3–0 (9–3–0) |
| February 27 | 4:05 PM | at Merrimack | #8 | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | | Commesso | W 4–2 | 0 | 10–3–0 (10–3–0) |
| March 6 | 3:00 PM | at Massachusetts–Lowell | #10 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Commesso | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 0 | 10–3–1 (10–3–1) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 14 | 1:05 PM | vs. Massachusetts–Lowell* | #9 | Walter Brown Arena • Boston, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | NESN+ | Commesso | L 1–2 | 0 | 10–4–1 |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 27 | 1:00 PM | vs. #7 St. Cloud State* | #10 | Times Union Center • Albany, New York (Regional semifinal) | ESPNews | Commesso | L 2–6 | 1,136 | 10–5–1 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Jay O'Brien | C | 16 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 8 |
| David Farrance | D | 11 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 4 |
| Luke Tuch | LW | 16 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 12 |
| Logan Cockerill | LW/RW | 12 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 |
| Wilmer Skoog | C | 14 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| Robert Mastrosimone | C/LW | 15 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Alex Vlasic | F | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| Domenick Fensore | D | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 16 |
| Max Kaufman | F | 15 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 |
| Nick Zabaneh | F | 16 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| Dylan Peterson | C | 16 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 25 |
| Markus Boguslavsky | RW | 15 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Matthew Quercia | F | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Jack DeBoer | C | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Jamie Armstrong | LW | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Ty Amonte | RW | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Jake Wise | C | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Case McCarthy | D | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Sam Stevens | F | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cade Webber | D | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
| Thomas Jarman | D | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Sean Driscoll | D | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ethan Phillips | C/RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashton Abel | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vinny Duplessis | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Witkowski | F | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Drew Commesso | G | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joseph Campolieto | D | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| Total | | | 52 | 81 | 133 | 174 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Vinny Duplessis | 5 | 253 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 107 | 1 | .939 | 1.66 |
| Drew Commesso | 11 | 641 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 32 | 346 | 0 | .915 | 2.99 |
| Ashton Abel | 2 | 77 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 38 | 0 | .884 | 3.89 |
| Empty Net | - | 23 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 16 | 974 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 491 | 1 | .916 | 2.77 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | 20 | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | - | 11 |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| David Farrance | AHCA East First Team All-American |
| David Farrance | Hockey East First Team |
| Drew Commesso | Hockey East Rookie Team |
| Luke Tuch | Hockey East Rookie Team |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2021 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 1 | 10 | Tyler Boucher$^†$ | Ottawa Senators |
| 6 | 186 | Shane Lachance$^†$ | Edmonton Oilers |
| 7 | 217 | Ty Gallagher$^†$ | Boston Bruins |
† incoming freshman