After two losses – 5-4 in overtime and 8-5 – at Maine last weekend, in which the Terriers allowed 13 goals, questions about their legitimacy surfaced like never before.
As a result, BU (3-5-1, 1-3 Hockey East) dropped seven spots in the USCHO poll to No. 12. Conversely, the Black Bears jumped six spots to No. 6.
Offense has never been an issue for the Terriers under head coach Jay Pandolfo. BU scores 3.7 goals per game and spends 27 percent of its time on the power play. Once again, it’s the team defense that’s the problem, and the numbers are ugly.
“The message to the team is that we have to keep the puck out of our net. That’s the most important thing for our group,” Pandolfo said in his weekly media call.
The Terriers have allowed 27 goals at even strength, which is tied for second in the country. BU allows four goals per game, which, among all non-Ivy League teams, ranks seventh.
“That’s not a good recipe for winning hockey. So it’s something we have to get better at,” he added.
This weekend’s series against Merrimack is a chance to get even for the Terriers. Not the Warriors ranked, breaking BU’s streak of six consecutive games against ranked opponents.
An update on Cole Eiserman’s health
Pandolfo said the second-year assistant captain will not play again this weekend, marking his third and fourth consecutive missed games. Despite being ruled out, Eiserman is doing “very well,” he added.
He is expected to return to training next week, but Pandolfo said: “They don’t want to put too much pressure on it.”
Eiserman still leads the Terriers with six goals, while no other player has more than three. Still, BU had no trouble finding the back of the net without him against Maine, scoring nine goals in two games.
The Terriers miss Eiserman’s improving two-way play. Not that BU’s team defense was noticeably better with Eiserman, but missing one of its best players doesn’t help.
Brandon Svoboda and Ben Merrill stand out
Svoboda, a sophomore, and Merrill, a freshman, played next to each other on the third line last weekend. In Saturday’s loss, Svoboda recorded four points (two goals, two assists). Merrill scored in both games and added an assist on Saturday.
“I really like the way he plays,” Pandolfo said of Svoboda. “He and Ben Merrill together have found some chemistry. When you look at the way they play, those two actually play with an identity.”
They both play with speed and use their size and length to their advantage. They do all the little things that Pandolfo continually emphasizes: getting the pucks deep, getting dirty in the corners and getting to the net.
Pandolfo admitted there weren’t high expectations for Merrill to start the season since he was a late addition to the roster, but he “really liked” what he’s seen from him.
Exploring the warriors
Six games into the 2025-26 season, Merrimack is 3-3 and 2-2 in Hockey East. The Warriors are coming off a quality win after beating Quinnipiac 4-1 on Oct. 24, only to lose to LIU 5-2 the next day.
Freshman forward Parker Lalonde leads Merrimack with five goals and an assist. Sophomore forward Trevor Hoskin added two goals and four assists. They are the Warriors’ only point-per-game players.
It will likely be junior Max Lundgren between the pipes for Merrimack. He has started every game so far and has been excellent, with a save percentage of .933. Lundgren faced BU three times last season. He stopped 67 of the 76 shots he faced.
Pandolfo on the Warriors: “Merrimack is playing hard, they’re predicting really well. It seems like they’re a bigger, tougher team, so they’ll be physical, just like everyone else has been against us.”
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