Welcome to the first Puck Drop of the semester, where today, I plan to convince you to watch college hockey.
The reason why is pretty simple.
As we reach the middle of the season for multiple winter sports including the NHL, the NBA and more, we as fans struggle to keep engaged with some of these matchups. However, college hockey is in the most exciting part of its season; right before the playoffs.
As fans, we are lucky enough to be in an era of college hockey where we see the superstars of tomorrow shine tonight.
Let’s get into highlighting some of the upcoming tournaments, up-and-coming players and teams to keep an eye on as the season winds down.
The Beanpot
Every year Boston’s college hockey programs – Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University and Harvard – face off at TD Garden for the annual Beanpot tournament.
It is set to kick-off next Monday, Feb. 3, with Boston University and Harvard kicking off the preliminary games at 5 p.m. and then Northeastern and Boston College will faceoff at 8 p.m. The winners of both games will then head to the championship game on Feb. 10 which is scheduled for a puck drop of 7:30 p.m.
With half of these teams ranked in the top 10 of the teams in the nation (Boston College and Boston University), this tournament is truly the backbone of men’s collegiate hockey.
The Boston College Eagles are led by sophomores Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault, who have just recently returned from winning gold at the World Juniors Championships in Ottawa. As back-to-back champions, these two forwards were part of the first team in USA hockey history to accomplish this type of feat.
Leonard, a Massachusetts native, currently has 19 goals and seven assists this season. In addition to being a primary goal scorer for his squad, he is also known to play a very aggressive, gritty game.
Leonard and Perrault were both drafted in the 2023 NHL draft with Leonard going eighth overall to the Washington Capitals and Perrault going 23rd overall to the New York Rangers.
With their former teammate Will Smith choosing to try his hand playing in the National Hockey League ahead of his sophomore campaign, fans should expect the same from Leonard and Perrault at the end of this season.
With such generational talent at your fingertips, this is the time to watch the Beanpot, to see future NHLers take the ice.
No. 9 ranked UConn Men’s Hockey
The UConn Men’s Hockey teams’ 2024-25 campaign is as good of a Cinderella story that I’ve ever heard. The Huskies are led by forward Joey Muldowney, who has notched a total of 23 points in his sophomore campaign.
The Buffalo, N.Y., native’s breakout game of the year was against Maine on Jan. 17, where he notched all four of Connecticut’s goals in their 4-2 win.
Despite a rough stint for the squad in late December, where they lost in the Championship round of the Kwik Trip Holiday faceoff against Wisconsin, it has only been success for the squad from there.
Just last weekend, the squad won their first CT Ice tournament championship after notching wins against Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart on the weekend.
With the new USCHO polls released this week, the Huskies are ranked at No. 9, in between their fellow Hockey East foes UMass Lowell and Boston University.
Connecticut is set to face off against No. 7 Providence this weekend in Hartford. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., and with the NCAA tournament implications on the line for the rest of the season, you should be sure to keep an eye on this program for the rest of the season.
So, as I said above, if you’re looking for teams to watch as we reach the middle of the season for many winter sports, take a chance on college hockey. With such easy access at your disposal, skilled teams and players across the country, this is the time to watch some college hockey, and you won’t be disappointed.