Owen Kitzan – Sports Editor

The BU Club Hockey team recently capped off their regular season with a road trip to Boston. Looking to remain in first place heading into nationals, the team was faced with Anna Maria, Stonehill and Quincy looking to knock them down and find a weakness in this BU side before the tournament.

Image courtesy of Nick Gilroy

Game one had Anna Maria College on the slate in an important matchup with them nipping at BU’s heels at second in the conference. Rookie netminder Nicolas Hallé-Tanco got the start in net for the crucial game, which proved to be an excellent choice. The game remained deadlocked through two periods, with either side scoring a goal a piece with BU getting one from senior forward and assistant captain Marc Lagacé. In the third period, Bishop’s would put the game to rest with goals from Léandre Jodoin and Sandro Lapietra. 

Following the big one to widen their margin over first place, the team then turned their heads towards Stonehill College, a team that features the number one scorer in the AAU this year. Antimmes Leudières started in between the pipes for Bishop’s in what would prove to be a much more offensive game from both sides than the day prior. The first period saw the teams knotted up at one goal each as Fred Grenon would find the back of the net. In the second period, both teams traded blows once again, with Jayme Beaufils and Austin Hallisey scoring to keep it tied at three-three. Three goals to start the period for Bishop’s proved to be too much for Stonehill to recover from, including a goal from Samuel Marchand and two goals from Jack Knox, the second of which was the game-winner as Bishop’s took down Stonehill six-five.

Their final game of the regular season and the weekend was against Quincy College, a school in Massachusetts. This time, Jack MacFarland would be in the net for BU, the third goalie in as many games. Similar to the first two games, a Samuel Marchand goal would help keep the team tied at one-one through one period of play. The second period was all Bishop’s though, as Marc Lagacé, Léandre Jodoin and Jordan Waite would all score, as well as Callum Aus who scored his first college goal to put the team up five-two. In the third period, Léandre Jodoin and Vincent Dionne matched goals with Quincy to secure the seven-four victory as well as a first place seeding at nationals.

The BU Club Hockey team is heading to Jacksonville, Florida, for the national tournament from Mar. 6-17. They are the only Canadian team in AAU history to hold first place heading into nationals, a huge honour for the team as they now strive towards the ultimate goal of winning a title. Make sure to cheer the team on and pay attention to their Instagram for updates and links to streams. Good luck to the BU Club Hockey team!