It wasn’t flashy. But that’s not who Tynan Lawrence is.
The second-youngest player in college hockey is just a good hockey player. That’s apparent through the eye test and in conversations with his current and former coaches, who acknowledge his talent but rave about all the other stuff. His relentless motor. His 200-foot game. His willingness to play the right way.
And it was those qualities on display as Lawrence made the play that saved BU’s season on Wednesday night.
With the Terriers tied, 1-1, against Vermont in the Hockey East first round, the second-youngest player in college hockey forced a turnover in the Catamounts’ defensive zone and muscled his way through an opponent to win the loose puck. His reward? A wide open Cole Eiserman, waltzing into the low slot.
Lawrence supplied a perfect centering pass, and Eiserman did the rest.
BU 2, Vermont 1.
It was the kind of gritty, impactful play Jay Pandolfo and his staff likely envisioned when they brought Lawrence to Agganis Arena in January, a half-season ahead of his scheduled arrival. And it was the kind of play NHL scouts — and there were plenty in attendance on Wednesday — will love, even if Lawrence’s five points in 17 collegiate games are far below the expectations for a potential top pick in June’s draft.
Moments later, Eiserman — during one of his better games of a disappointing sophomore season — drew a penalty, and fellow sophomore Cole Hutson cashed in and on BU’s maligned power play (the unit’s second goal of the game) to secure a 4-1 victory (junior Jack Harvey added an empty-netter with 2:45 to go). BU, which needs to win the Hockey East tournament to qualify for NCAAs, will play UConn in the quarterfinal in Storrs, Conn. on Saturday.
Eiserman opened the scoring in the first period with a signature one-timer on the power play, but like Lawrence, he had an impact all night through effort and physicality. That couldn’t be said for all of BU’s players, but the contributions from the Terriers’ star players were enough.
Here are three takeaways:
Despite advancing, BU’s days are numbered.
Yes, the Terriers were victorious Wednesday night, but they didn’t look good doing it. In the leadup to the Hockey East tournament, there was an emphasis on sustaining play shift after shift, and that was nowhere to be found on the ice.
The first period was definitively BU’s best, but it wasn’t even entirely convincing because Vermont looked like the worst team in Hockey East for the first 20 minutes. A rare power play goal from Cole Eiserman salvaged the first period and gave the Terriers a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
BU’s play deteriorated drastically in the second period — a trend that also isn’t new. The Catamounts outshot the Terriers 13-10 in the second period and tied the game at 2:51 of the frame when a wraparound attempt from Jens Richards ricocheted off Cole Hutson’s skate and in.
It was sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. BU’s second period was littered with bad passes and lazy forechecks. Its power play came back down to earth too, with a putrid display midway through the frame and the third period wasn’t anything to write home about either.
Early in the season it was about the Terriers playing down to their competition. Now, 13-21-1 Vermont is their competition. — Eli Cloutier
Cole Eiserman played with fervor.
Early in the contest, Eiserman got rocked. He took a hard hit, seemingly up high by Matteo Michels. After staying down on the ice for a few seconds, he skated directly to the bench.
Minutes later, he got BU on the board with his rocket of a one-timer on the power play. It was Eiserman’s team-leading 17th goal of the season, giving him goals in his last five games and seven of his last eight.
Then when the Terriers needed a goal in the third period, he scored again. In a game where BU and Agganis Arena lacked energy, Eiserman brought it. He hunted for pucks, was physical, and drew a holding penalty and picked up an assist on the dagger.
If the Terriers have one person to thank for extending their season, it’s Eiserman. — Cloutier
Sacha Boisvert was left out of the lineup.
The sophomore forward, a first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2024, was a healthy scratch, per BU Athletics.
It’s the latest episode in a disappointing first — and only — season at BU for the North Dakota transfer, who was widely regarded as the best player in portal over the offseason. Boisvert made headlines last week when Blackhawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton told the Chicago Sun-Times Boisvert would turn pro once BU’s season ends.
He played three days later at UMass Lowell — as BU’s first-line center — and provided an assist. But with the Terriers’ season on the line, Boisvert watched from the Agganis Arena stands. — Sam Robb O’Hagan