The 2016–17 Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey team represented Boston College in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The team was coached by Jerry York, '67, his twenty-third season behind the bench at Boston College. The Eagles played their home games at Kelley Rink on the campus of Boston College, competing in Hockey East.
The Eagles competed in three tournaments during the 2016–17 season, the first of which took place during the traditional opening of the college hockey season at the 20th annual Ice Breaker Classic. Played on October 7 and 8 at Magness Arena in Denver, Colorado, the tournament showcased the Eagles playing Air Force in the first round, where they would lose a tight 2-1 match. Boston College faced host Denver in the consolation round, picking up a 3-1 victory for their first win of the season. Air Force would defeat Ohio State in the championship. The Eagles had previously won the ice breaker tournament three times; making their fifth appearance this season. The second tournament of the season took place during the holiday break, where the Eagles made the trip to the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for their second appearance in the Three Rivers Classic in its fifth annual year. The Eagles fell 3–1 to the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the opening round, but picked up the 3rd-place result against Ferris State in the consolation round, winning the (unofficial) shootout of the (official) 1–1 tie. Boston College previously won the title in their first appearance at the tournament in 2012. For their final tournament of the season, the Eagles played in the 65th Annual Beanpot Tournament at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on February 6 and 13. Boston College lost to rival Boston University 3–1 in the opening round (suffering their first season sweep against the Terriers since 1994–95), and were defeated by Northeastern 2–4 in the consolation game, marking the first 4th place finish for the Eagles since 1993 and the first of Jerry York's tenure.
The Eagles finished the season 21–15–5, and 13–6–3 in conference play, earning a share of the regular season title (shared with Boston University and UMass Lowell). They advanced to the Championship of the Hockey East tournament, but would fall to the UMass Lowell River Hawks by a score of 4–3. The Eagles failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, having just missed the mark to earn an at-large bid; the Eagles missed out on the tournament for the first time since 2009.
Previous season recap
The Eagles entered the 2016–17 season following the school's record 25th trip to the Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida, where they would fall to Quinnipiac for the second year in the row. Additionally they fell in the semifinals of the Hockey East Tournament to Beanpot rival, Northeastern, who eventually won the title. The Eagles captured two trophies during the 2015–16 season, winning the Beanpot with a 1–0 OT victory over Boston University, and captured a share of the Hockey East regular season title (shared with Providence) off a strong 28–8–5 record and 15–2–5 in conference play.
Departures
Four Senior Eagles graduated in May: Teddy Doherty – D (Captain) Travis Jeke – D Brendan Silk – F Peter McMullen – F
Doherty and Jeke signed in the offseason with ECHL clubs, the Cincinnati Cyclones and the South Carolina Stingrays, respectively.
Seven Underclassmen left the program early to sign with their respective drafted teams in the NHL: Ian McCoshen – D (Assistant Captain) – Florida Panthers Steven Santini – D (Assistant Captain) – New Jersey Devils Adam Gilmour – F – Minnesota Wild Thatcher Demko – G – Vancouver Canucks Alex Tuch – F – Minnesota Wild Zach Sanford – F – Washington Capitals Miles Wood – F – New Jersey Devils
Additional: Josh Couturier left the program and transferred to UMass. Goalies Chris Birdsall, Alex Joyce, and Charlie van Kula were not retained on the official roster, however they may remain available on emergency basis.
Recruiting
Boston College adds thirteen freshmen for the 2016–17 season: seven forwards, four defensemen, and two goalies.