BOSTON — Desperately searching for an offensive spark, Jay Pandolfo has continuously shuffled his forward lines in the second semester.
The only mainstay for BU has been the trio of Nick Roukounakis, Jonathan Morello and Ryder Ritchie.
That was, at least, until Friday’s 4-1 loss to Boston College. The group had featured together on the five previous line charts, with appearances on the first and fourth line. In the 299th Battle of Comm. Ave, Ritchie featured on the second line, Roukounakis played on the third and Morello the fourth.
When asked why he went away from that group, Pandolfo said: “Well, we weren’t scoring, so you try to tweak your lines a little bit.”
BU has averaged 2.1 goals per game in 2026 and was coming off being shutout, 4-0, against Providence.
Pandolfo went back to the trio for Monday’s Beanpot semifinal against Northeastern. He was massively rewarded for that decision.
“When we were trying to put lines together again for this game, we know we’ve had success with those three guys together, so that was kind of a reason to go back to them,” Pandolfo said postgame.
The third line registered both Terrier goals to lift BU past Northeastern in a 2-2 shootout win.
Morello, a freshman, netted BU’s first goal 1:41 into the second period, tipping in a shot from freshman defenseman Charlie Trethewey. In the build up to the goal, the Terriers’ third line won multiple battles to keep the puck in the offensive zone for an extended period. Morello finally broke through a reeling Huskies defense for his sixth goal of the season.
Morello and Roukounakis, a sophomore, have been two of BU’s most reliable forwards this season, primarily for their energy and effort, which was again on full display on Monday.
“They’re both big and strong. They protect pucks. They win pucks on the fore check,” said Pandolfo.
Six minutes later, Roukounakis won a puck battle at the blue line and skated past Northeastern’s Andy Moore in the neutral zone to generate a 2-on-1 opportunity alongside Ritchie.
Ritchie slammed his stick against the ice, pleading for the puck, but Roukounakis took it himself, firing his shot past goaltender Lawton Zacher and into the top right corner, tying the game at two apiece at 7:44 of the second period.
“I noticed he was a little bit off his angle,” said Roukounakis. “Blocker side just had a little more room than I thought.”
Ritchie nearly became the third and final linemate to score. He rifled a would-be game-winning shot past Zacher with 33.6 seconds left in overtime and began celebrating with his teammates, who hopped over the bench and onto the ice. It was short lived, as officials waved off the tally for an interference penalty against Gavin McCarthy, who appeared to screen the Husky defending Ritchie.
While the freshman didn’t get on the scoresheet and repeatedly slammed his stick after his goal was called off, he generated multiple chances on the rush and looked fluid carrying the puck into the offensive zone.
“He adds a little bit of skill to our line that we need, and he makes the right plays in the right time,” Roukounakis said. “He’s a lot harder to play against than you’d think.”
A highly-rated CHL prospect upon his arrival on Comm. Ave, selected 45th overall in the 2024 NHL draft, Ritchie struggled throughout the first semester, often lining up next to fellow highly-drafted forwards Cole Eiserman and Sacha Boisvert.
Ritchie has struggled with physicality, but has looked better in the second semester next to grittier, more complimentary forwards.
“Ryder is a high-end offensive player,” said Pandolfo. “He actually gives that line a little bit more skill.”
Morello finished with the Terriers’ highest plus-minus at +2.
Roukounakis, a Pembroke, Mass. native, fulfilled a childhood dream by scoring at the Garden.
“I used to come to the Beanpot a lot with my dad,” he said. “I remember, just a few years ago, I had ACL surgery. I was home from juniors and came to a game with my dad, and I had goosebumps the whole time just listening to the atmosphere.”
“So it’s pretty special,” he concluded.
Most importantly, however, Pandolfo has found a reliable line to trot out in what has otherwise been a wildly disappointing forward group.
“They’ve had a lot of success, and they did again tonight,” Pandolfo said. “I don’t know the exact reason, but for whatever reason, when those three are out there they cause a lot of havoc.”
“We just have some really good chemistry right now,” Roukounakis added.