With 24 goals in 38 NCAA games this season, BU’s Cole Eiserman proved why the Islanders were eager to get their hands on them at the 2024 NHL draft pick. Tonight, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the college star showed his worth once again. The Terriers shut down Penn State’s best-ever hockey campaign in program history as the former secured their berth to Saturday’s NCAA Championship game. However, Boston’s victory wasn’t enough to compensate for the poor state of affairs at tonight’s semifinal match.
Tomorrow, Boston will take to the ice in the quest for its sixth NCAA hockey title. Considering the massive attention championship matches in other sports often enjoy, hockey fans would believe their community would also have the nation’s eyes fixed upon them. However, seeing as how there weren’t much crowd to witness the thrillers from tonight, many aren’t pleased about how little thought the NCAA put into planning the tournament.
NCAA invites fuming accusation from hockey expert
Boston Bruins reporter Steve Conroy took to X on April 11 to slam the country’s apex collegiate hockey authorities on their decision to hold the semifinal matches in St. Louis, Missouri. Instead, the hockey pundit suggested that the NCAA should consider holding such high-stakes matches at a more tourist-friendly destination the next time. “If you’re going to hold the Frozen Four in a non-college hockey market, at least do it in a place like Tampa so it can be a destination for fans even if your team doesn’t make it,” Conroy’s social media update grumbles.
If you’re going to hold the Frozen Four in a non-college hockey market, at least do it in a place like Tampa so it can be a destination for fans even if your team doesn’t make it. That crowd is embarrassing. https://t.co/FNGKVZ3shu
— steve conroy (@conroyherald) April 11, 2025
As per reports, there were 16,814 hockey fans in attendance at the Enterprise Center tonight to watch the two semifinal matches (Boston vs. Penn State and West Michigan vs. Denver). However, it wasn’t enough to fill the St. Louis venue, and in the OG post that Conroy shared, it could be seen that the stands had plenty of space to accommodate more fans. Naturally, the hockey enthusiast wasn’t pleased with the NCAA’s trip planning.
“That crowd is embarrassing,” Steve fumed. BU has had a rollercoaster of a season. With some incredible wins and equally disappointing losses, the Terriers (24-13-2), Boston now stands on the verge of reaching the top of the nation once again. Holding on to its lead, Jay Pandolfo‘s boys closed out a history-making Penn State team 3-1 to advance to the championship game. But it won’t be any easier tomorrow at the season’s final NCAA hockey match, either.
A scintillating season waiting for its final rumble
At the NCAA Championship semifinals, Western Michigan defeated Denver for the fourth time this season. Clinching a thrilling 3-2 win, the Broncos now stare at its first-ever national championship title. WMU has won 22 of its last 25 games and all of its last nine games, making the team one of the most formidable forces in the NCAAs right now. In 2025 alone, the Broncos have raked up 110 goals while allowing only 53 to get into their net.
However, it’s not like Boston has been faring too poorly themselves. With the latest win, the Terriers have advanced to the national championship for the first time since 2015. This would also be the first time that BU could win the NCAA title since 2009. Coach Pandolfo thinks that the year has been testing enough for the Terriers to have a good chance of winning tomorrow. “If you’re going to win a championship, you have to find a way to be able to play in those tight games, and we’ve been in enough of them this year,” he said in the post-game interview.
The stage is set, and the stakes are high. But who among these two NCAA Goliaths will come out on top? Share your predictions for tomorrow’s championship match-up below!
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