The first weekend of the college hockey season was a light one across the landscape, but two Hockey East teams were rushed right into league play.
Connecticut went into Burlington and swept host Vermont in a two-game series at the Gutterson Fieldhouse. Mike Cavanaugh’s (North Andover, Mass.) Huskies returned to Storrs with six points thanks to 4-1 and 3-1 wins on the road.
The two contests weren’t just the debut for both teams in 2022-23, they also marked the first collegiate games for UConn freshman Matthew Wood, the youngest player in college hockey. The big right winger from Nanaimo, British Columbia, scored a power play goal in each of his first two games and added an assist Sunday. A three-point weekend against a league foe certainly quelled any doubt that the 17 year-old would be too young to have an impact in college hockey.
Once the competition picks up, Wood will certainly have to continue adapting to the pace, size and physicality of college hockey. It’s not far fetched to assume his success on the power play this weekend is a foreshadowing of what’s to come. He’ll have more time and space up a man than he will at even strength.
One of his goals was a wrist shot right under the bar and the other came on a nice one-timer from the left wing circle. He’s got the size and pro release to score a lot of goals on the power play in his freshman season for the Huskies.
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Wood wasn’t the only Husky to have a big weekend on a notable stage. Senior defenseman Andrew Lucas, who transferred to UConn from UVM this offseason, had four assists in two games against his old club. Dating back to when I first saw Lucas with Loomis Chaffee, his mobility and puck-moving skills have been evident. He could be a big-time difference-maker for the Huskies this season.
Terrier freshmen spark offense
Boston University got off to a 1-0 start in the Jay Pandolfo (Burlington, Mass.) era with an 8-2 thumping of Bentley on Saturday night at Agganis Arena. The much talked about freshman class was terrific and a big part of the offensive explosion.
“I can’t say enough how the freshmen showed up tonight. They’ve been like that since day one when practice started. It was fun to see,” said Pandolfo, who took over for the fired Albie O’Connell (Watertown, Mass.) this offseason.
BU freshmen had a hand in six of the eight goals scored. Center Ryan Greene had two goals and an assist, left wing Jeremy Wilmer had a goal and two assists, defenseman Lane Hutson had three assists and his brother, right wing Quinn Hutson, had a goal and an assist.
Lane’s vision in the offensive zone was on full display. He’s on the smaller side, but his ability to read plays and hit teammates with perfect tape-to-tape passes is uncanny. He’s going to be an immediate impact player in this league. Greene is a cerebral, two-way center with skill and hockey sense. Wilmer’s vision and skill will shine through, especially on a line with Greene.
According to Pandolfo in the postgame press conference, the two of them have been on a line since the beginning of camp and their chemistry together was evident from the start.
The level of competition will take a step up in the future, but there is plenty of talent for Pandolfo to have a successful first season as head coach at his alma mater.
Duran shows he’s primed for breakout season
Providence College played a pair of exhibition games against Western Ontario and Quinnipiac over the weekend. While neither game counts toward the Pairwise Rankings or as far official stats go, it was a good start to the season for sophomore right wing Riley Duran (Woburn, Mass.).
The 2020 sixth-round selection of the Boston Bruins scored two goals and added an assist. He’s always had the size, skating ability and strength to play a north-south, power forward brand of hockey. He’s continuing to get stronger, playing with more urgency on a consistent basis and bringing that physical element to each shift.
He’s not the flashiest player in the Bruins’ organizational depth chart, but his skill set translates well to pro hockey, most likely as a third or fourth line wing who can chip in offensively. Providence head coach Nate Leaman is a perfect fit for Duran, as I’ve said ever since the latter was at Lawrence Academy. As long as the Bruins show patience with Duran and let him develop for at least another two full seasons at PC, the future is bright for the big right wing.
