Boston University Terriers Hockey (Hockey East) @ (Jack Parker Rink at) Agganis Arena (Boston, MA)

Boston's secondary home for...a lot of things

*I’m about to mention two events in 2023 that I went to PRIOR to this event, but this was largely written after going to a BU game on December 2, 2023.

Boston University is a fairly well known school on the banks of the Charles River in Boston. Formerly a Methodist school, it’s become somewhat known for its influx of graduate and foreign students.

Their (men's) hockey team is their main team (as they're in one of those smaller conferences), and has won five national championships plus produced stars such as Jack Eichel and Macklin Celebrini (though like BC, they recently lost their shot at a sixth title to the NCHC), but on a more local level, BU leads the city with 32 Beanpot championships. For those who don’t know, the Beanpot is a local tournament between Boston’s four D-I hockey programs (BC, BU, Northeastern, and Harvard), and is one of the most prestigious in-season tournaments in all of college sports (in some respects, even more than conference tournaments).

Agganis Arena was opened in 2004 as BU’s original home had become far too small for the team (but it is still standing, as it hosts BU's women's hockey team); the building is named after a former BU athlete, and the rink was named after a legendary BU hockey head coach who was actually consulted during the building’s construction. A LOT of things go on here outside of Boston University hockey (though BU remains the main tenant); for example, the Boston Fleet hosted two games here during the 2024-25 season, and are hosting (at least) four for the 2025-26 season. Personally, I went to two different events (both in July of 2023) that were held at Agganis before seeing BU:

1. A Rocket League (video game car soccer for those who don’t know) tournament (July 8)
2. 3ICE: A novelty hockey competition that was held on the hottest day of the summer and was so desperate for fans that they were giving away tickets for free (July 26)

You can basically copy/paste what I’ve said about the Tsongas Center in Lowell as they’re INCREDIBLY similar: lobby, stairs up to concourse, seats. The main difference between Agganis and Tsongas, in terms of architecture, is the fact that the ice is more blocked from the concourses at Agganis because I think there’s more “suites” (they’re rather unimpressive IMO) as well as press areas (in addition, the entrances to many of the sections have curtains which also block some of the view). Conversely, however, there’s no real “analog” to the luxury area at UML, so you have full “360 degree” access to the concourse without luxury seats blocking your walk.

Standing Room Only tickets are available here - if you purchase one, you can take any vacant seats once ten minutes have elapsed. Speaking of tickets, I feel like I should warn you that Agganis Arena is a TicketMaster venue (part of which can probably be attributed to how many non-BU events it hosts), so be prepared for that if you’re not a fan of TicketMaster.

The crowd was far and away the rowdiest I saw amongst the college hockey games. My favorite part was their variable goalie praise/haze system: one end had two banners with “GOALIE” for when BU defended that net and “SIEVE” for when the other team defended that net, and the other end had a two-sided sign that read “SEXY GOALIE” and “UGLY GOALIE” for the corresponding situations at that end. For some reason, I also heard a “BC SUCKS” chant after every goal...despite the opponent being relatively lowly Merrimack (whom the Terriers beat handily)¹.

If you're thinking of coming here, be forewarned that street parking is at a premium in Boston, and you have to be weary of some areas being off limits to non-residents plus the fact that meters are typically in effect until 8 PM. There is a garage underneath the arena if you're willing to pay a bit more (and/or avoid parallel parking), but there's also a T stop right in front of the arena (though you're going to have to take the "B" train - the Green Line's slowest branch).

Also, I'm somewhat saddened to report that concessions are NOT cheap; if you’re worried about the combination of concession prices and concession quality (which, IMO, you should be), there are quite a few food options outside the arena you can go to pre or post game. For example, you can visit Massachusetts’ oldest Raising Cane’s a mere block away from the arena - but be aware that there may be a line out the door after games...

MERCH

Merch (not just for BU, but for the other events I went to²) is typically on a “wider” part of the concourse at Agganis near one of the concourse’s landings from the lobby (mainly because the lobby is quite small, which I assume is partly due to the arena’s location on a major street in Boston). However, the BU Bookstore is just across the street (though getting there is a bit more intricate than you'd likely expect since that street is Commonwealth Avenue) and usually has a lot of hockey stuff as hockey is BU’s main sport (though it used to be a few Green Line stops away at the same station for Fenway Park). I’ve bought hockey jerseys from here plus a few other things such as a wooden zamboni, but I should also mention that I got a special "100 Years of BU Hockey" hat during the game.

Something that made this game slightly different from ALL of the college hockey games I’ve been to: the team sheets cost money (though they're also available online, so...). However, there was also an almanac available (though both were cash only).

There’s also a table in the corner of the concourse opposite the merch area that has FREE JERSEYS!

...Provided you meet the following criteria:

1. You’re a BU student (which requires getting into an increasingly competitive school and an annual tuition somewhere north of I-don't-even-know-anymore-but-it's-not-a-small-number)
2. You obtain a sports pass (price unknown but honestly rather inconsequential)
3. You attend 8 home games (out of 17). Most of them are on Friday or Saturday nights, and the two “other dates” when I originally wrote this in 2023 were the day before Thanksgiving and a Tuesday during the between semester break, so you (probably) don’t have to worry about ChatGPT-ing crunching out that term paper before midnight. The 2025-26 season features only one non-Friday/Saturday game, but it's just an "exhibition game" and it's...the day after this was posted (even though it is approaching midterm season).

So if you’re willing to put yourself in crippling debt in order to get a degree that may or may not help you get a job once AI kills a bunch of entry level job markets and have a few free weekends, you can avoid paying {insert price of BU jersey here} for a jersey! If you’re a hockey (jersey) fanatic who wants BOTH jerseys (home and away), you have to do this whole thing twice (i.e. a second season) to avoid paying the other $130 (if I’m being honest, it’s actually a good deal if you go to BU and REALLY like hockey, as I think the sports pass works for other sports as well).