By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
The 2025-26 Colleg Hockey season opened with a bang over the weekend, with hihgly anticipated freshmen debuts, ranked matchups, and upsets across the country. The Boston Bruins took center stage on Friday night, boasting seven draft picks in the first big matchup of the season between Boston College and Quinnipiac.
James Hagens logged his first point as a Bruins prospect and William Moore landed on the scoresheet with his first career point, but it was the Bobcats who stole the show. However, they weren’t the only ones hitting the ice, and there’s a few others who deserve some love as well:
Chris Pelosi (C) – Quinnipiac – Pelosi flashed a little bit of everything Bruins fans will love about him during the Bobcats’ 4-3 win over BC on Chestnut Hill. Centering Quinnipiac’s second line, Pelosi was one of their most heavily deployed forwards of the night. He won a game-high 11 faceoffs, skated on both sides of special teams, and got into the mix after seemingly every whistle. His goal midway through the second period proved to be the eventual game-winner, a classic playoff-style crash-the-net goal that he’s developed a reputation for.
Beckett Hendrickson (LW) – Minnesota – Hendrickson only recorded a single multi-point game in his freshman year with the Golden Gophers. He matched that number on the first night of his sophomore campaign. Skating on the third-line wing, Hendrickson assisted on a go-ahead goal early in the second period, then iced the game with an empty-netter. His 16:06 of ice time also marked the second-highest total of his career.
Casper Nassen – (LW) – Miami (OH) – Nassen and the RedHawks have started the season on fire, with the Swede contributing a goal and two assists towards their opening weekend sweep over Ferris St. Nassen recorded primary assists on the first goal of each game, the second of which came after just 16 seconds of play. Despite starting the season on the third line wing, Nassen remains very much involved on Miami’s power play and should see regular scoring opportunities on the man advantage. Dating back to the end of the last season, Nassen has points in four of his past five games.
Andre Gasseau – (C/W) – Boston College – BC’s co-captain led the way on opening night against Quinnipiac, assisting on all three of the Eagles’ goals. Two of Gasseau’s assists came on the power play, and he was one of BC’s top penalty killers as well. Despite being a natural Center, Gasseau slotted into the second-line right wing role in an all-Bruins line with Moore and Oskar Jellvik. His versatility will be a key attribute to watch moving forward as he’s shown he can play up and down the lineup and across the ice in different forward positions.
Looking Ahead: Exhibition games are over, and the season is in full swing. The BC six will get a head start by hitting the road for Minnesota to take on Hendrickson and the Golden Gophers on Thursday and Friday night. Pelosi and Elliott Groenewold will also be traveling to participate in the Ice Breaker Tournament in Tempe, Arizona. They’ll face off against Alaska on Friday, then either Notre Dame or Arizona State on Saturday.
Will Zellers and North Dakota get their season underway with two games against St Thomas on Friday and Sunday. Cole Spicer and the reigning National Champion Western Michigan Broncos have a home-and-home with Ferris State. Casper Nassen and Miami will look to keep rolling, heading to upstate New York to face RPI.
Closer to home, Jonathan Morello and the Boston University Terriers will host Colgate at Agganis Arena for the weekend. Philip Svedeback and the Friars welcome Michigan to Providence for a pair.
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