Saturday, March 25, 2023

UPDATED: Terriers edge Cornell for Regional Crown; Heading to Tampa for the Frozen Four



#5 Terriers played a nearly flawless defensive game and skated past #12 Cornell, 2-1, to become the first team in the national tournament to earn its way to the Frozen Four in Tampa. BU received goals from Wilmer Skoog in the second period and Ethan Phillips in the third before the Big Red connected on an extra-attacker goal in the final minute. Goalie Drew Commesso stopped 13 shots in the final period and allowed just two goals in the regional tournament to win Most Outstanding Player honors. 

                  Extended highlights linked below.

The victory, before a crowd of 7,143 at SNHU Arena, sent BU to the Frozen Four for the 23rd time and it was the third time that Manchester Regional championship provided the pathway. Prior Manchester Regional titles came in 2009 and 2015.

                Scroll down for defkit's Terrier Takeaway

"I was very lucky with the team that I inherited," Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said, post-game. "I have an older team than we usually have at BU and one that is motivated to do well. We had some young freshman that have really contributed, from up and down the lineup. It was credit for them buying in. Without everyone buying in, this wouldn't be possible."

“I’m just really proud of this group. All year long, they’ve been a resilient group. They’ve come together, especially in the last month,” he added. “One of our goals was to get to the Frozen Four and we accomplished that today, so really proud of them.” 


"I thought we broke pucks out really well,” Pandolfo said. “Our guys did a heck of a job of keeping them to the outside. Obviously, they got that one late, but overall, what an effort from our guys!”

Five Terriers were named to the All-Tournament team. Joining MOP Commesso were forwards Wilmer Skoog and Ethan Phillips and defensemen Dom Fensore and Lane Hutson. Cornell's Jack O'Leary also was selected.

In the Frozen Four semifinal, the Terriers, now 29-10-0, will face top-ranked Minnesota (28-9-1), who defeated St. Cloud, 4-1, in the Fargo Regional, scoring twice in the final ten minutes to pull away.

There was plenty of up and down action in the opening period, but few shots on goal by either team: four apiece to be precise. Following a BU penalty late in the period, Commesso had to make a few sharp saves to keep the game scoreless. 

Terriers got on the board two minutes into the middle period. With the puck in the offensive zone, Skoog sent it from the right corner to the left corner. Dylan Peterson gave up the body to free the puck from a Big Red defender. It trickled to Jeremy Wilmer on the goal line and he quickly found an unmarked Skoog at the top of the crease. He rapped the puck past Ian Shane for his career-best 16th goal and a 1-0 lead.

Midway through the period as a Cornell power play (BU too many men penalty) wound down, Big Red top scorer Gabriel Seger's shot from the left circle was deflected by Jamie Armstrong's stick and then off Commesso's shoulder and the crossbar.

With 5:45 left in the period, Quinn Hutson, who had scored the game-winner against Western Michigan on the rush, nearly doubled BU's lead. He broke in alone, firing a wrist shot that beat Shane, but went off the inside of the right post and stayed out.

BU found itself 20 minutes from a Regional title, nursing a 1-0 lead. The plan was same as it had been from the opening face off: keep the Big Red to the outside and make sure Commesso could see pucks. BU executed it perfectly limiting Cornell to just two shots in the third period until the final minute.

Seven minutes into the period, Phillips got his stick on Cornell pass near the BU blueliner and the puck fell to Matt Brown, who head-manned it to Phillips in the neutral zone. He broke past a defender, fired a low shot off Shane's glove, then buried the rebound for his second goal of the tournament and fourth of the season, giving BU a 2-0 lead.  

Terriers continued to break up entry attempts and block shots when Cornell did gain the zone. At the 15-minute mark, an interference penalty on Cornell enabled BU to take time off the clock. When Cornell Coach Mike Schafer finally pulled Shane for an extra attacker, BU cleared the zone several times. 

With half a minute remaining, the puck was loose to the left of the BU net. As Commesso went to play it, he was slashed in the mask and Dalton Bancroft poked it into the blue paint. The puck trickled past a diving Cade Webber and into the cage. BU asked for a review but the goal stood, cutting the lead in half.

A final Big Red attempt was blocked by Lane Hutson to the end boards where Webber tied the puck up as time ran out.

For the game, BU outshot Cornell 21-14, had 21 blocks to six for the Big Red and won 29 of 56 face offs. Webber and Ty Gallagher each had four blocks.

“Our whole d-core, especially not having Case McCarthy –– the way John Copeland stepped up, Cade Webber every night, he’s one of our best defensive players,” Pandolfo said. “I mean the kid eats pucks.”

The view of the final minute from the band followed by choruses of "Go BU" and "Hey Baby":

MOP Commesso, after finishing the regular season with a shutout of Providence, has yielded just eight goals in five post-season games. He improved his record to 24-7-0, lowered his GAA to 2.41 and upped his save percentage to .914.   

With his assist on Phillips' game-winner, Brown now has 46 points this season and 100 for his career, which includes his first two seasons at UMass Lowell.

Pandolfo is fifth first-year coach to lead his team to the Frozen Four during the past three decades. He also matches the achievement of his BU coach, Jack Parker, who took the Terriers to the Frozen Four in his inaugural season of 1973-74.

BU extended its best-in-D1 current winning streak to nine games, and now has a 22-1 record in games where they have led after two periods. 

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Video Highlights, Extended highlights

● Post-game press conference

● Photo Gallery

● Boston Hockey Blog Terriers are Tampa-bound

● College Hockey News Back on the Stage

●USCHO BU beats Cornell, plays into the Frozen Four


defkit's Terrier Takeaway

What an incredible run this team has been on.

- I was impressed by the size of the crowd. While the end sections of the balcony were curtained off, the rest of the arena was 90% full in my estimation. There were more BU fans, but Cornell was well represented.

- To hold Cornell to 14 shots shows the commitment that this team is making to play however they need to in order to win. For the second game in a row, they played excellent team defense. Cornell doesn't possess a game-breaker and so, by and large, BU was able to keep the shots to the outside.

- Commesso came so close to a shutout. He is playing the way this team has needed to win the trophies they've earned. It won't get any easier from here on out, but the team seems to know they can count on a solid performance in net.

- It is always fun to be at a game when you know many of the fans have not seen Lane Hutson play before. (In this case there were quite a few locals sporting their Monarchs jerseys). The oohs and aahs when he makes his moves...yeah he does that all the time.

- I haven't seen the Pandolfo press conference. I am pretty sure Skoog didn't play at all in the third period. I saw him standing at the bench and during one of the time outs he seemed to go for  a spin on the ice. I hope he is not injured. There are only so many injuries this team can take!

- The 4th line may have had the most ice time - certainly down the stretch they were out there a ton. As a player, Jay was often out there in those situations, given his stellar defensive play. I imagine he loves having guys like Stevens and Armstrong that he knows are going to make the right play consistently.

- It's great to see Phillips get another big goal for the team. He has had some tough luck through his time at BU. And he now owns the GWG that got this team to the Frozen Four. Many big names didn't make it this far. Keller, Tkachuk, Greenway, Zegras to name a few. Phillips now has. Good for him.

- The road ahead will be tough. Minnesota is a force. It could be ugly and end quickly. Hopefully, Jay will bring out a tape of the '97 semifinal against Michigan to show what can be accomplished if the effort and discipline are there.

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