The two most marquee college hockey programs in New England will have new head coaches when the season begins in October.
After 28 years as head coach at Boston College and 50 overall, Jerry York retired in April. Boston University parted ways with alum Albie O’Connell following four up-and-down seasons with the Terriers.
After a somewhat drawn-out process, BC and BU have found their replacements. Both schools opted for alums. The Eagles will be led by Greg Brown and the Terriers by Jay Pandolfo.
While neither program is at their preferred perch atop Hockey East and college hockey, Brown and Pandolfo don’t have insurmountable tasks to get their respective teams back to where much of the college hockey world expects.
BU could be quick turnaround
O’Connell’s only trip to the NCAA Tournament as head coach of the Terriers came in 2021. This year, BU went on a great second-half run, which included a Beanpot title. However, an inexplicable 8-1 thumping at the hands of Maine in Orono and a first-round exit from the Hockey East Tournament sealed O’Connell’s fate.
BU Director of Athletics Drew Marrochello claimed to lead a national search to replace O’Connell, but as I wrote in March when news broke, Pandolfo seemed destined to be the next head coach for the home team at Agganis Arena.
The Burlington, Mass., native and former star at his hometown high school played for BU from 1992 to 1996, captaining the Terriers as a senior. He was on a national-championship winning team as a junior. The two-time Hockey East champion won numerous individual awards as a senior before embarking on a long career in pro hockey. Counting playoffs, he played in 1,030 NHL games and won two Stanley Cups as a member of the New Jersey Devils.
Following his retirement, Pandolfo spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Bruins after brief stints in scouting and player development with the Devils and the occupants of TD Garden.
Why was I so sure Pandolfo would be the next head coach at BU? There was no way Pandolfo, who worked to complete his degree, left the NHL with visions of anything but being the man in charge at one of the most storied college hockey programs in the country.
Pandolfo is a great hire for Boston University. He’s a true professional whose knowledge of the game will command a presence in the locker room and on the bench. The one area where he’ll need to lean on his assistants most is in recruiting.
He’s addressing that by hiring another BU alum, 2009 NCAA champion Joe Pereira, who has been an assistant coach under Mike Cavanaugh (Andover, Mass.) at UConn since 2013. The West Haven, Conn., native is known for the connections he has made on the recruiting trail. He’s helped the Huskies transition from Atlantic Hockey to Hockey East while recruiting numerous NHL draft picks and future pros.
Whether Pandolfo retains Len Quesnelle is up in the air, but the logical option would be for Pandolfo to add an assistant coach whom he trusts.
No matter the makeup of the staff, Pandolfo’s first BU team could challenge for a Hockey East championship. The pieces are in place, including a good goaltender in junior Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.). Eight of the top nine scorers return, including leading scorer Dom Fensore, a defenseman. A solid recruiting class, including the additions of Ryan Greene and Jeremy Wilmer, is expected.
O’Connell was a wizard on the recruiting trail, but finding players at BU has never been a challenge. The history and tradition, the facility, the allure of the Beanpot, the location and the school all sell themselves.
Following a legend at BC
Brown, from Hartford, Conn., will have the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of York, the winningest coach in college hockey history. York’s legacy includes four national championships at his alma mater after coming to The Heights from Bowling Green, where he won an NCAA title in 1984.
The last few years of York’s tenure at BC were rocky, especially given the lofty standards he helped set. The 2021-22 team finished in eighth place in what was York’s second sub-.500 campaign in four seasons.
Sandwiched between them were two Hockey East regular-season titles. So even in disappointing, down seasons, York’s teams were still capable of reaching goals.
Brown was the choice that I believed would be hired all along. Despite internet rumors to the contrary, Cavanaugh was never offered the job to replace York, the man whose side he was at for four national titles before going to UConn.
I always thought it would be Brown or former Merrimack head coach and BC alum Mark Dennehy (Dorchester, Mass.), who is now the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Devils. The Eagles flirted with Providence head coach Nate Leaman, who thought about it, but ultimately decided to stay with the Friars after a lengthy contract extension and salary bump.
Brown, who played prep hockey at St. Mark’s, skated for the Eagles from 1986 to 1990 and served as BC’s captain as a senior. A defenseman by trade, he played in 100 NHL games during a 12-year pro career that spanned North American and Europe.
He was an assistant coach under York from 2004 through 2018, during which time he helped BC’s defense become a dominant force. Then he spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers before being named the head coach of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints for this past season. He also has international experience with USA Hockey at the World Junior Championship.
Brown will likely retain assistant coaches Mike Ayers and Brendan Buckley. There might be some growing pains in year one, as the roster certainly isn’t up to BC’s standards. Question marks at goaltending, the blue line and high-end scoring persist.
BC’s recruiting class for the 2023-24 season is in the top three for the country. Five members of USA Hockey’s NTDP, including top '05 Will Smith, should be skating at Conte Forum by October 2023. Also joining the NTDP stars is an elite goaltender in Northwood’s Jan Korec.
Similarly to BU, Brown and his coaching staff have plenty of ammunition to quickly turn around the Eagles program. There’s some semblance of talent already on the roster and recruiting to BC has its advantages, including the history of success and a world-class school in Boston.
The Hockey East landscape has gotten harder over the last decade with UMass and Providence winning national titles and UMass Lowell and Northeastern raising the bar. UConn’s emergence as a contender, Merrimack putting better teams together under Dennehy and now Scott Borek, plus the chance for Maine and New Hampshire to return to glory all make it difficult for BC and BU to stay atop the league on a yearly basis.
However, don’t feel bad for Brown and Pandolfo. Both coaches will have plenty of resources to chase their goals, and championships will likely follow. The changing of the guard at both schools will benefit the Eagles, Terriers and college hockey in New England as a whole.
