Owen Kitzan – Contributor

The BU men’s hockey team recently got the wheels going again, playing their first games of 2026. The team took on Paul Smiths, a small college in upstate New York with only roughly seven-hundred total students. The team invited the Bobcats, their first ever AAU opponent in 2021, down to Lennoxville on Jan. 17 and 18 for an in-conference showdown.

Heading into the weekend matchup, BU found themselves in a great spot with a record of 10-1-0, good for first in the AAU heading into the Christmas break. Adding that on to a spotless record against the Bobcats over the last five years helped the BU side come out with a confidence and competitive level that Paul Smiths would always have trouble matching.

Game one of the two game series took place on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. From the moment both teams took to the ice for warm up, you could tell that while normally Bobcats are the hunters, this weekend, they were the Gaiters prey. From the opening puck drop, the team dominated, not allowing a single goal throughout the sixty minute contest. While Antimmes Leudieres backstopped the team to a shutout, on the offensive side the team was no slouch either managing to put six goals past the red hot Paul Smiths goaltender. 

With a 6-0 win freshly under their belts, the BU side held their senior game the following afternoon to honour the students graduating from the roster in what would be their final home game of the season. Captain Joe Aubert, assistant captain Jack McGowan, assistant captain Marc Lagacé and goaltender Jack MacFarland all got presented with a token of appreciation from the team and recognition from their peers pre game who came out to support. MacFarland got the start in net for the team, giving a great performance in net where he only allowed two goals. On the offensive end the team found its groove once again, scoring seven goals on the Bobcats throughout the affair. Jack McGowan scored a beautiful goal in his last ever home game in front of members of his family, a memory they will all cherish for a long time to come.

Image courtesy of Dave Mcgowan

With the team moving up to 12-1-0 on the season, they have put themselves in prime position when it comes to making and competing in the national tournament held this March in Jacksonville, Florida. They still have one road trip remaining with three games on the slate before then where they will look to solidify their spot as the top dog heading to the tournament. Stay tuned for updates and links for streams to be able to continue cheering them on despite the home schedule being completed for the year!