By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
It was a weekend to remember for the Boston Bruins prospects in college hockey. Eight different players hit the scoresheet over the course of a loaded slate of ranked battles and nonconference matchups, and four of them scored their first career goals. With the last games wrapping up late on Sunday, who stood out the most?
Dean Letourneau (C) – Boston College – Our long national nightmare is over. Dean Letourneau has found the back of the net. The big man picked a great time to score his first college hockey goal, scoring the equalizer with less than five minutes to play on Friday night in Minnesota. The goal capped off a strong weekend series for himself and the Eagles, as they left Minnesota with four out of six points, and Letourneau recorded two of his own. The series could prove to be the spark to give him the confidence he needed to take the next step.
Will Moore (C/LW) – Boston College – Letourneau wasn’t the only Eagle to score his first collegiate goal over the weekend. Moore cashed in with the eventual game winner on Thursday night, tipping home Nolan Joyce’s wrist shot from just outside the crease. He’s looked comfortable so far on the Eagles’ second line with Andre Gasseau, trading the Center and Wing spots with his captain as Oskar Jellvik missed the weekend with an injury.
Jonathan Morello (C) – Boston University – Just like his Comm Ave rivals, Jonathan Morello also hit the scoreboard for the first time, stashing home an empty netter to cap off the Terriers’ 6-2 win over Colgate on Friday night. Morello added an assist earlier in the game and another one on Saturday. Despite being slotted into the fourth-line center role, Morello has seen his ice time increase in every game so far this season, including skating on the penalty kill.
Will Zellers (RW) – North Dakota – Zellers was the last of the bunch to score his first goal, finding the back of the net in a 5-2 romp over St Thomas on Sunday evening. His goal came right off the heels of his first collegiate point, having just set up Ellis Rickwood on the power play for the eventual game-winning goal two minutes earlier. The trio of Zellers, Rickwood, and Dylan James should be one of the more entertaining lines to watch in the country this year.
James Hagens (C) – Boston College – Hagens logged an assist in both games against Minnesota and had a goal called back for offside. The Eagles have leaned on him heavily through an early mini-gauntlet of ranked opposition; he leads all forwards in time on ice and is tied for the lead in scoring. Hagens should start building beyond his career point-per-game average as BC settles into the season after being battle-tested to start.
Looking Ahead: Hagens, Moore, Letourneau, and the rest of the BC Bruins stay on the road for a one-off Friday night game against RPI. As the Eagles head home, Philip Svedeback and the Providence Friars will make their way to upstate New York and take on the Engineers on Saturday. Morello and the newly crowned #1 BU Terriers host third-ranked Michigan State for a heavyweight weekend matchup at Agganis Arena.
Chris Pelosi and Elliott Groenewold play host to seventh-ranked Maine in the return series after traveling to Orono last year. Ryan Walsh and Mason Langenbrunner both have exhibition games on tap this weekend to get warmed up for their season openers. Cornell hosts the Czech University Selects on Friday night, while Harvard heads across the river to play Northeastern on Saturday.
Zellers and Beckett Hendrickson will go head-to-head in one of the biggest rivalries in all of college hockey, as eighth-ranked North Dakota hosts 13th-ranked Minnesota at The Ralph on Friday and Saturday. Cole Spicer and Western Michigan journey east to take on UMass-Lowell, though Spicer is yet to dress for the Broncos.
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